I’m so inspired by Jamie Oliver’s excellent and passionate talk on TED about educating ourselves and our children about what real food is could prevent a multitude of diseases and conditions that are killing us. Jamie Oliver was the TED Prize 2010 winner and you should join his food revolution.

Jamie’s Wish is “for everyone to help create a strong sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity”.

I have something to share…

In 2008, I was 50 lbs overweight and diagnosed with Pre-Diabetes (very high glucose-intolerance). It was only then I understood what eating healthy and taking care of yourself really meant.

How I got there was definitely preventable.

It’s 2010 now, and my body can process glucose like everyone else now. I’m not even close to the Pre-Diabetes or Type 2 Diabetes zone anymore.

What did I do?
I simply changed my eating habits.
I stopped eating out.
I stopped eating the free food at work and packing my own lunch.
I stopped eating meat. (most of the time)

I started going to farmers markets and buying local fruits and vegetables.
I signed up with a friend to get vegetables delivered every week from a farm.
I didn’t recognize many of the vegetables I received through the CSA farms at first.
I didn’t know how to cook squash, beets, kale and broccoli!
I used every recipe website I could find, bought cookbooks, asked restaurant chefs and friends what to do with these vegetables.
I experimented.
I could see the huge difference in using fresh herbs instead of the dry herb rack.
I found that I loved cooking for friends and having pot lucks and sharing recipes.
I also found that it was a bigger treat to go out to a restaurant once a month rather than everyday.
I shed my pounds quickly and rather happily.
I no longer need an endocrinologist and never want one again.

There’s an increase in people being diagnosed with Pre-Diabetes or Type 2 Diabetes in North America and I’m now a big advocate that this can be reversed as well as prevented.

YouCook will stand behind Jamie Oliver’s Wish and show you how easy, quick and tasty it is to cook with basic, fresh, local ingredients.