Good Eating Starts with Sam

Yes, I'm back to harping on food -- specifically fast food, which has a death grip on millions of people. Sure, it's cheap and it's easy, but consider the trade offs. Instead of going into all the gory details, watch Morgan Spurlock's "Super Size Me!" (available on DVD) and see how fast food turned a healthy young man into a very sick person in just 30 days!! Seriously! Fast food should come with huge warning labels, and even then plenty of people would still buy it because it's convenient, tastes "good" and doesn't cost much. Then they wonder why they're tired, cranky, overweight and can't focus. Could it be because so few people realize that fast food is not only addictive but damages health even at the cellular level?

What's the alternative? Cooking your own food is a good place to start, but before you break out in a rash at the thought of turning on the stove, tune in to Discovery Channel's new show -- "Just Cook This with Sam the Cooking Guy." Here's Sam's "manifesto":

"If you cooked more, you'd eat out less and you'd eat better—it's that simple. I think a lot of people eat fast food or order out because they're just not comfortable in the kitchen. They think it's like this club and if you don't know the secret terminology and handshake, you can't belong. But that's just a bunch of BS.

"A lot of the problem comes from cooking shows that make things look complicated—too many steps ... too many weird ingredients. Just Cook This! is a show that demystifies what goes on in a kitchen. Why? Because I'm not a chef, I'm just a regular person who cooks like a regular person. The show is shot right in my home with my dogs, kids or whomever around. If I make a mistake—we leave it in. If I drop something—we leave it in. Because that's what goes on in a real home and the goal is not sophisticated culinary excellence that would go on in a restaurant—it's food that's big in taste but small in effort. Food you can make easily and really enjoy. Food that'll keep you from going out.

"It's cooking—it's not rocket science. If I have a goal, it's that you watch the show and say, "Hey, I can make that guy's stuff"—and you start cooking. That's the goal. Well, that and I also want to be King of the World someday ... that's all."

You can learn more about Sam and good food, plus download recipes, at the Discovery Health website (link above) or find out when the show is on locally. Even giving up a few fast food meals every week can make a difference.