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Chef Chris Valdes shot to fame as a finalist on Season 14 of Food Network Star<\/em> and is a renowned cook, author, and TV host, sharing his love of food and making mouths water wherever he serves up his delicious dishes. But the Miami native decided to take a closer look at the ingredients available to him, when he embarked on a weight loss journey that saw him burn 40 pounds of fat without compromising his passion for flavor.<\/p>\n Valdes recently took a little time out of the kitchen to chat with M&F,<\/em> explaining how he\u2019s not only lost this weight, but has also tackled his body and mind to keep it off in a sustainable way.<\/p>\n \u201cI would describe my cooking as bold, flavorful, and heavily influenced by my Cuban roots,\u201d says Valdes. \u201cI love taking the Latin and Caribbean flavors that I grew up with and giving them a modern twist.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, the life of a chef runs somewhat contrary to a calorie deficit, and with a wide range of ingredients offered by these styles of cooking, staying in shape requires a conscious effort.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think you can label Latin food as simply healthy or unhealthy,\u201d says Valdes. \u201cThere are so many naturally nutritious ingredients such as beans, vegetables, lean proteins, seafood, avocado, fresh herbs, citrus and spices. \u201cBut at the same time, some of the comfort foods that I grew up loving can be fried, heavy in carbohydrates, or served in very large portions. I\u2019ve now learned that I don\u2019t have to stop eating the foods that connect me to my culture. Instead, I can change the cooking method, adjust the portions, and make smarter ingredient choices while keeping the flavors that make those dishes special.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, the foods that we crave are often tied to our emotions. \u201cSince I was a kid, food was love, comfort, family, and celebration,\u201d says Valdes. \u201cMy dad would treat me to chicken nuggets almost daily. \u201cI grew up in our family restaurant, where food was around us 24\/7. And, growing up Latino, it felt like everything provided a reason to gather and celebrate\u2026 and wherever there was a celebration, there was food.\u201d<\/p>\n As a kid, Valdes\u2019 world was turned upside down when his father went to prison and the family restaurant closed. \u201cAround that time, I remember seeing cooking on television and becoming fascinated by it,\u201d he shares. \u201cWhen I started cooking for myself, I discovered this space where I could create, focus, and feel good about something during a time when so much around me didn\u2019t feel good. In many ways, cooking saved me then. What started as a source of comfort eventually became my passion, my career, and the way I would build my life.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, tasting six of seven dishes per day while in culinary school would make its mark. \u201cThere still isn\u2019t really an \u2018OFF\u2019 switch,\u201d he says of his appetite. \u201cI even daydream about food.\u201d<\/p>\n At 23 years old, Valdes was told that his cholesterol was \u201cfar too high,\u201d noting that this was a \u201cwake up call.\u201d But his initial efforts were simply not sustainable. He hired a trainer and threw himself into the gym, but when he scaled back the sessions, much of the weight came back. \u201cAt 25, I even underwent liposuction,\u201d shares Valdes. \u201cAt the time, part of me believed that if I could physically change my body, maybe everything else would fall into place, but it didn\u2019t. What I learned was that changing my body didn\u2019t automatically change my habits, my mindset, or my relationship with food. Liposuction could change what I saw in the mirror, but it couldn\u2019t teach me discipline or consistency\u2026 I had to do that for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n The chef, who often wows audiences on Good Morning America, knew that his identity and his livelihood revolved around food so abstaining was not an option, but changing his relationship with eating would become key. So, to stay active, Valdes tried, and then discovered a lasting love for CrossFit, and these sessions also served to improve his mental outlook.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t have to think about everything I was carrying or what tomorrow looked like. I just need to get through the next rep,\u201d explains the chef, noting that he built up healthier rituals by committing to the 21\/90 rule, which theorizes that it takes 21 days to build a new habit, and then an additional 90 days to make it stick.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n To dial-in his food intake, Valdes made some quick and lasting changes such as giving up on sugary sodas. \u201cIt\u2019s funny because something that once seemed completely normal doesn\u2019t appeal to me anymore,\u201d he shares. \u201cI also started pulling away from really greasy foods and becoming more conscious of how certain foods made me feel after eating them. I realized that eating something just because it tasted good, for five minutes, wasn\u2019t always worth feeling sluggish for afterward.\u201d<\/p>\n Valdes explains that once he stopped thinking about removing ingredients like sugar and fat, his next step was to concentrate on the healthy ingredients that he could add. \u201cNow I add more protein, vegetables, fresh ingredients, and foods that actually kept me satisfied.\u201d<\/p>\n For this successful chef, keeping the weight off has been made easier by making smart swaps. \u201cI\u2019ll grill, roast, air-fry, or sear something instead of automatically deep frying it,\u201d says Valdes. \u201cI will use fresh citrus, herbs, garlic, chiles, and spices to create flavor rather than relying on heavy sauces. I\u2019ll choose leaner proteins, incorporate more vegetables, and pay attention to portion sizes.\u201d<\/p>\n One thing that Valdes draws the line at swapping out is flavor. \u201cIf the healthier version doesn\u2019t taste good, you\u2019re probably not going to stick with it,\u201d he notes.<\/p>\n Being more conscious about his cooking methods and the ingredients utilized has not only battled the bulge but also made Valdes a better chef.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t consider myself a \u2018healthy chef\u2019 and I don\u2019t want people to think I\u2019m suddenly giving up the Cuban and Latin foods that I love, because that\u2019s not realistic for me, and I don\u2019t think it has to be,\u201d he explains. \u201cInstead, I\u2019ve become much more intentional, and this has actually made me more creative as a chef, because I love the challenge of finding ways to keep the soul of a dish, while making choices that better fit the way I want to live today.\u201d<\/p>\n To follow Chef Chris Valdes on Instagram, click here.<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\nChef Chris Valdes Examined His Emotional Relationship with Food<\/h2>\n
Chef Chris Valdes Now Cooks Healthier, but Never Compromises on Taste<\/h2>\n