Health & Hospitality

HEALTH & HOSPITALITY HEALTH & Hospitality

HEALTHYCOMFORT Cucumber-Mint Fruit Cooler

Ingredients for cucumber juice: 2 seedless cucumbers, chopped 2 cups green grapes 3 kiwi fruit, peeled 1 large bunch of fresh mint Juice of 2 limes 1 cup of water

Ingredients for serving: Limes wedges Frozen green grapes Sliced kiwi fruit Sliced cucmber Mint Sprigs Vodka (chilled) Place the cucumbers, grapes, kiwi, mint, lime juice, and water in a blender. Blend until super smooth. Place a finemesh strainer over a large bowl or pitcher. Pour the puree through the strainer into bowl/pitcher. Press on the pulp to extract as much juice as possible. Discard the pulp. Fill a pitcher with lots of ice and pour in the cucumber juice. Mix 1 cup of chilled vodka into ice and cucumber juice. Garnish glasses and enjoy!

Through his IGTV show and personal transformation, Chef Art is inspiring others to make a change.

Celebrity Chef Art Smith is no stranger to wellness. Smith—who is known for spending many years as Oprah’s personal chef as well as for his many restaurants—lost over 100 pounds about 10 years ago after being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.

On the eve of his 60th birthday, he found himself once again looking to make changes to his lifestyle and lose weight. “At 60, I didn’t want my life to be challenged by illness I could prevent,” he says.

Smith also pointed to the need to stay healthy to continue cooking and running his restaurants. “Cooking and working in a restaurant is really high energy, a lot of work, and grueling,” he says. “You need to be in good shape, or you’re not going to be cooking very long.”

This time around, he had help in the form of pro rugby player Lucas Cancelier, who was visiting from Argentina when the pandemic hit. He ended up quarantining

BY ASHLEY BRAY

with Smith and his family in Jasper, Florida.

In February, Smith began working out under Cancelier’s guidance, who challenged him to lose 30 pounds by April. Smith lost that and more—racking up 40 pounds in weight loss by the end of April. He lost almost another 40 pounds by July.

Smith lost the weight in part by eating better. “I try to focus more on fruits and vegetables and lean protein,” he says.

Exercise also helped Smith, who followed the 30-45-minute daily exercise regimen Cancelier created for him, which included running, walking, and exercises done on a yoga mat.

The exercise not only helped Smith physically, but mentally as well. “When COVID-19 happened, all the restaurants closed, and I was like, ‘what do I do with myself?’” says Smith. “Lucas got me to lose weight, and he also helped me to start the virtual cooking program.”

“Healthy Comfort” airs weekly on IGTV. On the popular show, Chef Art shares recipes and cooking demos with his viewers. On a recent episode, he mixed up two vodka cocktails with a focus on fresh fruits and vegetables (see recipe, above).

For those looking to commit to healthier routines, Smith says start with small, attainable goals. “From there, go to the lofty goals because you have to have the confidence in order to do the lofty ones,” he says. “And realize that you can do everything on a yoga mat!”