From Dear Evan Hansen to Dear Optavia: one musician’s healthy eating journey
Michi Aceret—a professional musician and close friend of mine—started off the new year like many others do, with a resolution to transform her body and, as she put it herself, “feel more comfortable in my own skin.” So she took the advice of a family friend and started following a menu created by Optavia, a company that offers clinically-backed healthy food plans aimed at creating better eating habits.
Of course, that was at the beginning of 2020, before being stuck at home and being so uncertain about the future tempted most of us to attempt homemade sourdough and polish off our liquor cabinets.
But Michi stuck with her newfound healthy-eating regimen. And what started as a journey in body transformation for the professional musician has turned into something greater: a lesson in feeling mentally sound by eating healthfully, even during a topsy-turvy year like 2020 that poses so many stressors.
“Eating healthfully now is especially important because it is easy during this time to get depressed and not eat well,” Michi, who turned 40 in September, said in a phone interview, “For me, being regimented is about knowing that I have control over my body.”
This connection between healthful eating and a positive mindset isn’t a new discovery. Eva Selhub, MD, contributing editor for Harvard Health Publishing, explained in a 2015 article that putting food into your body is a little like putting fuel into an expensive car. Fueling the body with good foods keeps everything rolling smoothly while fueling with a lot of processed food can have negative effects—even on the brain.
“Diets high in refined sugars, for example, are harmful to the brain,” Selhub wrote. “In addition to worsening your body’s regulation of insulin, they also promote inflammation and oxidative stress. Multiple studies have found a correlation between a diet high in refined sugars and impaired brain function — and even a worsening of symptoms of mood disorders, such as depression.”
Clearly, Michi got a jumpstart fueling with the right foods at the perfect time.
She was traveling the country with the national tour for the musical “Dear Evan Hansen” when she started her Optavia regimen, with five small prepared meals a day and one meal she tailor-made from a list of healthy options.. This meant measuring out precise protein and other ingredients for meals in her hotel room, instead of going to restaurants every day. (Which is a far cry from when I met up with Michi in Boston in summer 2019 and we washed down giant seafood platters with Sam Adams and frozen Aperol spritzes.)
Michi started finding a groove following the plan, buying chicken breasts and basic salad ingredients while she was on the road. Then, the pandemic brought the tour to a halt, upending Michi’s routine and sending her home to the Bay Area to shelter in place with family.
“I am so glad I started [Optavia] a few months before lockdown happened,” she said, stifling a laugh.
The move home had an upside, though, giving Michi access to a full kitchen and the ability to branch out and try new recipes as part of her healthful regimen. Even with the exact measurements and ingredients required to follow the plan effectively, she found freedom in creating new and delicious dishes. And as a bonus, these creative and healthful dishes were also leaving her satisfied, instead of stuffed.
“I used to love creamy sauces and all things with cheese melted on top, and I had this idea that since it was heavy that I would be satisfied,” Michi explained. “But then I would be hungry again an hour and a half later!”
Michi said the real key to taking the stress out of eating healthfully is to “keep things simple.”
“The more simple [sic] the ingredients, the more satisfied my whole body feels,” she summarized. “I love my ground turkey, and salmon with spinach has become a good go-to-meal for me. I make a cauliflower-crust pizza that I really like, and cream of broccoli soup that I prepare with almond milk.
“Plus, there are on-plan meals that I’ve made for everyone else and they liked it,” she added with regard to being quarantined with family. “There’s a really good zucchini lasagna recipe that’s meant to be shared, so I did that with healthy noodles.”
And for those of you wondering how eating healthfully can satisfy Michi’s sweet tooth, she has found some creative solutions to that as well—many of which she has discovered thanks to Optavia’s Facebook group.
“People get so creative with their meals,” she said. “I’ve been wanting to try a recipe for a mock coconut custard dessert made with spaghetti squash! And the kabocha squash cheesecake that I made for Thanksgiving tasted like sweet potato pie, but it had very simple ingredients.”
Sure, Michi is still human and has had a few nibbles here and there on foods outside of her plan. However, she hasn’t let sneaking a few bites completely derail her from sticking to her healthy-eating regimen.
“Have I slipped up here and there? Yes,” she admitted. “But do I get mad at myself for that anymore? No, because I love that I’ve been taught through the program how to be more thoughtful about food. It’s more about thinking about what I’m putting in my body.”
Of course, this food regimen isn’t meant to be followed forever, and Michi plans to start incorporating some off-plan foods back onto her daily menu in 2021. But her success thus far has her believing she’s made mindful adjustments that she’ll take with her for the rest of her life.
“It’s about making life-long choices,” Michi summarized. “I think it’s important to be more in-tune with the feeling of being full and satisfied versus stuffing yourself and just being more mindful. And I think that carries into other aspects of your life.”