People who spend a lot of time around me have gotten used to the fact that I begin an absurd number of my sentences with “Jillian says”. “Jillian” is none other than Jillian Michaels, best known as one of the trainers on The Biggest Loser, who is also the host of her own Sunday morning radio program on KFI AM 640. I regularly download the show from the KFI website so that I can listen at my own convenience. I am not one of those people who form imaginary relationships with their favorite stars - okay I did have elaborate fantasies of hanging out with the guys from NKOTB when I was 11, but I’ve moved on. I have no delusions that Jillian and I are secretly best friends; we have never met, never talked on the phone or exchanged emails, and yet I feel like I know her. Maybe that is what happens when you listen to somebody talk for 2 hours a week. Maybe I don’t really know her at all. What I do know is that I find her incredibly inspirational.

So you may be wondering why I am talking about a fitness trainer on my food bog. It’s a reasonable question. I consider Jillian to be in a position of great influence on the millions of Americans who regularly watch The Biggest Loser, and who are seeking the motivation and inspiration to change their own lives. People from all over the country call her radio program to seek guidance. She has over half a million people who visit her website at least once a week. She reaches Americans in blue states and red states, in big cities and small towns. What does she do with her great power? She preaches the value of locally grown and organic foods. Jillian’s mantra for as long as I have been listening has been “Eat less, move more”. For the last few months she has been adding to that, “Eat real food… if it had a mother or it grew from the ground.” Is it any wonder that I feel a connection to this woman?

Jillian is a fitness trainer. She doesn’t claim to be a food advocate, or a diet guru. She gets her information from leading experts in the health and wellness field. She has referenced Michael Pollan’s The Omnivore’s Dilemma, she does interviews with food pioneers like Chef Ann Cooper - a leader in the healthy school lunch movement. Jillian does her homework, and surrounds herself with people whose field of expertise complements her own. As a result her radio program reaches far beyond weight loss, and building stronger muscles. She is helping people to live healthier lives.

She is also incredibly human. Her road to understanding the benefit of unprocessed healthy foods was paved with an overweight childhood, and a longtime addiction to diet sodas. She is not a perfect role model, but I think that is what makes her so appealing to me. When I look at other people who inspire me like Alice Waters and Barbara Kingsolver, part of me thinks “I could never be that good”. Jillian seems real. Her advice makes sense in the world I live in, and could be practical for a wide range of people.

Most of us aren’t in a position where we can raise our own chickens, and many of us lack the time and skill to cook every meal from scratch, but we all can make an effort to eat real food that still resembles an actual life form. Whether you are an environmental activist, a self proclaimed locavore, or just someone looking to lead a healthier life, your choices make a difference. By selecting real, organic, locally grown food, your choices can add up to a practical cure for our ailing food system.