Our very own Diya Nath, a sophomore at ACP Erie, has published her very own book! Healthy Habits for a Healthier You! displays Diya’s creative and healthy smoothies and recipes that go along with it. This book could be really helpful to those who are looking to start healthy habits in their lives or ones who have already been continually staying healthy. This is the perfect read for those who are still staying at home and looking for things to do. This could help pass time and open your eyes to some delicious new dishes that you’ve never tried before.

Q: Can you tell me about your book?

A: My book talks about healthy eating and what a good diet should have. I also have 21 smoothie recipes for promoting that good diet that I talk about in the book.

Q: What inspired you to write this book? Do you have a specific reason or reasons for writing this book?

A: I myself used to struggle with health issues, and I have been very fond of making and drinking smoothies. I would watch all the smoothie videos on Youtube until I had no more new ones to watch. Also, keeping your gut and body, especially your immune system, healthy is very important during this pandemic. The antioxidant and vitamin C rich fruits and veggies I use in my smoothies can help fight free radicals (which can cause damage to your cells) and can help fight and reduce infection. I also did research on gut health and gut bacteria and have found out that keeping your gut healthy is relevant to your overall health and can even reduce your risk of Parkinson’s Disease. Following my research, I decided to write about healthy lifestyles and maintaining a healthy diet.

Q: What did you learn when writing this book?

A: I learned a lot about the fruits and veggies we eat every day and our gut while doing the research for this book. I also learned to be patient and to push through the hard parts of the book and to persevere because the end result would be super rewarding! My book also sparked multiple different ideas for future books or projects! Writing this book inspired me a lot!

Q: What surprised you the most?

A: I was surprised by the overwhelming amount of support and the outcome of my book. The book came out beautifully! I couldn’t stop smiling when I saw all the blessings and kind messages!

Q: What was the process like when you were writing this book? Any schedules that you followed? What was your plan?

A: The process was up and down. Some days, I would get a lot done, and some days I felt very unmotivated and got only a few things done. I did not have a set schedule because I have a habit of not following or enforcing my plans, but I followed whatever deadlines that were set for me. I actually started writing this book a few years ago but never got around to publishing. Around this March, my mom contacted a bestselling author, Parul Agrawal (I call her Parul Auntie). She helped move my book forward and helped publish my book! My mom also helped a lot with keeping in contact with Parul Auntie and helped me stay on top of schedule when writing my book. The basic plan was for me to write the book in a Google document, even with the table of contents, copyright page, and forewords, etc., have editors look over my book and help polish everything, and then have Parul Auntie and a publishing team finish the formatting of the book.

Q: What kind of research did you have to do to write your book? What was your preparation like?

A: I incorporated my science fair research on gut bacteria and medicine and used additional online articles and research papers for backing my claims up with scientific evidence. I had an original outline for my book for what I would write and in what chapters, which I changed a lot, and then used the outline to organize my book.

Q: Which part of the book would you say was the most difficult for you to write?

A:  Definitely the “Main Ingredients in Your Food” chapter. It took a lot of thinking and research to write a smooth and organized chapter.

Q: What are your favorite healthy dishes or food that you have prepared and why? 

A: I loved making smoothie popsicles (by freezing smoothies) and making healthy versions of desserts using blenders. In my book, I have a picture of a vegan chocolate mousse. This recipe was inspired by Tasty, Chef Out of Water! I used melted chocolate, avocado, coconut oil, almond milk, and a bit of brown sugar and sea salt. The creaminess from the avocado and banana and the fat from the coconut oil helped the mousse set in the fridge.

Q: What advice do you have for people who want to start eating healthy and start practicing healthy habits?

A: My advice would be: start with baby steps, add a vegetable or fruit to every meal, substitute or add in nutritious food and then progress into avoiding unhealthy foods and then into finding better foods to eat that gives you the same satisfaction when eating unhealthy food. You can still occasionally enjoy your favorite foods though! Also, don’t worry about your body size or your weight too much. The way you look and how much you weigh does not define how healthy or fit you are because everyone is different, especially when we talk about our bodies.

Q: What is something you wish you knew before writing this book?

A: I wish I knew a lot more about the process and how to reach out and how to speak up instead of staying quiet about myself. My mom says “If you don’t brag about yourself, who will?” I still struggle with confidently talking about myself, but having good self-confidence really helps you in the long run!

Thank you so much, Diya, for speaking with me! I was able to learn a lot about healthy dishes and how to improve my own daily habits. Diya’s book is available on Amazon now! Go Knights!