Not only is she the daughter of legendary boxer and humanitarian Muhammad Ali, an undefeated champion in the ring herself, Laila Ali hosts three TV shows — “All In with Laila Ali,” on CBS Saturday mornings, “We Need to Talk,” a national sports show on CBS Sports Network featuring well-known female athletes, and “Late Nite Chef Fight” on the FYI Network. She is one busy woman, but still manages to make a health a priority by being realistic about it.
Six days a week, Ali eats all the right foods, but said she allows herself an occasional treat one day such as a slice of pizza with her kids. It’s about moderation.
As a champion for healthy living, she knows lifestyle choices and diet have consequences.
“I’ve had people in the family, male and female, impacted by heart disease,” Ali said. “But people can prevent it.”
“You have to fight for your health and stay on top of it,” she said. “Our bodies are meant to be healthy.”
When asked about her father and his health, she said, “He’s doing as good as he can be.”My Dad is a strong man. He’s been fighting this disease [Parkinson’s disease] for 35 years.”
Laila Ali is also undefeated in the kitchen! The boxer took her gloves off, and got her hands dirty in the kitchen and won on Food Network’s cooking competition show “Choppped”.
As a self taught cook, Laila has been putting her foot in her dishes longer than she has been in the ring. Laila started making meals at the age of 10, then at 18 she decided to become a boxer. Now at the age of 37 and her passion for cooking still strong, Laila is enrolled in culinary school and prepared to begin a new journey.
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“The last time when I was on Chopped, I definitely went home with a goal of trying to be more creative and try new things,” explained Laila. “I have a 3-year-old and a 5-year-old, both of who get in the way of my creativity, because when I try something new, they don’t want to eat it. So I usually stick to basics with them. But I’m inspired again to try new and different things for my entire family, coming up with dishes that my kids would eat. I look at it as a challenge and I really get inspired. I’m currently working on a cookbook. Being on Chopped definitely makes you step out of your comfort zone. I’ve said on the show that I don’t bake, but that doesn’t mean I’m not going to have baking recipes in my book. I’m inspired by recipes that we all know are already good, and then I try to make them healthier.”
Laila is taking her skills to print in her new cookbook. “It’s going to be American food with a healthy twist,” details Laila. “My food is healthy, but you don’t even know you’re eating food that’s healthy for you. I have a recipe that everyone loves — my oven-fried chicken — that people don’t even believe is not fried unless I tell them or they see me make it. They tell me it’s actually better than fried. I say, ‘No, it’s not!’ But my husband says, ‘No, babe, it really is.’ It’s hard to imagine that people who like fried chicken would like my oven-fried chicken better, but I guess it’s possible. It inspires me to take other dishes and reinvent them. The possibilities are limitless.”
Here’s Laila’s Shrimp Avocado Grape Fruit Salad recipe:
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
12 ounces peeled and deveined medium shrimp
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 grapefruit
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
2 teaspoons brown sugar (OPTIONAL: substitute brown sugar with Xylitol)
1 teaspoon chopped shallots
6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
1 peeled avocado, cut into 12 wedges
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