Have you always eaten healthy?
From as early as I can remember, I?ve always been eating fairly healthy meals. My whole family has a passion for the culinary arts so food has? been something we have constantly been practicing, experimenting and having fun with. However, I dove off on the more nutritious route and really enjoyed creating food that was satisfying to the palate, but also extremely beneficial for the body. I became more interested in health? food starting my sophomore year of high school and it has just grown and became more of a passion as the years have gone on.
What does your diet consist of?
From the years that I?ve been toying with different ?diet?s', I?ve? learned that they generally aren?t sustainable and it?s just a temporary passing in life. I like to think of the way I eat as a lifestyle. I?ve? been raw, vegan, vegetarian, and ate my fair share of meat in the past. I don?t like putting labels on myself or other people anymore because too many judgements come out of it. For now, I just try to eat clean, mostly plant-based food, with the occasional eggs and fish thrown into? the mix. Even in the past, I never was a red meat eater or much of a? dairy fan. So when I went vegan, meat and dairy weren?t difficult for me to give up. I decided to add more of a variety of foods into my diet to create a better balance for my body. In a nutshell, I eat a lot of? vegetables, a fair amount of fruit/nuts/legumes, a decent amount of? fish and eggs, and I drink lots of water! I?m not afraid of healthy fats so I do love incorporating avocado, hummus, and coconu oil into my? dishes. And of course, I?m a fan of kale and I have a batch of kale? chips in the dehydrator almost every week! Doug McNish, a raw food chef, has created the most amazing recipe for ?Sour Cream and Onion? Kale Chips. I have the recipe on my blog and it?s a MUST MAKE!
What foods do you avoid at all costs?
As for now in my life, I don?t eat poultry or any red meat, fried or? processed food, soda, energy drinks, anything with chemicals or fake? sugar. I avoid dairy 99% of the time, but on the rarest occasion I?ll? have a little bit of cheese with my wine or frozen yogurt once in a blue moon. I stick to real food and if I?m tempted to cave into cravings it?s for sweets and I generally go for dark chocolate.
Favourite recipe? ?Salted Peanut Chocolate Protein Pudding
You would think I was pregnant for how much I?ve been craving chocolate lately! So in order to subside this craving, but also pass the guilty feeling after digging into rich, calorie dense chocolate desserts, I decided to whip up something healthy that suited my chocolate fix!
Ingredients
- 1 cup? soy/almond/coconut milk
- 16oz. firm tofu (drained)
- 2 scoops chocolate protein powder (I use Rainbow Light)
- 1 teaspoon cocoa powder
- 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 stevia packets
- 1/4 cup roasted peanuts
- 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (melted)
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Simply combine all of the ingredients (except the peanuts) in a food processor. Fold in the peanuts after the mixture has been thoroughly combined. Pour into a mug, mason jar or any type of ceramic bowl and refrigerate. You can eat the pudding right away but I recommend waiting at least a few hours for the pudding to thicken up. It?s best eaten the next day!
Where do you get your food and health inspiration?
To be honest, I get a lot of my food and health inspiration from social media. I?m currently hooked on instagram (@nicolejanaye) and find a lot of ideas and recipes through followers and other instagramers. I follow about 800 health related people on instagram so if you just scroll through the people I follow, you?ll most likely find a lot of people? that will spark an interest!
You are a great photographer! What advice you can give for being a good food photographer?
Aww thank you! That?s a very sweet compliment. I would say some of the best advice would be to use real light! Get outside, go near a window, turn off the lamps and high-beams and use natural light. It makes the photos much more appealing and easier on the eye. I also like incorporating different textures, colors, and designs into my photos. Instead of just taking a picture of food on a plate, try adding a colorful place mat with a uniquely designed napkin and antique fork on the side. I enjoy putting time into plating my meals, because I truly enjoy it but also I think it makes me?appreciate the food much more. One thing that I do that I think some people might not realize is that I plate my food for a photo, take the picture and then add more of whatever I?m eating. A plate of vegetables smothered in hummus with a fried egg cracked on top might not be the most appealing, but if you learn how to balance the food for photography
and use minimal ingredients for a photo then you might find some luck. Less is more! Plate your food, take your photo and upload it, then add whatever else you want and enjoy your meal :)
What is the number one thing you would recommend to a person who wants to improve their health?
I think the best advice for someone who is trying to improve their?health is to not be so concerned with the negatives and they should try to focus more on the positives. Add more positive into your life and the negative will decrease with time. Many people get frustrated and give up easily when they try to remove so much from their diet and make dramatic changes. It?s difficult, I understand! That?s why I think it?s easier to add more positive influences into your life. This not only goes for food but generally anything in life. For instance, try adding positive things like: drinking more water, eating more plant-based foods, exercising 30 minutes a day, riding a bike in the sunshine, going on a coffee date with a friend once a week, or taking a yoga class. Slowly these should?fade away: quit smoking, stop eating fast/processed food, quit drinking soda and/or energy drinks. It?s easier and more enjoyable to look at the brighter things. When you add more of them into your life, you will realize you are happier because of it, and the negative aspects of your life will be easier to remove from your life!
You can find many more of Nicole?s recipes at her blog?www.muddyfootsteps.wordpress.com.
Do you find classifying your eating habits rubs people the wrong way? What is the number one thing you would recommend to a person who wants to improve their health?
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