28 September 2009
Profile of a Healthy Eater: Oksana
This Monday, read about Oksana. Don’t miss her recipe for five-minute miso soup and find out which healthy food is too extreme, even for her.
- What’s the best thing about healthy eating?
The satisfaction of knowing I’m taking the best possible care of my body. The way healthy food makes a huge difference in my digestion, and how it shows almost instantly in my skin, nails, hair — I’m literally glowing. The way striving for healthy eating has made me dive into the world of knowledge on nutrition, chemistry, etc. And it’s a daily exercise for my willpower, too. - Do you give your eating a label (e.g., vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian, high raw, etc.)?
I’m an ovo-lacto-vegetarian: eating no meat, poultry or fish, but consuming dairy and egg products. - Favorite method of cooking and why?
Steaming, since it preserves all vitamins, nutrients, taste and shape of food, minimizing the need for seasoning, and it’s pretty convenient too, with all the modern timer-equipped steamers. Roasting and baking as well — nothing beats a golden crust. - Favorite versatile herb/spice?
Balsamic vinegar, garlic and cumin. Best things to spice up veggies. I’ve also grown to be quite fond of sesame oil — it adds a wonderful nutty flavor to salads or stir-fries. - Best healthy sweet treat?
Greek yogurt or buttermilk in a low glass, layered with roasted rolled oats, a few nuts and raisins and maple or agave syrup. Colorful fruit jellies or yogurt ones with one muesli bar crumbled in them. Strawberry or watermelon slices with a bit of balsamic cream on top of them. Oat cookies with dried fruits. - Your go-to five-minute meal?
Miso soup. Chop some tofu and leek while the water is being boiled, add to a spoonful of miso paste. Non-vegetarians can add a few slices of raw salmon into a bowl before pouring water in - fish will be cooked in half a minute.
Or a salad. Two examples: a) tear some leafy green salad leaves into a bowl, add sliced tomato, sunflower/pumpkin seeds, dress it with a mix of soy sauce, sesame oil, a bit of vinegar, salt and pepper. b) rinse canned kidney beans, add diced feta cheese, some brown rice (I always boil enough rice and lentils for the week ahead), red pepper and some mayo. - “Healthy” food you avoid like the plague?
No such thing..although cooked seaweed is a bit too extreme even for me. - Who’s the person in your life that is the most baffled by how you eat?
My colleagues, I guess. Living in a cold climate, meat is definitely the centerpiece of the meal around here. - What’s your healthy power/comfort food (the one food you know will get you through the day)?
Bircher muesli, the Swiss breakfast food. Mashed potatoes (or most often, carrots-swedes-potatoes) with wasabi. Creamy and fragrant porcini risotto. - If you could change anything about your diet, what would it be?
I’ve yet to figure out how to go through an afternoon without some mindless munching. Our office is big and super friendly, somebody’s always celebrating something and no day goes by without a mind-blowing selection of home-baked cakes, muffins, cookies, chocolate, etc., by the coffee machine. How can one say no?
