Body Love Series Part 4 – Health and Diet

Welcome to the third segment of our #BODYLOVE Fitness Series: Tash and Dev’s Diet and Health!

Our readers always ask us about what our typical diet involves. We’re now turning our attention to answering you all, and will begin by telling you about what we eat, how much we eat, when we eat AND even give you some of our absolute favorite healthy recipes which you can make all on your own!

Before we get down to business, it is important to remind you that in order to shine to your fullest potential on the outside, you must first nourish and care for yourself on the inside. This means body, mind and spirit! Strengthening your inner beauty by feeding your body delicious and nutritious food will not only contribute to your fitness goals, but will make you feel healthy and happy. This, of course, is the most important thing.

When you have a busy lifestyle it is very easy to opt for the quickest (and often most processed and unhealthy) food option because of convenience. Trust us, we know! Living a busy jet set life, we are well aware of how eating healthy can be difficult. With tempting salty plane snacks, confusing time zones and constantly being crunched for time, we are sometimes guilty of making poor decisions that we always end up regretting. Getting to our tropical bikini destination feeling bloated, puffy and exhausted is never fun. As we travel quite often, we had to find an alternative. Good news. Healthy food is everywhere! You just have to know what to look for.

When gearing up for a flight, a long day on the road or a busy day in the office, plan ahead to avoid eating what’s easiest (like that salty bag of potato chips or basic turkey sandwich with zero nutrients). We recommend packing your own lunch and snacks whenever possible. This will not only set your day up for health success, but it will also save you a few bucks from the snack bar. If you live in a place conscious enough to care about wellbeing, go out and source some local cafes that display a knowledge of the nutritious. We’ve found that, around the world, these places really do know ‘good’ food in both senses of the word. As our suggestions below show, their food can really be quite delicious!

Back to your day. Bring a reusable bottle of water so you stay hydrated all day long. Coffee and soda help for a temporary energy boost, but these drinks are dehydrating, so water is by far the better option. To add to that, drinking enough water throughout the day will help curb your appetite. Sometimes we confuse our hunger with thirst, and so snack more unnecessarily.

Our favorite healthy treats are fresh and clean, such raw unsalted almonds or cashews, carrots and hummus, dried cranberries, apples, and rice cakes. Lunch is, of course, best if it packed by your own capable and trustworthy hands. If you must eat out, however, always pick the freshest option with as many veggies as possible. Salads are a fantastic option and can be found everywhere.

People say that eating healthy is a choice. We say it is a must. Thankfully, the world is coming round to this way of thinking and is making it easier for people to stay conscious of what they eat, displaying ingredients more clearly, sourcing food more responsibly, and preparing it more carefully. Eating healthy is no longer reserved for the vegan hippy, or confined to your own kitchen. It is available everywhere. It’s now up to you to realize its importance, go find it, and go enjoy it.

Delicious & nutritious restaurants in our favorite cities:

Los Angeles:

Cafe Gratitude 

Gracias Madre 

Kreation 

Fresh Corn Grill 

New York:

Nix

Wisefish

The Butchers Daughter 

London:

Who Loves You Cafe in Chelsea 

Honey & Co

Andina 

We’ve worked closely with New York based recipe developer, food stylist and photographer, Sam Hillman, to put together some of our favorite dishes for you to try! Enjoy! x

Click here to see more of Sam Hillman’s beautiful work!

Bon appetite!

cocoa hazelnut smoothie with frozen banana and vanilla essence

Cacao Hazelnut Smoothie Recipe:

Serves 2

2 x frozen bananas
2 cups of hazelnut milk (use almond milk if you can’t get your hands on any)
1 tsp vanilla essence
2 tbs hazelnut butter (or almond butter, if you can’t find hazelnut)
2 tbs cacao

Blend. Top with a little dark chocolate or cacao nibs or whatever tickles your fancy!

roast salmon salad bowl

Salmon Bowl with Peanut Miso Dressing:

Serves 2

2 wild salmon fillets
A handful of fresh coriander, chopped
1 cup of cooked black quinoa
2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seeds
a little sesame oil, to cook
1/2 an avocado, sliced
1 scallion, chopped finely
wedges of lemon and steamed spinach, to serve

Dressing
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon of honey
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons of white miso paste
2 tablespoons of smooth peanut butter
3 tablespoons of toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons of water

Blend the dressing ingredients together until smooth. Leave in the fridge until needed.
Season the salmon with salt and pepper. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a heavy based saucepan, cook the salmon, skin side up for about five to six minutes without turning, then flip and allow to cook on the other side for about two to three minutes.
Divide quinoa and spinach between the two bowls. Top with salmon, avocado, sesame seeds, scallion and spoonfuls of the peanut miso dressing.

Harissa lamb meatballs with hummus and a classic Israeli salad

Harissa Lamb and Feta Meatballs

500g of minced lamb

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 tsp of harissa powder

¾ cup of feta cheese, crumbled

1/3 cup of mint, finely chopped

¼ cup parsley, finely chopped

1 egg

¾ cup of cooked quinoa

1 teaspoon of sea salt

zest of 1 lemon

Combine all meatball ingredients together in a bowl and roll into balls. Allow to chill for about 30 minutes to let the flavours mingle together. Bake at 450 F (230 C) on a lined baking sheet for

Serve with chopped salad, toasted pinenuts, hummus and wedges of lemon.

fish tacos with accolade lime crema and feta

Fish Tacos

600g firm white fish such as snapper or sea bass, cut into thick strips

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 clove of garlic, minced

1/2 tsp ground cumin

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tsp chilli powder

salt and pepper to taste

For the sauce:

Blend together 1 avocado, 2/3 cup of greek yogurt, the juice of 1 lime and a small handful of chopped coriander in a blender until smooth. Season with salt and pepper.

To serve:

Lettuce leaves (we used butter lettuce, but you could use iceberg, romaine or anything large enough to wrap the fillings) chopped red cabbage extra lime wedges

coriander

1 jalapeno, chopped coarsely

In a bowl, combine oil, garlic lime juice, salt, pepper and spices. Add the fish strips and allow to marinate for about 20 minutes. In a large fry-pan, heat a little extra oil and cook the fish for three minutes each side. Serve the fish wrapped up in the lettuce leaves with the avocado crema, coriander, cabbage and extra lime wedges.

raw vegan carrot cake with cashew icing
Raw Vegan Carrot Cake

• 1 cup walnuts (not soaked)
• 1 cup medjool dates
• 2 cups grated raw carrots, squeezed well through cheesecloth or with paper towel to remove as much excess moisture as possible
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• Dash nutmeg
• 1/8 tsp sea salt
• 3/4 cup raisins
• 1/3 cup of desiccated coconut

Frosting

• 1 cup cashews, soaked 1+ hours
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• Dash sea salt
• 2 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• Water, or extra lemon juice if needed