There’s nothing more romantic than caring enough about your health and the health of your significant other and proving this by eating right. A healthy diet is the cornerstone to looking good, feeling good and having the energy to take care of your partner. Forget the candies and chocolates, St Valentine’s Day should be all about being healthy TOGETHER.
I really try to practice what I preach. That may seem hard sometimes when I travel as much as I do, but believe me, taking care of yourself is doable on the road. And honestly nothing is sexier than a person who cares about how they look and how they feel. Health is ultimate gift and this is something I try to instil to my family.
Over the New Year I traveled back to one of my favorite destinations Bangkok and on this trip I managed to bring the family to have a true culinary adventure. But despite the fact that we were on vacation I still made sure that we all stayed healthy, ate right and enjoyed ourselves. Eating well never means denying yourself fabulous, scrumptious foods.
Why do I like Bangkok so much? Well quite frankly it is one of the great culinary destinations in the world. The Water Library Group is a great example of just how dynamic the foodie scene here is. The owners Lee and Yoon are dear friends; they actually published my 1st cookbook on Thai food, Green’s Cuisine (Low Fat Food with a Taste of Thailand). Their restaurant at Chumchuri Square is fantastic. I always marvel at the dishes’ delicate presentation.
On this trip I also manged to met up with my old friend Chef McDang. Chef McDang is a celebrity chef in Thailand and something of a local legend. For good reason too. When we get together we always have lots to catch up on. We both love food and writing about what we find. We have filmed together and had many great times pursuing our love of the culinary arts. It’s nice to hang out with someone with similar tastes and a deep seated appreciation for great cooking. We both come from different places but a love of food brings us together over and over again.
One of the nicest moments was dinning at the newly refurbished Shang Palace at the Shangri-la hotel. This resto has had a beautiful makeover and the new décor really made me feel like I was dining in Hong Kong. We of course ordered the whole Peking duck. They served it by first shaving off the skin and wrapping it in pancakes and then mincing the remainder and wrapping the meat in lettuce leaves. I also picked the Jelly Fish which was out of this world
Even though I am on holiday, I still like to keep up with a healthy regime. I think this is an important component for every well-traveled person. My new book on the PALEO diet is just being released and I was pleased to say that much Thai food fits in with this plan. It’s all about taking out processed foods and carbohydrates. It’s known as the caveman diet as it relies on the food that we evolved on.
I was very privileged on this visit to go to the Ambassador of the United States’ residence in Bangkok. I filmed a segment for Channel 3 in the residence for the morning show “Women to Women “ with the lovely host Chanuya Boontosang. I made some of my favorite healthy breakfast dishes to show people how to start the day out right.
Your Grandmother was bang on! We need to have a good start to the day and breakfast is the most important meal of the day. We want to have lots of protein as that fills up for longer periods. Eggs are the perfect answer. Not only are they full of protein but they are inexpensive and everyone across the world can get them. The egg white holds all the protein and the egg yolk has the fat. I like to make omelets or scrambled eggs with mainly egg whites with just a few yolks mixed in for texture. An example in an omelet I use 3 egg whites plus 2 whole eggs. Add a little onion and smoked salmon and you have the perfect dish. Salmon has great fats that we need in our diet such as omega 3’s. This is good for hair, skin and nails. If you also add in some wonderful fresh fruit and you are set for the day.
And speaking of fruit, on this trip I could not stop eating dragon fruit and passion fruit. Passion fruit is high in vitamin c and antioxidants. Vitamin c is the perfect way to fight off those colds and flu as it builds the immune system. It’s far better to access vitamins through food than pills.
So remember, enjoy your food and fuel your body. You will feel great when you energize yourself with the right foods.
Daniel Green, the Model Cook is a Celebrity Chef known for his healthy approach to food and living well. With TV, books, magazines and live appearances, Daniel spends his time helping fans to cook better, feel better and live better. He’s also an avid traveler and a self-confessed Foodie.
To contact Daniel or learn more visit www.themodelcook.com or follow on Twitter @themodelcook.
