From Fear to Joy: Embracing Food Freedom
Norma gives us a glimpse into the traditions of the long line of cooks in her family, starting with her grandma, who never wrote down recipes. We discuss the evolving role of cooking in our lives, and how easy it has become to fall for the imperatives of diet culture and 'convenience'. She offers many practical tips for making cooking more enjoyable, including meal prep strategies and using modern tools, reminding us that shortcuts are not cheating!
Norma generously shares her personal journey from fearing food to embracing it, particularly in the context of managing type 2 diabetes and weight loss. We delve into the pleasure and emotional connection food provides, how understanding processed foods can empower better choices, and the truth behind so called 'sugar addiction'. We also discuss intuitive eating, creativity, and having fun experimenting with flavours and ingredients.
This episode is filled with insights and personal stories highlighting how we can normalise and simplify our relationship with food. Tune in for a heartfelt discussion that will inspire you to rethink your approach to cooking and eating.
tasty morsels
02:03 Losing weight by listening to your body instead of fighting it.
05:12 Trust your instincts when cooking. Flavors that sound good usually are.
08:28 Dropping "shoulds" in food choices and embracing personal preferences.
11:59 Growing up in a family ofwomen cooking withiut written recipes.
18:23 Understanding how our bodies respond to food empowers us to make our own decisions. 19:27 What it's like being married to a chef.
22:44 Asian home cooking has nothing in common with restaurant food.
29:27 Fear of making mistakes in non-cooking tasks.
34:05 Making cooking easier with hacks and shortcuts is OK.
40:52 The big mindset shift to gratitude
44:00 The truth about 'suggar addiction'
46:45 Food is the glue that brings us together.
the best bit
"It's about the mindset shift from I can't have this thing to I get to have all of these other things. And it's not easy to do, but and it truly is a mindset shift."
get cooking
Three ideas for taking action in your own kitchen, inspired by the conversation.
🍅 Cherish your family's traditions and rituals around food, or bring to life new ones.
🍅 Explore and experiment with different foods and recipes. Try doctoring up a jarred sauce with your own spices or making a healthier version of your favourite takeaway dish at home.
🍅 Reframe your relationship with food from "can't have" to "get to have." Focus on the nourishment and joy that food brings you and find balance in enjoyment rather than restriction.
connect with Norma
connect with Katerina
community: No Recipe Club
instagram: @intuitive.cook
youtube: @intuitivecook
additional links
books we discussed:
Ultra Processed People (Chris van Tulleken)
Is Butter a Carb? (Rosie Saunt & Helen West)
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Original music by Colin Bass.
About your host
Katerina Pavlakis
Intuitive cook & irreverent kitchen coach
Growing up in 70s Greece, cooking - and eating - at home was simply normal. Shopping at farmers' markets, drooling over recipes, grinding spices, and animated conversation over dinner are some of my fondest memories. This is where I honed my cooking intuition. I'm here to help you find your way back to a simpler, more joyful way of cooking.
To bring intuition into your kitchen too, start here!
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