How does a Chef stay healthy?

Ok so chef's are reknown for working long hours.
Our main times of work are over breakfast, lunch & dinner so as a result our eating times are invariably all over the place.

Waking up at 5am to start work at 6am is way too early for most people to eat something. Invariably the day starts with a shot of coffee as soon as the coffee machine has heated up.The first hour is about getting organised & cracking 100 or more eggs, slicing a box of mushrooms tomatoes etc.. so you are ready when service starts. Any time from 7am - 10am the kitchen gets slammed & no-one has time for anything except focus on making everyone else's breakfast. By the time you have cooked breakfast for 60 + people during service you really do not feel like seeing another pan of scrambled eggs let alone smell & eat it. Another cup of coffee sounds good if you haven't already knocked back a couple during service.



The life of a Chef really runs on adrenaline. Artificial pick me ups like caffeine & sugar to get you through the day. Seriously we sometimes get so sick of the site & smell food that you just can't eat it. We work crazy hours starting from 6am & even not finishing until after midnight. Sometimes these shifts go right through then you are expected to be back at 6am again for another ridiculous 14 hr day. Meal times are usually whenever you can snatch a 1/2 break & even then it can be interrupted with a customer wandering in. If you are working Dinner service your dinner break will be at 5-5:30pm before all the customers arrive. Now think about it do you really feel like eating lunch at 11am, dinner or 5pm? yeah not always so easy.

In saying that I have to say I have some very happy memories of dining out with Chef friends where we have booked a table for 10 at midnight. Sitting back relaxing after service with a couple of drinks reflecting on a crazy yet smooth service. Or sometimes disagreements during service have been reignited!

Finally after all of these years I have found the perfect solution to making sure I take good care of myself when I have to work over meal times. It happened when I was introduced to the magic of Raw Smoothies. Yep a banana, handful of baby spinach, a superfood, soaked chia seeds & water all into the blender & mixed. A perfect solution. Such a shame I only discovered this 2 years ago. None the less, these divine smoothies make sure I am always able to stay healthy all the time. My blood sugar is regulated so now I don't have any sugar highs or lows. I have more energy & I know I am getting all the nutrients I need. And yes protein comes from the soaked chia seeds I add. The benefits are I always have a healthy glow now because I'm not relying on artificial stimulants to get me through long days so my body is being properly nourished. Now I always fuel my body with energy & life giving raw food.

Consciously eating Raw food really has made such huge difference to how I feel. I have always enjoyed salads & raw vegetables & naturally eaten a lot of them but somehow things are different now. Maybe it is because I know how good they make me feel. When I am feeling stressed & don't feel like eating but am hungry I can just make myself a smoothie so my body get's all the vitamins & nutrients it needs. Eating greens naturally calms you if feeling stressed.

If you haven't already I really encourage you to add an extra salad into you daily meal time. Gradually increase your intake of delicious fresh fruit & vegetables & see if you notice how much better you feel. I'm saying completely phase out cooked food at all instead just add some more living foods. You will notice the difference & you will be glad you do!

Until next week.

Bon Apetit & lots of love


J-A xo