We all talk a good game about how to eat, what to eat, and the importance of preparing our own food from quality ingredients. The truth is that everyone faces the same dilemmas from time to time. Whether it's travel, working late, business lunches, social outings, or simply not being interested in cooking, there are many reasons that eating that home cooked meal may not always be possible.
I've decided to pose a series of questions to our members on a weekly basis on what gets them through these situations. You might be surprised at some of the answers and others might be exactly what you expected — either way, I'm hopeful that this will help you navigate your way through the myriad of awkward, inconvenient, or simply lazy situations you find yourself in.
Leanne Scott from Townsville, Queensland, Australia
CA: Do you put much thought into where you eat out? Or do you simply go anywhere and try to make do with what's on the menu?
LS: Of course! We are completely made of food, every cell, every organ, every system in the body is composed of what we consume - good or bad. Good food- healthy function ..bad food - dysfunction.
I do my best to choose restaurants that are aligned with this philosphy. Restaurants that source organic, local, grassfed, wild and seasonal produce. If I need to, I will call ahead and pre-order my menu selection so that the restaurant is not caught off-guard on the night.
CA: Most memorable restaurant meal in Townsville?
LS: Here in Australia, we are blessed with a real awakening to Ancestral Health so we have many many restaurants that cater to this way of eating. I am so lucky to have many restaurants in Townsville that cater to our needs. In particular I would love to honor Mr. Kim Westcott of Born Wild Wholefood and previously Paleo Cafe for having the vision and creativity to introduce this much needed philosophy to our city.
CA: Most memorable restaurant meal outside of Townsville?
LS: Every year our school holds at least one class dinner and one staff dinner at Mondo Organics in Brisbane. The staff are so dedicated to sourcing high quality organic, local, grassfed, wild and seasonal produce. They are particular sensitive to our needs, such as students and staff that follow Autoimmune Paleo protocols.
CA: For people with special diets, how do you suggest they talk with restaurant staff in order to get what they need?
LS: The beautiful thing about this growing awareness in health is that many many restaurants are completely prepared to work with most dietary requests. The key is to really call ahead and ensure your needs can be met and that they are aware of cross contamination protocols. Giving the kitchen plenty of notice is often the best strategy for a successful meal!
CA: Do you prepare an emergency meal when you travel? If so, what do you include?
LS: Always! Many airlines do not or cannot cater for the needs of a person with increased risk of Autoimmune issues. Its not just the food itself thats important to recognise but also the added preservatives, spices and thickeners that can be such an issue. Some airlines are great when it comes to the transparency of the ingredients of their meals but many are not.
I prefer to just pack my own snacks to get me through any long haul flights. Snacks such as nuts, beef, turkey or salmon jerkey, cut veggies are more than enough to keep me satiated.
CA: Your favorite quick meal to prepare at home?
LS: I love love love grassfed organic lamb, beef, goat, free range organic chicken, organ meats and wild caught fish. I batch cook as much as I can for my family but sometimes a quick meal of crispy skinned rare salmon on a bed of sautéed spinach, kale or red cabbage and a side of avocado really does the trick!
CA: In terms of food, what is your guilty pleasure?
LS: I really have a thing for slow cooked beef or lamb ribs. After that I'd say homemade kale chips and roasted Hawaiian purple sweet potato. I don't consider them exactly guilty but they definitely are a fav!
Leanne Scott is a certified Functional Nutritional Therapy Practitioner (NTA), Integrative Health Coach (IIN) and a Certified Gluten Practitioner trained by Dr. Tom O'Bryan. She is based in Queensland where she runs a busy practice - Pure Core Nourishment Pty Ltd.
Pure Core Nourishment specializes in Functional Nutritional Therapy and their mission is simple: To help the world live on purpose through abundant wellness.
The natural approach of Functional Nutritional Therapy allows them to help just about anyone restore normal function to both mind and body. They work directly and personally with their clients to uncover the root causes of their chronic health conditions or imbalances, and through offering science-based, functional and nutritional support to tackle those root causes, they're able to help improve and strengthen the unique and individual health of all their clients.
Read More Q&A's from the "What & Where They Eat" Series
