A couple of years ago, I discovered a great cooking and health site called  MediterrAsian.com. Since then, I’ve cooked almost every recipe on the site, and they’ve all been delicious. The website was started by Trudy Thelander and Ric Watson. They have also written a book called The MediterrAsian Way. It’s more than just a cookbook, it’s a guide to health and longevity.

I recently had the opportunity to interview Trudy about her cooking and healthy living.

Have you always considered yourself to be a good cook? When did you start cooking?

As a kid I made the usual cookies, cakes and cupcakes, although my contribution to family evening meals was little more than podding peas, peeling potatoes and setting the dinner table. But when I was a teenager my Chinese-Malaysian sister-in-law introduced me to authentic Asian food. I fell in love with her cooking, and she shared traditional recipes and showed me the best Asian products to buy — which in those days were only available from Asian grocers. Thanks to her guidance I discovered that with very little fuss I could create delicious and healthful meals that tasted wonderfully different from the rather bland Western foods I’d grown up on. This is what really started my passion for cooking.

How did you become interested in Mediterranean food?

I’ve always loved pasta, but hadn’t been very adventurous with Mediterranean cooking until I met and fell in love with Ric. He was a big fan of the Mediterranean diet — not just because the food tasted so good, but because it had made a big impact on his health. He’d been introduced to traditional Mediterranean food and cooking by his English uncle, who’d served in the airforce during the 1960s and had been stationed in that area. At the time, Ric had been struggling to regain his health after a near-fatal motorcycle accident, but his health improved dramatically when he switched to eating mostly Mediterranean foods.

So, Ric introduced me to Mediterranean cooking, and I introduced him to Asian cooking. Thankfully we ended up bonding over pad Thai and paella!

When did you become conscious of your health?

I’ve been conscious of my health most of my life, which has a lot to do with the fact that my parents are both physicians. From a young age I was taught that looking after my health and eating a good diet were important.

But I’d always thought that eating a healthy diet meant making sacrifices. That was until I was introduced to traditional Asian and Mediterranean cooking and discovered that food that tastes good and food that’s good for you doesn’t have to be mutually exclusive.

What aspects of the Mediterranean and Asian diets make them healthy?

There are so many! First and foremost, traditional Mediterranean and Asian diets are rich in plant-foods such as vegetables, fruits, grains, beans and nuts. These foods are packed with essential vitamins and minerals such as beta-carotene, vitamin C, potassium and folate. They also contain other powerful health-giving compounds such as antioxidants, phytochemicals and dietary fiber. These compounds have all shown remarkable potential for reducing the risk of cancer and heart disease, slowing the aging process, boosting immune function, and improving overall wellbeing. High plant-food intake has also been shown to lower potentially harmful LDL cholesterol levels in the blood.

Fish and seafood are also a staple part of traditional Mediterranean and Asian diets. Fish is a great source of protein and is very low in saturated fat. And varieties such as salmon, anchovies, tuna, mackerel and sardines contain high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids. This special type of fat has been shown to reduce the risk of heart disease, certain cancers, and also the risk of stroke. Omega-3s have even shown a great deal of potential for helping those affected by brain and immune system related illnesses such as arthritis, asthma and Alzheimer’s disease.

The plant oils that are regularly used in Mediterranean and Asian cooking, such as olive oil and peanut oil, are very heart-healthy and also reduce the risk of stoke and high blood pressure.

And moderate alcohol consumption, which is a common trait in most Mediterranean and Asian cultures, increases levels of ‘good’ HDL cholesterol in the blood, which helps reduce the risk of heart disease.

Why did you start MediterrAsian.com?

Eating and living the MediterrAsian way has immeasurably improved our health and wellbeing, and it’s also introduced us to a world of wonderful new tastes and experiences. We felt it was really important to share our knowledge and experience with others — especially with all the mixed messages out there about food and nutrition.

How do you come up with so many recipes?

Over the years we’ve learned a lot about Mediterranean and Asian ingredients and cooking techniques. So, some of the recipes are our versions of classic Mediterranean and Asian dishes like paella and sushi. But we also love to spend time in the kitchen experimenting and developing new recipes using traditional Mediterranean and Asian ingredients.

What’s your favorite food to cook and to eat?

That depends on the season. During the colder months I crave hot and hearty comfort food like curries, risottos and stews. In Spring and Summer I could happily survive on stir-fries, fresh salads, sushi and grilled seafood from sunrise to sunset.

Here’s a video of Trudy in action.

Photo by marcao

This article was featured in The Twenty Fifth Edition of the Carnival of Improving Life and the Carnival of Healing.

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