For me, cooking healthy is an experience full of good feelings from start to finish and with an after effect !
For me it is wellness and self-love but I also do something good for my fellow human beings who eat with me and for the environment.

When shopping:

Just shopping at the market or health food shop makes me feel better because I know I am supporting the environment, using less to no plastic and buying the freshest food that smells great with nutrients.

In the preparation:

With fruit and vegetables, I can leave the peel on – just wash it well – which means I get much more out of my purchase and most of the vitamins are behind the peel and often lost during peeling.
I feel directly connected to nature because I can touch everything with my hands and I don’t have to worry about pesticides or bad bacteria.

When eating:

Organic food – especially fruits and vegetables – often have a much more intense taste that is noticeable when you compare.
Every single ingredient counts and stands out, so I automatically eat with more mindfulness.

After the meal:

I feel light, not too full but pleasantly full. This usually lasts for a longer time, so I don’t get into snacking so quickly. I also feel refreshed and energised – especially after lunch, I’ve come to really appreciate this.

Long-term effects:

I have regular, good digestion with no discomfort. My skin is clear and more radiant and I am hardly ever sick – a clear sign that my immune system is also strengthened by my healthy cooking.

Everyone is talking about the gut, but why and how do I nourish my gut?

Hippocrates already knew that every disease begins in the gut and that food is our medicine.

There are trillions of small bacteria in our intestines – more precisely in the large intestine – most of which are friendly and essential for our well-being.
You can think of them as friendly roommates that make medicine out of your food and keep you healthy and happy (80% of your immune system is in the gut & 90% of your happiness hormone serotonin is also produced in the gut).

However, not everything you eat is automatically food for your little roommates. Pizza, pasta, ice cream and co. are absorbed directly in your small intestine and never reach the very bottom of the large intestine, where your roommates sit and starve.

However, what does get past all the digestive enzymes and make it to your housemates are all foods that contain fibre. Fibre is a long-chain carbohydrate found only in plant foods. The 5 best known fibre-rich food groups are vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, seeds and nuts.

Does this mean you have to go vegan? No. What is more important is a plant-based diet – this means that the basis of your meals should consist of the 5 food groups – whether you garnish the whole thing with animal foods is up to you.
According to current science, a dietary fibre content of at least 30 g/day is optimal https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7589116/.

This way you can ensure that your intestinal bacteria are also satisfied at every meal.

The second thing that is important in order to feed as many of the different inhabitants as possible is variety. Why? Because each of your fellow inhabitants prefers a different food source in return for doing its specific job of keeping you healthy.
According to current science, a goal of 30 different plant-based foods per week is optimal – have you counted yours? Herbs and spices count for half a point each!

And that’s the whole secret.

Simple tips to increase variety include toppings such as herbs, sprouts, microgreens, seeds and nuts, and all spices.

In addition, fermented foods can also contribute to a strong and healthy gut flora and should be part of a gut-healthy diet from time to time.

My tip is bowls because you can easily combine the 5 food groups without thinking twice and with a tasty dressing or even herbs, spices and olive oil, you can conjure up a wholesome and filling meal for you and your housemates in no time.

Feel free to check out my Instagram page if you’re looking for meal inspiration.

1. I was born in Hannover the city were they speak the cleanest German “Oxford – German”
2. My star sign is taurus – I guess that explains my stubbornness: always with my scull through the wall
3. My middle name is Sophie
4. I lived for 3 years in South Africa – I still call Cape Town my second home
5. I took a trip around the world after graduating from high school 
6. I love trampoline jumping – although sadly I used to be more confident when I was a child
7. I would love to go to the school of Hogwarts – I mean flying in broom sticks and playing with wands?!
8. When I was little I wanted to be a marine biologist
9. I watch all Harry Potter movies 1/year before Christmas that gets me in the mood
10. I have the best ideas in the shower 
11. I feel most comfortable in the kitchen – this was not always the car I use to hate cooking can you believe it?!
12. I prefer to eat sitting on the floor – especially on comfortable carpets
13. I love the butterflies in my stomach when swinging – this has not stopped since I was a child
14. I love to parachute – have jumped 3 times already. My first one was a surprise on my 18. birthday by my mom – she jumped with me!
15. I like to use my hands when cooking – learned this from my dad who uses his hands rather than spoons to mix salads, oven potatoes etc. it really connects you with your ingredients and food
16. I love to wake up in nature nothing better than watching the rising sun coming through the trees in a forrest and the mist slowly lifting
17. I like to stand on my head – as a child I was known for standing on my head and my friends used to stop the time and feed me sweets while I was standing upside down
18. I like to paint on steamy shower walls – often leave my husband a message
19. I hate it when the toilet roll is hanging the wrong way around
20. I love to clean out and throw away – no matter if its my own stuff which in the past has made some people angry 😀 I guess I was a bit over – ambitious
21. I clean when I am hungover – I think its my way of clearing my conscience
22. I love to do yoga in the morning – I have my 15 min sequence that just brings me in the right mood
23. I love the smell of organic shops – I immediately feel that I am doing something good for myself
24. I love to harvest my own vegetables – we have a farm around the corner were I go to do so every now and then
25. I have watched the Friends series at least 3 times already – it seems to comfort me
26. I’ve been on a mostly vegan diet for 1 year but love a South African BBQ every now and then 
27. I love to dive and try to make 1 dive in each sea – I don’t know when this commitment started but I ALWAYS have to swim no matter the weather
28. My favorite thing to do is ride the chain carousel at the county fair
29. Plan best on a Sunday hike in the woods with my husband 
30. I love the smell of fire
31. I love to sleep outside in the summer
32. Get in a good mood after eating delicious and healthy food
33. Love the smell and taste of coffee but drink it only on weekends 
34. Only wear clothes made of fabrics I feel comfortable in 
35. Don’t buy vegetables or fruits in plastic anymore 
36. Love to dance but only when no one is watching 
37. I can’t be at the beach without swimming in the sea –
38. I must always have neat fingernails
39. I love the smell of flower stores and nurseries – if all else fails I would work there in a heartbeat
40. I would like to live in Hawaii for a while and learn sustainable farming there
41. I love the smell of horses and riding through nature once in a while, preferably galloping on the beach. 
42. I dream of holding my workshops in my own vegetable garden
43. I get hungry after eating an apple – yep I can literally make myself hungry
44. I get hungry exactly 1 hour after I wake up
45. I cry easily at sad movie scenes 
46. I like the smell of gasoline – although I know its bad
47. When I eat meat, I like the fat the best
48. I love to spend sunsets on the beach 
49. I meditate every day after lunch and then need chocolate to wake up
50. When I have to do something I am not keen to do I start organizing closets
51. Often start crying while I sing along old songs that remind me of my childhood