20-something celeb chef, Sophie Michell shares her secrets for healthy eating on-the-go.

Twenty-seven year old celebrity chef Sophie Michell has cooked for one of fashion’s most celebrated supermodels, Claudia Schiffer. Schiffer warmly embraced Michell’s discriminate palette when she became her family chef from 2002-2004.

Her simple yet unique take on food paved the way to starting her own private catering company, and soon after becoming a small screen celebrity, acting as a guest on various cooking shows in England.

Yet as a teenager, Michell admitted that she was not only eating poorly but she was also overweight most of her life. ‶I have been slightly overweight in the past, and at 21 I realized that I wasn’t eating healthy. I looked at my diet for my own health, and I didn’t want to be overweight,” says Michell.

But it’s a very common myth to count calories and trans fats when dieting, adds Michell, who now also specializes in healthy eating. We all want to indulge in rich recipes but what kind of cooking tips can we give 20-something readers who want to eat well and stay healthy?

Sophie Michell’s five easy healthy eating tips:

1. Cut out processed foods: Most processed foods have chemicals in them that prolong its expiration date. Opt for healthy and fresh alternatives that would not compromise your health. For example, up the ante on fruits and vegetables. Not only are they healthy but also good on the go.

2. Replace rich creamy drinks with tea: Most over the counter drinks like your morning latte are made with tons of fat such as whipped cream. Tea is a great source of much-needed anti-oxidants but also hydrates the body well. For those with picky palettes, teas’ diverse uses also include caffeine and a variety of flavours.

3. Do read labels: Avoid going for low-fat alternatives such as artificial sweeteners, which are made up of replaced fats with added chemicals and sugar. Nutritional labels became mandatory for pre-packaged foods in Canada two years ago. Here’s an online tool to help you understand nutrition labels.

4. Cooking does not need to be a chore: Buy ready cut vegetables, and easy to make entrees such as king prawns to fire up in the kitchen. A quick bowl of pasta is not just sumptuous and hearty but also takes a fraction of the time to make using these healthy shortcuts.

5. Avoid the sugary stuff: Cut down on creamy lattes and cocktails. Opt instead for dry white wine, white spirits, and teas, which has more hydration for the body and includes many anti-oxidants.

An easy way to reduce your caffeine intake is to mix your full-strength coffee (tea or cola beverage) half and half with a decaffeinated version for a couple of days. Then mix one part full caf with two parts decaf for a couple of days. Then mix one part caf with three parts decaf for a couple of days. Then mix one part caf with four parts decaf. By the end of the week, you’ll be off caffeine.

Another option is to drink espresso, which contrary to its high-octane reputation has only about half the caffeine per single serving as drip, perked, or pressed coffee. Going from drip to espresso or café Americano (hot water plus espresso) instantly cuts your caffeine load in half. From there you can move to half-caf espresso and then to decaf espresso. If you’re a coffee lover, you’ll be delighted with the full-bodied taste of decaf espresso versus the drip stuff. If you’re unfamiliar with café Americano, visit any Starbucks or your favorite coffee bar, where you’ll find it on the menu. Or visit our website at
www.proteinpower.com to find a YouTube video in the Dr. Michael Eades’s blog archives, demonstrating how to make your own Americano at home.

Excerpted from The 6-Week Cure for the Middle-Aged Middle Copyright © 2009 by Michael R. Eades and Mary Dan Eades, M.D. Excerpted by permission of Crown, a division of Random House of Canada Limited. All rights reserved.