If you don't already follow Eat Real Food NYC, you are in for a treat. Heather is on a mission to create access to fresh, organic, REAL food for everyone, an idea we are certainly on board with. Her blog provides a wealth of knowledge about how to eat healthy in a simple and straight forward manner, while her Instagram account has turned healthy eating into an art. We had so much fun listening to Heather's adorable Australian accent while we chatted about food, travel, and healthy living.
Ok first things first, what is your dream day of food?
Breakfast would be fresh, local fruit and coffee (preferably somewhere tropical!) and a croissant, lunch would be a salad nicoise and a glass of rose, dinner would be BBQ'd fish and a vegetable by the ocean somewhere (and a glass of rose!)…. Heaven.
What motivated you to start Eat Real Food?
It just kind of happened organically...back in Australia a girlfriend suggested I start a health food blog. When I moved to NY and was working at Stone Barns I started posting food pictures on Instagram and that took off and I went from there.
What do you miss most about eating in Sydney, Australia? What are the biggest differences between New York and home?
I miss the access to healthy food in Sydney. It's really easy to find high quality produce, local eggs, or homemade bread. New york can be very extreme with its fads of juicing, raw food, etc.
Any food or ingredient you wouldn’t touch?
I don't eat meat. Other than that, I'm not into any creepy crawly seafood. I also don't eat garlic. I don't like the way it makes my body feel. My mouth feels unclean, I get sweaty and it stimulates me so much that I can't sleep.
Food you can't live without?
I have a thing for cashew butter. I eat it by the jar full. I actually have to stop myself from buying it sometimes as it’s really a problem!
What’s your nutrition/food philosophy?
To me its about listening to your instinctual primal instincts and not listening to the ridiculous claims everyone uses these days. It comes back to eating real food; not about low-fat, protein, sugar or any of these words food companies use to market their products.
What NYC restaurants are you loving right now?
I'm living in the Hamptons for the summer and my favorite restaurant out here is Crow's Nest. In NYC I always love ABC kitchen, it’s a go-to for me. I recently went to Sushi Nakazawa. A-MAZING!
Favorite workouts?
I like to change it up, I’m kind of all in until I get bored of it. At the moment I'm trying the Tracey Anderson thing. Last year I didn’t workout much at all but was active working at the farm and I felt great. I stay active with tennis, paddle boarding, and skiing
Favorite indulgence?
Cakes and pastries, anything French. Oh and Jack's apple cider donuts!
If you were having a dinner party, what 5 people dead or alive would you invite? What would you make?
I would go to the local farm and get inspired by what is fresh and in season. I would invite 5 of my closest friends!
Feel best after…
A swim in the ocean…nothing better
Best travel experience?
It’s always hard to answer this question as i’ve done an incredible amount of travel (54 countries to date!) I’ve hang glided off mountains in Brazil, watched lions feed in Africa and trekked through the mountains of Peru. Every travel experience is amazing! But if i had to choose my favorite places it would be Bali, India, Africa and France.