Q&A with Lorraine Pascale

Tune in to our Q&A with Lorraine Pascale to discover how one of our fave foodies stays looking and feeling fab.

Tell us a bit about how you got into cooking…
I was very keen to find something which I was passionate about and to find that cooking was something I could enjoy and make a living out of.

What is it about cooking and food that excites you?
I love the instant gratification of it… I love buying, cooking and then eating the food and being able to give the food to other people, too.

How much of a role does healthy eating play in your cooking?
Healthy eating has played more and more of a role in my cooking. As I get older I see so much more how what I put in my body affects how I feel. If I cook and eat rubbish, I feel rubbish. I have been fighting a cold for such a long time now, everyone around me had it and I wasn’t getting it and was feeling strong and then I had a couple of bowls of a sugary cereal, which are by no means the healthiest breakfast choice (although simply delicious) and the next morning the cold finally got me. This is not to blame it all on the cornflakes at all, but I didn’t have a balanced meal in the evening to eat, which wasn’t clever.

What’s your favourite healthy dish to cook?
I am really getting into more fish and tofu. I love a simple salad with watercress, spinach and a very small handful of pine nuts and then some grilled fish with a light honey lime dressing. I am realising more and more that people really do not have the time to cook very much. After a long day you want a meal which is ready in minutes with minimal washing up.

What’s your favourite indulgent treat?

Oh gosh, I love fish and chips! But I also love to get Camembert melted in the oven with garlic and thyme and a crusty baguette!!

Is it a challenge to eat healthily and stay in shape when you’re surrounded by such amazing food?

It is a challenge and I work out several times a day to stay slim. They say it is 80% diet and 20% exercise to get fit and I know that you cannot out-exercise a bad diet!

Your twitter profile says you like to lift weights, tell us a bit more about what your workout routine involves…

I work on a different body part each day. My goal is to get shapely legs, a lean and toned back, a flat stomach and to feel great. Women worry about getting bulky which I totally understand, but with the right programme you will be able to get the right muscle tone and slim down and have more muscle than fat in your body, which means you will be burning more fat while you sleep and rest, which is great! And if your stomach gets too much of a six pack, or if you glutes give you a bottom which is really well defined but you don’t like it, then you can just pull back and get it to how you want it… that is the beauty of lifting weights and doing resistance training. Cardio is a great addition and perfect for heart health but a bodyweight training is really where it’s at.

What’s next for you?
I am taking some time off at the moment and setting up a new online business around health and fitness for people to feel better about their bodies and to help people eat better-for-you food. I will be launching a trial run of the business in the next couple of months and giving the programme for free to some select people and then a winner will be selected for a fab prize. There is lots of work to be done still but it’s fun doing something which will directly help other people.