Common diet mistakes: Getting healthy "Not-to-do's"

For the first time, yesterday, I stepped into the realm of giving a cooking class at Central Market in Austin. I wasn’t really sure how I would like teaching cooking, or better yet, if my skills and knowledge would suffice! Although I’ve apprenticed in some of the best kitchens in the world, cook all the time for myself, and am passionate about perfecting my skills, I’m not a chef. Neither am I a nutritionist. So I did the easiest thing, made a disclaimer at the beginning of the class that I am neither. From then on the class was not only a breeze, but a blast. I took great joy in teaching people what I’ve learned from my culinary travels, from meeting with countless nutritionists, and from experimenting in my own kitchen. (See some photos courtesy of Loren J. Root Photography.)

Check out the RECIPES I made!

As I’ve aged in the sport of swimming I spend more and more time working with the younger generations. Helping young athletes perform better in the pool is very fulfilling for me. I found the same sort of satisfaction from working in a teaching capacity in the kitchen. One of the best parts was that I learned a bunch of new things too, from both the students, and the chef instructor who was assisting me. Learning new things might just be my favorite part of life!

Here are some tweets put up by Keeper Collection aka @KeeperColl who captured my class on video and on camera. A video will be made in the near future for y’all to see! The following are tips and tricks I mentioned in the class:

“start cooking w/ less salt & your palette will adjust for a lower salt diet”

“I cook w/ bison a lot bc it’s leaner & has a high iron content”

“when buying dried fruits, be sure to buy the natural, unsweetened fruits”

“a good diet is not abt one big thing – it’s abt doing a lot of little things right”

“it’s important to rehydrate yourself first thing in the morning before you workout”

“blended san marzano tomatoes make a great quick and simple tomato sauce for lasagna”

“to make homemade pasta – 5 eggs to a # of flour – you can use half semolina and half whole wheat”

“unlike swimming, cooking is instant gratification”

“the key to a good diet can be just a little bit of planning”

I hope to do more cooking classes in the future. I’m currently signed up to give one April 16 at the Lake Austin Spa Resort