Meet a dietitian: Diana Savani - Eatingwithadietitian
Diana is a registered dietitian, food lover, and rescue-dog mom trying to lead a healthy lifestyle.
Unlike regular dietitians who tells us to avoid our favorite not-so-healthy foods, Diana teaches us how to transform our life into one that allows us to freely eat all the foods we love.
You will definitely find useful food hacks and recipes for you on both Diana’s blog and Instagram. She does a great job by turning nutrition science into easy to understand and realistic nutrition advice we can apply to our own life.
We spoke with Diana about her passion for food. We got a summer side dish recipe as a bonus!
What is your favorite dish? What was your childhood favorite?
This is a hard one for me – I love so many foods! I’d say I get most excited for a good crispy-crust pizza, but I always loved my family’s recipe homemade pierogies growing up … that was the ultimate ‘feel good’ food, for sure.
What did food mean to you before the lockdown?
Before the lockdown, food to me was nourishment, energy, and FUN. I love trying new things and it’s so satisfying to me to eat a meal that tastes awesome and leaves me feeling great physically.
But during the lockdown, I have been intermittent fasting because it’s easier. I can get started the day, get to work and then make a nice breakfast/brunch. Now, I have much more time to cook and experiment with new recipes and new ingredients.
How did your food choices change during the lockdown? What is a typical day for you?
Lockdown definitely created some challenges, especially when grocery stores had limited supplies of the foods my husband and I usually buy. We have since been planning our meals for an entire week (or two) ahead of time, versus just planning for the next few days like we used to, and we have been forced to practice sticking with our plan to avoid wasting food. It’s been a good challenge for us to have to try to use up what we already have in the kitchen too, like canned veggies, frozen meats, or grains that have been sitting in our cabinet.
What do you miss the most? What did you discover new?
I have missed going out and trying new restaurants with my husband and our friends. Even as a Registered Dietitian, I love trying new restaurants (healthy or not!). It was tough to cut out that hobby from our life temporarily, but I did enjoy trying new homecooked meals and getting creative with the foods we had on hand. My husband has been practicing cooking with his charcoal grill a lot lately, so I’ve been whipping up all of the veggie-packed side dishes to go with these delicious dinners!
Do you have a food hack or a 2 mins recipe you can share?
Here’s a super easy summer side dish recipe that requires minimal fresh ingredients:
– 1 can corn, drained
– 1 red bell pepper, diced
– 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
– juice of 2 limes
– chili powder
– garlic powder
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, refrigerate for a couple hours and serve cold as a side dish or toss it on top of some grilled chicken!
Don’t forget to follow @eatingwithadietitian on Instagram, and take a look at Diana’s website!
