Today’s Guest – Marie Sarantakis
1. Your name, title, and age? What do you do (or did you do) for a living?
My name is Marie Sarantakis. I am 23 years old author and law student. My book “Essentially Raw” discusses the pros and cons of the raw food lifestyle. Unlike other raw food guides, it takes the approach that everyone needs to decide for themselves, based on their goals and lifestyle, what percentage of their diet should be raw based.
2. Who was the person that inspired you as a child to eat healthy and stay fit? What was their relationship to you?
I was raised in a traditional Greek household, where my mother would cook recipes that had been handed-down throughout the generations made with ingredients from either the local market or picked fresh from our garden. I don’t recall ever having ordered pizza or take-out until my twenties. It was simply habit that I would sit together with my parents and we would eat a homemade meal. I would often join my mother in meal preparation. The main course would generally consist of a Mediterranean dish accompanied by fruit for dessert.
Not only did we eat together, but we spent a majority of our days together. My parents raised me in a family business and we were all accustomed to being quite active. Whether helping customers, managing the store, or running errands, all of us were constantly moving about.
3. What did they do to inspire you?
My parents set an example. Their healthy habits were etched in my mind at an early age and I continued to carry on their way of life into adulthood.
4. How did their lesson change your life?
It wasn’t so much about changing my life as becoming accustomed to healthy habits early on. To me, health is about consistency. Its not about trying the new fad diet or latest workout trend, rather its about making wise choices on a continued basis.
5. Do you convey their message to kids in your life presently?
My message would actually be directed to parents to pass on to their children. The reason being is that parents have a large sway over the way their children come to view food throughout their lives. If kids grow up on fast and frozen food, that is what they will later come to crave.
You can help shape the way your children come to view food in two simple ways. 1) Make wise choices about what you keep in the house. You and your children will not be tempted to eat sugary and processed snacks if they aren’t around. And furthermore, you will avoid caving into the vicious cycle of craving them. While shopping, keep a majority of your purchases targeted to the periphery walls of perishable items in the grocery store. The items stacked in the middle aisles tend to be quite processed. 2) Make mealtime a fun and interactive family activity. Have your children assist in the cooking process. Ensure that they become involved in the activities and choices. For example, let them plan the menu (from an array of options), stir the ingredients, and set the table.
6. What would be your main message to children today to lead healthy lifestyles?
“Make sure that you eat your fruits and vegetables. Also, don’t forget to go outside and play.” These simple things were a given in my childhood. In the modern world however, children are inundated with preservative-loaded food options and encouraged to focus their energies on laptops, tablets, and smart phones.
Children learn proper diet and lifestyle habits from their peers. But what is normal is not necessarily ideal. When it comes to food, do not blindly trust what the boxes in the pantry say or restaurant menus have to offer. Most of the foods advertised as nutritious are creatively crafted to appear so by marketing gurus. Eat as pure as you can and this will not be an issue.
Another challenge that kids have to face today, is that the age of technology has contributed to a sedentary lifestyle. Children enjoy going outside and expending their energy, and they should be encouraged to do so. By discouraging kids from being hyper, we inadvertently encourage them to be languid.
7. Do you have a web site you would like to promote….web address only?