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Healthy Food
 
Click here to find out about Healthy Cooking Classes in London
 
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For more information contact Louise on 07788440211 email: theyogacook@me.com

 

 “Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all.”   
Harriot Van Horne
 


 
Nori Rolls and Flax Seed Crackers


   
My interest in food started with eating the fairy cakes I had just baked with my mum at the age of 5!

 

Tomato Lentil Dahl

At school I had an evening job at a local bistro and felt that in order to do my job well, I should sample what was on offer in the kitchen! 

I did no formal cooking training and after university moved from restaurant management into the kitchen by sheer bribary! Then I worked my way up from dishwashing  to running my own catering business. With my interest in yoga, my self inquiry studies and the death of my father from bowel cancer, I started to look into my own eating habits. Moving towards a healthier diet and being mindful not only in what I ate but how I ate.

When I moved to Thailand I was introduced to fasting for health and spiritual development. I discovered that fasting not only cleaned out the body, creating increased energy but also allowed the mind to become incredibly clear.

 

Raw Carrot Cake

I studied a diploma to become a nutritional advisor and experimented with raw food.

Since returning from Thailand I have continued my education about healthy eating studying with The Holistic Cooking School In Totnes and Daphne Lambert of Green Cuisine.

I am currently based in Balham, South London where I teach Yoga, Nutrition, Weight Loss, and Healthy Cooking classes. I also contribute Healthy Eating articles for OM Magazine.

 

                             
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Teaching Philosophy
 
 

 

In the kitchen workshops I will share with you my knowledge and experience of cooking healthy food in order to maximise energy levels, reduce digestive problems and maintain a healthy weight.. I also encourage the same principles as we learn in yoga.

To stay open to new experiences and tastes, to be willing to make changes where necessary. To be consistent but not rigid in the practice of healthy eating. To have more awareness of what we put into our bodies and greater mindfulness of the way we do this. To accept that there is no single way and that it is through experimentation, inquiry and persistence that we find the individual path.

When I cook, I am inspired by the never ending possibilities offered in recipe books but it is when I cook without a set recipe that I enter a meditative space where the creative juices can truly flow! I have also found that cooking with joy truly makes the food taste better!! It is no myth that the energy of the cook enters the food that is being prepared.

My emphasis is on a light hearted approach to eating. I do not believe in calorie counting. Food preparation should be fun and creative. Eating should be a blissful experience !

To be a good cook you need to love food!

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Yogic Eating
 
 
“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.”   
Luciano Pavarotti
 


The Ancient Yogis were responsible for developing a concept of a balanced whole foods diet and an eating philosophy alongside the physical practice.
The powerful combination of balanced nutrition and yoga asana practice helps in maintaining a strong and healthy body, a stress-free mind and a positive attitude towards life.  A balanced wholefoods diet ensures that all the faculties of digestion work smoothly - absorption, assimilation and elimination.

It is extremely important that all these three aspects work well together. Processed foods which are high in sugar, salt and saturated fats create conditions that disturb this balance leading to health problems such as constipation, indigestion, irritable bowel, allergies and cancer.The purpose of eating is to supply the body with Prana or life force  energy which allows physical and mental efficiency. Dull or Tamasic foods not only have a detrimental effect on the body, they block Spiritual awareness. Healthy eating keeps the body light and supple and the mind calm and clear. A healthy diet is based as much as possible on natural organic foods. Ie foods in their natural state, straight from mother nature, grown in fertile soil without processing, packaging or chemicals. Good nutrition results from the correct proportions and types of proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals.Foods retain more of their nutrients when eaten raw or lightly cooked. A Yogic diet consists of a pure, simple diet of wholefoods which are easily digestable and assimilated in order to sustain the body and promote health by keeping the immune system strong.           

The philosophy of Yogic Eating  includes eating in moderation, eating only when hungry and eating with mindfulness.  Unhealthy habits occur when we do not give these aspects consideration. Often our attitudes towards food are linked to childhood experiences .We sometimes tend to eat when we are upset, using food as a comfort for the emptiness that we feel. Bad eating habits will cause our senses to be dull so that we are not even able to notice how much we eat or how it tastes.
 
 
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Recipe Gallery
 
 

Wake Up Smoothie

  • 2 Ripe Peach, stone removed
  • 2 Tbsp Oats
  • 2 Tbsp Almonds
  • 2 Tbsp Hemp Seeds
  • 1 Cup Fresh Carrot/Apple Juice
  • 1 Cup Water
  • Agave Syrup to Sweeten if necesary

Combine in a Blender







Almond Butter Spinach

Dressing

  • 4 tbsp Almond Butter
  • 1 Clove Garlic crushed
  • 1 tbsp Tamari
  • 1tbsp Lemon Juice

Combine dressing ingredients in a food processor add 250g spinach and blend until almost smooth. This can also be made by hand by finely chopping the spinach.             



Pumpkin and Coconut Chickpea soup

Dressing

  • 450g/1lb Butternut Squash peeled and diced
  • 1 Tsp Coconut Oil
  • 1 onion peeled and diced
  • 2 Cloves garlic peeled and crushed
  • 2 tsp Thai Red curry paste (optional- for more spice!)
  • 6 oz cooked chickpeas
  • 1 Tin Coconut milk
  • 200 ml/7floz water
  • 2 tsp Marigold Vegetable Stock Powder
  • Juice 1 lime
  • Seasalt

Saute the onion and garlic in coconut oil for 5 minutes. Add the Butternut squash and the curry paste (if using) and a pinch of seasalt and continue to cook with the lid on the pan for another 5 minutes, adding a dash of water to prevent it sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add the coconut milk, chickpeas, water and stock powder. Bring to the boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the pumpkin is cooked then remove from the heat. Puree in a blender and add the lime juice. Check the seasoning. Add more water for a thinner soup. Serve with a sprinkle of fresh coriander.


Scarlet Quinoa Salad

  • 1 ½ Cups Quinoa soaked
  • 2 Beetroot , peeled or scrubbed and diced
  • Rind of ½ lemon
  • 2 cups Vegetable Stock
Dressing – 2tbsp ex V Olive Oil, 2tbsp lemon Juice, 2tbsp Chopped Chives, SP
  • 100g Feta cheese diced
  • handful Pumpkin Seeds
Place first 4 ingredients in a saucepan. Simmer until liquid absorbed and Quinoa soft, approx 8 mins Remove from pan and add dressing. Serve warm or cold sprinkled with Feta and Pumpkin Seeds



Healthy Chocolate Truffles

  • 100g Brazil/Pecan/walnuts Nuts soaked for 2 hours(choose your favourite!)                                                                          
  • 50g Soaked Dates.
  • 1 tbsp Organic Cocoa Powder ( plus 2tbsp extra)                                       
  • 1 tbsp Coconut Butter (optional)
Blend and form into balls, roll in the extra cocoa powder if desired, chill, eat !     





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