Podcast: What the F is for Dinner - Jessica Sepel talks healthy cauliflower fried rice and guilt-free pizza

Stop punishing yourself with food.
It’s a simple message, but one that rings with passion and truth when it comes from JS Health’s Jessica Sepel.

The medicinal nutritionist is the voice, face and foodie behind the juggernaut health website, JS Health, and her healthy eating programs aim to help us all find a better balance with food that is both delicious and good for us.

But she’s not preaching from a place of impeachable standards. She’s lived the journey herself and she has one very strong message; food should not be used as a punishment.

“I was eating to be skinny, not eating to be healthy,” she tells our Food Editor Jane de Graaff as they sit down for this week’s episode of the 9Honey Kitchen food-prep podcast, What the F is for DinnerWhat the F is for Dinner

Check out their chat - and Jess' cheats healthy pizza recipe - in this week’s podcast episode right here:
https://omny.fm/shows/what-the-f-is-for-dinner/wtffdjesssepel/embed?style=artwork

It’s this kind of food punishment that creates what Jess describes as a disconnect between our bodies and the enjoyment of our food. It creates stress and associates food with hate and negativity.

“It doesn’t matter how many greens you eat, if you’re stressed and have a really negative relationship with food, you’re never going to look and feel your best. So, you’re never really going to be living the true healthy life.”

As a result, Jess has used her own struggles with good food relationships to build programs that are all about ditching the diet and eating for joy and health instead. It's a message we can buy into at 9Kitchen with no qualms. She’s here to make food taste great and deliver the health benefits we all look for, and has recently added her own vitamin supplement to help with common deficiencies while we find our way back to a better food/fun balance.

“I often get people to taste my recipes and they really feel they are as indulgent as the unhealthy version,” Jess tells Jane in their chat as they discuss how to make delicious, healthy substitutes. “It really is just about making healthy swaps and finding healthy alternatives to your favourite foods.”

And it’s these secrets that Jess shares with Jane – including how to take cauliflower rice and turn it into a sexy-as-hell alternative to your Friday-blow-out fried rice.

But even better than that, Jess takes the basic starting point of cauliflower rice and turns it into this healthy, guilt-free, gluten-free and damned delicious version of your favourite pizza.

“I’m a foodie. I’m not willing to eat food that doesn’t taste good,” Jess laughs. “There’s this misconception that healthy food is tasteless, bland, boring - but it doesn’t have to be. One of the favourite parts of my job is coming into the kitchen and someone saying to me ‘I love shepherd’s pie’. Well, I get to say okay, let’s create a really healthy one.”  

You will be blown away. Listen to the podcast and hear all her tips and pantry swaps for the healthiest and most delicious food of your life.

Bring on fried-rice and pizza night! And we’ll never feel bad about it again!

RELATED: Mums, stop punishing yourselves with leftovers

Jess’ pantry staples for an ultimate, easy fried rice dinner:

• olive oil
• coconut oil
• lemon juice
• garlic
• herbs and spices of your choice
• eggs
• greens
• cauliflower (for the rice) or healthy vegetables

RECIPES:

• Jess Sepel's pumpkin and chickpea one-pan with hummus dressing
• Jess Sepel's One pan honey mustard chicken with asparagus and cherry tomatoes