Be a healthy chef!
Tarek Ibrahim has started following Meat & Livestock Australia’s The Live Well Plan — and wants to prove to chefs that a busy lifestyle is no excuse for not being fit
WHAT IS IT?
The Live Well Plan shows people how to make simple changes to their diet and lifestyle to lose weight and improve health. The eating plan encourages a variety of protein-rich and low GI foods without cutting out carbs and explains how to choose foods from key food groups in the right portion sizes to help you lose weight. There are three parts to The Live Well Plan: a higher protein, low Glycemic Index (GI) eating plan; advice on regular exercise; and, tips to achieve mindful eating.
WHY ARE YOU DOING IT?
I noticed that I am gaining a lot of weight, and a lot of my friends who are working in the F&B industry are all gaining weight.
TELL US MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAMME?
I’ve found out that losing weight is not about the fat in the food — it’s about if we exercise or not, and what kind of exercise we do. For example, there is a set of four minute exercises — if we do that when we wake up in the morning, it gets our metabolism going. Added to that, if you go to the gym three times a week, or take a brisk walk of 1200 steps, you will definitely lose a lot of weight. With The Live Well Plan by Meat & Livestock Australia, you eat smaller portions of beef, lamb, fish, and eggs. You’re not depriving your body of anything. And you can have as much raw vegetables as you want.
HOW WILL THIS HELP THE F&B COMMUNITY?
Once I succeed, I will start challenging chefs to do it as well to lose weight. I am currently in talks with the Dubai Municipality to get the chefs in question to apply the concepts of the programme to their menus; if the general public also start following this initiative, then they will not struggle to eat out, as dishes that work with the programme will be available in restaurants. It’s not concrete yet, but it’s my plan.
WHY DO CHEFS GAIN WEIGHT OR STAY UNHEALTHY?
One, we taste a lot of food. Personally, I judge a lot of competitions, internationally and locally. When you’re judging 200 plates or 100 plates a day, and if you’re doing your job right, you can’t just lick the dish. You have to really taste it. Second, we never have regular hours; I never know when I’m going to have breakfast. I just get up and go to work. And finally, while creating new dishes, you end up tasting a lot. Anything you see, you have the urge, as a chef, to try it so you know if it’s good or bad... you find yourself eating all day long.
CAN YOU REALLY COMPLETE THIS CHALLENGE?
It’s a bit challenging but I can do the four minutes exercise every day and then I can do three days of gym. And I know this: chefs never take no for an answer. It may take more than three months, maybe three-and-a-half. But at the end you are going to see the results when I come back to meet you, and you’re going to say, ‘Wow!’