Ilona talks about A Wholefood Lover's Guide to Sydney

Can you give us a little bit of background about A Wholefood Lover's Guide to Sydney and why you started it

When I went travelling in the UK last year, my friend and I were looking for healthy food options online and we came across a site that was kind of a dictionary  and I thought "I wish there was something like this for Sydney".  Something that kind of pulled everything together in one space.  I imagined plenty of international visitors to Sydney wouldn't know where to start to get a wholefood fix.

Eventually I would like it to grow the blog into a one-stop-shop for all wholefood related news and events in Sydney.  

Being into digital communications and PR, I'm a big believer in naming things so they reflect exactly what they are so people can find them easily!  Hence the name "A Wholefood Lover's Guide to Sydney"

For those who may not fully understand, can you explain Raw, Vegan & Macrobiotic and why they are an important contributor to our overall wellbeing

I wouldn't even want to start trying to put a definitive description on those three things because it's highly individual, but I think a good starting point is the beliefs and philosophies underpinning the labels, rather than the actual practice.

What I love is that each are based on a belief about the close relationship between what we put in our bodies and our state of mental, physical and often spiritual wellbeing.  

Raw foodies are of the belief that by eating a diet of uncooked (not heated above 40 degrees) plant and sometimes animal food, delivers the most benefit to the body.  For them it is the way nature intended food to be eaten and the way the body is et up best to digest and assimilate nutrients.  

Vegan's don't eat food that is derived from animals.

Macrobiotics see each type of food falling on to a spectrum of energy with yin (or expansive energy at one end) and yang (or contractive energy at the other).  The body and the diet should be in a stage of balance for optimal health and so foods that fall in the middle of the spectrum should form the basis of one's diet.

Fascinating stuff. 

Has this always been a part of your life or was there a trigger within that led you to this lifestyle

No - although, I am Italian which probably explains my deep, deep love of food....from shopping, to preparation to eating.  I have always been a good eater but developed a terrible relationship with food in my early teens and going into adulthood (eating disorders and a stint of trying high-protein, low-carb diets).  I was never really overweight but I was striving for perfection.  Also, I have always had bad digestion all my life, I just didn't realise the severity of it until I was old enough to really think about it.

I tried everything - naturopaths, chiropractors, conventional doctors, tablets..everything.  I was about 27, on antibiotics and thinking about having a radical experimental surgery to fix it when a good friend of mine said "enough!" and sent me off to see Ken McLean (a macrobiotic counsellor at Kensington).

After 3 weeks of following his advice, I noticed a change.  Two months later I threw out the antibiotics.  That was around 5 years ago and since then I've come to understand what my body needs to keep functioning properly and that's a plant-based diet with only a little bit of animal protein and some grains, with a lots of greens and probiotic enriched food.

You are a massive fan of both Frenchs Forest and Marrickville Markets.  How did you fist discover these pockets of organic paradise and what is it about them that keeps you coming back

As I delved deeper and deeper into the wholefood scene, I discovered that farmers markets were an excellent source of hard-to-find ingredients and they were also a place where like-minded people gathered.

Each market has a different vibe to it, depending of course on the locals that frequent it and create the demand for certain supply.

An old flatmate told me to check out Marrickville and I LOVED how bohemian it was and LOVED all the food stalls.  I go there when I want a meal, more so than to shop.

I recently moved to Manly so Frenchs Forest is a new discovery.  It is just a regular part of my Sunday now.  It's definitely a market for grown-ups - the stallholders are really forward thinking and sophisticated in the wholefoods space.  I was in heaven when I discovered the Caseus stall!

I've never eaten so much raw cheese in my life yet had so few digestion issues.

Sometimes I make a trip out to the market simply just for them!

From your stance, why are markets like these an integral part of their respective local communities

You are not going to find good food in today's standard supermarket.  Mass production (to grow huge quantities, preserve, store, ship goods thousands of kilometres away) strip food of what it is that makes it good!

People come together over food, so I think markets like these are as beneficial for our need to socialise as well as for health or economic benefits.

Being able to talk directly to the merchant or producer, in most cases, means you can talk and learn about what you're eating.  They unite communities over beautiful food - what could be better than that!

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Absolutely!  Now if you would like to check out the goings on with Wholefood Lover's Guide to Sydney simply click "here" for the facebook page and "here" to go to the website.

AND we have it on excellent authority that there may be a focus or two on some of our Frenchs Forest Market stallies so stay tuned peeps!

Lateral Eating

Firstly, thank you for writing this fantastic article about Marrickville Markets!  What prompted you to start writing about your "Lateral Eating" experiences and what is the premise behind the name

Thank you for reading my blog post!  I started blogging as a way of archiving memories, particularly those related to food.  I've been fascinated with nutrition since I saw the effect that diet had on my performance and body composition and later when I studied an introductory course; I believe eating real food (ie. not processed/packaged) is extremely important in order to be healthy, and that's how I cam up with the blog's name and tag line: "Lateral Eating: eating outside the box - literally".

You make a very interesting point about the misconception that Paleo eaters are not vegan haters.  How long has the Paleo way been part of your life and why the switch

Yeah and I hope that applies the other way round too!  I've been following a Paleo lifestyle (and I love how you didn't call it a diet) for a bit over 2 years.  I first heard about in 2007 and thought it made a lot of sense, but as with most people thought it would be too hard to follow.

As I got older and particularly after moving to Australia, some of my chronic health issues (knew pain, reflux etc) got worse. I also noticed my digestion, mood and energy levels were out of whack.

One day I stumbled across Mark Sisson's blog (Mark's Daily Apple which you can read more about "here") and decided it was time to try an ancestral approach, which obviously worked!

When writing an article, do you have a particular format in mind or do you simply write about what "speaks" to you at that time and place when visiting markets such as ours

Because I'm a control freak and the blog is what I do for fun, I try to be as spontaneous as possible with it.  I do have an endless list of places I want to visit and recipes I want to tweak and share, but what goes in posts is always what grabs my attention or reminds me of something; things I want to share with whoever lands on my blog.

If you had to choose a favourite stallie at Marrickville Markets, who would it be and why

The Butcher's Lunch, hands down, for their amazing pork and crackling, coleslaw and aioli (the roasted grass-fed beef is almost as good).  They sell it in a bun but are happy to serve it in a container if you BYO.

How would you sum up the world of Lateral Eating in 5 words

Eat real food, move, meditate

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Now for those of you who have yet to read this fantastic blog, simply click "here" and dive head first in to the world of Lateral Eating which we are pretty sure you will enjoy!

Enormous thank you to Lateral Eating for sharing some time with us and for writing a great article about our much loved Marrickville Markets.

vegeTARAian

Can you give us a little bit of insight and history in to the world known as vegeTARAian

vegeTARAian is the creative outlet and inspiration for my exploration in to the world of food and cooking.  I share recipes, veg friendly eating options in restaurants and conversational pieces on ethical eating.

I'm particularly interested in reconnecting with food, to become more aware of what we are eating, local and seasonal produce, reducing food waste and raising awareness about factory farming.

As the food revolution as grown and become more accepting of alternate eating styles (eg: vegans, vegetarians, gluten free'ers etc), what have been some notable changes you have observed both personally and objectively

It's really exciting to see people genuinely showing an interest and being more accommodating to those of us with different eating requirements.

I find eating out so much easier now than it was a few years ago.  Restaurants are increasingly offering veg friendly options and where there isn't and advertised option, most venues are happy to alter a menu item if you ask.  

There are also a lot more vegetarian/vegan brands stepping in to the mainstream, available in supermarkets which is fantastic!

How did you come to discover Marrickville Markets and what was it that compelled you to write the beautiful piece that you did

I really enjoying exploring the Inner West, it's just an area that fascinates me.  When my sister moved to Marrickville she told how me how great the markets were and I just had to pop down and check it out and I'm SO glad I did!

I love the community feel and that you can spend the whole day there - chatting with the stallholders to learn more about their products, having breakfast and/or lunch with all the fresh and delicious snacks for sale.

Your blog with its innovative, creative and user-friendliness makes it not only for a fantastic read, but it is also educational and celebratory.  

How do you strike that all important balance where you don't drown people in words and select the appropriate photos to accompany whichever topic you are focussing on.

It's important to stay true to myself in my writing - I think people see right through you if you aren't genuine and honest.  While I'm still new to the world of photography, the one thing that stays with me is to think about what I want the images to say before taking the photo.

A lot of text isn't needed when you've got images that do a good job of telling the story.

For those who have been to Marrickville Market but maybe not been at the point to simply dive in and give it a go with Raw and Vegan, what 5 words of encouragement would you give

Local and fresh is best!

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A MASSIVE thank you to Tara and sharing a little piece of her world with us.  You can check out her amazing blog "here" and be transported in to the delights of alternative eating fabulosity.