One chef’s journey to wellness
Cinty Yñiguez is a wellness chef, a certified plant-based and raw vegan chef, a whole food plant-forward lifestyle advocate, educator and speaker, culinary nutrition coach and consultant, as well as a registered yoga teacher.
Cinty’s metamorphosis to becoming a wellness guru was sparked by the loss of her mother, Julia Reyes, to cancer.
Since then, she made a conscious decision to make better choices, opting to “live well” by applying positive changes to every facet of her life.
On her journey, she has made it her mission to not just transform her life, but to inspire others by example to do the same.
The Well Nourished Company, founded by Cinty, advocates mindful eating, regular movement and mindfulness practices.
Their programs are designed to provide comprehensive frameworks for holistic wellness.
Inspired by her mother to cook at a very young age, Cinty believes that culinary wellness is integral to living a life that’s healthy, happy and full. As such, The Well Nourished Company offers innovative workshops and programs designed to cultivate culinary skills and promote plant-based cooking.
Naked Foods by Cinty, a subsidiary of The Well Nourished Company, provides plant-based alternatives to those who desire to shift toward a more plant-centric diet to improve their well-being.
As a yoga teacher, Cinty also promotes holistic wellness through yoga and mindful movement practices.
Many view a holistic lifestyle change as an impossible task. To Cinty, however, it is quite simple. The goal, she said, is to nourish our minds and bodies through small, mindful steps.
Practical eating tips
Let us begin with Cinty’s practical eating tips:
1. Start with cultivating small (mindful) steps. It’s about taking steps (from wherever one is), and shifting small habits and practices, and actually celebrating these small wins. For example, for eating healthy, incorporate a good portion of vegetables in your meal dish. For living healthy, walk up the stairs instead of taking the lift. They seem simple, but easy to forget or overlook. Focus on consistency rather than perfection.
2. We need to think of the 80/20 rule—we make it our goal to achieve 20 percent of our goal, to achieve the 80 percent. Quality over quantity.
3. Get rid of the idea of “cheat days.” Focus on moderation and balance, not restriction.
4. Always listen to your body (this applies to both eating and living). The mind-body connection is so strong, and the mind always sends signals down to the body, when there is an imbalance. Conversely, the body sends signals to the brain when it is tired, exhausted or stressed. They work in synchronicity.
5. Choose the colors of the rainbow when picking your meals. This way you have a balanced diet.
6. Remember that taste preferences don’t change overnight, so we could pair our least favorite foods with the ones we like.
7. Find joy and appreciation in learning more, and help to educate your loved ones. The more we learn, the more we understand. For example, understand how the food is cooked. Is it deep-fried? Processed? And know its impact on the body.
8. Review and revamp the kitchen and pantry.
9. Choose whole foods vs canned and processed foods. For example, eat a fruit vs a fruity pastry; eat raw/baked/grilled/steamed vegetables vs fried carrots or potatoes.
10. Eat more home-cooked meals (since we know what goes into them and how they are prepared and cooked). Adopt a CulinaryLife (Lifestyle Integration for Food and Eating).
As for living healthy, Cinty had this to share:
1. Adopt the Three Paths to Wellness: mindful eating (EatWell), regular movement (MoveWell) and mindfulness practices (LiveWell), managing stress, sleep and social connections.
2. Set boundaries at work, home, and within your social circle.
3. Aim for quality over quantity (this applies to all areas in your life).
4. Achieve balance and consistency, not perfection.
5. Practice self-care (physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, social).
6. Manage and organize your time wisely and effectively.To savor the change, here’s a tasty recipe by chef Cinty:
Spicy Thai Basil Tofu
14 oz extra firm tofu
Wrap tofu in a towel and squeeze to extract liquid.
Sauce:
1 ½ Tbsp coconut sugar
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp chili flakes
1 tsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp vegetarian soy sauce
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
⅛ tsp white pepper
Mix to combine.
1–2 Tbsp vegetable oil
½ medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp ginger, minced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 green chili pepper, sliced, seeded
2 Thai chilis, sliced, seeded
¾ cup green beans, washed, cut to ½-inch pieces
¼ cup vegetable broth
½ cup Thai or holy basil leaves
Sauté onion until translucent. Add garlic, ginger, chilis, green beans, bell pepper. Add crumbled tofu. Add seasoning. Mix tofu to coat in the sauces. Add broth. Turn up heat and cook until the tofu dries up.
Mix and cook until it resembles minced meat and is lightly brown. Add basil leaves. Season to taste. Serve over steamed rice. INQContact @thewellnourishedco on Instagram or message tel. 0917-8338535.
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