Hey,
I’m Rach and I’m an Accredited practising Dietitian. I’m also La Nipotina’s no.1 fan, recipe editor and hype girl. To celebrate the launch of the new website I’ve written a piece about why I love what La Nipotina is bringing to the table, from a social and nutritionist’s point of view.
Dani’s recipes are delightfully delicious, and if you’ve been lucky enough to attend one of her dinner party’s, you’ll remember leaving with a fully belly and heart – and some leftover caramel slice if you’re lucky!
You may have noticed your eating behaviour will change depending on the social context, how we eat when we’re alone differs greatly to the conformity we will often adapt in the company of our close social connections.
This is where the beauty of La Nipotina is so useful and clever, it promotes cooking and consuming healthy meals, whilst bringing people together. In a world where comparisons run strife, you’ll enjoy sharing the recipes with coworkers over lunch instead of thinking – “shit, why am I not having a celery juice for lunch instead of this burrito?”
Studies show following a Mediterranean diet is beneficial, mainly for its plant-based style of eating, but also due to the Mediterranean habit of eating as few meals as possible alone. When we share meals with others we eat slower, aiding digestion, and we tend to not over eat, recognising we’re full before it’s too far gone. Yes we may drink more wine, but at the compromise of more laughter and conversation? It’s simple really.
I’m sure you have all heard of the hype around the gut-brain axis lately and I’m loving all of the new research in this space! The best way to create a healthy gut is through diversity. Increasing the amount of plants on our plate and getting as many different colours in as possible will do wonders for our body and mind. There’s even evidence that dairy may be beneficial to depression. Take La Nipotina’s veg lasagne for instance, packed full of veggies and all the cheese. The perfect meal!
Regardless of nutrients and research, La Nipotina is damn delicious. And if there’s one piece of advice I could give, it’s eat the food that makes you happy with the people you love.