Health and wellness has become a hot topic in recent years, especially in the restaurant industry. Cooks and chefs are searching to find work-life balance. Here, Nyesha Arrington shares her personal journey and new perspective on self-care.
After 18 years in the restaurant industry, I started seeking the same thing, from yoga classes to the next greatest diet innovation to HIIT-style workout classes. I have been able to find balance in creativity and business, and you don’t really need a gym membership or a nutrition certification to be healthy; sometimes the answer can be found with meditation or a journal entry.
Last year I decided to eat plant-based and eliminate alcohol, refined sugar and starch from my diet. That resulted in losing 22 pounds and gaining an incredible amount of balance in my brain function. I started to only eat foods that have life in them. For example, I sprout my lentils before consuming them, or I eat foods that only contain a of 4 or higher, and I have never felt better in my life.
Performance in the gym has yielded extremely quick results, and I am training all the time. My energy level is through the roof. I'm up to drinking a gallon of water a day compared to when I was cooking on the line and would sometimes totally forget to drink water because I was so slammed with work. Our bodies are made up of about 22 essential minerals and 12 vitamins so I tailor my diet to feed those cells for optimal health. Being healthy at the cellular level yields the best results a life mise en place can give you.
In our industry we cater to a lot of facets of hospitality, but chefs tend to put themselves last. Demanding work schedules and incessantly thinking about ways to innovate and stay creative can take a toll. What drives chefs is an inability to ever feel satisfied. There is always room for improvement and progression.
To come from a whole new perspective now behind the lens of a full cup allows me to help others. I have found great reward in mentorship and leading the charge into the future.
Learn more about health and wellness in the kitchen in Health-Supportive Culinary Arts.