{"id":1685,"date":"2016-11-14T12:52:37","date_gmt":"2016-11-14T17:52:37","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.thefoodstand.com\/?p=1685"},"modified":"2016-11-14T12:54:50","modified_gmt":"2016-11-14T17:54:50","slug":"behind-the-plate-elettra-wiedemann","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.thefoodstand.com\/2016\/11\/14\/behind-the-plate-elettra-wiedemann\/","title":{"rendered":"BEHIND THE PLATE: ELETTRA WIEDEMANN"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"elettra_wiedemann_foodstand\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Elettra Wiedemann<\/a> is the Founder & Editor In Chief of Impatient Foodie<\/a> where she delves into good food for the fast paced lifestyle. She’s also the Executive Food Editor at Refinery29, a retired fashion model, a triathlete, trilingual, and holds a Masters of Science in Biomedicine form The London School of Economics! Impressive! Here she is to give us a deeper look.<\/p>\n

Please tell us about what you do.<\/strong>
\nMy food site, Impatient Foodie<\/a>, aims to marry the ideals of the Slow Food movement with the realities of fast paced, urban life.<\/p>\n

How did you become interested in good eating?<\/strong>
\nMy mom and dad taught me how to cook some basics when I was a kid, but it wasn\u2019t until I started modeling at age 19 that I got more involved with my food and what I was eating. Being on the road all the time required me to relearn some old cooking habits to eat cleaner, healthier meals. A few years into modeling, I got accepted to The London School of Economics for a MSc in Biomedicine. While there, I took classes in public health, environmental policy, and cultural theory. As part of the LSE\u2019s program requirement you have to write a dissertation that brings all your classes together. So what brings public health, environment, and culture together? Food. I wrote my dissertation on the future of feeding urban populations in light of climate change and that was really the game changer in my life as far as becoming passionate about food.
\n<\/span>
\nHow do you define good food?<\/strong>
\nI think \u201cgood food\u201d is any meal that has been prepared with some aspect of consciousness in mind. I always say if all Impatient Foodie does is get one person to reconsider buying a tomato in the middle of winter, that would be perfectly fine with me.<\/p>\n

Talk a bit more about Impatient Foodie.<\/strong>
\nWhile at the LSE, I came to realize the wider ramifications of everyone\u2019s food choices on issues like climate change, water shortages, desertification, ocean depletion, etc. The Slow Food<\/a> movement and luminaries like Michael Pollan, Alice Waters, Mark Bittman, and Joan Gussow have been making these links for a long time, but I found that when I attempted to apply their advice to my life, it felt impossible\u2014my kitchen was too small, my schedule was too busy, and I think the 6th ring of Hell is NYC\u2019s Union Square Farmer\u2019s Market in terms of crowds and convenience. In short, I am very impatient. So Impatient Foodie is like my open journal where I try to marry the ideals with the reality. Sometimes I win, sometimes I fail, but I am always trying!<\/p>\n

Countries across the world are taking action on their nation\u2019s food systems\u2014for example, Brazil recently added the right to food to its constitution, and introduced enviable and comprehensive good eating guidelines that include everything from nutrition to sustainability. What efforts would you like to see the US take to help the American people eat better?<\/strong>
\nI think in today\u2019s culture convenience is king, whether we like it or not. So, for me, anything that makes healthy eating and conscious food choices (local\/seasonal\/organic) more convenient is a huge plus. Thrive Market\u2019s petition to the US government to have SNAP benefits be accepted online is a great example of this. I also think companies like Hampton Creek<\/a> are game changers in this space. Their philosophy is similar to mine: Make healthier foods just as yummy, just as convenient, and just as well priced as processed foods, and people will opt to make the more conscious\/thoughtful decision.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s always in your fridge\/pantry?<\/strong>
\nHummus, spaghetti, extra virgin olive oil, canned cherry tomatoes, eggs, Sriracha, bread, oatmeal, coconut oil, hemp seeds, chia seeds, dried fruits (usually cherries or cranberries), vegan protein powder, almond butter, Anita\u2019s Coconut yogurt, and chocolate bark.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s one piece of advice you can give to someone trying to develop better, longterm eating habits?<\/strong>
\nIf this person is new to the kitchen, my advice is to start slow and build confidence. I developed my Impatient Foodie 30\/6\/5 Challenge<\/a> to show how easy grocery store shopping and home cooking can be. With a $30 budget, you can buy just 6 items that make a minimum of 5 meals.<\/p>\n

What is your go-to dinner party recipe?<\/strong>
\nI like to make a soup or salad for the appetizer, and a pasta for the main. My olive oil cake<\/a> has been a repeat winner.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your favorite meal on the go?<\/strong>
\nHummus and toast or almond butter and toast.<\/p>\n

Is there any aspect of your diet that you\u2019ve been trying to improve? If so, how have you been trying to improve it?<\/strong>
\nRecently I\u2019ve decided to be what I call VWIC: Vegan Whenever I Can. Whenever I am about to eat a meal, whether out or at home, I ask myself, \u201cis there any easy way I can make this vegan friendly?\u201d If the answer is yes, I do it. If not, I don\u2019t sweat it. I find that if I just pause to ask the question, four out of five times there is a vegan alternative that is easy to make and just as delicious and filling.<\/p>\n

How do you incorporate a variety of vegetables into your diet?<\/strong>
\nI am a vegetarian so I eat a lot of vegetables. One of my favorite things is to roast up a bunch of carrots, squash, sweet potatoes, etc. and serve them with my beet tahini spread<\/a>. I also like to stuff pita bread with a bunch of chopped up fresh vegetables and hummus. I also do \u201cend of the week\u201d rice bowls when I have a bunch of vegetables I have not used in my fridge. I cook up some sushi rice (my fave), chop up all the vegetables and herbs, and mix them in with the rice. Depending on what the flavors are, I drown the rice and vegetables in either olive oil and top with hummus, or toasted sesame seed oil and Sriracha.<\/p>\n

Good eating is more than what you eat, it\u2019s also being mindful about how you eat it. What is your favorite way to enjoy a good meal?<\/strong>
\nOf course, I love to eat with friends and family. But I recently went on a silent retreat and ate 20+ meals alone in total silence and loved that too (was not expecting to)! Since I have returned from the retreat, I try to eat without any distractions, like I did there. It makes me enjoy my food more, and feel fuller, longer.<\/p>\n

How many nights a week do you cook dinner?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019d say average of five nights per week.<\/p>\n

If you could get the general population to change one aspect of their eating habits, what would it be?<\/strong>
\nI\u2019d suggest that everyone eat less fish and meat because of the carbon footprint and ocean depletion.<\/p>\n

Good eating isn\u2019t about perfection, it\u2019s about habits and progress. From time to time we all eat something we don\u2019t feel so great about later. What is your advice for those oops moments?<\/strong>
\nJust enjoy the oops moment while it\u2019s happening, and get right back on the wagon immediately. We all slip off sometimes and that\u2019s totally cool, just try not drag it into the rest of your week (or longer!).<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your favorite good-eating advice for those of us who are insanely busy and have very little time to spend cooking?<\/strong>
\nYou should check out Impatient Foodie<\/a> cause that\u2019s what the entire site is about \ud83d\ude09<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Elettra Wiedemann is the Founder & Editor In Chief of Impatient Foodie where she delves into good food for the fast paced lifestyle. She’s also the Executive Food Editor at Refinery29, a retired fashion model, a triathlete, trilingual, and holds a Masters of Science in Biomedicine form The London School of Economics! Impressive! Here she is to give us a deeper look. Please tell us about what you do. My food site, Impatient Foodie, aims to marry the ideals of the Slow Food movement with the realities of fast paced, urban life. How did you become interested in good eating? My mom and dad taught me how to cook some basics when I was a kid, but it wasn\u2019t until I started modeling at age 19 that I got more involved with my food and what I was eating. Being on the road all the time required me to relearn some old cooking habits to eat cleaner, healthier meals. A few years into modeling, I got accepted to The London School of Economics for a MSc in Biomedicine. While there, I took classes in public health, environmental policy, and cultural theory. As part of the LSE\u2019s program requirement you have […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[47],"tags":[76,180,181,182,183,45],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.thefoodstand.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1685"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.thefoodstand.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.thefoodstand.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.thefoodstand.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.thefoodstand.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1685"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/blog.thefoodstand.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1685\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1712,"href":"https:\/\/blog.thefoodstand.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1685\/revisions\/1712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.thefoodstand.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.thefoodstand.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.thefoodstand.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}