I measure what I eat —Mimi Orjiekwe

Are you a good cook?
I try my best . I am not a chef but I cook well .
Are you conscious of your daily calorie intake when choosing what to eat?
Yes, I am very conscious of that. I am trying to make living a healthy lifestyle a habit . This is because I have been doing a study on heart health. I realised that lots of people are sick and I also found out that about 40 per cent of people die yearly because of cardiovascular diseases . All the heart attacks is because of wrong feeding . Personally , I don ’ t take vegetable oil because it has saturated fat and that is the fat that causes plague to build up in the arteries thereby blocking them and preventing them from pumping blood which leads to death . These are the things I found out while studying and I started eating healthy meals . I am on a calorie deficit of about 1 ,200 -1400 daily .
How often do you take fruits and vegetables ?
I am basically on a plant-based diet , so I eat vegetables and fruits every day .
Is there any food that brings back special memories to you?
I love pasta because I once had a very sumptuous dinner with someone I really cared about and we had pasta together . That was the first time I ever tried eating pasta .
What is your favourite dessert?
In the past , whenever I was at a buffet , I ate brown cake with a bit of ice -cream for dessert but I don’ t take all that anymore . Now , my meals are planned in such a way that I eat healthy . This afternoon ( Thursday ) , I had beans pudding ( moi -moi ) that had egg in it and some cucumbers by the side . In the morning , I had fruits and tonight , I would be having catfish pepper soup . I would be using about 220 grammes of catfish because I measure what I eat.
Do you have any food allergies?
Yes, I do . I have figured that coffee is not too good for me . Whenever I took coffee , it triggered heartburn that led to acid refluxes, so I stopped taking it .
Are you adventurous with food?
Yes, I am. I eat healthily , so I go through Instagram looking for healthy foods ( suggested by ) nutritionists and professional coaches on losing weight in a healthy way . I practise what they prepare and sometimes , I go on
YouTube and try something new. I try new things all the time .
Do you observe eating etiquette whenever you eat out ?
I don ’ t , unless I have a pre -arranged engagement . Otherwise, I just make use of my fork .
Do you think food defines a culture ?
Yes, I think so. Some cultures have a particular food they are known for. In my state, Enugu , we eat abacha , which is what we traditionally use to welcome guests. If you visit other places , they have foods that they eat and are known for.