In the mental health field, there is often only a scant attention to healthy eating. While more and more is known about how nutritious it is for your mind. U-center chef Marc Peters (42) tells you about it and what U-center is doing with it. He also reveals two of his secret cooking tips. After all, today is World Health Day 2022, the annual theme day of the World Health Organization (WHO).
"The other day we had a vegetarian who asked if there was any meatball left," Marc says. Something like that happens quite often and then I have to laugh. No meat, little food or a Keto diet, it can be different." So how does he say you feed your psyche?
Compliments to the cook
Chopping, mixing, seasoning, roasting, tasting... This is how Marc and his colleagues conjure up the most delicious dishes on your plate. For as long as U-center has existed (fourteen years). Before that, he worked as a cook in the hotel that now houses the clinic. "It was a big question mark what awaited me and the other two cooks. But it gives us a lot of satisfaction. All the compliments we get, then we are doing something right after all."
Measure the chef
'Meet the Chef' is one of its success ingredients. Each week, the chefs sit down with a group of guests. What do they want to see and smell when the lid goes off the pan? And do they have comments or questions? "We can do some cooking, but if there's no demand, we both have nothing," he said. For example, guests indicated that they wanted "food from home" in addition to fancy food. Lasagna one day and veal oyster the next. "We make everything fresh here," Marc emphasizes. Nothing comes in ready-made. That way we also know exactly what's in it." And he says that's just as well.
No need to diet
Because many people with allergies and dietary requirements also come to U-center. "It's a bit of a puzzle sometimes, but that's how our work remains challenging." In any case, there is meat or fish and vegetarian on the menu every day. "Everyone is different. Choosing a way of eating that doesn't suit you is hard to sustain."
Marc himself takes a down-to-earth view of healthy eating. "Just make sure you get enough nutrients and eat at different times of the day. Then you won't get hungry and reach for the cookies as quickly. Also, be a little creative. Don't like fruit? Maybe make a smoothie in which you disguise the taste with other ingredients. The same for "greens": bake them in an omelet or hide them in a quiche, for example. Then you often do well enough."
What healthy eating does for your psyche
More and more is known about the impact of healthy eating on your psyche. For example, people with unhealthy lifestyles, who eat few fruits and vegetables, are twice as likely to have mood disorders. This is especially true of depression. The Trimbos Institute studied this, for example. In addition, omega-3 fatty acids can calm adults with depression and children with ADHD. For example, research by the Open University shows this.
There is also increasing evidence that your gut flora and mental health influence each other. For example, the Brain Foundation supports research on the role of intestinal abnormalities in bipolar disorder or schizophrenia. Marc: "That's why lifestyle management is also a regular part of U-center's treatment program. In addition to healthy eating, for example, also enough exercise and sleep."
Secret cooking tips from Marc on World Health Day 2022
With a healthy lifestyle, you kill two birds with one stone: you nourish your mental and physical health. That's why Marc has two handy cooking tips in advance. The first: "Cook 'greens' as little as possible. Only hard vegetables, like carrots. But you can also cut them up small. Zucchini, green asparagus, peppers ... just stir-fry them. Then the flavor and most of the nutrients remain. And it's nice and crunchy, too."
The second: "Bake briefly or at a low temperature, also for flavor and nutrients. For example, we often put meat and poultry in the oven for up to an hour. So with us, you always eat a delicious juicy chicken. Maybe that should be the theme of World Health Day next year: how to get the best out of your food."