Better Nutrition January 2020

IN THE SPOTLIGHT *
stay-healthy secrets from leading experts
The Defined Dish
Food blogger Alex Snodgrass takes the Whole30 diet
to a whole new level
BY CHRIS MANN
Food blogger Alex
Snodgrass first
tried Whole30 in
2015 to drop baby
weight from her
two pregnancies.
And the results
extended well beyond
her whittled waistline.
“I found it helped me in
so many ways, more than just feeling
lean,” says the recipe developer and
food stylist, 32. “Eating cleaner foods
without a doubt makes me function better
on a cognitive level. I definitely think
sugar triggers my anxiety the most,
so cutting back on alcohol and sugarinfused
foods are what is best for me.
“I found that Whole30 set off a chain
reaction: I realized how important it was
for me as a mother to tend to my own
personal needs. Paying attention to the
foods I ate spurred me to take the time
to work out and do so much more for me.
It was very liberating and eye-opening.”
Her insights pepper The Defined
Dish: Whole30 Endorsed, Healthy and
Wholesome Weeknight Recipes, her
new cookbook of mostly Whole30- and
Paleo-compliant recipes. This essential
guide for those who’ve completed Whole30
reintroduces wholesome ingredients
such as legumes, tortillas, and yogurt in
savory dishes. And she serves up plenty
of healthy and fun, too!
Win a copy of The
Defined Dish! We
have 5 copies of up
for grabs. Email your
name and address
to betternutritionfreebie@gmail.com.
Put “Dish” in the
subject line.
BN: Which
dairy- and
gluten-free
pantry
staples do
you use most?
AS: For glutenand
grain-free substitutes,
I love arrowroot
starch as a thickener,
cassava flour as a flour
substitute, and tapioca
as a breading. I also
love brown rice pasta.
For dairy-free, there’s
nothing better than
Nutpods Original
Creamer. You can use
it in place of coconut
milk to avoid that overpowering
coconut flavor.
BN: How did you
manage to make a
Whole30-compliant
Hot and Sour Soup?
AS: Making a Whole30
Hot and Sour Soup is
like teaching pigs to
fly. It’s hard to make a
soup compliant when
its classic ingredients
include soy sauce, cornstarch,
sriracha, and
tofu. I focused on using
compliant ingredients
(such as rice vinegar,
Red Boat fish sauce,
and coconut aminos) to
create similar tangy and
sweet flavors that make
you feel like you are
enjoying Hot and Sour
Soup without the MSG.
I am really happy with
the final product!
BN: How have your
Texas roots and Italian
heritage influenced
these recipes?
AS: You’ll see my
Texas roots shine in
my “Southern Charms”
chapter, which features
southern, soulful classics
(think Whole30 Chicken
Fried Steak with Cauliflower
Gravy and Easy
Skillet Cauliflower Rice
Jambalaya), as well as
my “Tacos Y Mas”
chapter that’s filled
with the Tex-Mex-inspired
dishes I grew up
eating. My mom is also
half-Italian, and I grew
up enjoying her family
staples. I’ve taken the
Italian influence from
my mom and grandmother
and re-created
cleaner versions of my
favorites.
BN: What ingredients
go into your Cleaned
Up Foods for Kids?
AS: I like to share
cleaned-up versions of
the foods I grew up
loving to eat—think pizza
bagel bites, Hamburger
Helper, and grain-free
chicken nuggets. Most
of these are gluten-free
and dairy-free, or easily
modified to be.
BN: How does your
mantra “Nourish. Not
Punish.” help keep
you on track?
AS: I think the term
“balance” is just a word,
not something we can
accomplish. To be in
perfect harmony 100
percent of the time is
an old wives’ tale. My
mantra of “Nourish.
Not Punish” reminds
me to never dive into
the yo-yo diet culture
and to embrace living
a little. We all have busy
times in our lives where
we might eat and drink
more than we would
really like to. We all
travel and experience
the joy of vacation, and
we all just live a little
in general. Punishing
ourselves for that is
the worst path that
we can take ourselves
on. I like to be more
forgiving and understanding
of those
decisions and choose
to come home and heal
myself with nourishing,
filling foods rather than
punishing myself for
the “unruly” behavior.
14 • JANUARY 2020