(INDIVIDUALS No.2) Faith Toogood - Dietician and Paddleboarder!
Faith Toogood is a fully qualified dietician and our Ambassador for Nutrition here at Sochal! She lives in Cornwall with her husband and two young girls and is a keen stand-up paddleboarder... keep reading to find out more about Faith...
-How/why did you become a dietician?
I have always been really interested in food, people and health and, I guess, the link between eating well and being/feeling well. I also wanted a career that would enable me to travel, work with people and have a variety of work options under one professional qualification. Dietetics ticked all of the boxes for me so did a degree at the University of Nottingham (Master Of Nutrition) which took 4 years to complete.
-Where do you find inspiration for your recipes?
I love eating! So inspiration is found everywhere... meals out, cookery books, food shops and local cuisine when travelling around the country or even further afield.
-Give us an example of a typical day's meals for you
I am a big fan of breakfast and usually go to bed looking forward to waking up and eating! If I am in an organised frame of mind then I will often prepare a bircher muesli or overnight oats for breakfast.
Lunch is often a quick meal at my desk and favourites include baked sweet potato which I will often serve with some hummous and salad, tinned tuna or some homemade baked beans (fried onions with tomato passata plus butter beans and seasoning). Other favourites are spinach omelettes or frittatas.
Evening meals need to be quick and nutritious so typically tray bakes; I love salmon, green beans and tomatoes with a jacket potato OR a curry with rice (often a veggie curry) OR a veggie lasagne OR we love open roasted vegetable tarts with some smoked mackerel. Most people imagine that we eat different stuff all the time, but like most families we have a relatively small repertoire of dishes that get cooked and occasionally the odd new one that then becomes a regular. I do try and make sure that at least once a month I try and cook something totally new.
-Does living in Cornwall live up to its stereotypical image (idyllic, laid-back...)?
It probably isn’t as heavenly as everyone thinks... we still have the same school run, work, money, house, kids homework etc stresses that everyone else has, but outside of that it is a different life I guess. Having done city living, I can say that outside of work, the pace of life here is slower and life is perhaps a bit simpler. Evenings in the summer are often spent having a picnic tea on the beach once I have collected the girls from childcare, and weekends are often spent walking on the beach or coastal path, collecting shells and paddling/swimming in the sea. Living where we do there is also a huge seasonal fluctuation in the population. Summer months are hectic with visitors and tourists whilst the winter months are very quiet. I love both and actually enjoy the change each time it comes around. We are an hour’s drive away from the nearest "city" so there is no "popping in" for a quick shop if I feel like a clothes fix, so most of our shopping is done online! Also my wardrobe has totally changed since moving to the coast; Summer is spent in flip flops and the winter in wellies. I can’t remember the last time I wore heels or anything vaguely smart down here.
-We know you're a keen stand up paddleboarder... tell us about it!
I love stand-up paddleboarding! I first got into it when my husband decided to start doing paddlebaording from his waters sports school in Rock and as soon as I tried it I was addicted! Every week I run a ladies class from my husbands water sports school called "Paddle & Prosecco" which has been running now for 5 years, and it is a great way to get on the water doing a sport that is accessible to all. I think that is what I love about paddleboarding; you don’t need to be sporty or strong or fit or athletic to give it a go. It is as active as you want it to be, from a flat water peaceful paddle on the estuary which, for me is the ultimate relaxation, to a harder session against the wind and/or tide when you really feel it in your core muscles! We recently went on holiday and took an inflatable paddleboard with us. They pack down into a rucksack and it was a great way for us to explore some of the coastline near to our holiday cottage. The kids also love sitting on the boards with us... the eldest is convinced that she is a Cornish Moana!
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