“I love food and the effect it has on people. It has the power to heal and bring people together.”
Nutritionist Dorcas Barry is a qualified Living Foods Instructor, trained raw food chef and a Jane Scrivner detox coach. As well as knowing her kale from her quinoa, her passion for making healthy food taste great makes her way of detoxing much more fun (and sustainable) than your average 7 day juice fast. We talked to her about why she finds good food so inspiring.
Tell us about your journey towards healthy eating.
I have always loved cooking, and have been addicted to cookbooks from 10 years of age. I began to have reactions to wheat and dairy in my diet about 10 years ago, and because I was unwilling to compromise on delicious food, I put a lot of energy into creating recipes that never made me feel like I was missing out.
In my late thirties I had two miscarriages one after the other, and because I wanted to get well and fit and take some control, I sought out a fantastic detox programme which was the start of my interest in detox. For me, doing this worked and I gave birth to my youngest daughter within the following year. I continued to learn, study and experiment with Detox, until creating my own Detox Programme last year.
In the last 2 years I have given up eating meat, and am absolutely loving making vegetables the hero in my recipes and daily eating. I have always been fascinated by the relationship between food and health and mood, I don’t think even now that many people realise the link between the food we eat and our moods and ability to cope emotionally.
What kind of advice and support do you recommend for people a detox?
Stick to what you know you are able to achieve. It’s much better to make a smaller permanent change than to be overwhelmed and then revert to previous eating habits at the earliest opportunity.
Make sure that you are eating really tasty food, lots of fresh herbs, spices and different textures with each meal which will help you to be satisfied. Fill your fridge and cupboard with healthy foods that you love, so that you will always have something healthy at hand. Planning is key to a successful detox.
Do it with a friend or partner. It’s so much easier when you are not alone, it keeps you motivated and means you will have lots of support. My group classes work really well for this reason, as everyone feels supported by each other and motivated to keep going for the groups sake as well as their own, it makes all the difference.
What should people know about your classes?
My classes are very much focussed on taste and on acquiring cooking skills to eat healthily, as this to me is really important when teaching. I believe in helping people to become healthier by doing what’s right and easiest for them. Trying to change too much is counter productive. Getting started to change habits is what’s important.
What are the biggest challenges people face when trying to change their diet and lifestyle?
It’s all about habit! We are such creatures of habit and tend to have the same breakfasts, lunches and a small repertoire of dinners we cook repeatedly. Our tastes are acquired because of these habits also, and so the hardest thing to change can be the habit. Once you start to introduce a new food regularly, such as a green salad or green vegetables with every meal, you then start to crave that too. Healthy food can be just as addictive! When you start to get used to natural sugars such as dates, honey, maple syrup then white refined sugar starts to taste too sweet. Thats why it’s so important to make small changes as it’s much easier to do this over a longer period of time, giving the body the chance to acquire a new habit and taste.
What are your favourite healthy eating shops in Dublin – where do you shop the most?
I love Leopardstown Market on a Friday morning for the amazing greens from McNally’s Farm and the Happy Pear in Greystones for vegetables and fruit on other days. I also buy organic vegetables from The Dominican Convent Farm Shop in Wicklow Town (also available at Kilruddery Market on Saturdays) and I do LOTS of shopping in health food shops. I also love the raw products and superfoods by Irish companies Ishwari and Ireland’s Raw Kitchen.
What are your favourite healthy eating cafes and restaurants?
The Happy Pear for soup for lunch, Wagamama for raw salad and wok fried greens, any pop-up event by Living Dinners (aka Katie Sanderson), Fumbally Cafe for Falafel Salad and Rustic Stone for evening meals. I actually think there is a severe shortage of places to eat healthy food in Dublin, particularly for evenings out and celebration meals.
If someone wanted to change one thing about their diet in order to bring about a potentially big impact, what would you suggest?
Without a doubt it would be to remove all processed foods from their diet.
Dorcas will be bringing her New Year New You Cookery Demo class to Avocas in Kilmacanogue, Malahide and Rathcoole for five dates in January (the 7th, 8th, 13th, 28th and 29th) and she’ll also be in Donnybrook Fair Cookery School on the 11th of January with her Detox Delicious course. On the 8th of February she’ll be hosting a pop up lunch at Create & Revive (www.createandrevive.com) at Trudder Lodge in Co Wicklow.
Find out more about Dorcas and her courses at www.dorcasbarry.com
RECIPE:
Dorcas Barry’s Bean & Kale Soup – Serves 4
Grab these:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped finely
2 carrots, peeled and chopped into cubes
2 sticks of celery, washed and chopped into cubes
2 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
1 ½ tsp smoked pimenton
1 tsp harissa (I like Belazu Rose Harissa best)
1 x 400g tin cannellini beans, rinsed
1 stalk Kombu (optional)
750ml vegetable stock
6-8 stalks of curly kale
Salt & pepper
Sprouted seeds to serve (optional)
Now do this:
- Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the chopped onion, carrots and celery. Allow to saute gently over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes until softened. Add the sliced garlic and stir, allowing to cook for a moment before adding the beans, the harissa, and the smoked pimenton. Keep stiring to combine the spices.
- Pour in the vegetable stock and allow the soup to cook for at least 30 minutes, giving the flavours time to combine and the beans to cook. It’s a great idea when cooking with beans to include a stalk of dried kombu seaweed (available from deli’s and healthfood shops) which helps to soften the beans but also boosts the mineral content of any dish. If you include it, remove from the soup before serving.
- Wash the kale well and cut out the stalks. Chop both the stalks and the leaves and add the stalks to the soup as they will take longer to cook. Add the chopped kale leaves to the soup 5 minutes before serving to ensure the kale leaves are not overcooked and are bright green in colour. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning as required. Ladle into bowls and serve sprinkled with mixed sprouted seeds.
Words: Aoife McElwain / Photos: Trevor Hart
