Knowing how to eat can be learned

She does not prescribe diets. Don’t make lists of forbidden foods. Nutritionist Yovanee Veerapen starts from a simple observation: most Mauritians want to eat well, but do not know how. His bet? Nutritional education from an early age.

Eat healthy. Be careful. Eat well. These formulas circulate everywhere, whether on social networks, in public health campaigns, in family conversations. But behind these injunctions, what should we actually put on our plate?

“We hear a lot of messages around eating well, but these recommendations often remain vague and not very concrete,” observes Yovanee Veerapen, nutritionist and founder of NutriSmart in Curepipe. “People want to understand and above all they need to be explained clearly. » It is precisely this void that NutriSmart attempts to fill, workshop after workshop, plate after plate.

The image is simple, and it’s done on purpose. A plate divided into three: half reserved for fruits and vegetables, a quarter for proteins, a quarter for starchy foods. Yovanee Veerapen uses this visual model as a starting point with all her participants, children and adults alike, because it makes nutritional balance immediately understandable, without calculations, without weight.

Protein can come from chicken, fish, eggs, legumes or dairy products. Starchy foods should be chosen wisely: brown rice, wholemeal bread, oatmeal, rather than their refined versions. Good lipids – omega 3, 6 and 9 – are found in olive oil, avocado, nuts or sardines.

And fruits and vegetables provide vitamins and minerals that the rest of the plate cannot provide alone. “A balanced meal is a plate that combines different food groups to provide the body with everything it needs,” summarizes the nutritionist. It's not that complicated, but you still need to know it.

One of the most stubborn myths that Yovanee Veerapen confronts in her workshops is that of cost. Eating healthy would be a luxury. A preconceived idea that she deconstructs without detour. “I wouldn’t say that eating healthily necessarily costs more than eating haphazardly. It is above all a question of priorities and choices. »

No need for salmon to stock up on omega-3: tuna and sardines do the job perfectly, for a fraction of the price. Eggs, lentils, leftovers from the day before, and well-managed cupboards and freezers are enough to create nutritious and economical meals. “The main thing is to anticipate,” she insists. “When we don't plan, we give in more easily to impulsive purchases, which are often less balanced and more expensive. »

Batch cooking, which consists of preparing the bases for several meals of the week in one go, is a strategy that she systematically recommends. Less waste, less