by Mary Knippel

A coach who gives you a grocery list? A coach who takes inventory of your pantry? The plays this coach delivers won’t leave you, or your food, battered and bruised. “Generally speaking,” food coach Natasha Loeffler-Little said over tea recently, “I was always the odd kid who read recipe books for fun and health. I never consciously saw the two coming together.”

At one point in her life everything she ate made her sick. Thinking she was lactose intolerant, she started eliminating things from her diet. The problem turned out to be intolerance to milk protein, and Loeffler-Little embarked on a quest in search of digestive wellness. Reading food labels and experimenting with recipes became a way of life and, eventually, led to a career.

“I’ve always been a foodie,” said  Loeffler-Little, a life-long Coastside resident. A foodie is a person who pays a great deal of attention to food, and finds great enjoyment in top-notch ingredients and exemplary preparation. “My grandmother owned a German restaurant in Moss Beach so I’ve always had this foundation of cooking things from scratch, and I enjoy feeding people. I love food. For years I lived with this milk difficulty until I figured out it was a digestive immunity breakdown. Then I started doing different food combining and really watching for things that triggered a reaction.”

At first, Loeffler-Little helped friends who had little cooking experience gain culinary skills. She developed recipes tailored to individual requests and created a resource library for the busy corporate person like herself. “I helped them learn the kitchen basics,” she said, “so they’d know what to do when they got home and wouldn’t have to eat out  so much.” Eventually, the friends became clients who eagerly learned about food quality and portion control.

Super Snack: Hummus and veggies

Weight is an issue many people struggle with, and Loeffler-Little has successfully worked with clients to help them figure out how to overcome food challenges on a daily basis. This approach accomplishes more than eliminating a few pounds; it establishes a lifestyle of healthy  eating habits and moves away from counting points, or calories.

“My job as a food coach is to educate people,” Loeffler-Little said. “We talk about goals: what do they want to do now, what is achievable, and what do they want long-term. I put together meal plans for them and may even inventory the pantry. Typically, the meal plan includes a full week’s worth of meals with a grocery list.”

“I find kitchen and recipe consultation a lot of fun,” Loeffler-Little said, “because then people get new recipe ideas and they get excited about food. Having conscious eating habits is also important to good digestion. We discuss how people eat as well as what they eat. We address the social and entertainment aspect of food.”

Loeffler-Little is currently studying at Bauman College, which focuses on holistic nutrition and the culinary arts. The college trains nutrition educators, providing students with “an understanding of how whole food nutrition contributes to the prevention of illness and the promotion of optimal health.”

This year for your Thanksgiving meal try these tasty alternatives to not-so-healthy favorites:

Baked Sweet Potatoes with Ginger and Honey.

Spinach-mushroom Pie.

Provencal Butternut Squash Gratin.

Baked Apples and Pears with Organic Yogurt and Honey.

Check out Loeffler-Little’s blog (www.littlefieldofgreens.com) this month for the recipes and tips on eating healthfully through the holidays.

For more information about food coach Natasha Loeffler-Little, visit her Web site at www.LLittlefood coaching.com.

Recipes

Super Snacks

Snacks are often overlooked when packing a lunch. Snacks help regulate your blood sugar, keep your metabolism going, and keep you from overeating. A well thought-out snack can be really easy. Here are some ideas:

Plain yogurt with an ounce of almonds and dried cranberries

Almonds or walnuts and cranberries

Hard boiled egg and a handful of raw vegetables like carrots, celery and bell pepper

Hummus and raw vegetables

Brown rice cakes with peanut butter

A piece of fruit or vegetable

3 slices cheese on Ak-Mak crackers with celery or carrots

Warming Trinidad Marinade

A good friend from Trinidad gave me this recipe; it is full of herbs like ginger for warming and cliantro and parsley for energy and vitamins. Use it on beef, chicken, pork or tofu. Grill, bake or broil. Make it however you like, just enjoy!

Salt and pepper to taste

3 cloves garlic, chopped

½ onion, chopped

1 inch of ginger, chopped

1 handful cilantro

1 handful parsley

½ to 1 pepper of your choice (habanero, jalapeño, serrano), minced very small; handle carefully

Beef, tofu, pork or chicken — your choice

Blend in the food processor very finely, or leave coarsely ground. Pour over meat and marinate anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours. Make a large batch of the marinade and refrigerate for up to a month.