The nutritionist, author, Masterchef winner and My Food Bag co-founder said that, while she believed more vegetables on our plates was here to stay, she predicted the current trend to veganism and plant-based alternative meat and dairy will even out with many reintroducing some animal products.
“While some people can do well on an all plant-based diet, it isn’t suitable for everyone."
An even bigger trend she believes is imminent is people wanting real food, not imitation products. And produced in the most sustainable, ethical way possible.
“New Zealand has the potential to be the leading sustainable and ethical food producers in the World. I have no doubt about that.”
Lim shared her nude-food philosophy. It is based on ignoring the hype around fads and diets, sticking to minimally processed, naturally grown food not from factories. She urges people to trust their instincts when it comes to food.
“There’s two key facts that we can’t ignore. The first one is that everybody has to eat. The second one being that real food, which I like to describe as food that comes from the ground, the sea and the sky … will never go out of fashion.”
Those principles will stick around regardless of food trends.
She believes the trend to eat more vegetables is here to stay. The fad for eating more vegetables made her most recent book on vegetarian recipes become New Zealand’s top selling book last year.
From a nutritional perspective, a wholly plant-based diet is not sustainable. Some people can maintain it but the vast majority cannot do it long term because it lacks too many important nutrients.
The increased interest and scrutiny in farming is positive for farmers because it lifts the profile of where all foods including synthetics come from.
Advocating farming as a creator of real food is a better way of promoting the industry, she said.
“I think we have to start a real food campaign, a movement that educates people on what it really takes to produce food.”
She also backs the Open Farms initiative that aims to reconnect people with where food comes from by running an open day on March 1.
“What they are trying to do there is welcome people with open arms to give them a taste of what really goes on behind the scenes.
“If you want to eat real food you have to know about it.”
Lim and husband Carlos Bagrie moved to Otago in December to run a farm growing sheep and barley.
Seeing first hand the responsibility the industry carries gave her a deeper respect for food producers, she said.
“I’ve always felt that’s all very well telling people what they should be eating and giving them recipes but I’ve always felt a real responsibility to step back behind what’s on our plate and follow the journey with what’s involved in getting it to your plate as well and that’s the reason why we decided we’re going to take on this farming adventure because it’s all part of it. It’s the full circle.”
Lim believes more engagement is needed about how food is produced, particularly for those with a limited understanding of farming.
Food production is something not taught in schools, which Lim called crazy.
Proper food education, including how to grow your own food, could help lift people out of poverty.
“The skill of how to feed yourself is something I don’t think anyone could debate or argue that is probably one of the most important skills you could ever teach your child.”
