Iza Calzado

The "Healthy Cravings" co-host talks about her change in lifestyle; eating habits included.

The Healthy Cravings co-host talks about her change in lifestyle— eating habits included.

                                               

Have you always been a foodie?
Yes, but a different kind when I was younger. My choices then were totally different. I ate fast food every day. I ate chips and chocolates. I grew up eating hotdogs and doughnuts. I was always junking out.

What drove you to revamp your eating habits?
Nothing was happening to my weight and it just didn't feel right anymore. I had been trying to get on that [healthy] track, but it was only when I started dating the guy that I’m seeing now that I got into it. He's on that journey where he's trying to eat as cleanly as possible. Now, we do it together.

Share with us some of your strategies for clean eating.
Every year, I do something better for my body, like taking out red meat. I used to have dessert all the time; a year ago, I cut down my dessert [intake] to about twice a week. I don't junk out as much as I used to. Couch potato ako lumaki so I always need an oral fix. Now I keep nuts and fruits in the car. I keep an active lifestyle so I easily get hungry. I highly encourage people to get their butts out of bed and at least start walking.

How did your body take the adjustment?
With everything that I've done to my body—crash dieting, etc.—I'm grateful [for my health]. When you ask me why I'm into this, [it's because] I've lost people who are close to my heart to cancer. I really don’t want that to happen to me or to anybody in the family. I'm trying to educate my dad. It's hard because he was not educated that way. It's just a lack of information, really.

And that's where your show comes in?
Healthy Cravings came at the right time, I believe. We are trying to encourage viewers to eat more vegetables. We're not trying to say that they become vegetarians. We are just giving them options on how to prepare vegetable dishes without compromising on taste. Some people feel that kapag gulay, hindi masarap at walang lasa. Of course that’s not true. It also doesn't mean that just because you’re a vegetarian, you're going to lose weight. You have to know what you want then you can customize your menu according to that.

What's the first step to living a healthier lifestyle?
It's a matter of cutting down The first thing I cut down on was soda. That was 11 years ago. I must admit, I do drink soda when it's mixed with liquor, but just once in a while. Even juice—you will rarely see me eating my meal with colored drinks. I usually have it with water. Water is amazing.


Photography by Mark Ang | Interview by  Angelo Comsti

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