Healthy eating and low-calorie recipes: nutritionist in conversation - FIV

“Foodinspo” (short for food inspiration) is a widespread trend on social media that encourages people to discover and try out creative and healthy cooking ideas. Influential personalities such as Johanna, who is known as Jojo.and.you on Instagram, regularly share her recipes and nutrition tips with her followers. Amateur chefs are proving the variety and enjoyment of a balanced diet and that healthy food doesn’t have to be anything but boring.

Overview hide

Food inspiration for a healthy lifestyle

Indian cuisine

This should be on the shopping list

How to compensate for deficiencies

Food inspiration for a healthy lifestyle

Johanna, aka Jojo.and.you, is an expert in healthy eating and creative cooking ideas who regularly shares food inspiration on Instagram. In this interview, she gives us an insight into her culinary world and her philosophy that a balanced lifestyle doesn’t have to be boring. Variety and enjoyment are the focus for Johanna. As a qualified nutritionist, she shows her followers how to eat delicious, low-calorie food.

Jojo.and.you Instagram

Indian cuisine

FIV: Hello Johanna! You share simple recipes with few ingredients on social media. If you were to try something new, which country’s cuisine would come to mind?

Johanna: Oh, that’s an exciting question! India comes straight to mind. I think it’s a really colorful, aromatic cuisine with lots of health-promoting spices. As far as I can tell, there are also a lot of vegetarian dishes there, as the Hindu faith is very widespread in India and meat tends to play a subordinate role.

Instead, there are lots of pulses and vegetables. I think that’s great. I have the feeling that pulses are often neglected in our Western diet. What’s more, the traditional healing art of Ayurveda also comes from India. “You are what you digest” – this is the guiding principle of Ayurveda nutrition. Not only a conscious and targeted selection of fresh and healthy foods is important, but above all good digestion and good metabolism so that all nutrients are well absorbed and our tissues are well supplied.

In Ayurveda, people are also viewed holistically and individually. I find that super exciting and harmonious! I’ve also been out for Indian food twice with my boyfriend and we were incredibly impressed every time. But I’m sure there’s still so much to discover, for example what a typical breakfast looks like there.

Vegetable variety

FIV: What do you always have in your pantry?

Johanna: As boring as it may sound, vegetables are a must. In my opinion, vegetables should make up a large part of our diet. For me, they are simply nature’s treasures that provide us with numerous valuable nutrients and fiber and, above all, have a variety of health benefits.

The selection and variety is really huge and I think there is something for everyone depending on their tolerance and preference.
And the more colorful and varied, the better.

I think people often underestimate the delicious dishes you can conjure up with it and that it doesn’t have to be boring at all. That’s why I’m always showing new dishes on my Instagram page and even use them in sweet dishes.
For example, a moist chocolate and zucchini cake, carrot cake overnight oats, moist pumpkin brownies and much more.

FIV Magazine 🔥 More About

This should be on the shopping list

FIV: Let’s say you’re about to do your weekly shop, what are your top 3 on the shopping list?

Johanna: There are so many foods that I love and that I wouldn’t want to do without:

Blueberries: They are real nutrient bombs, rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants (protection against free radicals). They are also anti-inflammatory, low in sugar and, above all, super tasty. Whether as a snack, topping, smoothie bowl or integrated into a cake, whether wild blueberries, freeze-dried or frozen, I simply love them.

Almond milk always ends up in my shopping basket. I consciously avoid dairy products and almond milk is the perfect alternative for me. It is also very low in calories and I use it in a variety of ways. For example, for porridge, baked oats, sauces and much more. Number 3 for me would be oat bran flakes.
These are easily soluble flakes that dissolve in liquid. You may be familiar with processed flakes, which are often used for baby porridge, but oat bran flakes are essentially the same, except that they are made exclusively from the outermost layers of the oat grain. And that’s where most of the nutrients and fiber are found. I use them for creamy porridge, for baking as a flour substitute, for thickening plant-based yoghurt or sauces etc.

There is no good or bad when it comes to food

FIV: Avoiding or reducing sugar is often a topic when it comes to healthy eating. Would you say that it’s better to avoid sugar if you want to lead a healthy lifestyle?

Johanna: I’m not a fan of dividing food into good or bad or demonizing a food completely. I think we all know that large amounts of sugar are not good for us. That’s why I think it’s important to find a conscious approach and strive for a healthy balance. Fortunately, there are alternatives, although it’s often not that easy to find something suitable that also has similar properties for baking or the like.

On my Instagram page, I would therefore like to show with my numerous sweet recipes that it also works without and how easy and delicious it can be. So you no longer have the feeling that you have to go without something.

And in my opinion, it’s perfectly okay to eat something with the “bad” sugar. I think mental health and our relationship with food and our bodies should never have to suffer as a result.

How to compensate for deficiencies

FIV: Do you have experience with nutritional supplements and would you recommend them to others?

Johanna: Due to a chronic illness (ME/CFS), I am currently on my own personal healing journey and I want to support my body in particular. That’s why I’m also taking a range of dietary supplements. I have introduced these very slowly, one at a time, to test my reactions to them. These are specially tailored to my deficiencies and me.

This is also one thing that I find particularly important when dealing with food supplements, namely that you supplement in a very targeted way and don’t just take something in the blue and perhaps spend a lot of money for nothing.

So the bottom line: take an individual and needs-oriented approach to food supplements.

In other words, do I have deficiencies? Do I have an increased requirement (due to pregnancy, breastfeeding, vegan diet, illness, etc.)? I also think quality and purity are very important. If you pay attention to these points, they can certainly be a good support and supplement. But as the name suggests, they should be seen as a supplement. But they should never be seen as a substitute for a healthy and balanced diet.

FIV: Thank you for the open conversation, Johanna. We hope you continue to have lots of fun preparing your fantastic recipes and wish you all the best!