I was first introduced to Cynthia Lair and her work nearly five years ago, as a brand new mom who was eagerly searching for information and inspiration about healthy eating. Someone recommended Cynthia’s book, Feeding the Whole Family, to me and I was so impressed by the book that I contacted Cynthia and organized a bulk order of cookbooks for everyone in my mommy and baby yoga class. Since that time, I have often referred back to this wonderfully inspiring and practical introduction to whole foods cooking, and have enjoyed reading Cynthia’s articles that appear regularly in Mothering Magazine.

 

As those who follow along here know, I have been in a bit of a cooking rut recently and have been focusing some energy and attention on creating weekly meal plans and reconnecting with my love of cooking. In this process, I am again revisiting Cynthia’s work, including her fun, inspiring (and deliciously silly ;-) online cooking show, Cookus Interuptus.

 

It is my great pleasure to share this space with the incredibly-inspiring Cynthia Lair.

 

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EBG: How did you come to do the work you are doing?

CL:  It has been a 25+ year journey so a lot has happened.  I became interested in nutrition when my mother was suffering with cancer. Someone in my acting class in NYC (of all places) told me about macrobiotics. The Eastern philosophy was brand new to me and I was fascinated with the concept of food as a healing agent – so much so that I entered a 3-year program studying nutrition in NYC. My mother was beyond using food to heal herself, but my avid curiosity about food and health began shaping my life. In school I focused all of my papers and projects on maternal and infant nutrition. I thought – why not start at the very beginning of life with wholesome, health-giving food! Shortly after finishing nutrition school I began teaching at the Natural Gourmet Cooking Institute in NYC. Annemarie Colbin, the founder,  has always been a mentor for me – she is so sensible. Simultaneously I became pregnant and my daughter was born in 1987. 

As I fed her simple food from the table, right from the start, a book started nagging my brain. I had never wanted to be a writer or a chef. I didn’t know how to type – oh my. But the book would not leave me alone. I finished the first edition of Feeding the Whole Family in 1994. Being an author of a natural foods cookbook gave me an entry into Bastyr University (School of Natural Medicine) located in our new hometown – Seattle and I began teaching an extensive nutrition and cooking course for the school. Today I am still teaching that course and others and am director of the culinary program at Bastyr University. I also teach a version of the course for the UW School of Nursing. 

 

 

My latest adventure, Cookus Interruptus, combines all of the things I love. For the first time in my life I am utilizing my ability to teach cooking, my nutrition education, my acting and improvisational theater skills and my repertoire of natural foods recipes all in one setting. This is pretty exciting for me.

 

Can you please tell us about your family?

I am married to a very kind and patient man named Michael. Our daughter, Grace, is a beautiful young woman that is athletic and strong. We have no extended family in Seattle. Both Michael and I were raised in Kansas where most of our relatives reside. We met, however, in NYC.

 

What was your transition into motherhood like?

It was not easy for me. I was used to being very independent. Though Grace was born in NYC we moved to Seattle when she was one-and-a-half. I left behind my friends, community, career opportunities, everything. This made young motherhood very difficult. I always felt very committed to being present for my child and carved my life so that I could be a full-time parent and also continue to do creative work.

 

When your daughter was younger, what forms did child-minding take in your family?  

My husband and I shared the work of parenting. We both had flexible work and so Grace enjoyed a great deal of attention from us. I wrote in the evenings and Michael did most of the evening and nighttime routine with Grace. He read many novels aloud to Grace and enjoyed this a great deal.

 

Do you have a designated creative space?

I have always had a designated creative space in my home, even when we lived in a one room loft in NYC.  I have my desk and I don’t share it with anyone else. Each member of our family has their own space.

 

With all that you have going on – teaching, writing, cooking, creating – how and when do you nurture yourself physically/emotionally/spiritually?

I take good care of myself. I visit wonderful practitioners in Seattle and use homeopathy and acupuncture as preventative medicine. I swim, walk around the lake and take yoga regularly. I find all three relaxing and meditational. Most of the time, I find cooking very relaxing. I put on music, set up a mise en place with my ingredients, clean as I go and use quality ingredients. All of these things make the experience enjoyable for me. When I lived in NYC I supported myself with my acting work. I still keep this up. One of greatest joys (and the key to my mental health) is that I perform regularly with an improvisational comedy group.

 

What “baby steps” would you offer parents (and others) who want to eat healthier but are not sure where to begin?

Make a small adjustment, like learning how to cook a new whole grain or dark leafy green, every 4-6 weeks. Prioritize the changes you’d like to make using joy and enthusiasm as criteria, not “have to” or “should”. 

 

Simply being curious about where your food comes from – where and how it was grown, is a nice first step too. The Cookus Interruptus video “What is a whole food?” gives guidance in this direction. I think striving to make sure there is something fresh served each day is a worthwhile goal – even if it is just apple slices.

 

What books, magazines, websites/blogs (or other resources) do you turn to for inspiration?

So many!

 

Here’s a book list:

1.       Albi, Joanne and Catherine Walthers.  Greens Glorious Greens (St. Martin’s Press, 1996).

2.       Colbin, Annemarie.  Food and Healing (Ballantine, 1986).

3.       Cook’s Illustrated Editors. 834 Kitchen Quick Tips: Techniques and Shortcuts for the Curious Cook.  (America’s Test Kitchen, 2006).

4.       David, Marc, The Slow Down Diet (Healing Arts Press, 2005)

5.       Fallon, Sally.  Nourishing Traditions (ProMotion Publishing, 1995).

6.       Fortin, Francois.  The Visual Food Encyclopedia (Macmillan, 1996).

7.       Green, Aliza.  Field Guide to Produce (Quirk Books, 2004).

8.       Katz, Sandor Ellix.  Wild Fermentation.  White River Junction, VT: Chelsea Green Publishing, 2003.

9.       Kingsolver, Barbara.  Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life (HarperCollins, 2007)

10.   McGee, Harold.  On Food and Cooking (Collier Books, 1984).

11.   The Moosewood Collective, Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant (Simon and Schuster, 1990).

12.   Nestle, Marion.  What to Eat. North Point Press, 2006

13.   Nestle, Marion. Food Politics (University of California, 2003)

14.   Pitchford, Paul.  Healing with Whole Foods (North Atlantic Books, 1993).

15.   Pollan, Michael.  The Omnivore’s Dilemma (Penguin Press, 2006)

16.   Price DDS, Weston.  Nutrition and Physical Degeneration (Price Pottenger Foundation, 1945, 1970).

17.  Robinson, Jo.  Pasture Perfect  (Vashon Island Press, 2004)

18.   Tyler Herbst, Sharon.  Food Lover’s Companion (Barron’s Educational Series, 1995)

19.   Wansink, PhD, Brain.  Mindless Eating. (Bantam Books, 2006)

20.   Wood, Rebecca.  The Splendid Grain (William Morrow, 1997).

 

Blogs and websites I like:  Local Harvest, Organic Consumer’s Association, Marion Nestle, Culinate, The Ted Talks and more…

 

What’s next for you? And what is the best way for people to keep in touch and follow along with your creative culinary adventures?

 

Bastyr University is starting a new culinary arts/nutrition degree that I am very involved in. My creative energy is mainly being channeled on the web via Cookus Interruptus. We post a new recipe video every week. I keep a blog there too where I write about what’s on my nutrition nerd mind or respond to questions that our followers ask. The site is immediate and entertaining which makes it tremendously fun. We love it when people subscribe (free!), tell a friend, comment and in general interrupt-us!

  

Thank you Cynthia – for sharing your time (and incredible collection of resources) with us and for sharing your Light with the world!!!

 

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Cynthia has graciously offered to send a signed copy of Feeding the Whole Family to one exhale. return to center. reader. To enter leave a comment here by noon (EST) on Monday, when I will select one winner at random. Good luck and Happy Weekend!

 

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Comments closed. And the winner is…

mindfulmama who said: I recently revamped my diet and this book has been recommended to me a billion times! Gotta get it one way or another :-)

 

Congrats and happy, healthy eating to you! Thank you Cynthia!!!