The owner of LilouCooks chats healthy living and cooking with love

Interview by Anna Langer

I grew up between the mountains and the ocean, I started skiing when I was three. My mom was a ski instructor and where we lived everybody skied. Even in school during winter we had afternoon sessions of either Nordic or Alpine skiing. And on the beach front, my father was part of the first gang of surfers in France!

I do now enjoy Stand up paddle. To me it is a great way to work out and be on the water at the same time… I am surrounded by surfers, my husband, daughter, sister, and brother in law! We all have strong connection with the ocean.

My grand mother on my father side was such a great inspiration to me. I loved to spend time with her during the holidays, getting up early to go to the market in Biarritz. The market was like a Ali Baba cavern, so many amazing foods to look at, to smell, to choose. Then we walked home to prepare lunch, the two of us in her small kitchen… I learnt so much and I specially learnt to prepare food infused with love, I really think it is the secret.

When my second daughter was born, I just felt that I needed a change in my career, a change of scenery. So we moved back from the Alps to the Basque Country. And slowly as I was on parental leave, the idea of doing something about cooking started to blossom. So I created my blog, Liloucooks. The next turning point was when I decided to focus my blog on healthy cooking. I had the amazing opportunity to graduate from a Raw food chef certification in the island of Gods: Bali.

Today my intention is to share my knowledge with others and to help them reaching their optimum level of health.

My favourite dish are ripe tomatoes with an organic extra virgin olive oil, preferably from Crete, sprinkled with Pink Himalayan salt and fresh basil or a homemade spicy guacamole.

I detox mostly everyday. At a normal level our body detoxifies each and every day during the night. Unfortunately, sometimes because of the toxins that have accumulated overtime (stress, pollution, unhealthy eating habits…) it cannot do it. So it is important to help the body get rid of the toxins.

Stay away from meat, dairy products and refined products. I drink a green juice everyday, have my dose of superfoods. And in the bathroom, I dry brush my skin and scrap my tongue and I only use organic and natural products.

My advice for cooking? First of all trust yourself! Start simple: a good salad with all the goodness you like and go mad with the dressing. Another good advice is to cook big batches, for example if you cook rice or quinoa, triple the dose, make a salad, a stew…

I think French people have have a different attitude towards food. They have this gourmet thing about food and they take it very seriously. You do not joke about food in France. Another difference I think is that Lunch time is sacred! Ask any Bitish or German person what they think of 2 hours lunch breaks…

A perfect meal for after surfing / snowboarding contains a mix of cereals, legumes and greens. A chickpea/ avocado/romaine lettuce and bulgur salad with a tahini dressing. You ‘ll get all the proteins, amino acids and good fatty oils and chlorophyll you need!

I’m still waiting to try South Indian food. I am really into Ayurveda cooking, because I am a vegetarian. So next stop, Kerala or Sri Lanka!!!