It is a no-brainer for Cape Lodge executive chef Tony Howell, healthy eating goes hand-in-hand with positive mental health and well-being.
Chef Howell recently partnered with Lilydale Free Range Chicken to promote the health benefits for people to make better food choices at the supermarket.
He partnered with the company because their farm and produce had been checked by the Free Range Egg and Poultry Association Standards.
“You know the chickens are well fed and are from WA also, obviously buying West is best and the main thing here is it helps our local farmers out,” he said.
“People should be supporting local farmers before they buy anything else.”
For chef Howell, making healthy choices at the supermarket was all about his family’s health and well-being.
“It not only benefits your body but also your mind,” he said.
“When I lived in Gracetown we had a great orchard and vegetable patch and we are about to do it again on our new property.
“If you cannot grow your own vegetables the next best thing is to buy direct from a farmer, and if you cannot, go to the supermarket and buy WA produce which comes from local farmers.
“Not everyone knows these things but it should be second nature.”
His family love to buy their produce from local markets when possible and he especially loved to buy asparagus and chicken.
“My family are not big red meat eaters – although I love to eat red meat at work – we do eat seafood and chicken at home," he said.
“With the abundance of water in the area we are pretty spoiled for local produce really, there is so much choice.
“For us here in the South West there is crayfish and dhufish and all those beautiful things from the ocean.”
Chef Howell said the number one thing about buying fresh produce from the supermarket was making sure it came from WA because producers had to keep up with high-standards and regulations.
“It is best to buy organic if you can, although the produce is more pricey, what you put in is what you get out of your body.”
He said the one thing people should avoid was buying produce which had lots of numbers on its labels, indicating food additives had been added to the product.
