Eddie is a model from Sweden who currently lives in LA. All you have to do is take one look at her glow to want to know more about what kind of lifestyle she leads. Turns out its full of healthy vegan food, pilates, and transcendental meditation. That Cali sunshine must help too. Read on for more about Eddie’s foodie life.
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Name: Eddie Mitsou Pettersson
Location: Los Angeles
What do you do:
Model, health entrepreneur and creator of a vegan food site with recipes, restaurant guides and a weekly blog.
Today I ate…
It’s only afternoon here in LA, so far I’ve had a big salad with roasted kabocha squash, lots of leafy greens and curried lentils in a vegan cashew based ceasar dressing from Erewhon’s salad bar. And a coffee this morning!
I feel the healthiest when…
I’m able to get up early and start my morning with a pilates class to kick off the day. And when I’m in love! Endorphins are so good for you 😉
Dietary requirements:
Vegan, gluten free and refined sugar free.
What food/ingredients do you always have on hand?
I always have quinoa, canned beans, flax and chia seeds, coconut oil, hemp milk and lemons stored in my kitchen. Honestly though I tend to mainly use fresh produce when I create a plate – I love fresh veggies from the farmers market. But these foods are always at my house – who knows if there would be an earthquake? No, joke aside – if I’m really lazy I and don’t want to go to the store, I can create a tasty meal from these ingredients – just using my imagination and spices. Yes – almost forgot spices – I always have lots of dried spices in my home base.
Favorite snack:
Green apple. Simple – but so nutritious and satisfying. My favorite energy bar is this Mulberry Spirulina bar from Elemental Superfoods that I’ll treat myself with some busy afternoons.
I’d like to do an eating tour of…
Sydney! I follow so many Aussie instagram accounts and I drool over every other picture. It seems like Australia is such a paradise for vegan health food freaks like me.
Unique or funny food combos you like to eat:
I love spirulina combined with something sweet. Like the bar I mentioned above. There’s this green superfood granola from Living Intentions that I’ve been seriously addicted to since I first came to US… Chlorella, spirulina and dandelion greens combined with coconut sugar, coconut, sprouted buckwheat and seeds into perfect crunchy clusters. Also – would I totally gross you out if I said I like to dip my salty kale chips in vegan vanilla cashew ice cream?
What was your relationship with food like when you were younger?
I’ve always loved food. My dad used to be a gourmet chef back in the days so he always cooked delicious meals for dinner. I never liked meat, so I’ve pretty much been vegetarian my whole life. My family always supported me and often cooked vegetarian for the whole family. I personally never liked cooking though – I just happily ate what was served. It was when I was at the age of 18 that I became vegan – and at the same time left Sweden – and started spending time in the kitchen. I loved creating beautiful plates, finding different smart solutions to substitute dairy, eggs etc, and also working with everything in the fridge to be economically smart. That’s still how I work. For me it’s more a creative process and my way of expressing my feelings in flavor and colors. I still can’t follow recipes properly! 😉
Cooking or takeout:
At the moment I’m so busy with other things that I prefer going to a place and grabbing a nutritious meal. I truly love eating out as well – it’s so inspiring to taste other people’s food and discover new dishes that you can remake at home.
What do you eat to treat yourself?
Well, that green granola I talked about is like my candy treat. I go to Erewhon and fill up a small bag from the bulk and snack like it’s jelly beans while watching a movie 😉 My favorite dessert is probably a lemony raw cheesecake which is a must have for me if a restaurant has it on the menu!
What do you cook for friends:
I’m famous for my carrot walnut hummus!
Favorite places to eat:
Here in LA I’m part of the Erewhon family. We are about 10 people that are regulars that go there almost every day. There’s something about the ambiance at Erewhon that beats it all. For a sit down restaurant I love Shojin downtown; its an amazing macrobiotic restaurant that has the best brown rice sushi rolls on earth. My heart also beats for The Springs – a cool raw food gourmet in the Arts District who serves desserts that are to die for.
In NYC (where I lived for 1,5 years) all love goes to Souen! The East Village location was like my second home, the owner Taka was like my extra dad and the tahini dill dressing my daily bread 😉
Fruit or veggies?
Veggies. I’m not that fruity to be completely honest. No fruit beats oven roasted carrots and steamed broccoli. And crispy brussels sprouts… Or baked sweet potato… Ok, gotta stop. Getting hungry.
Salty or sweet?
I always pick food over dessert – but I do like the sweeter flavors. Squash, sweet potato, oatmeal and so on. When it comes to movie treats I would for sure pick a raw chocolate truffle before chips.
Moderation with eating. Do you practice it?
Well, I try to eat when I feel hungry and not follow a certain schedule. What I try to practice is to actually eat when I’m truly hungry – and not out of emotion or boredom. Sometimes it can be hard to feel real hunger since we live in a world that has food on every corner. You’ll get hungry just crossing the streets cos’ there’s a big ad on the bus screaming ”FOOOOOOOD”. I recently started practicing transcendental meditation at the David Lynch Foundation here in LA. It’s amazing and I feel like it keeps me grounded in many ways.
How does food make you feel happy?
It nourishes my body! When I eat something nutritious I can feel how my body gets a boost. Eating superfoods make you glow!
Best food advice:
When you’re eating a meal – really appreciate the moment and what you’re eating. Think about the farmer who picked the carrots, the process of creating the aged cashew cheese, the chef massaging your kale and carefully topping off your salad with a sprinkle of seeds. Or whatever it is. Be grateful that you’re able to enjoy a healthy, nutritious organic meal. Put away your phone, focus on that moment and just eat.
