My name is Lisa Hunter and I am what you could describe as an ‘enthusiastic foodie’. Not only do I love everything about food from the buying, to the cooking, to the eating, I am also passionate about the power that food has on both our physical and mental well-being.
My love affair with all things ‘foodie’ has arisen from a culmination of various factors but probably the most influential are that a) I come from a family of passionate home cooks, where freshly prepared meals always welcomed us on our return from school b) I spent my early years abroad, predominantly in the Far East, where my young taste buds were exposed to the fresh, fragrant and healthy food synonymous with that part of the world and c) I rode and competed horses to a high level up until my early twenties which highlighted more then ever the importance that our food has on our health and performance.
I am very much a ‘home-grown’ cook having learnt to cook from my mum as well as through the media i.e. cooking shows and cookbooks. The belief that the vegetarian food I cooked was tasty enough to stand up to the rigours of my own business grew as more and more friends and family suggested the idea following dinner parties or social events that I had put on. The fact that this encouragement came from hardened carnivores, highlighted to me that being a vegetarian was not a hindrance, indeed it was a unique selling point.
I have been a vegetarian for some twelve years now, making the plunge at the tender age of fifteen. Though my parents were very supportive my granny was horrified – ‘what can I possibly give her to eat’ she cried! I am sure my granny’s perception of vegetarianism was not an isolated one and part of my mission with ‘Your Health Hunter’ is to banish these misconceptions by showing that, with a little bit of knowledge and planning, vegetarian food is 100% nutritionally sound and above all easy to prepare and delicious! For some more information on the basics of being a vegetarian please browse the section titled Eating for Health.
My Education
In light of the above, when the time came to go to University and place my first tentative steps on the career ladder the only thing that made sense for me to study was food. As a consequence, I studied Nutrition and Health at Roehampton University, London, graduating as a Registered Nutritionist with a First Class Honours Degree. I then went on to complete a Postgraduate Diploma (PGDip) in Nutrition and Dietetics at the University of Chester, graduating as a Registered Dietitian in 2012. Seven months of my PGDip was spent out on placements across three different NHS trusts where I spent time doing both acute and community work as well as holding regular GP clinics and rehabilitation talks.
Currently my main focus is Your Health Hunter – a business aimed at showing you that eating well never needs to be boring again.