Danijela Unkovich of Healthy Always on healthy eating and living well

If you’re a fan of instagram, you may have seen Danijela Unkovich’s fabulous account Healthy Always (@healthyalways).  She has a massive 110,000 followers and it’s no surprise with her inspiring account full of delicious food pictures and recipes.  I was lucky enough to get some time to interview her about her healthy eating, inspirations, fitness routine and more.

For those that don’t know you yet Danijela, can you tell us a little about yourself?

I am an Auckland based student, studying towards a Bachelor of Science with a double major in human nutrition and physiology. I’ve been interested in health and nutrition for the longest time, and find the science behind dietary choices and health fascinating. I am also a massive foodie and love getting creative in the kitchen! I started my instagram account @healthyalways over a year ago now and it is a place where I combine my love of health and nutrition with my foodie side, through sharing healthy recipe ideas and meal inspiration to the instagram community.

We love to know what other healthy people eat! – What is a typical day’s eating for you?

I always start my day with a massive glass of warm water to rehydrate and wake my body up! For breakfast I alternate between either a smoothie, homemade muesli with rice milk, eggs on gluten-free bread, or a stack of healthy pancakes. Usually I eat all my fruit in the morning as I find it better on my digestion.

During the weekdays I’m at university so lunch is typically last nights leftovers paired with a salad dressed in olive oil and apple cider vinegar. I’ll snack on chopped veggies with a homemade dip or healthy homemade treats (you can always guarantee that at any point in time there’s something sweet in my fridge), and I’ll always have a bottle of water with me to sip in-between meals.

Dinner is typically a protein source with lots of veggies on the side. I’m of European descent so we cook with a predominately Mediterranean influence in our meals.

What foods are your fridge and pantry staples?

Plenty of fresh fruit and veggies, coconut oil, almond meal, cacao powder, full-fat yoghurt, olive oil, eggs, fresh fish, nuts and seeds, brown rice, tea, coconut water, fresh herbs, spices.

What is your favourite way to keep fit?

I do yoga for flexibility, weights for strength training and hiking/walking for cardio. I’ll generally alternate between these three activities over the course of the week.

Favourite healthy meal?

It would have to be a delicious warming coconut curry packed with plenty of colourful vegetables, fresh herbs and spices.

Favourite food indulgence ?

Definitely chocolate. If I had to pick a favourite it would be a close tie between Green and Black’s Organic Milk or Loving Earth’s Raw Caramel chocolate. Both are ridiculously delicious.

Do you have a “food philosophy” that you aim to follow?

On a day-to-day basis I’ll try to consume food in its most purest and nature state possible, and avoid processed and pre-packaged foods wherever I can. Diets that are rich in wholefoods offer high concentrations of nutrients, phytochemicals, antioxidant, and fibre which all help to keep our bodies happy and running smoothly!

However aside from that I also follow the mentality of everything in moderation, as food has a massive social element to it and should be enjoyed and celebrated! I think it’s all about making positive choices most of time, and when we do indulge in something we don’t usually have we should enjoy it as a treat, and then move on. Often it’s when we completely cut out foods, or label them “bad” we end up obsessing over them, binging, and then feeling very guilty afterwards. Aim to make positive choices most of the time!

Many girls/woman struggle with maintaining a healthy body image. What do you think is key in having a healthy body image and learning to love who you are?

Maintaining a healthy body image can definitely be a tricky one when as girls/women we are constantly bombarded with pressures to look a certain way, and naturally we are going to measure ourselves up against that. But it’s so critical that we establish self-worth that’s not based around our appearance, as beauty is definitely a state of mind and not a state of body!

And of course how we perceive ourselves isn’t always tied to reality, and can be completely irrespective to how others view us. I think it is helpful to always try to shift our perspective of ourselves to not what we don’t have, but to what we do have.

This kind of idea parallels gratitude and acceptance, and it comes down to understanding that were all blessed with different qualities, both inwardly and outwardly, and consciously choosing to accept ourselves as a whole and working with our bodies opposed to against, is vital in building self-confidence and self-acceptance. And with self-acceptance always comes happiness.

What are your top 3 tips for staying healthy and happy?

-Eat a healthy, vibrant, colourful diet, choosing foods in their purest and most nature state possible.

-Schedule in me-time! I find this works really well in managing stress…whether its mediation, catching up with friends, walking your dog, reading a good book…whatever makes you happy, do it!

-Sleep! Try to keep a good sleep routine and get those 8 hours every night. I’m a light sleeper so I make sure to unwind before bed by switching off all technology, organizing what I need to do for the next day, doing a bit of meditation, and then settling down with a good book.

Feel free to add any other life tips/philosophies/motivational tips thatare important to you.

When I don’t feel like working out:

“It is a shame for a man to grow old without seeing the beauty and strength of which his body is capable.” –Socrates

When I’m struggling with sticking to a healthy diet:

“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” -Hipporcrates

“Take care of your body. It’s the only place you have to live” -Jim Rohn

“Every time you eat or drink, you’re either feeding disease or fighting it” -Heather Morgan M.S. .N.L.C

 

Thanks so much for your interview Danijela and be sure to check out her amazing instagram account @healthyalways for lots of healthy eating inspiration