Interview with Dr. Eva López: “We must return to the sacred and forgotten art of cooking
- July 27, 2020
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On April 14th, a Vegan Cooking Course with a Macrobiotic focus will start at the El Vergel Restaurant on Paseo de la Florida. The course will be given by Dr. Eva Lópéz Madurga, a specialist in Preventive Medicine and Public Health, a Master in Natural Medicine and a specialist in Macrobiotics and Oriental Medicine. Over the course of 7 weeks, Eva López will offer the keys to creating health and energy in the kitchen by following a vegan diet with a macrobiotic approach. El Vergel has spoken to her to tell us everything about this course.
El Vergel: Food is synonymous with prevention and health, yet in today’s society little attention is paid to what we eat. In your opinion, what is happening so that there are more and more young people with chronic diseases or more obese?
Dr. Eva López Madurga: We live in a society that is in a hurry, sedentary, where food, far from being something important, is becoming something we do automatically, disconnected from our real needs, or driven only by the ephemeral “pleasure” of a certain food. There are some clear factors in the epidemic of obesity and chronic diseases we suffer from: excess food, excess animal protein (meat, fish, eggs and dairy), eating refined and highly processed foods, and the presence of sugar and saturated fats in virtually everything we eat.
El Vergel: What measures should be taken to raise awareness of the importance of a balanced and healthy diet?
Dr. E. López: Basically, to spread the word that there is a different way of eating that does not generate these problems and, on the other hand, to teach people how to use and cook whole foods of vegetable origin.
El Vergel: What are the first steps that a person who wants to start eating in a healthy way that favors his health, his well-being and energy?
Dr. E. López: To begin a change towards a diet that provides us with more vitality and health, I recommend: reducing the consumption of meat, dairy products and sausages, eating plenty of vegetables or salads at each meal, limiting frozen, canned or pre-cooked food, replacing refined products such as white rice and bread with wholemeal ones, much better to consume wholemeal rice and bread, it is also necessary to avoid refined sugar and very important to recover the consumption of legumes, lentils, chickpeas, beans…, as an excellent source of protein.
El Vergel: But not only is what we eat important, but also how and when we eat it affects our health. What role does cooking play in generating health? And what about schedules and routines?
Dr. E. López: The kitchen plays a fundamental role. Taking up again the sacred and forgotten art of cooking; dedicating time to preparing food that will later provide us with its energy and vitality is fundamental to sustaining and generating health in the whole family. Knowing that when we cook, either for oneself or for the family, we are also giving our own energy and intention to take care of ourselves and our children in the best possible way. That is why it is necessary to learn how to use and cook food, especially with those we are less familiar with, and that is my intention when teaching this course at El Vergel.
Regarding schedules and routines, the important issue would be to reconnect with our body and its needs, to eat when we are hungry; it seems obvious and it is not. Of course, at the same time it is important to keep an order, but the paradox is that when we really pay attention to our body and stop giving it food that blunts it, or stimulants like coffee or alcohol, order comes naturally, without effort or rigidity.
El Vergel: I just wanted to ask you about the course that starts next April 14th at El Vergel Restaurant in Paseo de la Florida about vegan cooking with a macrobiotic approach that you are going to teach.
Dr. E. López: The course is designed and thought out so that the participants acquire the skills to build a dish that is balanced, that provides us with everything the body needs in terms of nutrition and energy. In this way, we can function optimally and also have a surplus of energy to carry out our dreams. During the course all students will have my weekly support and advice.
El Vergel: The course has a very practical component, how will you develop it?
Dr. E. López: In each of the 7 workshops we will deal with a specific aspect of our balanced dish; thus we have a workshop in which we will talk and cook with whole grains (rice, millet, barley…); we will learn to cook vegetables in different ways, to use vegetable proteins, to understand the use, benefits and how to cook algae and fermented foods. There is also a workshop dedicated to breakfasts with different alternatives and another to desserts and sugar-free snacks.
El Vergel: What is the difference between vegan and vegetarian cooking?
Dr. E. Lopez: Vegetarian cooking uses eggs and dairy (although not meat and fish); vegan cooking does not use meat, fish, eggs or dairy.
El Vergel: What will the macrobiotic approach bring to the course?
Dr. E. López: Something fundamental, it’s not only about what we do NOT eat, but how to use what we DO eat so that there are no deficiencies or problems, but quite the opposite, vitality and health. Macrobite also, with its roots in Taoism, gives us an energetic vision of food, and teaches us how food with extreme yin or yang energies also unbalances our internal energy.
El Vergel: Who is the course for?
Dr. E. López: To anyone interested in making a change in their life towards a more conscious diet, respectful of their health and that of the environment. People who want to learn how to use this type of food: whole grains, vegetable proteins, vegetables, algae, seeds, nuts, fermented fruits, desserts, breakfasts, etc.
Consult the complete program of the course by clicking here.
Vegan Cooking Course with Macrobiotic Approach
Delivered by Dr. Eva Lopez
Date: from April 14th to May 25th (7 workshops in total)
Timetable: Tuesday, from 6.30pm to 8.30pm.
Place: El Vergel Restaurant, Paseo de la Florida, 53.
Price: individual workshops: 35 euros each / the whole course: 185 euros (this is a 25% discount)
Information and reservations: info@doctoraevalopez.com or tel. 677414986