Inside the April 2014 issue with Heidi Klum!

Dish up diversity

Let me set the scene: we were in the depths of Zakynthos, a beautiful, lush island in Greece. The cobblestone streets were uneven and whitewashed walls spray-painted with dust as we pulled our motorbikes in front of a rickety blue timber gate.

We opened it and stepped down into an overgrown garden populated with a few well-worn chairs and cloth-covered tables, an impressive vegie patch (with one kooky scarecrow) and two chickens noisily staking their ground. A robust woman greeted us with a whopping smile, wiped her hands on her crocheted apron and pulled the paper menu from under her armpit. There was just one thing on it: rabbit stew.

As we finished our red wine, out came “the meal”. I put a forkful into my mouth and chewed only twice before swallowing – it was soft and tender. The thick sauce was better than any Jamie Oliver concoction I’d tasted; olives, onion, wine, carrots, celery, thyme, garlic – the flavour nearly burst my eyeballs. Finally, I took the warm homemade bread, smothered it in olive oil and in four swipes, my bowl was clean. I know, such bad manners but hey, I was on holiday!

I remember this meal like it was yesterday – it was 13 years ago. In fact, that holiday introduced me to the awesome nutritional benefits of the Mediterranean diet and ever since, I’m mindful of including its key foods – fresh vegies, olive oil, feta and meats like fish and chicken – into my everyday diet. (FYI: rabbit is high in protein and low in fat.) What about you? What nutrition tips have you picked up on your worldwide travels?

While I’ve never tasted a meal quite so flavoursome back in Australia, what I love about our country is the diversity of cuisine on offer – our food is impressively multicultural. There’s much you can learn about nutrition from other nationalities, too. This month we stepped into the kitchens of four women who’ve brought their international cooking techniques here. From South Korea, Ethiopia, Iran and Greece, they dish up their top nutritional advice in The great Australian bite (p82).

So next time you’re sitting down in an authentic Greek restaurant wherever in the world you may be, give the rabbit stew a go – your health will thank you for it.

Felicity Harley, Editor

P.S. Pick up the April edition of WH for your FREE Bump mini-mag: everything you need to know for a healthy, happy pregnancy.