Pete Evans on his new book Healthy Every Day

Pete Evans

Chef and host of My Kitchen Rules, Pete Evans, lives the way he cooks ... healthy. Colleen Thorpe talks to Pete about his path to nutrition and his new cookbook Healthy Every Day

WHAT MADE YOU DECIDE TO TAKE THE HEALTHY ROAD? I have always embraced health, but sadly due to the fact we're at a point where politics and money have more influence than science when it comes to nutrition, for too many years of my life I was following the wrong advice, namely our dietary guidelines and I wasn't enjoying truly good health. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to work out that something is incredibly wrong with our system because of the alarming rising rates of obesity, diabetes and chronic mental and physical disease, so a few years ago, my partner Nic and I embarked on a journey towards understanding what truly constituted an ideal human diet.

YOU HAVE JUST COMPLETED A COURSE ON NUTRITION, HOW HAS THAT AFFECTED THE WAY YOU COOK? Before both Nic and I became qualified health coaches we were following a paleo-inspired lifestyle, so studying at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition encouraged us to feel even more confident that we were on the right path. The way I have cooked for the last three years is quite simply refined sugar-, gluten-, wheat-, grain-, dairy- and non fermented soy-free.

I also definitely don't use any toxic seed or vegetable oils or margarines - they are unnatural and should be labelled "sickness in a bottle" or "sickness in a tub".

WHAT IS THE EASIEST WAY TO WORK OUT WHAT SUITS OUR INDIVIDUAL NEEDS? An elimination diet is ideal. Cut out sugar including eating large amounts of fruit, honey, maple syrup and definitively artificial sweeteners too. Remove gluten and wheat (grains) from the diet, including whole grains which have been cleverly marketed as healthy. It's wise to remove dairy from the diet too as very few humans retain the ability to digest milk after infancy. Lactose and casein intolerance is so prevalent and usually goes undiagnosed due to the fact that the symptoms can often be silent, but there's no denying that dairy consumption can be a serious threat to your health. Almost all dairy products are highly processed, especially low-fat varieties, which really should be labelled "devoid of goodness with sugar added".

WHAT ARE YOUR FIVE TOP TIPS TO GET READERS STARTED ON A HEALTHY LIFESTYLE? Please drink more filtered (fluoride- and chlorine-free) water.

Support your local, ethical farmers and visit farmers markets to purchase humanely raised grass fed animals and spray-free produce.

Gradually remove the so-called foods that will eventually destroy your health, especially sugar, gluten, wheat (grains) and processed dairy.

Get back into your kitchen and prepare your own delicious, nutritious food and allow the kids to get involved too as it's great way for them to feel a sense of achievement and connect to their food too.

Enjoy healthy, positive, loving relationships.

You can eat as healthy as you like but if you're not giving and receiving unconditional love, you're not living life.

TELL US YOUR FIVE FAVOURITE "SUPER FOODS" Definitely liver from ethically raised grass fed animals - it is one of the ultimate super foods.

Virgin coconut oil - we use it at home for almost all of our cooking for it's high smoke point and numerous health benefits, and we rub it on our skin too.

Spices like turmeric, cinnamon, cumin, oregano, the list goes on, they are Mother Nature's powerful medicines.

Herbs like parsley, mint, thyme, sage, basil, coriander, this list also goes on and they too are Mother Nature's perfect medicine.

Bone broths. Every weekend Nic and I make up a couple of big bone broths with organic, grass fed bones. We fill up the pots with filtered water, a big splash of raw apple cider vinegar, onions, celery, carrots, herbs, and spices and we slowly simmer them from saturday morning to sunday night. This is a wonderfully traditional super food that heals our guts and soothes our souls and I can't recommend it enough for people who are seeking true inner and outer health.

AS CO-HOST OF MY KITCHEN RULES WHAT ARE YOUR BIGGEST CHALLENGES? I don't face any challenges, I'm passionate about the fact that MKR encourages people to get back into the kitchen and prepare their own food and I also love the fact that it's inspiring kids to cook and learn where their food comes from, too.

... AND THE MOST FUN? I love watching the contestants grow during the course of the show. We film MKR over a period of six months and it's a rather gruelling schedule, but many of the contestants feel inspired by the journey and it's an honour to watch them allow their dreams to expand.

WHO IS YOUR BIGGEST INFLUENCE WHEN IT COMES TO COOKING? I follow cuisines rather than chefs and draw inspiration from cultures. I love Asian, Spanish, French, and a lot of indigenous cooking techniques as well. Nic is so excited for me to try a traditional Maori hangi during our time in New Zealand, so I'm certainly looking forward to that.

WHAT IS YOUR EARLIEST MEMORY OF FOOD? Unfortunately my earliest memory of food is my mum feeding me yoghurt and unbeknown to her I was highly lactose and casein intolerant, and, sadly, my symptoms of dairy intolerance were put down to constant colds.

WHAT WAS THE FIRST THING YOU COOKED? I loved doing a good old fried rice and veges as a kid; I'm still doing the veges, but I substitute finely chopped cauliflower for rice these days, it's so much yummier and so much better for you, too.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE RECIPE IN THIS BOOK? I have so many favourites, that's why they're in the book, but I'm pretty passionate about the lamb harira, the chimichurri beef heart skewers, the cinnamon braised short ribs and all of the fish and seafood dishes.

TELL US THREE THINGS ABOUT YOURSELF THAT WOULD SURPRISE. I hardly ever wear shoes, I don't own a suit and I can play the sax ... kind of.