Anna and Roger Wilde on their book Real Fresh Gluten-free Food

Anna and Roger Wilde's family love their healthy lifestyle.

Anna and Roger Wilde are champions of healthy living. The Nelson couple share their passion for life in their community and via a website called Wild Health, where they offer education about healthy eating and living with recipes and nutritional information. With a growing demand for recipes for those with special dietary needs, the Wildes have recently released Real Fresh Gluten-free Food. Colleen Thorpe talks to them about how to start on the road to a healthy, happy life

HOW EASY IS IT TO CHANGE TO HEALTHY EATING HABITS? It's really easy as long as you have sufficient motivation. Of course it takes time and a consistent approach to learn any new behaviour, but it can also feel fun and creative. Most important is to have a kind attitude toward yourself, which means sincerely wishing for your own health and happiness as well as accepting that occasional backsliding is part of the process.

WHERE DO WE START TO DO THIS? Start by introducing more nutrient rich foods into your diet, rather than restricting "bad" foods.

WHAT ACTUALLY IS A HEALTHY DIET? A diet that makes you feel good -- more energised, relaxed, clear-headed and emotionally stable. One of the main points of our book is that almost all people need to eat more fresh vegetables, especially greens. Plant foods need to be the foundation for the diet, rather than a garnish.

TELL US YOUR FIVE FAVOURITE 'SUPERFOODS'. Leafy greens, leafy greens and more leafy greens. Dark greens are best and edible wild plants such as puha are fantastic. These are the superfoods that powered our ancestors and they won't ever go out of fashion.

WHAT LED YOU TO INVESTIGATE RECIPES FOR THOSE WITH SPECIAL DIETARY NEEDS? Our own dietary experiments and explorations included periods eating raw vegan, macrobiotic, low-carb/Paleo and vegetarian. We were also prompted by the specific needs of people who attended our cooking classes.

HOW DID YOU DECIDE WHAT RECIPES TO PUT IN THIS BOOK? Most of the recipes had already been well-tested and refined by our experiences teaching wholefood cooking classes, which we offered for several years. We knew which recipes people liked and used often.

WHAT IS THE VERY FIRST THING YOU COOKED? Anna: Potatoes, peas and heating a family mince pie -- age 7 -- when Mum was at work.

Roger: I have a vivid memory of a big floury mess in the neighbour's kitchen -- around age 4 -- was it scones?

WHO INFLUENCED YOUR STYLE OF COOKING? Anna: My mother; the cook at our shiatsu training retreats (miso soup for breakfast); my vegetarian yogi friends in Gisborne; chefs at various restaurants; and Roger.

Roger: Holly Davis, co-founder of Iku Wholefoods in Sydney; the cooks at Bukkokuji temple in Japan where I lived for several years; Masao Kumagai, head chef of Miyazu Restaurant in Nelson.

YOU BOTH HAVE BUSY LIVES. APART FROM CREATING SOME FABULOUS RECIPES WHAT DO YOU DO? Anna: I am a birth skills specialist, teaching hypnobirthing classes and working with couples or individuals to resolve emotional birth-related issues. Mothering is a big job, too, and one I treasure. Riding my cargo bike with two boys on the back is awesome!

Roger: I am a full-time kindergarten teacher. I practise and teach Buddhist meditation. And I love being a dad to our busy boys. When I get a chance I ride my mountain bike up in the hills behind Nelson.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE RECIPE IN THIS BOOK? It's hard to choose (of course). But we agree with the many friends who tell us the easiest, family-friendly recipe is the tomato and coconut soup with fish dumplings.

WHO WOULD YOU MOST LIKE TO COOK FOR? Anna: A friend in need. Recently I have been organising meal rosters for a new mum and a friend whose child passed away.

Roger: The Dalai Lama.

WHO DO YOU MOST ADMIRE? Anna: Anyone who dares to dream, big or small, and lives their dream with focus and passion.

Roger: Hanshi Andy Barber, my sons' Seido karate teacher. I admire his humility and dedication to the Nelson community.

TELL US THREE THINGS ABOUT YOURSELVES THAT WOULD SURPRISE US. -

-Our first date was an overnight tramp to Bushline Hut, high on a mountainside above Lake Rotoiti in Nelson Lakes National Park.

-Both our boys were born at home, but in two different houses on the same street in Nelson.

-Roger: I still eat my Mum's pavlova at family gatherings, I see it as a sacred family ritual. Anna: The best thing I've done for my health recently is intermittent fasting - eating minimally two days per week.