Healthier guests for the VIE

Eat healthy, nutritionists and doctors tell us. But it can be a struggle maintaining good health and decent figure on a balanced diet, so you often find yourself drifting away, not least because the food tends to be bland, green and gooey.
Not, however, the food cooked by Daniel Green, whose approach has earned him fans around the world.
The British television chef, writer and fashion model’s global trek landed him at the Vie Hotel Bangkok recently, preparing a selection of healthy and low-calorie dishes with a trendy presentation on colourful plates. His wide range of cuisine is incorporated into buffets, brunches, a la carte meals and room service, from soups to desserts to drinks.
“Taste Good, Feel Fab” is Green’s kitchen concept. “A healthy menu doesn’t need to be tasteless, and you don’t need to control that much of your diet to enjoy the food,” he said.
“I was pretty miserable as a teenager because I was so fat. I was about 25 kilos overweight and I had no idea about health and nutrition, so I just used to pig out on all the wrong foods.
“When I was about 18 I finally decided I’d had enough. I started reading through magazines and books to try to learn more about food and how it worked. This led to me making recipes and experimenting with healthier ways of cooking. As a result I lost nearly 32 kilos over the next few years.
“I really worked at learning all about nutrition because the key to all this was to be healthy. There is no point being thin and unhealthy. Nor is there any need to eat boring foods. Half of the meals I make, you wouldn’t even realise they were good for you! They taste just as creamy and delicious as the full fat alternatives.”
Green’s dishes are served on differently coloured plates to indicate their specific health values. A red plate bears food with high protein that’s low in carbohydrates. Green means vegetarian, yellow is low in fat and purple is the food that boosts energy (and eases jetlag).
His top offerings include an Asian salad Nicoise with seared tuna, a tiger shrimp in soy on garlic pak choi, and a chicken breast stuffed with a paste of sun-dried tomatoes. And save room for English summer pudding and low-fat cheesecake
“I don’t agree with chefs who say ‘fat is flavour’,” Green said. “There are many flavours out there to choose from and they can be healthy too.
“What I’d like to do in the future is a menu for kids, to educate them about what’s good for them. Kids’ obesity is 100 per cent the parents’ fault. Kids don’t do the food shopping. My 11-year-old daughter eats anything that’s in the house. So if you eat right, your kids will, too.”
Green said he was “excited” to bring his menu to Thailand at the Vie Bangkok
 and V Villas Hua Hin. “I’ll be designing Green Cuisine throughout the year for both properties, and the menu is available for every meal, including room service.”

FOLLOW THE SCENT
Vie Hotel is next to the Ratchathewi BTS stop. Call (02) 309 3939 or visit www.VieHotelBangkok.com.
Find out more about Daniel Green at www.DanielGreen.tv and www.TelevisionCookery.com.