When did you decide you wanted to be a physician specializing in pediatrics?
As a child I was torn between my interest in medicine and the sciences, and my passion for making art and creating things with my hands. I am not sure I've resolved the question of what I want to be when I grow up, but right now I'm combining many of my interests on a daily basis. I think you can have many chapters in your professional life, and each one of your passions informs and inspires the other.


Tell us a bit more about your career and how you became interested in health and nutrition.
One of my main interests in pediatrics was preventive medicine, especially nutrition. I think both are often neglected fields. Good nutrition is very important to optimizing your health, and many illnesses can be prevented by eating well. The childhood obesity epidemic has taught us this lesson in a frightening way—as a result of an unhealthy diet and lifestyle one third of American kids are overweight and we're now seeing illnesses of middle age appearing in childhood.

What made you want to start Ayala's Herbal Water? What are the benefits of herbal water, and what makes yours superior to others on the market?

I think that sweetened drinks are a really bad habit, so I started exploring calorie free beverages for my own use at home.

I grow an organic herb garden, and have an abundance of herbs in the warm months. I would make herbal beverages to pair with meals, and our guests were offered this herbal water in addition to water (which can get boring) or wine. Their enthusiasm for this healthy alternative led my husband to believe that this beverage answers a need in the market, and we should make it commercially available.

Ayala's Herbal Water is the first and only drink that contains nothing but organic herbs. The mellow and complex taste of the herbs is perfectly balanced to create a beverage that complements food just like culinary herbs complement many dishes. There are no calories, additives or preservatives in it, and it offers a new dimension of flavor that doesn't rely on sweetness or the often used fruit flavors.


What are the latest trends in the field of nutrition and dietetics?

Trends come and go. What's encouraging to me is that I think consumers are starting to see that a trend is just a trend, and more of them are looking for the big picture and the prevailing truth, and turn back to real food made from real ingredients. There's growing interest in natural foods, organic foods, local foods and farmers markets. People are going back to home cooking. Whole Food Market's success has led to main-stream supermarkets devoting isles to natural and organic foods and better produce.

What does your daily diet consist of? Do you practice what you preach?

I eat a mostly plant based diet. I eat a lot of vegetables and fruit (and I do mean a lot!), whole grains, nuts, some dairy and eggs, and a little junk.I cook almost all meals from scratch. I cook daily, and we always eat meals together as a family. I don't buy diet foods or highly processed foods. On the other hand I do have butter, heavy cream and full fat cheeses in my fridge which I use sparingly. Most of my snacking is on fruits, vegetables and nuts. I eat chocolate almost every day.

Other than your Herbal Water, what are your beverages of choice?
I drink two of cups of cappuccino in the morning. I drink tea (herbal and regular) and water. I drink wine in moderation.

How do you feel about genetically modified foods?
This is a very complicated topic. Genetically modified crops have great potential benefits such as crops with more nutrients, crops able to withstand attack from pests and drought resistant crops.

On the other hand the possibility of negative outcomes should demand a thorough study in broad daylight before their widespread use, and genetically modified foods need better regulation.

The other concern I have is that many of the advances in genetically modified foods are for the benefit of agricultural conglomerates and not for consumers' better good.


Why did you become a vegetarian? How long have you been a vegetarian?

My dad saw a chicken slaughtered when he was a kid, and never ate meat again. When I was about two years old my dad told me where meat comes from. He also told me that almost everyone eats meat, but he thinks animals do have a desire to live, show attachment to their young and do experience suffering. I was convinced, and never tasted meat. I am concerned about animal welfare, and I think cruelty to animals—feedlots and the industrial slaughterhouses have brought it to an extreme—has reached a point in which most people would be appalled if they actually saw where their meat comes from. But for me it's easy—I have no desire to eat meat because I don't have a habit of eating it. This is my personal proof that what you feed your kids when they're young has a profound effect on their eating habits.

I did not go any further than my dad did with animal welfare. I do eat cheese and eggs. I will try to buy from producers that raise their animals in a humane way, but I do realize that it's very difficult to give up foods you enjoy, were raised on and that are part of your tradition.


What lifestyle changes, other than abstaining from meat, does one have to make in order to become a vegetarian? What are the health benefits?

I don't think abstaining from meat is a realistic goal for most people that now eat meat. I also don't think that eating good-quality animal products in moderation is detrimental to health. On the other hand I do think that the amounts of animal products Americans eat are unhealthy for them and for the planet, and that the industrialized meat production system creates unhealthy meat, is inefficient and is very cruel. A more realistic goal for most people is to reduce the amount of meat they eat, and shift to a mostly plant diet, with a smaller amount of animal products.

What types of healthy foods do you like to prepare for your family?

I love baking healthy breads. I enjoy creating dishes that dazzle in the colors of their ingredients. I like experimenting with combining earthy whole grains with fruits and vegetables.


If everyone could ban one food from their diets, what would it be?

Stay away from sweetened drinks. There are so many calories and so much junk in most sweet drinks and drinking sweet is so habit forming. The average American consumes 458cal/day in beverages, mostly empty calories from sugar. There's pretty good evidence that these calories don't register the way solid food does, and therefore they're not compensated for. Just attacking this habit is a going to make a huge impact on our waistlines.

When you are dining out, toward which foods do you gravitate?

I look for creative dishes, food that's definitely beyond "home cooking" and requires the skill and time investment of a professional chef.

Have you noticed a trend in the culinary field towards better nutrition? How are restaurant menus evolving?

The fact that it's much easier to find vegetarian food in most restaurants says a lot. I think more chefs are moving vegetables from the position of an unimportant "side" to a more central role on the menu. Also reducing the portion size—even if it's done for financial reasons—is a step towards healthier eating.

What are the most dangerous eating habits common among Americans?

I don't think we should be blaming any one ingredient; the dietary pattern that most Americans follow is clearly dangerous. The pattern consists of lots of animal food, highly processed foods, lots of refined carbohydrates and very little fruits vegetables and whole grains. We also eat in a rush, often on the go, eat very large amounts and snack a lot.

If I am on a diet, what should I eat? What should I avoid?

The best way to deal with being overweight is to prevent it.
We should all make an effort to learn how to eat well so that we can maintain a healthy weight and never have to diet.

A new diet is invented every few hours. If there really were a great solution there wouldn't be so many plans.

Once people have become overweight I believe that most of the weight loss diets can and do work, as long as people adhere to them and consume fewer calories than they spend. The problem is that most dieters eventually regain the weight they lost. The key is to really change eating habits for life, and therefore I personally believe that plans that teach behavioral change, and achieve new eating and activity habits in a gradual and sustainable way have a better outcome. I would therefore recommend a diet that relies on a balanced healthy diet, and one that you can see yourself eating for the rest of your life.

Can vitamins replace the nutrients we are supposed to get from food?
Absolutely not! We know that eating plenty of fruits and vegetables is beneficial to health. Natural foods contain thousands of different chemicals and fruits are much more than water, sugars and a few vitamins. Dozens of studies looking at people eating plant foods—whole grains, fruits and vegetables—showed the same correlation: lower risk of heart disease, cancer, diabetes stroke and many other chronic diseases.

On the other hand, overall, the studies on vitamin supplements have had disappointing results showing no consistent association between multivitamin and antioxidant vitamin supplements and reduced risk of disease. The only reason to take a vitamin pill is vitamin deficiency, which is exceedingly uncommon in the US.

What should I eat to boost my energy level?
I believe that if you eat a healthy diet, with fewer refined carbohydrates you won't be feeling big ups and downs in energy levels, and just feel vigorous throughout the day. Another solution for low energy is to go out for a walk, or engage in another form of exercise, or maybe get more sleep at night.

What is your favorite secret ingredient to making food taste delicious while remaining healthy?
Definitely fresh herbs! Herbs are some of the most sensual foods, and really connect you to nature and memories. Culinary herbs are the natural way to flavor anything while adding some health benefits, and unlike most other secret ingredients—they add flavor without adding any calories.