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Image of Rens Kroes: "I want to focus less on the outside world"
Nutrition & Lifestyle

Rens Kroes: "I want to focus less on the outside world"

24 january 2023

 

 

Introducing...

Food blogger Rens Kroes (35) was introduced to the love of food from an early age. Her mother is a nutritionist and had a large vegetable garden where she grew her own vegetables and fruit. “When my mother cooked, it was perfectly edible but she mainly focused on the meal being healthy,” Rens recalls with a laugh. “Personally, I find delicious food just as important.” After studying social pedagogical assistance, she worked for a while in an obesity clinic. “The clients there were eating sandwiches without any nutritional value. Surely, that could be different, I thought.” She delved into healthy eating and set up her own coaching practice, guiding people towards healthy eating. This was followed by her books with healthy and delicious recipes.

 

There was a brief silence around Rens. Not surprising: two years ago she became a mother to daughter Maya, then came the pandemic, and subsequently, she was busy with her new cookbook ‘So Simple’ which was released in November. Her seventh book already, which aligns perfectly with the new phase in her life. “I feel the need for a simpler life.”

 

What does this new phase in your life entail?

“Over the past year, I felt in my body that I needed change. That I need a simpler life, back to basics and nature. I lived in the city and now spend half my time in Fryslân, where I grew up. Ideally, I want to live in the north again, in a house with a large vegetable garden. For Maya, so she can be more in touch with nature. But also for myself, as we humans are part of nature. Furthermore, I am working on inner development, I want to better understand myself in the coming year. Who is Rens really? What makes me happy? What are my boundaries? Who am I as a mother? Which friends suit me and which do not? For years, I was in a rollercoaster, constantly on the go. Becoming a mother has been a huge transformation for me. I want to focus less on the outside world. Make space for people who energise me. Creating the book helped me immensely with that. It’s no coincidence it’s called So Simple: it contains 88 easy and healthy lunch and dinner recipes that are simpler than in my previous books. That’s what I love to do: inspire people with healthy but not overly complicated recipes.”

Healthy eating is central to you. How do you ensure the right balance? Do you have a guilty pleasure, for instance?

“No, I allow myself everything. If I eat chocolate or apple pie, I make a conscious choice. I don’t feel regret afterwards. A healthy lifestyle means you can also occasionally have an unhealthy snack if you feel like it. But if you are in balance, you crave it less.”

Do you use supplements in addition to healthy eating?

“I take vitamin C, D3/K2, and magnesium. I take vitamin C for my immunity, magnesium because I am often tired and busy due to my work and sleepless nights. That depletes magnesium from your body. By taking extra magnesium, I sleep more deeply and feel more relaxed. I take extra vitamin D because in winter we don’t produce enough vitamin D3, as the sun in our country is too low. Thanks to this vitamin, the mineral calcium is well absorbed from food. Vitamin K plays a role in this: K ensures that calcium ends up in the right place in your body. Furthermore, I try to get as many nutrients as possible from my diet. I also avoid genetically modified food, and prefer unprocessed products. That’s why I choose not refined salt but Celtic sea salt, which contains minerals. I also ensure sufficient omega 3, from flaxseed and oily fish. Furthermore, I usually opt for vegetables and fruit grown in healthy soil.”

You write on your website that for a happy & healthy lifestyle, your diet, exercise, relaxation, and care for yourself and the world around you must be balanced. How does exercise fit into this for you?

“I walk a lot, do yoga, and run. Before Maya was born, I had a personal trainer, but at the moment I don’t feel much need for strength training. It doesn’t seem wise to do that now as I am still breastfeeding. That’s a sport in itself haha.”

What do you do to stay mentally balanced?

“I am quite a positive person. Always have been! That keeps me balanced. I also love to go away for a week now and then. Preferably in nature, somewhere in a cabin in the woods or by the beach. By literally looking at my life from a distance, I usually see it from a different and often more beautiful perspective. Oh yes, and dancing. When I dance, I can let everything go. A night of dancing with friends makes me happy and gives me a lot of energy.”

And how do you care for the world around you?

“I want to help make the world a bit healthier, hence my book. I think we are here to support each other. You must be in balance yourself, so you have enough energy to be good to others. At the moment, I am recharging myself and focusing a bit more on my family life. In a while, I’ll be back to being the businesswoman and social worker.”

Would you like a chance to win Rens’ book ‘So Simple’? You can! We have 2 copies of the healthy recipe book to give away. 

Here’s how to enter: