Dine with Abby – Eating healthy doesn’t have to be bland

BY SIMONE J. SMITH

You would never know by looking at this gorgeous woman, that she just had a baby. Another surprise, especially after seeing her curvaceous body, and envied tiny waist is the fact that she is a foodie.

Since 2014, Abby Ayoola has been sharing her passion of food with the community. I had a chance to dialogue with this dining diva, and I learned more about her creative lifestyle as an: author, television host, reality TV star, and vegan food blogger extraordinaire. Come with me as I Dine with Abby.

What separates great cooking from mediocre is the attention to detail, and this is what makes Abby an expert, and distinguishes her from other popular food bloggers. Of course the lure of the free meals, the ability to check out Toronto’s best restaurants, and the chance to study various culinary cultures and trajectories of chefs has aided in her choice to critique restaurants, and share her thoughts with the community.

“It all started in 2014 when I watched an episode of Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives (often nicknamed Triple D), which is an American food reality television series on the Food Network. It is hosted by Guy Fieri, and features a ‘road trip’ concept similar to Road Tasted, Giada’s Weekend Getaways, and $40 a Day. On these shows, they go to different restaurants to sample an array of foods. I love food, I love to travel, so I thought, why don’t I start my own.”

And just like that, Abby became part of the food blogging world. More then ever, people are eating out, and when you scroll through Instagram, you will find people sharing not only their lives, but their food consumption as well. This of course has turned everyone into a food critic, and has had a profound impact on how restaurants prepare, and present their meals. Abby has become adroit at analysing dishes, and providing objective feedback to the food creators and the community.

There are a lot of things that Abby takes into consideration. She scrutinizes if the chef has done something to change form and dazzle diners. This means taking in the underlying thought or narrative that comes through when eating a garnished meal. She is sensitive to taste, so she can tell if the best ingredients have been used to bring out the flavour of a dish. This means taking into account how the chef is sourcing their ingredients. She asks questions like, is there alternative grains used? Are the sauces and seasoning made from scratch? Are there local and seasonal ingredients on the plate? This is to ensure that when she presents a dish to the community, they can be sure that they are in for a tasty treat.

A significant change occurred for Abby when she watched the popular Netflix Documentary “What the Health?” The documentary was produced and filmed by Kip Andersen and Keegan Kuhn who happen to be animal right activists. The documentary not only disgusted Abby, but also educated her on animal advocacy as well as:

• Why a vegan diet is the answer to preventing and treating chronic disease
• How meat, dairy and eggs could possibly be a cause for most diseases
• How non-profit organizations don’t want you to know this because they are funded by big corporations

That was enough for Abby, and in 2017, she decided that she would start adapting a vegan lifestyle. This also meant that she would have to make some changes to Dine with Abby. “I made up my mind. No meat was going to enter my body. I saw what it could do to someone’s health and what it is doing to the environment. It became my mission to show people that eating healthy didn’t have to be bland. Not only was I going to feature vegan restaurants on Dine with Abby, I would also use the knowledge I have learned and share it with the community.”

 Abby began her book series in 2017, and since then has written several books, all featuring vegan recipes, and self-care tips. Let’s take a look at the practical and helpful information that Abby has been sharing:

Daily Food and Exercise Journal (2017)
A Calorie Counting and Exercise Logbook that helps you take charge of your eating habits and stay mindful of the number of calories you ingest on a daily basis.

How To Transform Your Waist in 30 Days (2017)
It details step-by-step tips of what she used to get in the best shape of her life. It includes over 40 recipes; exercise plan and meal plan that you can follow to transform your waist in 30 days.

Beautifully Made: Let Nature Reveal Your Beauty (2018)
This is the go to book for beauty tips. It has over 30 beauty recipes for glowing skin, strong nails, and hair and weight loss.

Africanizing Vegan Food- All your Favourite Nigerian Dishes Veganized (2018)
This book has 59 recipes that give you a chance to enjoy authentic Nigerian dishes but with a vegan twist. The main reason more Nigerians are not vegan is because they don’t know how to incorporate the vegan lifestyle into their Nigerian cuisine. This book will assist you in Veganizing Nigerian Cooking.

Veganizing Comfort Food: Making Vegan Life Easy For You (2019)
This book provides over 100 easy plant-based comfort food recipes for a stress-free vegan life. Being vegan and still trying to have your comfort food can be challenging at times. Whether you’re a beginner wishing for alternatives to your favourite comfort food dishes or a family member searching for recipes, this book is the perfect addition to your kitchen.

I was curious about how Abby finds these vegan restaurants around the city to highlight on her YouTube Channel Show Dine with Abby. “I contact the restaurant, or they contact me. We set a date and I will either go with my husband, or my entire family. The restaurant usually offers three items, plus a drink. We taste it, review it on camera, and promote the restaurant on my channel. My favourites have been Doomie’s, where I tried their Seitan Burger, and Anijandro Kitchen. They have this falafel waffle cone, which was out of this world.”

Hmmmmm! The life of a food blogger, and the perks that come with it. You can Dine with Abby by checking out her Facebook, Instagram and YouTube Channel.

“I want people to know that plant based food can be versatile and fun.”