Like Healthy Cooking. Like Never Before. The Unconventional Way.
Gluten Free. Dairy Free. Low Fat.
Hi there! Welcome to Unconventionalcooks!
This is Mia (left) and Zoe (right). We are identical twin sisters with a huge passion for travelling, for healthy food and for people. It doesn’t matter if you have food allergies; if you are trying to make healthier choices in your life; or if you’ve had a strained relationship with food we want you to be able EAT CONFIDENTLY AND ENJOY IT. We focus on developing gluten free, dairy free, easy, whole foods recipes that are nourishing, delicious and low calorie. We hope you will find greater confidence in living healthy; discover your love for cooking and embrace it as a gift in your life.
Who are we?
Zoe: The older twin (left) and the photographer for this blog! Recently graduated with a degree in Food science, Business strategy and Chemistry. Married in May this year and now lives in California.
Mia: The writer of this blog. Just graduated with a degree in Neuroscience and Business strategy. Recently engaged to a Singaporean and moving to Texas, working as a consultant.
Our Story begins…
(Mia writing on behalf of both)
From a young age, Zoe and I both enjoyed a pretty active lifestyle which included swimming and ballet classes so “weight” had never been an issue. I could eat whatever I wanted and never gained weight. When we moved onto high school, pressures on getting good grades to pass our IGCSE exams and IB exams started to weigh on us. I was eating ginormous portions of food to “relieve my stress” without any form of self control. I thought if I ate “healthier” by eating rice chips instead of potato chips or 2 cups of cashews, I could eat more. This combined with a sedentary lifestyle (every waking moment was dedicated to studying), intense stress and lack of time for selfceare resulted in of acne problems, bloating issues and weight gain. It was a huge hit on both our self-esteem.
During this time, we both started experiencing extreme bloating problems and stomach discomfort. Eventually both of us were diagnosed with gluten and lactose intolerance, which was completely unknown in Asia. I remember even having to translate to a Chinese doctor who looked very shocked when I told her I couldn’t eat dumpling skins, noodles or bread. The shocking transition of this new lifestyle along with the stress of school only made things worse as we soon found ourselves falling apart. The world around me was telling me that no matter how well I did at school, I was never smart enough. No matter how much I tried I was never pretty enough. I resorted to the notion that I was forever “chubby”, dumb and ugly.
Going to college to the U.S., presented itself as anew opportunity for a change. A place where no one knew me. It led to unhealthy habits of extreme dieting that soon had more consequential impacts on our physical and mental health: including insomnia, hormonal imbalances, depression and fatigue. Despite being surrounded by great family and friends, I still felt empty and lost.
We decided to turn to cooking, the part of our childhood we loved, for healing. We spent hours researching, observing and cooking in the kitchen- learning to make gluten free, dairy free recipes healthier.
Click here to read more about how we eat; our philosophy on healthy cooking/eating
Our Discovery…
Over the years, we have come to learn that you can never buy happiness from compliments or getting A’s. It is a choice. With loving guidance from my parents and younger sister, we realized we were focusing on things that didn’t matter. We were missing out on the most important things in our life.
Adopting a completely new mindset, we started on a journey of mindfulness; balance and clean eating. I use to hate exercising, but I started slowly celebrating each extra step I took. Yoga, Pilates, HIIT workouts has become a part of my life. I feel much more energized and empowered.
We both started our own journey of understanding and accepting our own limits. It has not been easy. Everyday is still a struggle and we are still learning.We try to plan our schedule around what’s best for our physical and mental health. It takes a conscious effort to listen to your body; listen to your mind to see real results and improvement.
We also realized that even as twins we were unique. It’s not about comparisons, it’s about appreciating our differences. We try not to compare our successes and celebrate our unique wins.
This blog has now become more than just cooking up “Instagrammable” dishes. It is a part of us. A place of self-discovery, self-worth and self reflection. It is also a reminder of our asian heritage and our commitment to focus on what matters most.
Do you see that cute little girl in the white dress (below)?
This is our little sister, Raena. She is our official designer and taste-tester for our blog. She hand-drew and created our amazing logo! Raena is our greatest source of inspiration of most of our recipes. We couldn’t do it without her!
Our Blog…
Join us on this journey to find happiness in the small things in life. Happiness comes when you watch your younger sister get a chance to finally enjoy gluten free coconut pancakes and homemade banana bread without her stomach hurting. Happiness comes when you see peoples’ jaw drop after realizing what they ate was so deceptively healthy and packed full of nutrients. Each bite, each moment is worth stopping to savor.
We believe it is possible to re-create anything! NOT even your dietary restrictions can prevent you from enjoying mouth-watering dishes.We hope to motivate and inspire our readers that it is possible to do and achieve things you have never imagined.
Please comment and let us know what kind of recipes you would like us to make! We love bringing our unique take on all YOUR favorite recipes and dishes.
(For copyright issues you may use our recipes and pictures but please link it back to us!)
Follow us on Instagram: @unconventionalcooks
Contact: Email: zoelaucy@hotmail.com
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