Life

20 Questions on Health and Fitness: Restaurateur and ex-model Jen Curran

Gail Bell asks experts and people in the public eye what keeps them going. This week: Jen Curran, model and beauty queen-turned co-founder of Belfast wellness-focused restaurant, Tony and Jen's

Jen Curran tries to let food be her medicine and medicine be her food
Jen Curran tries to let food be her medicine and medicine be her food Jen Curran tries to let food be her medicine and medicine be her food

1. Up and at it – what is your morning routine?

I get up between 5:20am and 5:40am. I have an app called Sleep Cycle which selects the best time to wake you up with a gentle alarm, based on how deep your sleep is. Then it’s straight into the bathroom to get ready and bolt out the door. I always aim to drink a big glass of water too.

2. What might you eat in a typical working day for...

Breakfast? I’m super lucky that I have our restaurant kitchen at my disposal. I normally have some version of a fry/salad hybrid with turkey sausage, Himalayan salted mushrooms, cooked cherry tomatoes, sauerkraut and rocket.

Lunch? Speed is king. I normally grab a cup of soup and a big hunk of our Marlfield Farm chicken.

Dinner? Thai curry is a staple or a big stew. I always have a big serve of veggies, a decent amount of protein and a small quantity of healthy fats.

3. Is nutrition important to you?

I love finding new and interesting ways to stay healthy. I know how much food can impact mood, energy and brain function. There’s a quote, 'Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food', so I eat sauerkraut to make me happy, avocado for healthy skin and salmon to boost my brain power.

4. Are you a calorie counter?

Not regularly. I have a general awareness of the amount I’m consuming but I don’t let that dictate what I eat. I go on how I feel. If I’m hungry, I eat. If I’m full, I stop.

5. Best meal ever?

On a trip to Thailand I was encouraged to try street food. My choice was a rickety old cart manned by an elderly Thai lady and the meal of choice was Pad Thai. It was amazing – the atmosphere, the authenticity, the smells and, of course, the taste.

6. Do you have an edible guilty pleasure?

Our own peanut butter balls. Our baker can’t make these fast enough. Moreish and irresistible, yet very healthy.

7. Have you ever been on a diet? If so, how did it go?

Yes, I've dieted and I’ve spent time trying out every approach to find what works best for me. That’s the best way for everyone to approach food.

8. Do you take health supplements?

I take Omega 3s, magnesium and vitamin D.

9. Tee-total or tipple?

Somewhere in between. I can take it or leave it.

10. Fruit or fry-up?

Both... our brown sauce is made predominantly with apples and I’ll slosh it all over a healthy fry. I wouldn’t be northern Irish if I didn’t eat potato bread.

11. Stairs or lift?

Stairs – I don’t go to the gym as much as I would like, so I like to incorporate movement into everything I do when the opportunity presents itself.

12. Do you have a daily exercise regime?

Whisking and mashing is my daily exercise. Working in the kitchen at our restaurant is pretty manual so I get my blood pumping doing this. I’ll also often jog between home and work and I do my best to get to the gym three times a week.

13. On a scale of one to 10, how fit do you think you are; how fit would you like to be?

I'll say, seven. I could definitely be fitter, but I’m happy with where I am at right now, considering how hectic my schedule can be. I’d like to do more in the way of outdoor exercise as I love things like mountaineering and cycling.

14. Best tip for everyday fitness?

I take this one from my healthy husband-to-be: Move more and sit less. Tony is a corrective exercise specialist and he makes sure I stretch and foam roll at every given opportunity. He says it’s all about small, easy-to-implement strategies like hamstring stretching when replying to text messages.

15. Do you have a memory from school sport / PE days you would rather forget?

I got over-enthused jumping on to a gymnastics horse and jumped right over the top of it and head-first into the safety mat. Not an isolated experience.

16. Did you ever have a health epiphany which made you change your lifestyle?

Yes. When I was competing in a body-building show Tony trained me for, I realised that eating 90 eggs a week could become tedious, so I found new ways to make food interesting. I make the most of different spices, turning the monotonous into the marvellous.

17. Best health advice you were ever given and would pass on to others?

Sleep. An obvious one, but it has such an impact on so many things. Weight retention, mood and enthusiasm are so easily impacted by poor sleep quality.

18. Who would you try to emulate in terms of fitness / attitude to life?

I glean little nuggets from everywhere and am really lucky to have a lot of healthy and inspiring people in my life. My mum is a counsellor so I look to her for guidance. Tony is the angel on my shoulder and will occasionally 'personal train' me and motivates me to get to the gym or out for a big old stroll with him. I also listen to lots of podcasts.

19. What time do you get to bed normally and do you think you get enough sleep?

I aim for six hours every night. For me, sleep quality is super important. If I under-sleep, I really notice it.

20. Would you say you have a healthy attitude towards your own mortality?

I want to live until I’m 100 and be able to walk up the Mournes when I’m in my 80s. I really believe this is achievable through living a healthy, balanced life.