Just in time to get started on those New Year’s resolutions, Nadia Ernestus is back on the South Fork food education scene with an eight-week workshop series at Stony Brook Southampton’s Food Lab that’s all about eating to boost health.
“Power Up Your Immune System: Nature’s Way” begins on Jan. 12, allowing the Sag Harbor health coach once again to share her expertise through a combination of lectures, demonstrations, and tastings.
The underlying theme is plant-based eating. “I teach how to eat vegetables in an easy, user-friendly way, because vegetables are not that user-friendly a food when you’re preparing them,” she said in an interview. And the overarching goal, as the title suggests, is to boost one’s immune system without medications or supplements.
“I find this is one of the most important things, timing-wise, in the year and politically,” said Ms. Ernestus, whose Hamptons Brine startup was so successful that she was able to sell the business in 2021. “You want to be more self-reliant with your health, take responsibility, and get stronger. It is a time of high stress for everybody. Look at what’s going on not just in this country, but everywhere.”
In developing her fermented food products and educational courses, Ms. Ernestus, a graduate of the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and a member of the American Association of Drugless Practitioners, taps into her experiences reversing her own diabetes diagnosis without pharmaceuticals. Now, she applies those lessons to immunity as well.
“The majority of immune cells in your body are in the lining of your intestines,” she said. “That’s where probiotics and prebiotics come in — they’re food for bacteria that already live inside your body. The good bacteria want plant-based fiber, and I am providing ways to get loads of plant-based fiber in an easy way.”
The first lecture is titled “Stay Healthy With Fermented Foods,” in which the focus will be on sauerkraut and kimchi. “Green Smoothies for Staying Strong” will be the theme on Jan. 19, followed the next week by “Nourishing Salads to Power Up Your Defenses.” On Feb. 2, it’s “Herbs in Cooking and Teas for Immune Resilience.” There will be a three-week break until Feb. 26, when the series returns with “Raw Sweets That Support Immunity.” The sessions in March address dressings and marinades, on-the-go snacks, and salsas and dips that support well-being.
The methods Ms. Ernestus plans to introduce can be recreated in one’s own kitchen using simple tools and equipment. “I don’t want people to think they need a Vitamix or a special slicer.”
She said she is thrilled to return to teaching about food. “I like chopping cabbage in a kitchen, but I like teaching the best,” she said. “It’s great because it is incredibly rewarding when you can impart something to make the world a little bit healthier.”
Registration for either the whole series or individual classes can be done online at thefoodlab.org.
