James Kuiper opened Sexy Food, a health eatery on Bree Street a few months back. The eatery is an extension of the brand that has been around for a couple of years in the form of packaged food products available at Wellness Warehouse and other retailers. Delicious burger patties that are free from gluten, soy, sugar, dairy, egg and preservatives. The range caters to the Flexitarian lifestyle, which strive for eating a mainly plant-based diet. His philosophy on food and living is one that focuses on listening to your own body and its individual needs, rather than prescribing to a one-size-fits-all ethos. His beliefs combine connecting with nature and consuming consciously in a way that connects you to nature and to yourself. We chatted to James to find out a bit more about his lifestyle and concept…

What is your dietary philosophy?
I listen to my body, and the cycle of my body and follow an ethos of zero waste and zero chemicals. My focus is on evolutionary eating. Understanding your own history of evolution, what your ancestors ate way back when and then you understand what your body is craving.

Why the change to this kind of lifestyle?
What made me start following my own body initially, the actual turning point, was when I got very sick with cancer.

 

How did the Sexy Food brand come about?
After I started getting into eating natural, untouched cuisine, it became apparent very quickly that this was my calling – to be involved in this form of service and to make it easily accessible to people. When I started on this food journey, this type of food was not readily available nor easily accessible.

Why the name Sexy Food?
I wanted to take this cuisine and brand it in a way that is different to the stereotype of ‘healthy’, ‘vegan’, ‘vegetarian’, ‘organic’ etc. Those type of words scare people. The word sexy is very uplifting. Originally the meaning of the word sexy was to be very natural, real, pure and naked; over time humanity has changed the meaning of the word. When you relate the word to this type of cuisine, it makes sense, as you are bringing sexy back to nature and what is natural.

What does Sexy Food offer?
We have a variety of food for for everyone, but the food here is presented in a way your ancestors would have eaten it. We are a tour guide to take you back to evolutionary eating. We offer two meat options on the menu for people who crave protein in that form. Then for the people who crave items from the plant kingdom, we offer a large variety of vegan and vegetarian options.

We also sell kombucha, buchu, cultured iced tea, kefir and Evil Twin coffee.

What is unique about the Sexy Food menu?
Cultured, probiotic, alive cuisine! That to me is amazing – if you put alive food into your body, your body, being so alive inside, relates the best. Once your food has been processed, our digestive systems have to work very hard to get the nutrients, and our systems become very stressed. Eating alive cuisine helps me to sustain my energy levels.

What do you think is the most difficult adjustment for someone switching from a unhealthy lifestyle to this very conscious way of eating?
The hardest thing is starting. Often people take the first step too far, then they get scared because they have shocked their body. You are trying to get rid of lots of years of bad habits, there is no quick fix and you cannot rush this journey. It is one day at a time. Slowly the benefits start taking place. At Sexy Food I try to make that first step fun and enjoyable, and once the first step is taken and you can feel the results, you then want to take the next step, and the next step.

So what is the starting place for this kind of lifestyle?
Everyone is healthy in their own right, to their own degree, but we all need to listen to our own bodies individually. The goal is to ultimately release all of the chemical-based, processed food out of your system, so that you can become sensitive to what is good for your system. You need to find your own diet, based on your own digestive system; something that works for you. Ultimately only you know your system, and what’s going on in your body. To find your own rhythm, you need to become sensitive, and to do that you need to stop numbing your body, and to remove those foods that numb your body from your diet.

To relate to this food, you need to link it up to nature. You need to spend time in nature connecting to it whether it be in the ocean, climbing or hiking. It makes understanding the philosophy of this lifestyle easier.

Quickfire Questions  

Favorite camping spot?
At the top of Table Mountain in a cave.

Last book you read?
I have never read a book in my life.

Your guilty indulgence?
At the moment, a lot of milk kefir.

Do you have any pets?
I have three lovely dogs, two whippets, and one English pointer. I run up the mountain with them every morning.

What is the highlight of your week?
Our Sexy Thursday event – there is awesome live music, we all chill and drink copious amounts of kombucha.

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