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Hello!

Hi, I’m Weng!

My journey has been filled with twists and turns, spanning continents and careers. From a family doctor to a university academic to a stay-at-home mum in New York City, life has been anything but ordinary. Yet, it was during the stillness of the pandemic lockdown that I uncovered an unexpected passion: transforming my kitchen into a space of creativity and nourishment.

Cooking for my family started as a necessity but quickly became the silver lining at a challenging time. It was in those moments I realised the transformative power of food—not just as fuel, but as a way to care, connect, and create.

What to Expect from This Blog

• Insights into nutrition that most doctors were never taught in medical school.
• The latest research on diet and health
• My favourite recipes—with practical tweaks and science-backed reasons why they work.

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My Journey with Food and Nutrition

As a doctor, I’ve always been intrigued by how nutrition impacts both physical and mental health. Yet, during my medical training, nutrition wasn’t emphasized. Like many in my generation of medical graduates, I was taught the basics: eat more fruits and vegetables, consume less fat and processed sugar. But translating that advice into practical, everyday guidance for patients (and myself) was another matter entirely.

During the pandemic, inspired by incredible food bloggers like Nagi from RecipeTinEats, the Leung family from Woks of Life, and quick recipes from Tasty.co, I began cooking in earnest. These recipes brought comfort and joy during a challenging time. Unfortunately, too much comfort food (and daily pandemic cocktail mixology) led to weight gain and rising cholesterol levels for both my husband and me.

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The Wake-Up Call

By early 2022, a routine health check revealed I was pre-diabetic and had alarmingly high cholesterol. My doctor suggested starting a statin, but I wanted to explore dietary changes before committing to lifelong medication.

My nutrition journey began with finding the right dietitian. The first one I saw emphasised intuitive eating—listening to my body’s cravings—but this didn’t work for me. (My body loves pasta, bread, cheese, and crunchy snacks!) The second dietitian offered structured guidance, which changed everything.

The Goals That Transformed My Approach

She introduced me to two key goals:

1. Consume at least 30g of fibre per day, particularly soluble fibre to help reduce cholesterol, control blood sugar and assist in weight loss.
2. Aim for a protein intake of 80–100g (~1.5g/kg body weight) per day to address concerns about menopausal muscle loss and better sugar control.

This advice was an eye-opener. I discovered I was “overfed yet undernourished” and began exploring ways to meet these nutritional goals. It wasn’t about eliminating carbs or fats but understanding and optimising the quality of my food.

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The Hacks I’ve Learned

Achieving these nutritional targets required a shift in mindset and creativity. I realised I had misconceptions about which foods were high in fibre, low in saturated fat, and protein-rich. Through trial and error, I developed simple “hacks” to tweak recipes and create menus that boosted fibre and protein while reducing unhealthy fats. I like to call them “nutrition makeovers” or “healthy glow ups”.

One of the biggest revelations? It’s all about beans (legumes, lentils, pulses)! These humble ingredients have become my go-to for creating meals that are as nutritious as they are satisfying. Along the journey, I’ve taken a deep dive into:

• The importance of maintaining a healthy microbiome by increasing plant diversity (eating the rainbow, spices, and herbs).
• Fermented foods (such as yogurt and kimchi)
• The concept of gut rest (I will explain more in a later post)
• Avoiding ultra-processed foods (UPFs), especially in the US where quality standards are less strict compared to Europe.

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Why This Blog?

This blog is my way of sharing what I’ve learned both professionally and personally. You can make small dietary changes that create big health impacts. Find joy in meals that nourish both body and soul. My goal is to inspire you to explore nutrition in a practical and enjoyable way.

You’ll find:

• Evidence-based guidance (such as why legumes are everything)
• Simple and delicious recipes (such as my take on Ottolenghi’s Confit of Tandoori Chickpeas)
• Practical tips for adapting meals to meet your health goals.

I’m not a professional chef or recipe creator. However, I draw on my research skills to discover delicious recipes. I modify them to be healthier or easier to prepare. I’ll share my adaptations of popular recipes. I will explain why certain ingredients are more beneficial. This will empower you to apply this knowledge to future meals. All evidence is cited through hyperlinks to the original research articles, and I always credit the original recipe sources.

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Let’s Start This Journey Together

Thank you for joining me on this journey. I’d love to hear from you! What are your biggest challenges or questions about nutrition and cooking? Do you have favourite recipes that you “hack” to make them better? I’d love for you to share your thoughts in the comments. Together, we can build a community of food lovers who value health and deliciousness.

Please follow and subscribe for more content on wengsculinaryadventures.com

Head over to my first post and recipe on achieving fibre goals without sacrificing flavor!

Warmly,
Weng

P.S please be patient whilst I improve my blogging skills.

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