Rose Reisman – the Queen of Clean Eating

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The phrase ‘Savvy Entrepreneur’ is one that you will often see associated with the name Rose Reisman and for good reason.  Simply reading this remarkable woman’s list of achievements makes one wonder if she is taking on the task of changing our way of living and eating, single-handed!

One of Rose Reisman’s initial triumphs, and her first foray into the public eye, was the self-publication of a general cookbook, back in 1988. From this success she turned her hand to the business of healthy eating and in 1993 wrote another book called ‘Light Cooking’, which in turn led to regular appearances as a healthy living expert on a number of Toronto shows including Canada A.M. and City T.V.’s Breakfast Television.

Not one to stop there, Reisman also ran a successful cooking school for four years and, using her qualification as a Registered Nutritional Consultant from the Canadian School of Natural Nutrition, made herself available to corporations, giving them and their employees advice on creating healthier and hence more productive, workplaces.

In her role of nutritional consultant, Reisman has been called upon to step in and give some major overhauls to certain companies such as well-known frozen food manufacturer McCain’s and the popular Toronto eatery, The Pickle Barrel. I asked Ms. Reisman just how open these companies were to embracing change - after all, healthy or not, their products were still in demand.

However, she said, “They saw the direction our health statistics were taking us and took the initiative.” In terms of The Pickle Barrel, these changes have resulted in Rose’s ‘The Art of Living Well’ menu, which consists of tasty and appealing dishes of just 500 calories or less. Taking this idea of what she refers to as “clean eating” further, Rose then decided to open her own restaurant in 2009, naming it ‘Glow’ and, again, serving balanced, healthy and where possible, locally-sourced food (which is now an increasingly growing trend with chefs and diners alike).

For those needing a little more guidance with weight management, Reisman also runs a successful “Personal Gourmet” food delivery business, providing her clients with customized, nutritionally balanced meals that adhere to Canada’s food guide. While the programs are designed to result in a 1% weight loss each week, customers can choose just how much help they require to achieve their goals. The program even caters to kids and families, helping to ease the pressure some parents can feel when feeding their family.

Obviously not one for just ‘talking the talk’, Rose Reisman is herself a good role model for following a healthy lifestyle. As she says, when referring to mothers attempting to make changes to their kids’ diets, “If you don’t do as you say, neither will they!” A mother of four, Rose understands the obstacles parent’s face when encouraging their children to make healthier choices, not an easy task when they are bombarded by junk-food advertising at every turn. First, she says, “understand where the family is falling into bad dietary habits. Read labels, learn some nutrition 101 and slowly introduce change. Give (children) the foods they enjoy that are healthy, not forcing them to eat the foods they don’t.”

In fact, education seems to be one of the key motivators in Rose Reisman’s work and she recognises how urgent the need for change really is. “We (Canadians) have a national epidemic of obesity, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, leading to heart and stroke disease, diabetes type 2 and increased cancers related to lifestyle.” More worrying, she adds, “Our children are the next victims.”

For more information about Rose Reisman, her ‘Personal Gourmet’ program or even healthy living tips, articles and recipes, visit her website – www.artoflivingwell.ca. And check out the HGTV video , a tour of Rose’s beautiful restaurant Glow, located on Don Mills Rd, Toronto (416 384 1137)

- Fiona Bramzell -