Food Matters

It was four years ago that I had the chance to meet and work with Tricia Williams, founder of Food Matters, a NYC based meal delivery service that provides delicious wholesome nutrition from organic, locally grown ingredients.

When I was eight months pregnant with my twins, I was feeling so slow that I could not cook much anymore, yet I wanted to keep my healthy eating habits. Cooked and crafted fresh each day, these healthy meals really helped me before and after I had the twins to keep a perfect balance of energy levels.

Today, Food Matters is considered as one of NYC’s top meal delivery services, providing nutrition counseling and a catering service with sumptuous and healthy foods.

We are meeting Tricia Williams to ask her a few questions and to get her advice.

Clémence von Mueffling: What prompted you to start Food Matters?

Tricia Williams: I was a restaurant chef for many years and a pastry chef before that. When I became pregnant with my first child, I read a book by Michael Pollan that changed my life: The Omnivore’s Dilemma. It totally changed the way I looked at food and sent me on a path to study holistic nutrition and food therapy. Before long, I combined my passion for my child’s health and wellness with my passion for cooking, and I started Food Matters.

CvM: What set Food Matters apart from other meal delivery services?

TW: We customize each meal specifically for the client. We take a look at our client’s health history, their lifestyle and exercise regimen and their food preferences, and design a menu which helps them achieve their goals and a greater state of well-being.

CvM: Tell us more about your approach to food as medicine.

TW: We believe that the kitchen is the best pharmacy. We see a lot of clients with a variety of medical concerns such as fertility issues, thyroid problems, cancer, weight loss, etc.  We try and use kitchen-as-pharmacy to address their specific health issues.

For example, if a woman comes to us with thyroid problems, we will introduce a lot of sea vegetables into her diet. The iodine found in this type of food helps regulate thyroid function. If a UFC fighter is getting ready for a part, we will put him on a Paleo Diet.

We also practice a few nutritional philosophies. We don’t use any gluten or dairy, refined grain or sugar. We focus on the alkalinity of the foods we prepare as well as the glycemic index. Within these parameters, we make some magic happen.

CvM: Urban women battle all day to keep good energy levels, and then at night try to get good sleep. Any advice to help us on these 2 fronts?

TW:

For a good night sleep, try apple kudzu pudding. Kudzu is a root vegetable that has a calming effect on the body. One of our clients calls it “Zanex pudding”!

To stay energetic throughout the day, try to keep those glycemic levels balanced.

CvM: What ingredients shall we always have in our kitchen?

TW: Kale, Quinoa, Coconut Oil, Cacao, Wild Salmon, Raw Almonds, Chia Seeds!

CvM: Can you suggest any guilty pleasure food?

TW: I love any kind of pudding made with young Thai coconut meat and of course dark chocolate!