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Healthy Hangouts: 5 minutes with Mandy from Change Room Foods

Let me introduce you to Mandy Banh.The change room foods logo
At the risk of sounding a little hippie, she is without doubt one of the most beautiful souls I have come across on my healthy living journey. Intelligent, kind, spirited and passionate, this woman is destined for great things.
We first connected on Instagram almost a year ago, sharing a love of fitness-inspired recipes. Since then her growing following has given her the incentive to give up her role as a Pharmacist, joining a new wave of healthpreneurs. The Change Room Foods will soon be a physical store, providing a space where positive change is possible in the form of healthy eating and healthy living.
Working tirelessly to educate others to lead healthier and happier lives, Mandy tells us a little more about what the future holds for the Change Room Foods...

 

Q&A
1. HOW DID THE CHANGE ROOMS BEGIN?
The concept behind Change Room Foods struck me a few years ago when I realised there was nothing available on the market that filled the grey area between "fitness food" and "clean eating". After years of dreaming about how I could fill that void, I finally stepped out of my comfort zone last year and started a small business focusing on delivering healthy snacks and treats to homes, work places, stockists and events around Melbourne. Now I am blessed to be working on opening the first concept store!

2. WHO OR WHAT INSPIRES YOU?
I am an easily inspired person - everything and everybody manages to inspire me in one way or another. Most of all, passionate people inspire me - it doesn't matter what they are passionate about, I find that the most passionate of people are the ones that work the hardest, sweat the smallest details, see the most possibility and inevitably, achieve the greatest success. They inspire me to do as they do.
 
3. YOUR DAY ON A PLATE?
I have a lot of meetings, so many of my meals are eaten at cafes or restaurants. However, my currently typical day on a plate has resembled this:
  • Breakfast: Flax meal porridge topped with fresh fruit, nuts & seeds.
  • Snack: Homemade 'clean' treat (such as one of our protein bars).
  • Lunch: Salad of cooked quinoa or buckwheat with fresh fruit & veg.
  • Snack: Cup of tea and perhaps another homemade 'clean' treat (such as one of our protein balls).
  • Dinner: Stir-fry with cooked brown rice.

 

Mandy's healthy creations are drool-worthy
Mandy's healthy creations are drool-worthy

4: FAVOURITE WAY TO GET MOVING?
Reformer pilates - I started it a few months ago and am addicted!
 
5. THREE THINGS YOU CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT
Other than my family, friends and partner, three things I cannot live without are -
  1. Coconut oil
    In food; on acne, burns and insect bites; for oil pulling; as a make- up remover; as a moisturiser...
  2. A good pair of runners
    Even when I don't feel like working out, that all changes as soon as I lace up my sneakers)
  3. The AFL
    I am obsessed with football. It's the one thing that takes my mind off the daily grind
 
6. YOUR SECRET VICE
A great organic cold-pressed green juice. I don't treat them as meals or snacks; I view them more like a multi- vitamin. I LOVE THEM.
 
7. TOP SONG ON YOUR PLAYLIST
I'm an old-school girl at heart. I always find myself listening (and singing REALLY loudly along) to Michelle Branch's "Breathe". I think I sound quite good singing it, actually, but nobody will ever know because I'm too scared to sing in front of other human beings.
 
8. YOUR MANTA
"If a job is worth doing, it's worth doing well." I try to apply this to all areas of my life.

And just because we're nosey...your go-to workout: 

I run, take reformer pilates classes and use my TRX kit, but when I'm travelling or don't have the luxury of time to do any of these things, this is my go-to workout (changing the level of difficulty by taking away or adding weights or the number of sets or reps):
Workout

 


I can't wait to visit the Melbourne flagship very soon for healthy treats galore. Be sure to visit, get nourished and give her a huge squeeze from me.

Signature


 

Mandy profile

Mandy profileMandy profile

To find out more about Mandy and the Change Room Foods, get social with her below:

web | facebook | instagram | twitter

 

 

Sally O'Neil - Editor in Chief

Sal is on a mission to prove that healthy and nutritious doesn’t have to be boring – and that even while staying in shape you can have your cake and eat it too. After losing 14kg from adopting a healthier lifestyle, she shares her journey with others on The Fit Foodie Blog. She also works as a commercial food photographer and stylist, is studying a Bachelor of Health Science in Nutrition and Dietetics, and is the author of two cookbooks: Love Move Eat (Bauer Media, 2017) and Meal Prep Plan (Murdoch, 2019).

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