Lindiwe enjoys cooking healthy food

SECUNDA – Ms Lindiwe Maile (25), a mechanical technician at Sasol, made a change in her health a few years ago by trading in junk food for a healthier lifestyle.

She grew up in eMbalenhle and, through a Sasol bursary; she studied at the Vaal University of Technology to become a mechanical engineer.

Ms Maile enjoyed eating healthy food while she was still in school and she said her school friends can vouch for this.

However, after she finished school, she went through the transition from being a student to a ‘semi-adult’, when she began working for the first time and trying to figure out what is next in life.

She was exited that most of her immediate needs could be met without having to ask anyone for it and she resorted to eating junk food and limitless take-away meals.

“The biggest thing to come out of that stage of my life was that weight gain easily opened up to health problems,” said Ms Maile.

“I believe living a healthy lifestyle enables us to optimise other areas of our lives, whether personal or professional.”

Ms Maile eventually decided to take matters into her own hands and reclaim her health by joining the gymnasium and beginning to eat healthy again.

“I enjoy making healthy meals for myself so I would normally share the meals I have made on my social media platforms and people seemed to enjoy it.

“As time went on, I began doing my research into what goes into a well balanced diet.

“On the journey of fixing my health, I did not want to limit any food group; because that is the type of behaviour we fall into when trying to lose weight.

“I wanted to dispel myths surrounding certain food groups by eating it and seeing how my body reacts.

“The outcome, simply put, was that everything in moderation has a place in your life or in your eating habits.

“With moderation I mean anything, from fats, carbohydrates and proteins, because your body needs food from all the different food groups for various reasons.”

Ms Maile realised when she shared her healthy meal ideas on social media, that many people were interested in eating healthier, but most of them did not know where to begin.

Thus Ms Maile decided to begin a venture called Healthy Eats by Lindi where she prepares healthy meals for interested people.

“The idea is that my meals must be healthy and tasty and to show people that healthy eating does not have to be boring.”

Ms Maile also helps people to create meal plans if they prefer making their own meals.

“I believe in prioritising your health, whether by exercising in the gymnasium or eating, it should fit into your lifestyle and that is where the convenience of prepared meals comes in.”

When Ms Maile is not cooking or working, she enjoys reading or studying, going to the gymnasium or spending time with friends.

She is a volunteer at local schools in eMbalenhle where she teaches leadership skills to learners by using a programme called Youth Managers Foundation.

Apart from teaching leadership skills, Ms Maile and other volunteers also offer mentoring and career guidance to the learners through call career and mentorship days where they link the learners with different professionals in various career fields.

These give the learners a glance into the future and help them to get information they need to make good choices in what they want to study.

Since the lockdown began, Ms Maile has been doing workouts with her friends on the social media platform, Zoom.

“It is a nice way to connect with friends and keep active while still obeying the regulations of the lockdown.”