Internationally renowned dietician Ashely Koff, RD is coming to town for the 2013 Sun Valley Harvest Festival (SVHF), September 19 through 22. A self-described "Qualitarian," Koff advocates eating the better quality foods available—choosing whole foods over processed parts, natural over made in a chemistry lab and organic whenever possible to avoid hormones, synthetic fertilizers, GMOs and harmful pesticides. Koff has appeared as an expert on shows and publications like "The Dr. Oz Show," "The Doctors", ABC 7, The New York Times, O! The Oprah Magazine, Whole Living, Every Day with Rachael Ray, Redbook, Women's Health, The Huffington Post and EmpowHer.
Don't miss the opportunity to see Koff in Sun Valley, during one of these three events throughout the four-day festival:
Thursday, September 19th
12:30-2:00pm
Zenergy Health Club & Spa
“A Case for Quality”: Conversation with Ashley Koff
Friday, September 20th
1:00-3:00pm
NexStage Theater, Ketchum
Food Trends Panel
Saturday, September 21st
9:30am-5:00pm
Carol's Dollar Lodge
Guest Chef Demonstrations
The SVHF sat down with Ashley Koff to discuss her food theory, what it means to be a "Qualitarian" and what she loves about the Harvest Fest:
WHAT STARTED YOUR INTEREST IN HEALTHY EATING?
As a kid and young adult I dealt with digestive issues and didn't realize that better quality foods (along with a protocol to heal my digestive system) could help. Instead I either just thought I was unlucky (why was my belly the bloated one always?!) or later, as body image was a factor, I just took more and more foods out of my diet.
Looking back, I realize that growing up, food made me sad and frustrated. Thankfully, my life plan included learning about what helped my body feel better—and it was eye opening when that meant I had more choices, not fewer. Healing myself (through working with others) connected me to food in a different way as well as to a different community of people—those who celebrate food for its variety of tastes as well as healing and health properties. What's that commercial say? "I'm not just the President of the Club, I'm a Member…" That's how I feel about my job and being a foodie, more specifically a “Qualitarian.”
DESCRIBE WHAT YOU MEAN BY EATING LIKE A “QUALITARIAN,” AND HOW THAT AFFECTS YOUR OVERALL LIFESTYLE?
Quality—better vs. lesser—is the best way to determine whether your body will more easily recognize and use food. When our body easily knows what to do with what it's getting it works efficiently and effectively. The net result: better health. Being a Qualitarian means that you are someone who looks at the quality of what you consume as a key part of your decision to choose or skip something.
YOU’RE EXTREMELY INVOLVED IN RAISING PUBLIC AWARENESS OF THE VALUE OF HEALTHY EATING; WHAT WOULD YOU SAY IS YOUR CORE MESSAGE TO THOSE LOOKING TO MAKE THIS LIFESTYLE CHANGE?
You could say it’s my day job and my night job—and I will say I have the best job out there (for me). I could quote quotes we see often and which deserve it—Gandhi's "Be the change you want to see in the world" or Hippocrates "Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” But I won't because you said my "core message" and this gives me the opportunity to mention what I think is the biggest factor in health—your core—specifically, your digestive system.
If it’s not working optimally (and most people's are not) you can't get other health or appearance you seek. Truly you cannot get them without a healthy digestive system. So start there. I share tips on my blog, my YouTube videos, and I wrote a book targeted both at people with digestive issues but it also works to prevent them (Recipes for IBS).
HOW DO YOU CHOOSE AN “ASHLEY KOFF APPROVED” (AKA) PRODUCT?
First, I must say that when I started AKA, I boldly said "This is the only unbiased logo out there." Boy, was I so wrong. It's the exact opposite. It's 100% biased. It's what I think about a category or a food at that moment. My thoughts come from influencers, researchers, my own research including site visits and recipe trials and interviews. I like to ask the question "Just because they can, should they?"
And I also evaluate how the brand is being marketed. I worked in advertising—had global food companies as clients—I know the tricks and appreciate the gray areas. Really the only thing that doesn't go into AKA evaluation is money. At AKA, we say "The AKA stamp can't be bought, it's earned." But it's also not static, it's always evolving and if one day your product that was AKA no longer reflects what's better quality or your marketing bothers me then you lose your AKA. I'm not out there to punish brands, I'm here to celebrate those that are making lives better and easier with better quality options.
AT THE SVHF, WE EQUALLY SEE THE IMPORTANCE IN SOURCING LOCAL AND REGIONAL SUSTAINABLE FOODS—WHAT ARE YOUR FAVORITE WAYS TO INCORPORATE THESE INTO YOUR DIET?
Well the first thing to note is that these words have more buzz than a bee hive these days and we need to be equally careful playing in either. Local is not a health descriptor in the nutrition sense—it can be, when combined with things such as organic, non-GMO, etc.—and then it's super healthy because it also means as a community you are all (farmers and buyers) taking care if your health and the environment. That's super sustainable. But present me with local that's GMO, pesticide sprayed, no crop rotation, etc.—well, that's the least sustainable as we are seeing all over the globe and there's no way "local" should be a selling point there.
So I buy and grow local organic, I support local organic-serving restaurants, and for foods that aren't available locally (like my daily dose of chocolate—I buy organic and fair trade, even "bio" when available) it's local to someone and I pay attention to how it's being transported but I'm grateful to my global "local" neighbors for taking care of their lands and sharing their bounty.
WHAT CURRENT PROJECTS ARE YOU WORKING ON? ANY THAT YOU’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO STARTING?
I'm updating AKA right now. We have this massive database of over 20,000 products reviewed, but the presentation online isn't consumer friendly. I recognize this and know that while I know every brand and what they make, people don't shop for brands, they shop categories first and then brands within it. I'm excited about our new tool.
I'm always starting something new, so follow me on social media: @ashleykoff and AshleyKoffApproved for Facebook, Instagram and YouTube to see if my newest project is a fit for you (I'm always interested in hearing your wants and needs as well as constructive criticism).
WHAT EVENTS DO YOU MOST LOOK FORWARD TO ABOUT THE SUN VALLEY HARVEST FESTIVAL?
The whole week—oh yeah, I'm coming early and staying late! I can't pick a favorite. But I do know that the group in SV, as well as those coming to share their expertise and products, are some of my favorite people. So, what I'm looking forward to us every moment with each of them.
