Australian chef Dan Churchill, also known as the Healthy Chef, works with Chris Hemsworth on all the meal plans and recipes incorporated into Hemsworth’s health app, Centr. If there was someone to ask about Hemsworth’s eating habits or healthy eating in general, Churchill would be the person to ask.
According to Churchill, we should be consuming roughly 40% carbs, 40% protein, and 20% fat content, which he says is pretty conventional, yet effective.
“You get the support for energy levels from carbs, protein to support damaged tissue, and a moderate level of fat so that you’re not slowing down digestion,” Churchill says. “You could also do 50% carbs, 30% protein, 20% fat.”
As for what the most important meal of the day is for those wanting to build muscle, Churchill says, really, every meal is important. “If you don’t have breakfast, your goals could suffer, but the same goes for the meals eaten on either side of your workout – within two hours before or two hours after,” he says.
“Dinner is just as important. When putting on muscle, you have to plan ahead, and I’d look at each meal as a priority.”
Anything with simple sugars would be ideal to eat before a workout, says Churchill, as it won’t sit in your stomach and slow your digestion. He suggests a smoothie with honey, protein powder, oat milk, banana, and cinnamon, or really anything fruit related. Avoid peanut butter or high-fat content that can slow digestion down, he says. And make sure you’re only consuming simple sugars and minimal fat.
“If you’ve eaten before your workout, you have two hours to eat again after your workout, as you still have those amino acids leftover to fuel your muscles for a bit, post-workout,” Churchill says. “If you fasted before your workout, you should eat immediately after your workout.”
Churchill says he’s also a big advocate for making healthy flavourful. He says that even though you’re eating well, you should never be sacrificing on taste. Finding fresh ingredients that complement each other and creating your favourite meals with a healthy twist are what you should strive for.
“My favourite dish at the moment is a recipe I created with oat milk as the base,” Churchill says.
“Oat milk is a great ingredient to cook with and is sometimes forgotten in the kitchen – outside of your morning coffee. I use Oat Milk Goodness (OMG) as, unlike the others, it contains olive oil. It’s the olive oil that gives it its creamy texture, so it’s perfect for your coffee or food. My green curry recipe is my go-to, at the moment, which covers protein, vegetables and the best part, flavour.”
If you’re keen to make Churchill’s green curry recipe, keep scrolling.
Recipe: Dan Churchill’s Green Curry
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15-20 minutes
Skill: Medium
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp Avocado or Olive oil
1 Red Onion, sliced
1 knob ginger, sliced
3 Garlic cloves, sliced
1 long red Chili, finally sliced
½ cup OMG
1 Zucchini, sliced
400g Chicken thighs, skin off, diced into 2-3cm chunks
2 Tbsp Green curry paste
1 cup chicken Stock
Juice of 1 lime
To serve
2 cups cooked brown rice
¼ cup Bean shoots
Fresh lime
Fresh coriander
Extra red chili
Thai basil
Method:
1. Add oil to a large saucepan on medium heat and caramelize in your onion, garlic, ginger and chili with a pinch of salt for 4-5 minutes or until soft and slightly golden
2. Deglaze the pan with your OMG and cook the resulting sauce down to a creamy consistency. If you drag your spoon in a straight line it should reveal the base of the pan and the sauce will slowly return to cover (this is the consistency check).
3. Stir in your chicken and allow the sauce to coat, cooking for 4 minutes, before stirring through your curry paste and stock and zucchini and simmering for 15 minutes. Season with lime juice, salt & black pepper.
4. To serve spoon in your rice, ladle in your curry, top with bean shoots, coriander, chili and thai basil.
