In this episode, I sit down with award-winning Hmong American pastry chef and restaurant owner, Diane Moua. We talk about her journey from being the eldest daughter in a traditional Hmong household to opening Diane’s Place in Minneapolis, MN—a restaurant that honors her roots by serving dishes she grew up eating. Diane shares how not being surrounded by super sweet desserts growing up shaped her approach to pastry dishes, how moderation allows you to enjoy the foods you love, and how cultural food isn’t what’s making us unhealthy. It’s the disconnection from our roots, forgetting that our Hmong elders have always eaten simply and intentionally. This is such a grounding conversation if you’ve ever felt pressure to water down your cultural dishes or give up the foods you love to “be healthy".

Here's what we covered in this episode:

--Your culture already taught you moderation.
Diane reminds us that many Hmong desserts are naturally light, which helps us practice moderation before diet culture taught us to avoid sweets.

--Don’t water down your food to make it “healthy.”
Instead of swapping out ingredients to make cultural dishes more "acceptable", learn how to portion so you can eat the real thing without feeling guilty.

--You can enjoy sweets, just pick the one you actually want.
If you’re going to eat dessert, make it count. Diane shares how she eat one croissant or candy she truly craves and enjoys it especially being surrounded by food everyday.

--Eating with your eyes matters.
Presentation makes healthy eating more joyful. Whether you're at Diane's Place or at home, how your food looks on your plate can change how much you want to eat.

To connect with Diane Moua, visit Diane's Place in Minneapolis, MN and follow her on Instagram:
https://www.instagram.com/pastrydiane/
https://www.instagram.com/dianesplacemn

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