I am Elton, I am a Pharmacist and founder at El The Cook.
This is my personal story about how eating healthy can change your life. In 2015, I was 24 and started food blog, documenting the best restaurants in my city. I was invited to the best places in town and used to eat out almost 3 times a week.
After a year, I developed severe stomach issues and had to consult multiple doctors, who informed me I had developed Gastro-Esophageal Reflux Disease. After many medications I was able to improve my gut-health.
In 2017, I began to search for healthy food to eat. I was working and needed to find quick fixes, as I didn???t have time to cook. I searched super-market shelves, trying to pickup healthy-meals. But everywhere I looked, I found packaged food laced with preservatives and junk. After trying about 250 products, I was disgusted.
I decided to cook my own food at home and realized how much it influenced my health. My grandma, taught me how food was preserved when there were no fridges, and shared her cookbook, which was passed down 3 generations.
After a year of a lot of kitchen failures, I finally cooked some tasty food. Eating our own recipes for 6 months had a dramatic impact on my health; I lost 10kg and had improved stamina and a social life.
Taking inspiration from her recipes, I decided to leave my job. In 2018 founded a Vegetarian Indian Food startup, El The Cook.
It was the toughest time of my life; we had hardly any funds and no experience in the food space. My wife and I pooled in our savings and started a small factory.
Today we have built a community of 15000 customers the shared vision of eating healthy!
What Have I Learnt that can inspire you?
- Eat Local and eat healthy (Yes, double up on your greens!)
- Learn from the Past (My grandma is my biggest inspiration)
- Anyone Can Cook (Its not rocket science, get your hands dirty)
- Chase your Dreams (Mine is to improve health, through food!)
- Inspire others (Build a community with shared values)
- Be Honest! (Big Food Companies, constantly lie on their labels, be honest)
