19 Questions With Ashley Lonsdale
by The Candidly Team
This article is part of our series called "People We Like," in which we highlight interesting women, across all walks of life.
Leaders, great cooks, doctors, parents, writers; people who inspire us.
Today, we’re highlighting Ashley Lonsdale, a chef, nutrition expert, and the Culinary R&D Director at Daily Harvest— purveyor the most stunning, colorful smoothies on our Instagram feeds.
The Candidly Questionnaire
1. What are your most compelling qualities?
My jokes. Or my dancing.
2. What’s your worst quality, according to your friends?
Punctuality, or the absence of it.
3. What's the one biggest nutrition secret you wish every woman knew?
Industrially processed vegetable oils once touted as heart healthy actually cause massive amounts of inflammation in the body.
4. What’s an overrated value you don’t buy into?
Long slack messages on the weekends.
5. How do you feel about cilantro?
More is more.
6. Are essential oils anything?
Essential for bath time, yes.
7. What do you say to women wanting to shed pounds but don’t want to be sucked into diet culture?
There is likely no book or fad diet that will know exactly what your body needs. Some may come close, but only you can determine what works and what doesn’t, if you have the time to pay close attention.
Some folks function better with a little more fat, others with higher levels of carbohydrates. Also, our bodies and their needs are always changing. Research and read, of course, but listening to your body with a food and mood journal to find that “sweet spot” is one of the most powerful tools we have.
Dedicate yourself to regular movement, reducing stress, drinking water, sleeping well, but most of all, if you have the means, invest in incorporating whole, plant-based recipes into your diet. Fruits and vegetables are the true heroes. Feeding our bodies well is far less complex than what those who profit off of it make it out to be. Finally, be gentle with yourself, we’re all doing the best we can.
8. How do you get your self-esteem?
I have been blessed with an incredibly supportive community in both friends and family. I know it’s supposed to come from the inside, but those people cheering me on from the sidelines make me feel like I can do absolutely anything.
9. What’s your favorite item of clothing you own?
A vintage green military-style suit.
10. Every single piece of healthy eating advice says to eat more leafy greens. But HOW do we eat more leafy greens without just chowing down raw kale all the time?
I’m so glad you asked! My favorite way is wilted down with olive oil, garlic and shallot and a little acid. You can easily execute this on the stovetop or on a sheet tray in the oven and it goes with everything! Alts: Blend in a smoothie. Slice the leftover woody stems crosswise, pickle and sprinkle over salads/toasts. In a freeform pesto. As a “lettuce wrap” type vehicle. In a saag. The list goes on!
11. Who is someone in your field of work that you admire?
Bryant Terry. He creates such beautiful plant-based recipes and is dedicated to making good food accessible.
12. Describe what you actually eat in a day.
I start the day with a matcha latte made with Daily Harvest Almond Mylk. I normally eat a late breakfast, always savory that normally consists of a mish mosh of veggie leftovers + a soft-boiled egg or sliced avocado.
When I’m in the test kitchen, I’m tasting things all day, so lunch consists of DH Flatbreads, Harvest Bowls and Soups in development. That will normally hold me until dinner but if tastings are light, I’ll make myself a smoothie or grab a Bite or two. Our Passion Fruit + Greens is my favorite smoothie and for Bites, it’s a tie between Cacao Nib + Vanilla and Chocolate + Hazelnut.
Dinner depends on my mood. I got deep into Melissa Clark’s mushroom bourguignon this winter.
13. What Insta account speaks to you deeply?
Dobbin Street Co-op. Full of retro couches and tables you didn’t know you needed. I also love drooling over Lani Halliday’s baked goods.
14. What’s something you’ve changed your mind about in the last year?
I’m now more hopeful about society’s perspective on food and our food system in general. People are talking about the issues, and advocates are making change happen.
15. What’s the most delicious bite of food you’ve ever had?
Grilled jerk lobster, eaten with my family on the beach in a tiny town in Jamaica that my dad dragged us to on a family vacation. Well worth the long and bumpy road. I’ll never, ever forget that flavor.
16. Is social media ruining our brains?
Most certainly. But there is also so much great community, education and support happening in those spaces as well. It’s just difficult to separate the positive from the negative. I believe you can have healthy relationships with the apps, but pandemic times sure does make it harder.
17. Describe your actual bedtime routine.
After washing my face and brushing and flossing my teeth, I journal in bed and then read until my lids get heavy. It took a while to break the whole phone-in-bed habit but it was great once I got the hang of it. I try to wind down with an epsom salt bath whenever I have the time as well.
18. What’s your relationship with bangs?
Ongoing! Hasn’t always been easy but we’re currently very happy together.
19. What's a secret tip to getting our kids to eat healthier food? What's a secret tip for getting ourselves to eat healthier food?
I will start by saying I don’t have children; I worked for many years as a personal chef and kids were definitely my biggest critics. The way we usually found success was bringing them into the process. Showing them what the vegetable looked like before it transformed into dinner sparked a bit of curiosity. Also, exploring many different flavors and applications, cookbooks with photos, encouraging them to be adventurous all seemed to help. And if all else failed, pureeing things into sauces was the path of least resistance.
For the adult crew, my secret is staying hydrated and full. When I’m starving, I’m much more likely to make poor eating decisions versus when I’m well hydrated and fed.
What is your single favorite:
Wellness product that *actually* works: Klaire Labs Probiotics.
Indulgent meal: Sichuan takeout.
Lip balm: Sugar by Fresh.
Jeans brand: Vintage denim from Mirth, Su’juk or 1 of a Find.
"Hack" for making nutritious meals: Daily Harvest!
Sweats: For Days.
Effective “lady” product: Honeypot tampons.
Last minute gift: Homemade jam or chutney from frozen fruit.
Bra: Are we still wearing these?
Shampoo: Bread.
Healthy takeout meal: Baba Cool on Lafayette or For All Things Good on Franklin.
Comfortable shoes: I wear my Sage Low Air Force 1s almost every day, but the Air Max 95s do feel like walking on air.
Splurge skincare: Dr. Barbara Sturm for Darker Skin Tones.
Drugstore skincare: Unrefined coconut oil.
Everyday bag: Telfar.
Guilty-pleasure TV show: Girlfriends.
Drink: Campari Soda.
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We have to eat.
