Q & A with Moodi Dennaoui
Who are you? Moodi DennaouiAge? 35 What you do? I’m a nutrition consultant by day and a Mathematician by night.
When did your passion for health begin? When I first started studying Nuclear Medicine at Sydney University. The University had a gym on campus that I attended. I was completely hooked and went on to compete in Natural Bodybuilding for several years after graduating.
What's your ultimate goal? To reassure everyone, parents, children, the world, that all naturally existing foods are ok to eat provided we have a little bit of education about nutrition. To educate people that you don’t have to eliminate carbs, fruit or dairy (unless you have a food intolerance) as long as you understood a little bit about food combination and timing.
Where do you see yourself in 5 years? To be positioned on a platform where I can hopefully make a larger impact on the way health is viewed by mainstream society. I would love to help bring nutrition education into the school curriculum.
What do you do in your spare time? First and foremost, spend time with my son Zein. I have to exercise daily doing either resistance training or Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and of course read. Once a nerd always a nerd.
How often do you train and eat well? I eat well almost 100% of the time. I don’t schedule cheat meals however if I feel like something outside my usual diet I’ll have it. I try and train 1-2 times per day doing a combination of aerobic and anaerobic activity.
What do you say to people without motivation? Time will pass regardless of what it is you are doing. So you can either wake up tomorrow having made a little bit of progress towards your goals, or you can remain stagnant. You don’t want the latter.
What is your motivation for training? Setting a healthy example for Zein, to feel good about myself, and to show people how good nutrition coupled with intelligent training can completely transform you, inside out.
How did you learn so much about nutrients? Initially it was trial and error. After completing a Masters in Research Methodology I learnt how to critique articles written about food and general nutrition. I would then put things to the test using myself as a Guinea pig. I also studied Nutrition as a Post Graduate Student. Nothing is more important however than on going education. Research is continually updated so it’s important to stay on top of it. I firmly believe in this quote by Zig Ziglar:
“It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts."
