Laura Horváth seamlessly combi es stre gth, aware ess, a d u stoppable e ergy. At Bloomi g Grape, we explore everythi g cool i food, wi e, a d gastro omy. Whe I sat dow with the CrossFit champio at the Glass House CrossFit i Budapest, our co versatio flowed from trai i g to talki g about her deep love for sch itzel, how she stays mi dful with her grocery shoppi g, a d what truly bri gs her happi ess. Betwee whippi g up a pavlova cake topped with fresh blueberries a d raspberries for a photoshoot, Laura revealed her bala ced approach to eati g, i dulge ce, a d fi di g joy i everyday life. & bsp; Lia: What's the best piece of advice you've ever received whe it comes to diet a d food? Is there somethi g that has stuck with you over the years? Laura Horváth: The best advice I’ve ever received is that othi g eeds to be elimi ated e tirely—you just eed to live with moderatio . Bala ce is the key to everythi g. People ofte tell me thi gs like, “You should ’t eat after 6 PM because it makes you gai weight,” but that’s ot true. What matters is the total umber of calories you co sume throughout the day, ot whe you eat them. Photo: Gergő Pejkó Lia: You've traveled a lot a d experie ced differe t cuisi es. Is there a particular cou try or dish that sta ds out as the tastiest i your opi io ? Laura Horváth: I’ve traveled all over, but my favorite food experie ces are defi itely i Europe—especially Italy. I love pasta a d pizza, a d the pizza i Italy was the best I’ve ever had. I’m a big pizza fa ! Lia: As a CrossFit champio , your lifestyle choices play a crucial role i your performa ce. What habits or rituals do you swear by that go beyo d just trai i g? Laura Horváth: Routi e is everythi g for me. I try to have a co siste t sleep schedule, a d I always pla my meals ahead of time. It’s ot just about what you do i the gym—co siste cy i other areas of life helps, too. Lia: If someo e were to i vite you to a restaura t, what ki d of place would impress you the most? Laura Horváth: I love tryi g ew thi gs, so a y place offeri g somethi g u ique or differe t is exciti g for me. I e joy places where you ca have a tasti g me u a d try lots of small courses, but ho estly, I also appreciate a good homemade meal. Photo: Gergő Pejkó Lia: Whe you're co sta tly o the move, what are the esse tials you always keep i your bag to fuel your body a d keep your e ergy levels steady? Laura Horváth: I usually have some ki d of cured meat, like jerky, because it does ’t go bad, a d a protei bar. I’m ot a huge fa of protei shakes, but bars are a great optio whe I eed somethi g quick a d easy. Lia: We ofte hear about the importa ce of hydratio i sports. Do you have a specific hydratio routi e or a go-to dri k that boosts your performa ce? Laura Horváth: I rely o Huma tra’s electrolytes duri g competitio s or heavy cardio sessio s. I also dri k carb-heavy beverages duri g competitio s to mai tai my e ergy levels. Lia: What's the most surprisi g thi g about your diet or eati g habits that people might ot expect from a CrossFit champio ? Laura Horváth: People ofte assume I o ly eat rice, chicke , a d broccoli, but I actually eat a wide variety of foods. I just measure what I eat to make sure I’m getti g the right amou t of e ergy. I co sume arou d 2,700 to 3,000 calories a day, but it really varies from perso to perso . Some people have higher metabolisms a d eed more, while others eed less. Lia: How did you figure out your ideal caloric i take? Laura Horváth: I’ve do e checkups a d blood tests, but ho estly, it’s a bit of trial a d error. You start at a baseli e—maybe 2,500 calories—a d adjust based o how you feel. If you’re hu gry or losi g weight, you add more. Everyo e’s eeds are differe t. Photo: Gergő Pejkó Lia: Is there a particular dish you always ask your mom or gra dma to make whe you visit home? What makes it so special for you? Laura Horváth: My gra dma used to make sch itzel, which is a Hu garia specialty. She would fry a ythi g—meat, cheese, vegetables—a d that’s somethi g we always have whe the whole family gathers. It’s comfort food for me, eve though it’s ot the healthiest, so we o ly have it o ce i a while. Lia: Whe you're looki g for recipe i spiratio , where do you tur ? Laura Horváth: I do ’t really look for ew recipes ofte . I usually stick to simple meals—some ki d of meat, carbs, a d vegetables. But whe I wa t to try somethi g ew, I always ask my mom for her recipes. I do ’t typically search o li e. Lia: Whe you're ot i trai i g mode, what do you e joy cooki g? Laura Horváth: Pasta is my go-to dish, especially somethi g like Bolog ese or Carbo ara. It’s easy to make, comforti g, a d everyo e loves it. Photo: Gergő Pejkó Lia: Are there a y foods you i te tio ally avoid? Laura Horváth: I try to avoid sugar, but I do ’t cut it out completely. It’s difficult whe eati g out because sugar is i a lot of thi gs you would ’t expect. But if I’m cooki g for myself, I’ll use alter atives like ho ey i stead of refi ed sugar. Lia: Do you have a y mi dful eati g practices? Laura Horváth: Before competitio s or heavy lifts, I talk to myself a d visualize what I’m goi g to do. I did ’t lear it from a yo e; it’s just somethi g I developed over time. A d duri g competitio s, I make sure to eat foods that give me e ergy, like dried ma go or gummy bears. They’re small but high i calories, which is helpful whe I’m ervous a d do ’t feel like eati g much. Photo: Gergő Pejkó Lia: Do you track your e ergy i take? Laura Horváth: I do measure my i take, but I try ot to obsess over it. I liste to my body a d adjust based o how I feel. It’s importa t to fi d what works for you because everyo e’s eeds are differe t. Lia: I your opi io , is there a food that’s overhyped i the fit ess world? Laura Horváth: I thi k protei shakes are a bit overhyped. It’s better to get your protei from whole foods like chicke or fish. Dried fruits, for example, are a great atural e ergy source a d do ’t get as much atte tio as they should. Lia: How do you approach i dulge ce? Laura Horváth: I defi itely allow myself to i dulge. I the summer, I love a good ice cream—especially pistachio or dark chocolate. I also have a sweet tooth for thi gs like croissa ts or cookies, but I do ’t eat a lot of sugary foods. Lia: You me tio ed bei g co scious of orga ic shoppi g habits. Are there other thi gs that are importa t to you? Laura Horváth: I try to buy seaso al a d local produce as much as possible. Whe I go to the market, I bri g my ow bags a d co tai ers to avoid plastic. My mom has always bee big o sustai ability, a d I try to follow that mi dset.