Deborah Ayorinde is a passionate proponent of knowing what ingredients go into her meals and always chooses fun over punishing workouts. Fortunately, the Fightland star’s love of traditional Nigerian cooking means that she’s looking as sensational as ever, and it’s all thanks to choosing “self-care” over fad diets.
Ayorinde was born in London, where she acted in her first play as a child and fell in love with the spotlight, but while a move to the San Francisco Bay area with her family at the tender age of eight years old would make for a life changing event, Ayorinde continued to pursue her dream of becoming a performer by throwing herself into talent shows, cheer, and dance competitions in order to hone her craft. “Old enough to feel the change, but young enough to adapt,” explains the artist, who is of Yoruba Nigerian descent.
These days, her impressive on-screen credits include roles in popular series like Luke Cage, True Detective, The Riches, and Them, but Fightland has allowed for a rare working trip back to her old stomping grounds in London. In the show, produced by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson and now streaming via Starz, Ayorinde plays “Joy Marshall,” a complex character that finds herself torn between her crime boss husband, Kingsley Marshall (played by Nicholas Pinnock), and her former lover, “Duke” Kilroy (played by Howard Charles),who is a disgraced boxer wanting nothing more than to avenge his brothers’ death and topple the evil regime.
While Ayorinde is not required to get physical for Fightland, the beautiful actor and singer is still very much into maintaining her health. To stick to a sustainable plan, she has one non-negotiable, and that means fitness should be fun. “I’ve really figured out what works for me,” she tells M&F Hers. “I don’t like it when fitness feels like punishment because, actually, it should feel like self-care. I’ll do dance fitness classes, I take long, long walks. I love going to the gym, but like I said, anything that I do, I try to make sure it feels like self-care. Even the food that I eat. I want healthy food, that tastes good.”
When discussing food, Deborah Ayorinde is clearly in her happy place and with good reason, because the actor loves to cook delicious Nigerian food. “In our dishes, we don’t use a lot of dairy,” she explains. “We’re more tomato based, and peppers. A lot of our food can easily me made vegan.”
Key Health Benefits of Deborah Ayorinde’s Traditional Nigerian Diet
Traditional Nigerian diets recipes were designed as dairy-free because of low access to cattle in many areas. Instead, chefs turn to oils or broths in order to add depth. In terms of carbohydrates, rice is the most frequently consumed source among Nigerian families. The most popular meats are beef, followed by fish and chicken, while onions, peppers, tomatoes, and okra top the list as some of the most favored vegetable options. The use of eggplant and spinach is also widespread, so eating freshly prepared meals that have modest fat, high fiber, and don’t rely on ultra processed ingredients, can absolutely contribute to a healthy diet. And, if you’re wondering if noshing on Nigerian food means torching yourself with spicy stuff, that’s a choice that can easily be adapted.
Deborah Ayorinde Likes to Being the Heat to Her Nigerian Cooking
“I’ve definitely been scarred by some cooking,” jokes Ayorinde. “But it can also be made quite mild.” Still, this actor likes to bring the heat. “But you need a ‘kick’ in there, or it’s not going to taste the same.”
If spice just isn’t your thing, Nigerian food still has a lot to offer for those who get excited about the cooking process. “It’s all about the preparation,” enthuses Ayorinde, who is looking as stunning as ever in Fightland. “It can be made unhealthy, but it can also be made healthy depending on the oils you use, the seasonings you use, using fresh ingredients instead of preserved ingredients, so it’s really all about the preparation.”
While the entertainment industry often places pressure on performers to fit a certain mold, Ayorinde deals with external voices by returning to her ethos of self-care. “That can be a bit of a pressure and a blessing at the same time,” explains the actor of the camera’s glare. “It’s a pressure to feel like you have to stay a certain size. When you kind of let that go, and focus more on just taking care of yourself, and letting that be the focus, it just feels better… I’m no fitness guru, but if I would advise anyone, I would say, find the thing that works for you, that you love to do.”
We’ll eat to that!
Fightland is now streaming via Starz in the United States and Canada, with an August 27 release slated for the United Kingdom on Sky Atlantic.
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