One Real Good Thing with Ellie Krieger

In honor of Earth Day, Ellie revisits one of her favorite episodes focused on the health of our planet: In episode 4 she interviews Dr. David Katz, MD a globally renowned expert in disease prevention, health promotion, lifestyle medicine, and nutrition; founder and former director of Yale University’s Prevention Research Center; Past President of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine; and President/Founder of the non-profit True Health Initiative. He talks with Ellie about why swapping beef out of your diet most of the time is important to our personal health and the health of our planet. They discuss specific small steps to reduce beef intake without having to cut it out entirely, and dish about the bounty of satisfying foods to enjoy instead.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

You may recognize Chef Eric Adjepong from his many Top Chef and Food Network appearances, but this celebrity chef is also a health expert with a master’s degree in nutrition. On this episode he shares his culinary and nutrition wisdom to explain how eating with an open mind can better our lives in a multitude of ways.   Chef Eric Adjepong holds a Master’s of Public Health in International Public Health Nutrition from the University of Westminster in London and a degree in culinary arts and nutrition from Johnson & Wales. Among other projects, he is currently judging on The Great Soul Food Cook-Off, hosting Food Network's Alex vs. America, and competing on the network's top show Tournament of Champions. His kids book, Sankofa: A Culinary Story of Resilience and Belonging, explores the culinary storylines of the African diaspora, and is peppered with kid-friendly recipes and visuals. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Our financial well-being is key to our overall well-being. Knowing where your money is going is a great first step for taking control of your spending and reducing stress in your life. In this episode, renowned financial expert Jean Chatzky explains the best ways to track your spending, and how doing so can lead to a happier, healthier you. Jean Chatzky is the founder and CEO of HerMoney.com, host of the podcast HerMoney With Jean Chatzky and co-host of the national radio show Everyday Wealth. The Financial Ambassador for AARP, she was the Financial Editor for NBC Today for 25 years. She is an award-winning journalist and broadcaster, a New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling author, and a fierce advocate for financial literacy.  Her latest books are Women with Money: The Judgment-Free Guide to Creating the Joyful, Less Stressed, Purposeful (and Yes, Rich) Life You Deserve and How To Money, a guidebook for Gen Z women.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

One of the best feelings in life is “poophoria”—the elation and inner peace following completion of an easy-to-pass and fully relieving bowel movement, as digestive nutrition expert Tamara Duker Freuman defines it. She’s here to share her number one tip for going number two: establishing a consistent daily routine. Listen to find out exactly what she means by that and how it can help. Tamara Duker Freuman is a New York-based registered dietitian, author, and a nationally-known authority on digestive health and medical nutrition therapy for gastrointestinal diseases. Her latest book is “Regular: The Ultimate Guide to Taming Unruly Bowels and Achieving Inner Peace.”See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode is about a shift in mindset, away from the constantly busy, over scheduled and overwhelmed reality most of us live in, toward embracing Joie de Vivre---a life full of joy---and not just when you are on vacation, but every day. Ajiri Aki the author of “Joie: A Parisian’s Guide to Celebrating the Good Life” is here to help us get there. Ajiri is a tastemaker who has worked as a stylist and on fashion exhibitions for the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Museum of the City of New York. After moving to Paris, from New York City, Ajiri started her successful lifestyle brand, Madame de la Maison. As she settled into her new city, where she still lives with her husband and two children, Ajiri learned that Parisians find joy in what they eat, where they go, conversations they have, and how they spend their time. Simple things. It’s their North Star. Soon enough, joie became her North Star, as well. Here, she shares some easy ways to help us find our joie too. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Food shopping, cooking and eating together means so much more than meets the eye---in the process you are creating food memories that can comfort and guide you throughout your life. In this episode the remarkable Lidia Bastianich talks about why creating healthy food memories is so important to her, and how you can cultivate them for yourself and your loved ones. Lidia Bastianich is an Emmy award-winning public television host, best‐selling cookbook author, successful restaurateur, and owner of a flourishing food and entertainment business. Most importantly, she has accomplished all of this by marrying her two passions in life—her family and food—to create multiple culinary endeavors alongside her two children, Joseph and Tanya.  Her most recent book is Lidia’s A Pot, A Pan, and a Bowl, a companion to her new 26-part public television series, Lidia’s Kitchen. She is also the author of the English and Italian version of her memoir: My American Dream: A Life of Love, Family, and Food. Lidia’s cooking shows air nationwide in the U.S. on public television and CREATE, internationally, and on various digital networks. Among the numerous awards and accolades Lidia has earned are seven James Beard awards and two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Culinary Host (2013 and 2018).  In 2022 Lidia received the Silver Award from APT for 25 years on Public Television. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sometimes the most important change is to change your mind. Thinking about your well-being in a more holistic way can be pivotal for achieving true health. In this episode Dr. Robert Graham (aka Dr. Rob, the Chef) dishes up specific, easy ways to re-FRESH your approach. He uses FRESH as an acronym for what he calls the five ingredients in the recipe to health: Food, Relaxation, Exercise, Sleep and Happiness. Dr. Graham is a Harvard-trained researcher and physician, board certified in both Internal and Integrative Medicine, trained in Holistic and Functional Medicine, a public health scientist, health service researcher, TED speaker, food activist and Chef. Together for over 20 years, Dr. Rob and his wife, Julie launched FRESH Medicine. When not seeing patients, Dr. Graham trades his white lab coat for chef’s whites as an advocate for a new model of integrative, “food-first” lifestyle-focused healthcare called Culinary Medicine. Dr. Graham has a private practice in New York City, and he and Julie launched an online self-care “university” called FRESH MED U which allows people to learn remotely, on their own time, using their intrinsic motivation in order to achieve their FRESH goals and live healthier and happier lives. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ever hear of a soup swap? It’s like a cookie swap but for soup, and it’s a fun and meaningful way to get people together around nourishing food.  Ellie attended one for the first time recently that was organized by friends who both happen to be community-focused health professionals. Vera Ruangtragool and Andrew Goldstein. In this episode they talk about why a soup swap has more layered wellness benefits than you might think, and how to go about organizing one. Vera Ruangtragool is the founder and director of Truly Well, a non-profit that helps individuals and communities build happy, healthy, and meaningful lives.  Vera leads guided meditation in English and Spanish and brings people together through events that foster meaningful social connection in the US and abroad. She has a Bachelor's degree in Political Science and Spanish from UC Berkeley, a Master’s degree in Spanish Translation and Interpretation from the Monterey Institute of International Studies, and a Master’s degree in Public Health from Columbia University. Through her work and everyday interactions, she is committed to advancing peace and justice through individual, community, and systemic change. Andrew Goldstein is a public hospital primary care doctor focused on activism and organizing for a variety of health justice issues. In the food arena, he believes access to healthy, delicious food is a right and has worked against cuts to food programs like SNAP, campaigned for taxes on ultra processed foods, and fought against the often harmful policy agendas of big food corporations. At the more personal and community levels, he organizes biking foodcrawls, food swaps, and pantry shares, and has supported food-related mutual aid efforts. Andrew was part of a college eating club whose motto was "Food = Love," which has stuck with him to this very day and which he tries to have his relationship with Vera embody, whether in their food explorations and cooking together, or in sharing food with their loved ones and neighborsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A.J. Jacobs recently tried to go an entire day without touching any plastic, and he wrote about his experience in The New York Times. He talks with us here about why giving up plastic altogether is basically impossible, but how making small changes to reduce plastic use can make a huge difference for human health and the health of the planet. AJ Jacobs is an author, journalist, lecturer and human guinea pig. He has written four New York Times bestsellers that combine memoir, science, humor and a dash of self-help. Among his books are “The Year of Living Biblically” and “The Know-It-All.” He has told several Moth stories, and given several TED talks that have amassed over 10 million views. His latest book is “The Puzzler,” which Booklist called “ridiculously entertaining,” and The New York Times called “A romp, both fun and funny.” He was the answer to 1 Down in the March 8, 2014 New York Times crossword puzzle.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Instead of thinking of vegetables as a side dish, move them to the center of the plate and make them the star. That way they’ll be so irresistibly delicious that eating them becomes something you want to do rather than something you ought to do. Priyanka Naik is just the person to inspire us to make that happen with easy, tasty ideas. She is a self-taught, Indian vegan award-winning chef, Food Network champion, TV Personality, Author of The Modern Tiffin cookbook and columnist for The Washington Post. An avid traveler, she offers her globally inspired original recipes, with a focus on sustainability that delight vegetarians and omnivores alikeSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.