White bowl full of cloves of garlic

Natural Immune Boosters

White bowl full of cloves of garlic

Depending on where you are in the world, winter has arrived… which means it’s more important than ever to strengthen our immune systems. In this episode, I’m going to share three cheap and easy foods to add into your cooking that will naturally boost the immune system of you and your family.

Listen to the episode here

 

Sources

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com

https://www.healthline.com

https://www.healthline.com

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

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Transcript

Depending on where you are in the world, winter has arrived… temps have definitely dropped here in Boston which means it’s more important than ever to strengthen our immune systems. In this episode, I’m going to share three cheap and easy foods to add into your cooking that will naturally boost the immune system of you and your family.

Fresh organic garlic cloves are hands down one of the best ingredients you can cook with. Forget about the bad breath, there are so many benefits that outweigh that one con. This magical ingredient not only boasts long-term benefits of lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, AND decreasing the risk of heart disease, but it has actual medicinal properties. Not only does it help to strengthen your immune system, but it can ALSO be used to treat cold symptoms.

There are so many amazing benefits to eating both raw and cooked garlic that I should probably dedicate an entire episode to it. But I do want to tell you about two other ingredients so for now, I’ll link a few sources in the show notes where you can read more about the benefits of garlic — the show notes link is cleanlivingpodcast.com/immune-boosters

Here are some easy ways to incorporate garlic into your diet:

  • Mince a raw garlic clove and throw into some olive oil for salad dressing
  • Put full cloves on a baking sheet with organic cherry tomatoes and roast in the oven (add to rice pasta or farro)
  • Mince a few cloves and add them to vegetable soup or curry

Oh, man I’m getting hungry…

Alright, the second natural immune booster to add to your diet this winter is ginger root. Like garlic, this is not something I’m mentioning just because it’s “good for you.” Ginger root goes back centuries in traditional chinese medicine as having actual medicinal properties.

You’ve probably heard of it being used for nausea, with morning sickness or motion sickness, but gingerol, the bioactive substance in fresh ginger, can help lower the risk of infection by stopping or reducing the growth of many different types of bacteria. 

My son had RSV, which is a respiratory virus, the past two winters and one of things I started him on in October was drinking ginger tea a couple times a week. To make it, peel the skin off a two inch chunk of ginger root and then chop the root into smaller chunks. Add the ginger to a pot of filtered water, bring it to a boil and then let simmer for about two hours. 

Because ginger tea can be spicy, I diluted the first few cups that I gave my son with half filtered water but now he’ll drink it as is and even asks for it after dinner. Fingers crossed that an increase in ginger to his diet will get us through the winter without any major illness.

And the third natural immune boosting food is red onion, which I didn’t know about until a few months ago. My son was starting back at daycare, and my husband and I always get sick when he goes back to the petri dish. So a week before school started, I was boiling red onion skins and lemon peels to make immune boosting tea — it was pretty gross to drink but none of us got sick. So, it was worth it…

Red onion is one of the best sources of quercetin, a potent flavonoid, and antioxidant that has antiviral properties as well as histamine regulating effects. In other words, it is an amazing home remedy for improving your gut microbiome and strengthening your immune system. It can also be used to treat coughs, sore throats and even a high fever.

Disclaimer that I’m forced to say: I’m not a doctor so none of this is meant to be medical advice — I’m just telling you what I’ve researched.

Here’s the great news, though, you do not have to drink onion tea like my husband and I did to get the immune-boosting benefits. 

Sauteed onion works delicious in virtually any dinner you can cook. Throw some raw red onion on a salad, add a few rings of onion to your veggie burger. The options are virtually endless…

And yes, we’ll all be walking around with bad breath but that’s what toothpaste is for. If you haven’t listened to the toothpaste episode yet, that’s important one to catch up (just go to cleanlivingpodcast.com/toothpaste)

Now more than ever it is our individual responsibility to strengthen our immune systems and gut microbiome so that if we do come in contact with a virus, our bodies are able to fight it off and recover quickly. So next time you make a grocery run, make sure you have these three ingredients at check out.

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of The Clean Living Podcast — I’m your host Shannon Lohr. If you learned something today please hit subscribe so you don’t miss an episode. Here’s to creating a cleaner, more sustainable world for all of us.

 

Mason jar overflowing with chocolate milk shake

80/20 Rule

Mason jar overflowing with chocolate milk shake

When it comes to clean living, there are people who are purists. They don’t stray or slip up or treat themselves every once in a while. And that’s great, kudos to them. I admire their dedication. But for most of us, it’s far more realistic to know from the beginning that we’re not going to do everything perfectly…

Listen to the episode here

 

Sources

http://cleanlivingpodcast.com

https://bodyhealth.com

http://cleanlivingpodcast.com

SUBSCRIBE

Subscribe on iTunes here.
Subscribe on Spotify here.
Subscribe on Google Podcasts here.

Transcript

I have something a little different for you today as we continue our quest for clean living. I was inspired recently as I was eating a plantain burrito from my favorite taco shop. This burrito, let me tell you, I don’t even know if I have the words honestly, but this burrito is what dreams are made of. I think I would honestly choose it as my last meal if I had to. But as I was eating it, enjoying it, loving every bite, I also had this little nagging voice in my head telling me, “Shannon… these ingredients are definitely not organic…” So yes, today we need to talk about the 80/20 rule.

When it comes to clean living, there are people who are purists. They don’t stray or slip up or treat themselves every once in a while. And that’s great, kudos to them. I admire their dedication.

But for most of us, it’s far more realistic to know from the beginning that we’re not going to do everything perfectly. We’re not going to be able to eat 100% organic, we’re not going to have non-toxic everything in our homes, our wardrobes aren’t going to be 100% sustainably made.

Our busy, complicated, modern-day lives generally do not allow for that type of rigidity and I’m here to say, that’s okay.

My husband will often say to me, “Shannon, do you think maybe the stress of freaking out about the hot food going into the plastic container is actually worse than the food actually going into the plastic container?”

And to his question, my answer is always no, the stress is not worse than BPA releasing into the food we’ll ingest.

But, I get his point.

The 80/20 rule (when it comes to clean living) is this: Let’s aim to live clean and non-toxic and organic and sustainable 80 percent of the time. But let’s also account for slipping up, or things being out of our control, or treating ourselves, 20 percent of the time.

Because if that 20% is going to give us 20% more joy, then it’s probably worth it. It means that I can still have that delicious burrito and highlight my hair 2-3 times a year and order takeout and know that there are going to be products I buy that aren’t perfectly clean but that I’m still learning and still trying.

So, that’s where we are. Let the purists be purists and we can strive for that level, maybe one day. But for right now, let’s know that we’re all doing the best we can, with what we’ve got. 

Because even small, gradual changes can have SUCH a significant impact — simply switching to a clean shampoo is going to decrease the levels of industrial chemicals in your body. Buying 75% organic food instead of 10% is going to reduce the amount of glyphosate in your gut microbiome. Sprouting dried beans instead of buying canned will increase the amount of disease-fighting nutrients you and your family are eating.

So, while yes, going down the clean living rabbit hole can be overwhelming, we need to remember that the goal isn’t perfection — it’s progress.

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of The Clean Living Podcast — I’m your host Shannon Lohr. If you learned something today and enjoy this podcast, please leave a review  — it will help other people find out about the show and I’d appreciate it so much. Here’s to creating a cleaner, more sustainable world for all of us.

Avocado half on white background

Cooking Oil

Avocado half on white background

Did you know that the oil you use to cook with can impact your long-term health? And it’s not so simple as just switching to olive oil. In this episode, I’m sharing the cooking oils to avoid, the oils to use on low heat and the oils that are safe to use on medium to high heat.

Listen to the episode here

 

Product Recommendations

Water!

Carrington Farms Organic Coconut Oil

Chosen Foods Avocado Oil

Viva Natural Organic Coconut Oil

California Olive Ranch

Sources

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

https://time.com

https://www.healthline.com

SUBSCRIBE

Subscribe on iTunes here.
Subscribe on Spotify here.
Subscribe on Google Podcasts here.

Transcript

When my son was about a year old I was cooking dinner for him and my friend’s son.. So as I was heating up a pan on the stove top, my friend asked if I was using olive oil to cook their food. When I told her yes she said, “Make sure to keep it on low heat.” And so I’m thinking to myself, why? So the food can take even longer to cook and these babies can get even more fussy? But then she told me… in today’s episode, we’re talking about cooking oil.

So up until about a year and a half ago, I knew a little bit about cooking with oil: don’t use corn, palm, soybean and refined vegetable oils. But I figured I could continue buying my 12 dollar bottles of extra virgin olive oil and while it was a tough price tag to swallow I thought I was in the clear.

But of course, it’s never that simple.

As I was cooking dinner for our kids, my friend told me that olive oil can’t tolerate medium to high heat so it breaks down becoming carcinogenic and toxic when ingested. 

And yes, this friend and I are very close and very much on the “same page” when it comes to clean living research so I was basically cursing myself, knowing that she was right and that I had possibly been poisoning my kid with free radicals.

But as you’ll hear me say, many times in this podcast — better late than never, right? And the same goes for you, if you’ve been cooking solely with olive oil or even if you’ve been using some of the other oils I’ve mentioned. 

Here’s the deal when it comes to cooking with oil. The better, cleaner, healthier and cheaper option is to cook with water. Until I started researching this topic, I hadn’t even thought of that option. My go-to for cooking is always to get out the pan and add a drop of oil. And I know that there are probably some of you who come from cultural backgrounds that it would be sacrilegious to not use oil to cook. But I’m just going to encourage you to try it — at least a couple times a week.

As I’ve learned while trying to limit the amount of oil I cook with, water almost always works just as well — especially when it comes to heating food up (like, I’ll do this with my son’s rice pasta after I’ve already cooked it, I’ll steam raw sweet potato instead of stir frying it, green beans, you name.)

There are times, though, when oil is just a necessity — especially when you’re cooking for other people and don’t want to sacrifice flavor. So, if you must use oil to cook, then you want to buy high quality Avocado or coconut oil for cooking on medium to high heat because they have higher smoking points. Save the high quality extra virgin olive oil for low heat or no heat.

And I get it, none of these oils are cheap. It never fails to shock me when I look at the price of a jar of organic coconut oil. The good news is, by substituting water for some of your meals, your bottle of oil is going to last so much longer (make sure to store it in a cool, dark place) and you’re going to reduce the amount of money you spend on cooking oil in general.

So this episode’s “this for that”segment is pretty self explanatory — when cooking on low heat, switch your refined and processed cooking oils for extra virgin olive oil, and use water, avocado oil or coconut oil when cooking on medium to high heat. I’ll link to some of my favorite cooking oils in the show notes at cleanlivingpodcast.com/cookingoil

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of The Clean Living Podcast — I’m your host Shannon Lohr. If you learned something from this episode, please share it with a friend who you know loves to cook.  Here’s to creating a cleaner, more sustainable world for all of us.

Beans being scooped out a sack

Beans & Lentils

Beans being scooped out a sack

As a vegetarian, my family pretty much lives off of beans, lentils and vegetables. So when I found out that legumes can actually cause tooth decay, I panicked. But with a little more research and some advanced planning, I discovered the key to beans and lentils that are easy to digest, more nutritious and safe for your teeth. 

INSTRUCTIONS TO SPROUT & SOAK:

  1. Pour dried beans/lentils into a pot, cover with filtered water and let sit overnight.
  2. Pour dried beans/lentils into a colander, rinse with filtered water, place mixing bowl beneath colander, place plate over colander and leave on countertop.
  3. Pour filtered water over beans/lentils 3-4 times a day (add a few dashes of apple cider vinegar). Mixing bowl will catch excess.
  4. Repeat until beans/lentils sprout (usually 1.5 days for lentils and 2 days for white beans)
  5. Cook!
Listen to the episode here

 

Sources

https://wellseek.co

https://www.livestrong.com

https://askthedentist.com

SUBSCRIBE

Subscribe on iTunes here.
Subscribe on Spotify here.
Subscribe on Google Podcasts here.

Transcript

On our second date, my husband and I went out to dinner for the first time and as he opened up the menu he looked into my eyes and said, “There’s something I need to tell you.” And my first thought was, “Oh my god, this guy could be the one and he’s about to tell me he’s dying.” But then my rational brain kicked in and instead I said to him, “You’re a vegetarian aren’t you?” He looked back at me stunned and said “How did you know?” 

People love to ask my husband and I if we were vegetarians when we met — I think it’s usually assumed he lived off hamburgers and steak until I got my claws into him and forced him to give up meat. But our plant-based lives existed well before we met — we even had a vegetarian wedding.

That’s all to say, we basically live off of beans and lentils. So when I found out that beans and lentils can actually cause tooth decay and are full of antinutrients, it was enough to make me want to abandon a decade of vegetarianism. 

Thankfully I didn’t and that’s what we’re talking about in today’s episode… 

If you’re vegetarian, vegan or plant-based your diet may also be heavily reliant on beans and lentils. But do you know that beans and lentils are actually seeds? Insert the mind blown emoji here.

I had never thought about that before but once I learned about beans and lentils being seeds I also learned that all of the DNA and beneficial nutrients of these seeds are stored inside which is why they are difficult for our systems to digest and is one of the reasons why beans are often associated with gas. 

Further blowing my mind, I learned that there are anti nutrients in the beans and lentils that exist on the outside “shell” so to speak, phytic acid being one of them which can contribute to tooth decay, cavities etc.

Upon first finding out about this, I was pissed. How dare you tell me that a staple ingredient in my diet is bad for my teeth. I was also mad that I had been eating something that wasn’t as nutritious as I thought it to be.

But as you probably suspected, there is a solution.

And it’s sprouting.

In order to remove all of those anti-nutrients and release the really great nutrients from the inside of the bean or lentil, you need to sprout them before cooking.

The solution is simple in theory and gets simpler in practice once you get into a habit. But if you’re one of those people who’s thinking, I still used canned beans and I do not have time to be sprouting dry beans. 

I’m going to offer two suggestions – the first one is the cheaper but more time consuming option: To sprout them yourself. 

Here’s how it works: Buy a bag of dry beans at the grocery store, bring them home, dump them into a pot and fill the pot with filtered water. Leave the beans or lentils soaking in the pot overnight. 

The next morning, pour them into a colander, rinse with filtered water and set the colander over a mixing bowl. Place it on your counter and cover with a plate to keep away dust. Then, few times a day pour a rinse of filtered water over the beans (the mixing bowl will catch the excess) — you can also add a few dashes of apple cider vinegar if you have it. 

As you continue rinsing the beans throughout the day, you’re going to notice the sprouts starting to emerge. For lentils, it usually happens by the night. For pinto or navy beans it takes a bit longer. Black beans are really hard to sprout but you can go through the same soaking process with them.

Once the sprouts emerge, then the beans or lentils are ready to cook. You can see how this takes some advance planning and time. But with so many of us working from home now, it’s much easier to give the beans a rinse whenever you go into the kitchen. You can also sprout in big batches and then freeze the leftovers after you cook them.

As I said, once you get into a habit it’s really easy in practice. I do it once a week for whatever I’m batching cooking whether it’s soup or chili or curry.

If this sounds like too much work and you’re willing to pay extra, you can buy already sprouted lentils and beans at some grocery stores. Dried beans and lentils are very cheap, though, so if you can get in the habit of soaking and rinsing it’s definitely worth it.

This is one of those things that doesn’t seem like a big deal but as we’re all starting to learn more and more that food is medicine, wouldn’t you rather get the most out of what you’re eating? For exact directions on how to soak and sprout beans and lentils, you can go to cleanlivingpodcast.com/beans 

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of The Clean Living Podcast — I’m your host Shannon Lohr. If you learned something from this episode, please share with your favorite vegetarian friend! Here’s to creating a cleaner, more sustainable world for all of us.