Braised Tuscan Kale

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Kale often gets tossed into a healthy-but-boring category, which is a shame. Yes, this rich green leaf cabbage is filled with vitamins and minerals, but it also has endless flavor and potential. The braising here brings out its sweetness while also wilting it to a buttery softness. A perfect pairing for chicken or really any protein.

This recipe yields 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 bundle of Tuscan Kale
  • 1/4 onion, sliced julienne
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 bundle of Tuscan Kale
  • 1/4 onion, sliced julienne
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

Directions

  1. Take the kale off the stem and chop it into bite-sized pieces.

  2. Julienne the onion.

  3. In a skillet over medium heat, sauté the onions in olive oil. Once they are translucent and fragrant, add the Tuscan kale.

  4. Simmer or sauté for about 2 minutes, then season it with salt and pepper. 

  5. At the end, add a tablespoon of red wine vinegar.

 

Shenandoah Chicken Thighs

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There’s a trifecta to our favorite chicken thighs: Crispy skin. Rich juicy flavor. Fall-off-the-bone texture. These marinate in a garlicky balsamic-honey glaze that gives the meat a rich sweet-tangy-umami flavor that is unforgettable. We make these on repeat for parties and weekend family dinners.

This recipe yields 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 chicken thighs
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • ¼ lemon, juiced
  • ½ cup soy sauce
  • ½ cup red wine
  • ½ cup aceto balsamico
  • ⅛ teaspoon of black pepper
  • ¼ cup of honey
  • 4 chicken thighs
  • 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
  • ¼ lemon, juiced
  • 120 grams soy sauce
  • 120 grams red wine
  • 120 grams aceto balsamico
  • ⅛ teaspoon of black pepper
  • 60 grams of honey

Directions

  1. In a large bowl, add soy sauce, red wine, aceto balsamico, garlic, lemon, honey and black pepper. Whisk together until honey has dissolved. Set aside a half cup of the marinade for later.

  2. Add the chicken thighs to the marinade, skin side down, and let it sit for about four to six hours (or overnight).

  3. Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade, and pat them dry.

  4. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit/176 degrees Celcius.

  5. On the stove, heat an oven safe skillet to medium heat and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Sear the chicken thighs in the skillet for about two minutes per side. Next, transfer them to the oven and let them cook for about 30 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit.

  6. In a small pot, add the remaining half cup of marinade and a ¼ cup of aceto balsamic. Let it reduce until it almost caramelizes. Drizzle on top of the chicken and serve. 

 

Tri Colored Quinoa with Golden Beets and Raisins

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This nutrient-rich quinoa starts off in the same way our favorite soups do: with a hearty flavorful broth. The beets steep in the herby liquid, so when they’re done cooking, they’re flavorful jewels to toss into the quinoa. Add to it raisins and fresh cilantro, making for a final dish that is textured and delicious.

This recipe yields 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 cup of tri-colored quinoa
  • 4-5 medium size golden beets
  • 1 cup golden raisins
  • 1/2 bundle of cilantro
  • Lemon, quartered
  • Bay Leaf
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt and pepper
  • 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 200 grams of tri-colored Quinoa
  • 4-5 medium size Golden Beets
  • 200 grams Golden Raisins
  • 1/2 bundle of Cilantro
  • Lemon, quartered
  • Bay Leaf
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt and pepper
  • 1 teaspoon coconut sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Directions

  1. Cook beets in a broth made of water, quartered lemons, bay leaf, cayenne, salt, ground black pepper, coconut sugar and apple cider vinegar, approximately 45 minutes.

  2. Remove from water and cool. Save ¼ cup of broth. Once cooled, peel the beets and dice into bite-size pieces.

  3. Rinse quinoa in a mesh strainer  under cold, running water until the water runs clear (less than a minute).

  4. Cook quinoa according to package or appliance (such as rice cooker) instructions, ensuring all water is absorbed. Quinoa to water ratio is 1:2.

  5. Add beets, golden raisins, finely diced cilantro and beet broth to quinoa. Fold together and serve with a drizzle of good olive oil.

TIPS

**Keep beet broth for pickling, marinating or to use in vinaigrettes.

**If there’s time, soak quinoa overnight for easier digestion.

 

This Annual Natural Products Expo Compels Us Every Year. Still, Were Surprised at What We Found and Learned This Year

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Of all our efforts to reveal the health hazards in our food system, our most recent eye-opening education came from an unexpected place: Natural Products Expo West. 

If you’re not familiar, Expo West is an annual gathering in Anaheim, California that attracts manufacturers, distributors, practitioners, media, and educators in the business of natural and organic lifestyle products. (There’s also a yearly sister event, ‘Expo East’ that happens in Philadelphia.) A giant exhibition, it’s a rush of discovery and connection. Brands from all over come to tout their health-focused foods, vitamins, and personal care items. They wax poetic about innovations in the industry, from newly revealed super ingredients or sustainable ways to package. 

In many ways, Expo West is a place we tap into our energy. So many people here are our people—those who’ve built smaller brands dedicated to providing a clean, just, equitable way to provide better, more wholesome products. But in truth, there’s still a lot that lives between the lines here. This crush of creators, marketers, and information—as exciting as it all is—demanded our most discerning hats. The following are some of the biggest things we learned this year.

#1: Small Brands Have It Hard

As Nichole and Adrienne walked the aisles, they talked to many smaller food brands. Some brands were more established, others new to the industry. The drive fueling these companies was infectious: Their goal was to create high-quality, healthy food products for the masses. Yet they all faced a challenge: How to grow in a sea of corporate food giants without compromising their values. 

The consensus among these brands is that it’s hard to keep up in a market dominated by giant companies that put profits over health. This shows us mostly in ingredients. Let’s say a small brand starts by using a high-quality natural alternative to sugar, such as dates. They market this choice as a healthier option, which it is. But dates are expensive, and when a company needs to scale beyond a niche audience, they may choose to nix the dates for less costly sugar. This is especially true if a brand wants to get shelf space in a mass-market grocery store. 

So what gives? We don’t have the answer here. In many ways, we’d rather see a brand make some concessions if it’s still providing a better alternative to the conventional mass-produced options. On the other hand, it’s unfortunate how steep a hill many values-aligned food brands must climb. 

#2: We Need to Continue to Read Our Ingredients

Let’s stay on the topic of small brands scaling. We were thrilled to see so many boutique companies striving to reach a broader audience, whether this means selling to larger markets or scaling their manufacturing to meet demands. But as we’ve mentioned, many end up altering their ingredients to keep up. This may mean swapping one ingredient for a less expensive one. But it also includes incorporating additives that bolster a product’s shelf life or enrich its consistency. For instance, we saw brands incorporating guar gum for shelf stabilization when they didn’t include this ingredient last year. (We also found loads of sugar and erythritol in certain products.) This is part of the business cycle, as these brands need to grow and reach a broader market. 

The onus is on us to keep learning and reading our ingredients. Our takeaway: Never take a product’s ingredient list for granted. One brand may start with a limited and clean ingredients list when selling at a farmer’s market, but once they reach a broader consumer base, they start to weave in things that may or may not be healthy. We must stay educated and know our ingredients.  It’s a hard truth: Most food companies don't exist for our health. They exist to sell their product. So keep picking up and turning over every product.


#4: Every Choice—Big or Small—Matters

It can be overwhelming to always stay positive and joyful in the face of wellness. (Note: We’ll be exploring this topic in an upcoming feature!) At PrimaFoodie, we lean into clean, healthy food every day, and still, we recognize how it can be a slog at times. Especially when a supposed clean brand starts including subpar ingredients. What? Does this bar have erythritol in it? But here’s what we want to say: Small decisions matter. Tiny steps make a difference. For instance, it may be impossible to completely rid packaged foods from your diet right now. But by swapping out conventional crackers for ones made by a smaller brand that uses cleaner ingredients, you’re choosing your health that you can build on. You’re also supporting the companies who are fighting the good fight in a giant and still corrupt food system.

This sentiment underscores why we love to offer you recipes. Starting by cooking one more meal at home than you usually do can lead to a giant difference. This creates momentum for more healthy decisions. 

We call these the small wins—and they’re one of the best things we can do for our health, hands down.  

This Author and Clean Foods Advocate Has Some of the Most Important—and Refreshing—Food Advice We’ve Heard

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At the start of her career, Haley Scheich worked for Pfizer. This sentence might not seem radical, but once you learn how committed to seeing food as medicine Scheich is today, you can see the value mismatch between her and the pharmaceutical giant. Still, the experience taught her about pharmacology, biochemistry, “and how the body works and different disease states,” she tells our founder, Nichole. It was, in a word, eye-opening. 

Even more eye-opening was the education Scheich received after she left her Pfizer job. When a friend suggested she join her in a yoga class, Scheich was reticent but curious. By the end of the class, she was transformed. “It was really through the practice of yoga that I became more aware of my body and understood the power of food, as it related to what I ate and what I didn't eat,” she says. Yoga sparked a newfound understanding of what made her feel good and what made her feel sluggish, foggy, and tired. She started reading books on alternative nutrition, like Grain Brain by Dr. David Perlmutter, and ridding gluten and dairy from her life. “I felt like a new person,” she says. “And so, of course, then I was all in and just read every book that I could get my hands on.”

In her words, Scheich was starting to see how food can be medicine. Rather than taking a pill to fix an issue, a theme surrounding her early-career work, she saw food as a way to unlock the body’s power. She’s since turned into a passionate advocate for whole foods, most recently making her wisdom palatable for young readers in her children's book, My SuperHero Foods. Coauthored with Dr. Tarek Pacha, this book is a fun, uplifting read that helps little ones understand what they put into their bodies matters. And it all stems from how Scheich got her own children to eat better. “ I would share the power of that whole food that they were eating. For example, avocados. They're full of monounsaturated fat, which just gives us this incredible energy. If we want to go out and jump rope and jump higher, let's eat avocado because it's going to give us that power!” 

But all this is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to Scheich’s deep (and infectious) knowledge about food, our food system, and getting our little—and all loved ones—to eat better. Luckily, we got to learn so much from Scheich on ‘The PrimaFoodie Podcast’—including the following three pieces of food wisdom we all must know.

#1: The FDA Doesn’t Have Our Backs

Much to our dismay, this still is true. So we must look out for ourselves. People may think “this fruit punch drink with the bright blue has vitamin C and antioxidants in it [...] must be healthy,” says Scheich. “Or the FDA allows it to be in the grocery store, so it has to be healthy.” But that isn’t the case. Dig deeper and you’ll find these ingredients are not only unhealthy but harmful. Scheich’s advice: “Question everything.” 

And dig into the ingredients. 

#2: Changing How You Eat Will Change Your Life

Scheich stands by this—because it did for her. “Once you see the changes, by learning for yourself, this food works for me, this food doesn't work for me, it’s incredible,” she says. You can start small, and it may take time. For starters, Scheich says “the less processed that you get, the better off you are.” Ridding your days of ultra-processed packaged foods is a strong start. 

#3: See Food as “Your Best Friend”

Scheich’s view on this is a radically empowering way to look at what we eat. Clean, whole, nutrient-dense food really is akin to a great friend, coach, and ally. It will work for you, not against you. It will improve your cognition, motor skills, and health, thus making life better. So when healthy eating gets tough, use this as a motivator. 

Even more so, Scheich suggests using this approach when trying to encourage better food in schools. By saying to the teachers, you’re “doing great work and we're very appreciative of the work you do—and food can supplement. It can be like your best friend to your classroom, because kids on a bunch of sugar, versus kids not on a bunch of sugar—it's totally different.”


To learn more from Haley Scheich, listen to The PrimaFoodie Podcast and visit mysuperherofoods.com. 

The PrimaFoodie Guide to Olive Oil

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Olive oil is one of the most popular kitchen staples. “In most of our pantries is a bottle of olive oil, “says Alison Carroll, founder of the California-based olive oil company Wonder Valley. Still, like so many staples, this golden liquid is a mystery. We might douse it on our salads and in our pans, but how much do we know about where it comes from and—most importantly—how to spot a high-quality one? Here, we break it all down.

Olive Oil 101

Olive oil is the bright, often golden, sometimes green liquid that comes from pressing the olive fruit. It’s deemed oil and used and treated as such, but olive oil is technically a fruit juice. Used for centuries as a means of cooking, dressing, and adding depth and flavor to dishes (some historical records date its use to 2000 BC), olive oil is beloved for its fruity taste and abundant healthy unsaturated fats.

What are the different types of olive oil?

Extra virgin, light, cold-pressed—there are various types or “grades” of olive oil. Mostly, these modifiers are linked to when the olives are harvested and how the juice is extracted and handled. But there’s so much more here, including incredible flavor, smell, and feel. 

A quick note on acid: Olives naturally have fatty acids. One of the main types is called oleic acid, which makes up the majority (70 to 80 percent) of olive oil. A true extra virgin olive oil has a lower acidity than other olive oils, generally below 2 percent.

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

The gold standard for olive oil, extra virgin is touted as the tastiest, purest form. When oil is deemed extra virgin, it means it’s the first pressing from the olives (sometimes olives are pressed several times to extract the most juice), and the juice has been extracted using a cold-pressed method—a chemical and heat-free process. Once extracted, the juice is then kept pure, and never heated, pasteurized, or refined. Extra virgin olive oil is usually the fruitiest, most peppery olive oil with the lowest natural acidity. A true high-quality olive oil has no defects, such as poor taste or “fustiness,” fermentation that happens from a lack of oxygen.

*PrimaNote: Extra virgin olive oil is the only type we choose. Still, quality can vary when it comes to extra virgin olive oil. That’s because there are no regulated standards for stating an oil is such. As Carroll says, lab analysis and a professional taste panel determine quality. “And because of this subjective science, many oils can unjustly label a defective/ lower quality oil as extra virgin.” 

Olio Nuevo

This is a type of extra virgin olive oil that comes from the very first olive harvest of the year. These olives are super young and green, giving olio nuevo varieties a bright green color and a strong peppery taste. This is touted to have the highest levels of nutrients, including polyphenols.

Virgin olive Oil

Virgin olive oil is still supposed to be high quality from the first pressing of an olive. It’s also unrefined. The difference from an extra virgin is that a virgin oil often has some defects.  

Light Olive Oil

This is oil that’s been refined and treated to rid any impurities. Usually from a second or third extraction, it lacks in color and taste, and even in nutrients. The “light” here can be misleading because olive oil is fat, so it can’t be light, in any sense. While some may like this variety because of its lighter taste, we recommend opting for another neutral oil if that’s the case. (Simply put, we avoid this type of olive oil at all costs.)

Pure Olive Oil

In theory, all olive oils should be pure, so this word is a red flag. Essentially, pure or light olive oils are refined options that are a blend of various types, such as virgin and refined. 

Shopping for Olive Oil: What to Look For

Now that we’ve outlined the different types, we’re going to strictly refer to extra virgin olive oil from here on out.

Finding a great, high-quality, real extra virgin olive oil can be hard. Countless companies claim to offer a true option when they’re mislabeling, mixing, or offering stale or fake oils. Here’s what to look out for to make sure you grab a stellar bottle:

Harvest Date

A harvest date is one of the most critical things to look for—NOT an expiration date, which can mean nothing. A harvest date tells you when the olives were crushed. And given that olive oil doesn’t have a long shelf life—a great oil should be consumed within a year, ideally six months—it’s best to aim for the freshest oil possible. 

For context, here’s what Alison Carroll has to say: “The harvest date is the most essential component on the bottle. Expiration dates can be arbitrary and overgenerous. When you see a harvest date, what you are buying is something that is freshly pressed and doesn’t have a long shelf life.”

Sustainable Packaging

Aim for oil that’s packaged in a sustainable material like aluminum, stainless steel, or dark glass. Each of these blocks UV rays, which can break down the oil, and don’t leach chemicals into the juice. 

A List of the Types of Olive Varieties

If a company is offering a high-quality oil, they’ll spell out the olive varietals that have been pressed—i.e. if they’re olives from Italy, Spain, Portugal, California, or elsewhere. This level of transparency usually means the company cares. 

But let’s dig deeper: We encourage skepticism over inexpensive oils labeled “Product of Greece” for instance without listing the varietals. It can be quite likely that the olives weren’t grown or pressed in that country, but rather they were just bottled in that country. This is a tactic many companies use to buy cheap oil from around the world, blend them, then call them a “Product of Greece” when they’re a product of several countries, and of poor quality. As Carroll says, “Read the fine print on the label. The front label could say, for example, ‘Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Tuscany’ but on the back label you see ‘product of Tunisia, Italy, Spain, Greece.’ This is common for cheap olive oils.”

In general, aim to buy olive oil that derives all from one place.

How to store your olive oil

This is key: Place your oil away from heat and light (even when it’s packaged in a proper container). And use it up! We love what Carroll says about using high-quality olive oil: Enjoy it! Experience it! “A lot of our context with olive oil is that it’s this ubiquitous condiment and usually next to vinegar (which ages wonderfully),” she says. “Don’t be precious with it and let it sit and collect dust. Store it away from direct heat or sunlight, not next to a sunny window or stove. A pantry is great.”

A Few PrimaFavorite Extra Virgin Olive Oil Companies
These are some oils derived from a single source and produced by companies who care. 

McEvoy Ranch
Wonder Valley
Brightland
Nuvo Olive Oil
Fat Gold
Kosterina Everyday Olive Oil 

Curious to learn more about cooking with olive oil? Check out our Guide to Cooking with Oils and Fats. 

Exploring the Purity and Allure of Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Alison Carroll

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By Stacey Lindsay

One look at Wonder Valley, the naturalist collection of pure extra virgin olive oils and olive oil products, and you’d think its founder was obsessed with the gold liquid for their entire life. 

In truth, Alison Carroll began looking closely at olive oil and its nuances when she started working at the California Olive Oil Council. “It was like discovering gold hiding in plain sight,” she tells us of what she learned. “I am someone who buys most of their produce at the farmers market, grew up working on farms, loves to forage, and has apprenticed in kitchens —but I never really gave much thought to olive oil.”

Once she started to dig in, learning about the notes, freshness, cultivation, and industry, Carroll fell deeper in love with olive oil. So much so that in 2014 she and her husband, Jay, launched Wonder Valley in Joshua Tree, California. The collection, which includes freshly harvested extra virgin olive oil from California and olive oil-based skin care products, is as aesthetically stunning as it is pure. Bottles that exude the bohemian allure of the high desert hold extra virgin olive oil, which is cold-pressed unrefined olive oil of the highest grade, that is fresh, buttery, and rich in polyphenols. 

This is a bold mission, given how the olive oil industry is filled with companies claiming to offer a pure extra virgin product when they’re bottling stale, mixed, or even fraudulent oils. To this end, Carroll and her husband dedicate much of their energy to education around transparency, freshness, and all-around great oil. 

We asked Carroll to fill us in on what to look out for when sourcing an extra virgin olive oil. She offers her expert insight, as well as why driving her own business for nearly the past decade has given her such purpose. “It feels like being in the California wine industry back in the 60s as it's just starting to take off,” she says. “I feel lucky to be involved at such an exciting time and to contribute to growing the awareness of California’s incredible olive oil industry.” 


A Conversation with Alison Carroll of Wonder Valley

There are countless olive oil companies out there claiming to sell great extra virgin olive oil when they’re actually not. What concerns you in the olive oil industry that you’d like people to be aware of? 

The process of certifying olive oil as extra grade is a rather complicated one. The first step is lab analysis, which is a straightforward process that will confirm things like the polyphenol count —which will tell us that it is, in fact, a freshly pressed, not old olive oil. Lab analysis also reveals any fraudulent oils that might be cut with seed oils or older virgin-grade oils. But it can miss a lot of the more nuanced defects that disqualify an oil from extra virgin grade—defects that only a trained professional olive oil panel can notice. 

My former role was to oversee the taste panel for the California Olive Oil Council, the only one of its kind in North America. This organization was formed to put transparency on an unregulated industry and give meaning to the term ‘extra virgin’. There are counterpart panels throughout the world with the same task of sniffing and tasting any potential defects in the olive oils of their region. While the COOC’s panel does evaluate the majority of olive oils made in California (which really represents all domestic production), there is no requirement to submit your oil. The complications are that the evaluation is a human process, that it needs to happen annually with each harvest, that it's a voluntary process for producers, and that the number of trained olive oil tasters is eclipsed by the volume of olive oil out there and does not include imported oils.

If someone were to start investigating high-quality, pure olive oil, what are some things to watch out for? 

Keep in mind that olive oil is a fruit juice, and unlike wine, it doesn’t age well. Olive oil’s enemies are light, time, and heat. Oxidation (the defect is called rancidity) is a very common issue for olive oil and even the best extra virgin grade oil will eventually turn rancid with time. This is why a harvest date is essential, so you know when it was made. Read the fine print on the label. The front label could say, for example, ‘Extra Virgin Olive Oil from Tuscany’ but on the back label you see ‘product of Tunisia, Italy, Spain, Greece.’ This is common for cheap olive oils. What this tells us is that it’s impossible to know really when this olive oil was made or to have transparency on the process of growing or production. 

Alison Carroll with an olive oil harvest.

Glass or metal is best for storing, not plastic, which will make the oil more vulnerable to extreme temperatures. Dark glass will help with UV protection and extend the shelf life. 

If you’re taking the time and care to invest in high-quality extra virgin olive oil enjoy it! A lot of our context with olive oil is that it’s this ubiquitous condiment and usually next to vinegar (which ages wonderfully). Don’t be precious with it and let it sit and collect dust. Store it away from direct heat or sunlight, not next to a sunny window or stove. A pantry is great. 

Remember to use it up, cook with it—and savor it.

Why is a harvest date more important than an expiration date?

The harvest date is the most essential component on the bottle. Expiration dates can be arbitrary and overgenerous. When you see a harvest date, what you are buying is something that is freshly pressed and doesn’t have a long shelf life. 

For your company, Wonder Valley, you pick your olives “under-ripe”? What benefits does this offer?

All olives start a pale green then mature to purple hues and then when fully ripe turn a deep black. It’s an easier process to harvest overripe olives. Think about any time you’ve picked fruit: it’s harder to pull that blueberry off the bush when it's green. Also, harvesting fruit that’s overly ripe and juicy gives a bigger yield. But harvesting olives on the greener side gives us an oil with a higher concentration of polyphenols, a longer shelf life, and a very bright and robust flavor that—to me—stands out. You can notice the olive oil in a dish. 

What do you love most about olive oil?

I love that olive oil is both elemental and a common denominator. In most of our pantries is a bottle of olive oil. Even with the widespread food allergies and dietary preferences, olive oil is still something we all use, perhaps daily. And a very good olive oil can make something simple like a salad extraordinary.

Alison Carroll in the California desert.

To learn more about Wonder Valley and pure extra virgin olive oil, visit welcometowondervalley.com.




Sea Salt + Nutmeg Mashed Potatoes

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There’s a world of difference between good mashed potatoes and great ones. These are in the latter camp, thanks to the hint of nutmeg which elevates the earthy flavor of the root vegetable. Coconut yogurt lends a creaminess, making these a heart side for most any protein.

This recipe yields 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 1/2 pounds of yukon gold potatoes
  • ¾ cup coconut yogurt
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 1000 grams of Yukon Gold Potatoes
  • 200 grams coconut yogurt
  • ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Boil potatoes in salted water until soft.

  2. Strain potatoes, add coconut yogurt, salt and nutmeg. 

  3. Mash until smooth.

TIPS

**For those who eat dairy substitute coconut yogurt with ½ cup buttermilk and ¼ cup sour cream 

 

Honey Carrots

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There’s an almost magical quality to carrots in that they complement endless spices and proteins. Here we sauté them in olive oil and honey to bring out notes of caramel-y goodness.

This recipe yields 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

  • 4-5 medium rainbow carrots
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt & black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 800 grams of rainbow carrots
  • 50 grams of Honey
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt & black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Directions

  1. Cut carrots into quarters, lengthwise.

  2. In a sauté pan heat up olive oil to sauté the carrots, seasoning with salt and fresh ground pepper. 

  3. Add honey and caramelize for about 4 minutes, then add red wine vinegar and set aside until ready to serve.


 

Golden Raisin Chutney

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Chutney, a jam-like spread that originated in India, is known for both its ability to add flavor and interest to a dish. This version is made with sweet and savory components—golden raisins and shallots—that marry to make a spread that is bright and fruity with a touch of acid. Plus, the jalapeno leaves a hint of heat on the palette.

This recipe yields 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 1 cup of golden raisins, chopped
  • 1 sprig of Thyme, finely chopped
  • 3 tablespoons of apricot jam*
  • ½ jalapeño, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ghee
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 200 grams of golden raisins, chopped
  • 1 sprig of thyme, finely chopped
  • 100 grams of apricot jam*
  • ½ jalapeño, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon ghee

Directions

  1. Sauté fine diced shallots and jalapeños in butter until translucent. Add apricot jam and chopped golden raisins. Continue cooking for another 5 minutes.

  2. Season with lime juice, fresh black pepper and a hint of fresh thyme.

TIPS

*Try to use an apricot jam that is made without added sugar.

 

Golden Trout with Raisin Chutney

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Trout doesn’t always get the culinary attention it deserves, which is a shame. You can’t beat the clean flavor and perfect texture of this freshwater fish, which is an ideal vehicle for most any spice or flavor combination. Here we pair the trout with a vibrant, sweet raisin salsa. When sourcing your trout, choose wild and not farm-raised.  

This recipe yields 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 boneless, skinless, filet of trout
  • 1 tablespoon of ghee
  • Pinch of ground cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ lime, juiced
  • 4 boneless, skinless, filet of trout
  • 1 tablespoon of ghee
  • Pinch of ground cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ lime, juiced

Directions

  1. Heat up a sauté pan with olive oil for fish.

  2. Sauté fish for 1 minute on each side. Season with salt, pepper and a touch of cayenne pepper powder. 

  3. Add a tablespoon of ghee and sprinkle with a little lime juice. 

  4. Transfer fish to a sheet pan and top with raisin salsa. 

  5. Put in the oven at 300 degrees for approximately 5 minutes.

  6. Serve with mashed potatoes and honey carrots.

 

PrimaFoodie Ingredient Spotlight: MSG

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PrimaFoodie Ingredient Spotlight: MSG
Additives in food are as ubiquitous as they are nebulous. In our PrimaFoodie Ingredients Spotlight, we investigate common food additives to discover their origin, use, and purpose. Because just because something is edible doesn’t mean it’s healthy—or necessary.

What Is MSG?
Monosodium glutamate, commonly referred to as MSG, is a food-grade salt compound derived from glutamic acid in seaweed and various vegetables. Glutamic acid is a ubiquitous naturally occurring non-essential amino acid found in most living things, from animals to plant life to humans. The food-grade MSG used today is primarily extracted from corn, beets, molasses, and sugar cane.

How is MSG used?
MSG is a flavor enhancer that adds richness and depth to foods often referred to as umami, the fifth taste. For more than a century it’s been a go-to additive used by chefs, companies, home cooks, and more.

MSG is commonly associated with take-out Asian foods, but the truth is that it’s added to a host of conventionally prepared, processed, and packaged foods—and you’d likely never suspect it. These include:

  • Salad dressings

  • Condiments, such as ketchup and mustard

  • Marinades and seasonings

  • Spices

  • Fast food

  • Restaurant foods, specifically from mass-chains

  • Packaged soups

  • Frozen meals

  • Instant noodles 

Editor’s note: While MSG is naturally found in many foods, most notably certain cheeses and savory vegetables, like tomatoes, here we’re referring to the human-created flavor enhancer.

When was MSG discovered?
In the early 20th century, Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda discovered that a certain kelp added a savory richness to his kelp soup. As he dug deeper he learned that the glutamic acid in the kelp naturally carried this ability to bring out a food’s unique depths. Ikeda eventually found a way to extract and package the monosodium glutamate. Since then, it has taken off commercially.

Is MSG bad for your health?
In the century-plus since MSG has been in existence, people have been eating it generously. The FDA deems it “GRAS”, which translates to “generally recognized as safe” for consumption—which is nebulous terminology that doesn’t necessarily deem if something is, in fact, safe for our health. (Note: Food substances recognized as GRAS do not go through the same reviews as foods labeled as FDA-approved.) The FDA does require MSG to be included in ingredient lists.

Okay, so MSG is legal. But is it bad for your health? That’s a heated debate. Around the 1960s a heated campaign against MSG infused media headlines, pointing fingers at Asian restaurants for infusing foods with the vilified ingredients. This inspired advocates of the flavor enhancer to speak out in favor of it. Many believe since it’s a natural-occurring substance it poses no threat to humans. MSG advocacy groups have sprouted, as have studies that show no link to health concerns. 

Then there’s the other school, which believes MSG to be a toxic additive that poses health concerns. One study found MSG to potentially cause nerve and brain damage in laboratory animals. Others have found it to be the culprit of a host of reactions, including sweating, chest pain, headaches, and numbness. Researchers in the medical field have referred to these reactions as MSG System Complex. 

The PrimaFoodie take on MSG.
Simply put, MSG is an additive, and like any additive, it causes us to pause. The two biggest factors behind our stance are the fact that it’s a processed additive, and it’s everywhere, which means it can have a cumulative effect. 

MSG is a naturally-occurring substance in its organic form, but when it’s extracted from a source and turned into an additive, it’s processed in some way. And while it’s impossible to totally avoid processed foods these days, we aim to limit them as much as possible. Add to this that MSG is found in many foods, so while it may be technically fine to consume in small to moderate doses, what happens when we eat it consistently all the time? It compounds in our systems. 

We’re also concerned by the limited research around MSG. The FDA may state it to be “generally safe,” but this gives us zero confidence that it’s truly okay to eat. 

For this reason, we avoid MSG at all costs. We suggest reading labels and asking the brands or companies if they include it, and why. There are plenty of foods naturally rich in umami flavor—so why opt for a manipulated version?

This is the question to ask. 

Curious to learn more about what’s in your food? Check out our other Ingredient Spotlights.

Chile Is Touting the Food and Wellness Advice We All Need to Hear

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One of the most critical facts about our health is that it’s a communal affair. We each need to make individual efforts to eat well and take care of ourselves, but our solo choices around the foods we consume and the products we support impacts those around us. What and how we eat has a domino effect. 

We were thrilled to see this truth underscoring Chile’s new Dietary Guidelines. The South American nation rewrote its health and food suggestions for its citizens—the first update it’s made since 2013—to include accessible tips to complement people’s habits and lifestyles, and to consider the wellbeing of the planet. It’s all-encompassing, and it’s exactly what we need here in the US. 

As Chilean doctor and Minister of Health Ximena Aguilera says, the guidelines reflect the collaboration of doctors, governmental officials, suppliers, and producers. It highlights the importance of “sharing the table, hygiene in food, sharing kitchen tasks and protecting the planet—because with our eating habits, consuming seasonal, fresh food and avoiding waste, we also help the health of the planet.”

What’s even more inspiring, is how tangible the report actually is. Our guidelines in the US span a whopping 164 pages. But Chile created succinct, easy-to-follow 20-minute videos to break down the main components. As Nichole points out, “they actually want its citizens to watch and understand.”

Below are our three biggest takeaways from the new Dietary Guidelines for Chile—all of which we’re determined to advocate for in the US:

#1: The guidelines are accessible.
The new Food Guidelines for Chile present 10 suggestions for people to incorporate into their routines, offering citizens concise and actionable ways to eat. A few of these include:

  • Consume fresh, seasonal food from fairs and established markets over processed food. (This is groundbreaking, as the US never warns against processed foods because of a fear of lobby groups.)

  • Add color and flavor by choosing more fruits and vegetables.

  • Consume legumes in stews and salads as often as possible.

  • Avoid ultra-processed products and with "HIGH IN" stamps.

  • Drink water—not juice—throughout the day.

One note: Chile does include the suggestions to “consume dairy at all stages of life” and to “increase the consumption of fish, shellfish, or algae from authorized sources,” both of which give us pause and make us wonder if there are ulterior industry objectives behind these.

#2: Community plays an important role in our wellness
Food is more than sustenance. It’s also a means to be with others and to enjoy the present. We applaud Chile’s following actions that speak to this:

  • Share kitchen tasks and look to cook new and traditional meals.

  • Enjoy your food at the table and eat with others, when possible, without phones or other distractions.

  • Respect food cultures and appreciate the importance of making food at home.

#3: Chile considers social, biological, and environmental concerns
While the overarching goal of the guidelines is to better the wellbeing of its citizens, a subsequent benefit is that it aims to “empower sustainable food systems.” Eve Crowley, a representative with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization in Chile, says the scope of the new guidelines go beyond nutrition to include facts that reflect the entire food system, from the health of fisheries and farms to how we manage food waste. “For us, it follows the state of the art of dietary guidelines very well,” Crowley adds. “It is something very accessible to the public.”

Here at PrimaFoodie, we applaud Chile. Echoing Marion Nestle, these new standards certainly have “much to teach us.” Now it’s up to us to advocate for this on our own soil. 

 

 

 

 

Our Food future: 3 facts we all need to know

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Parker Brook took a huge leap—and we applaud him for it. The former food executive spent more than a decade as a brand manager for various giant food labels before he left to start his cereal company, Lovebird. As he tells Nicole in our premiere episode of ‘The PrimaFoodie Podcast,’ he could not get behind what many food companies were doing to turn a profit, which included using low-quality ingredients to make food faster and cheaper. “Now my journey is really focused on Lovebird and how to clean up all that stuff and provide better options for people,” he says. 

The following three takeaways from his conversation with Nichole are information we all need to make smart decisions for our health and to fight for a better food system. 

And if you haven’t yet, be sure to listen to ‘The PrimaFoodie Podcast’ here.

#1: Most conventional corporate food companies do not have our backs.
We need food to survive. Yet so much of the food marketed to us is laden with sugars and made with low-quality ingredients. As Brook says of many corporate package food companies, “their primary objective is to maximize shareholder value, not your health.” To do this, companies will cut costs in every way they can. “I just couldn't sit in another meeting and be like, ‘We need mermaid yogurt, so kids can eat our yogurt that has 19 grams of added sugar in it,’” he adds. 

#2: It’s critical to be wary of what goes into packaged foods.
Food marketing is cryptic and often dangerous. A company can market something as better for our health, but a closer look proves the opposite. Brook uses the example of the low-fat foods that came into popularity in the late 80s. “If you look at what they had in them, there was a ton of sugar and oils, canola oils, and things like that. They use sucralose, which is a non-caloric sweetener, artificial aspartame […].” Brook’s statement underscores the need to read package food labels. “There are certain things and ingredients you should just avoid because there's really no nutritional benefit to them,” he says. 

#3: We hold the power for our food future.
Brook is running a food company, but his mission is way bigger. He wants to “elevate cleaning eating and clean ingredients” and to educate people about how to read ingredient labels and what to watch out for—" because as soon as you stop buying something, they will stop making it. That's a fact.” His rallying cry to know what’s on our plates, support transparency, and vote with our dollars is empowering to hear. “Each one of us has the power to really decide what our food future is,” he says. I'm trying to do it by making a product to give you an option, instead. Hopefully, I invite competitors and other people to follow.” 

The PrimaFoodie Podcast

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Since early 2022, we’ve invited you to join us in a movement to change the way we eat for the better. As a loyal community, we are in joint advocacy for an equitable and transparent food system and accessibility to clean foods for all—and this begins in conversation, at home, and in community.

Therefore, we are so excited to launch our new venture, The PrimaFoodie Podcast.

More than a year in the making, The PrimaFoodie Podcast is a raw, fun, and unfiltered series concentrating on what and how we eat, and the ways we can collectively improve our food system and well-being. Hosted by our founder, Nichole, the series features loud, talented voices in science, agriculture, nutrition, integrative health, and other fields.

In each episode, Nichole and her guest pull back the curtain on the nutrition, health, and food wisdom that is still hard to come by yet deserved by all to know. Their talks break barriers. They also may make some mad (hint: the FDA). There’s no holding back here. Because we believe the way we can create the change we need is to shout the truth as loud as we can. As Nichole says, “We can’t wait for the next generation. The time is now.”

Change starts with honest words. Talking openly was the impetus for PrimaFoodie. Sharing ideas, spreading knowledge, and supporting small makers by word-of-mouth are what drives us and a better world.

We hope you join in this conversation with an open heart and mind. Let’s always keep talking.

Click over to our PrimaFoodie Podcast and you can directly subscribe from there.
**copy and paste the URL from the address bar into the podcast app of your choice.

Editor’s Note: The PrimaFoodie Podcast is for inspirational and informational purposes only. We feature the insight of medical physicians and health care and wellness practitioners, but this is in no way intended to be a substitute for any professional diagnosis or medical advice. All views the interview subjects express in this podcast are their own.

 

 

Gingerbread Cupcakes

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We call these cupcakes but they’re just as suited for the label muffin. Excellent for dessert or served with ghee and a hot cup of coffee in the morning, these baked treats showcase the best warming spices of the season. 

This recipe yields 12 cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

  • 2 ½ cups almond flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
  • ⅓ cup molasses
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • ⅓ cup coconut oil
  • 212 grams almond flour
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon ground ginger
  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
  • 113 grams molasses
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 eggs
  • ½ lemon, juiced
  • 113 grams coconut oil

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees fahrenheit. 

  2. In a large bowl mix together all the dry ingredients.

  3. In a separate bowl, mix together all the wet ingredients. 

  4. Slowly incorporate dry ingredients into the wet ingredients either with a whisk or a spatula. 

  5. Line a cupcake tin with cupcake papers. Fill ¾ of the way to the top. 

  6. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 

  7. Serve plain or with your frosting or glaze.

 

Holiday Breakfast Casserole

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This is one of those recipes that requires a minimal amount of prep work and the rest takes care of itself. Filled with nutrient-rich spinach, sweet potatoes, and Brussels sprouts, the finished casserole is fluffy and decadent, perfect for a holiday breakfast. And while it’s delicious served hot straight from the oven, we leave ours out so people can help themselves to seconds and thirds well into the morning.

This recipe yields 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

  • 1 package of bacon
  • 2 sweet potatoes, cut into rounds
  • 3 cups brussels sprouts, quartered
  • 1 cup spinach
  • 20 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 12 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons purified water
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil, divided
  • 1 package of bacon
  • 2 sweet potatoes, cut into rounds
  • 3 cups brussels sprouts, quartered
  • 1 cup spinach
  • 20 cherry tomatoes, halved
  • 1 yellow onion
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 12 eggs
  • 3 tablespoons purified water
  • 2 teaspoons sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil, divided

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees fahrenheit. Toss sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts in coconut oil and sprinkle them with sea salt. Roast in the oven for about 30 minutes or until tender with a fork. 

  2. Chop bacon into bits and cook in a skillet until crispy. Remove from the skillet and set aside, leaving the bacon fat in the skillet. Add onion and garlic to bacon fat and cook until caramelized.

  3. Add spinach to the skillet. Cook until just wilted.

  4. Whisk eggs and water in a bowl.

  5. In a glass baking dish, add a bottom layer of sweet potatoes. Follow with a layer of brussel sprouts, then the onion, garlic, and spinach mixture. Pour egg mixture over top. Top with slices of tomato.

  6. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

     

 

New Year’s Pork and Sauerkraut

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Pork and Sauerkraut is a longstanding New Year’s Day tradition meant to bring good luck into the coming months. But it’s also one of our favorite meals for all its savory, zesty, and slightly sweet components. When you get good-quality, organic pork it marries perfectly with the creaminess of the red potatoes and bright acidity of the sauerkraut. Each bite is layered and satisfying.

This recipe yields 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

  • 4 lbs pork loin
  • 2 lbs sauerkraut
  • 10 red potatoes, halved
  • 2 onions, quartered
  • 4 apples, quartered
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 lbs pork loin
  • 2 lbs sauerkraut
  • 10 red potatoes, halved
  • 2 onions, quartered
  • 4 apples, quartered
  • 1 tablespoon sea salt
  • 2 teaspoons pepper
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

  2. Season pork loin with salt and pepper. 

  3. Add olive oil to a large heavy bottom pan over high heat. Sear pork loin on all sides to lock in the juices.

  4. Once browned, remove pork from the pan and turn off the heat.

  5. Add potatoes, apples, and onions to the pan. 

  6. Place the seared pork loin on top, then cover the whole pot with sauerkraut. 

  7. Cook in the oven for 2 hours at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Tips

**Be sure to use pork loin (not tenderloin) for this recipe. Bone-in country-style pork ribs also work well. 

**If making a large batch, create layers so the pork sits between potatoes, apples, onions  and sauerkraut. Sauerkraut should always be the top layer.

**It is not necessary to drain the sauerkraut. That extra juice will help keep the pork from drying out. 

 

PrimaFoodie Ingredient Spotlight: Carrageenan

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Additives in food are as ubiquitous as they are nebulous. In our PrimaFoodie Ingredients Spotlight, we investigate common food additives to discover their origin, use, and purpose. Because just because something is edible doesn’t mean it’s healthy—or necessary.

What is Carrageenan?

Carrageenan is a gelatinous polysaccharide (a long-chain carbohydrate) from the Irish Moss seaweed, which is a red seaweed plant native to the British Isles. Approximately 50 percent of Irish Moss is made of Carrageenan.

There are two types of Carrageenan: food-grade and degraded. 


What is the purpose of Carrageenan?

From ice cream to nut milk, carrageenan has long been used in foods as a gelling and thickening agent. Carrageenan is also a popular vegan alternative to gelatin, as well as a common additive to personal care items, medications, supplements, and cosmetics. 

Where is Carrageenan found?

Because of its jelly-like texture, carrageen provides cohesiveness, viscosity, and/or thickness to certain formulas and foods. It’s a common additive found in the following items:

  • Alternative milk 

  • Baby Formula

  • Ice cream and sorbet

  • Processed meats

  • Creamers

  • Pudding and creamy desserts

  • Cheese

  • Packaged soups

Is Carrageenan bad?

Even though Carrageenan has been used in foods for centuries, research over the last two decades points to evidence that the extract may not be the best for us. One study found a direct link between degraded Carrageenan and gastrointestinal ulcers in animals. The scientists behind this study, as well as unrelated researchers, have thus purported that consuming Carrageenan can lead to similar gastrointestinal implications in humans, including digestive inflammation, IBS, and the triggering of colon cancer. Challenging these notions are in-depth studies that claim Carrageenan is of no harm to humans. 

Here's the rub: Concerns around Carrageenan initially pointed to the degraded kind, which is not used in foods. But now, more experts are finding that even food-grade Carrageenan may cause inflammation and other health concerns. 

The PrimaFoodie Take on Carrageenan

Whenever we do a deep dive into an ingredient, we think of three things: Is this ingredient processed? Does it offer any nutritional value? And is it necessary? When it comes to Carrageenan, it is extracted and processed, it offers zero health benefits, and it isn’t necessary. (For instance, copious alternative milk manufacturers are omitting this ingredient.) Therefore, we avoid it as much as we can. 


Further reading: The Primafoodie Ingredient Spotlight on Soy Lecithin.

5 New Books on Regeneration and Wellness that Prove a Healthier and More Sustainable World Is Possible

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We’re living at a critical time for the health of ourselves and our environment. While climate change proves to be one of—if not the—most crucial issue, we’re also experiencing record-breaking instances of illness and disease. But just when it might feel all too much, we hear from experts in the fields of environmentalism, functional medicine, and science who prove to us that it’s not. We can fight back toward better health and a more regenerative future, and these five new brilliant books show us how. They are some of the most informative hopeful reads we’ve come across this year.  

A Silent Fire: The Story of Inflammation, Diet & Disease.
Most of us are walking around inflamed and it’s a chronic issue that concerns Shilpa Ravella, MD, a gastroenterologist. She believes that low-level inflammation is tied to most of our modern-day ailments, from heart disease, diabetes, and cancer to auto-immune conditions and certain neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. Dr. Ravella discusses why inflammation threatens our well-being in her new book, A Silent Fire: The Story of Inflammation, Diet & Disease. Backed by rigorous research, this book is a roadmap to understanding how low-level inflammation happens and the lifestyle and diet changes we can all make to keep inflammation in check. 

Regenesis: Feeding the World without Devouring the Planet
We’ve discussed regenerative farming—an agricultural method that aims to honor the earth and rebuild soil and biodiversity while growing and cultivating foods—at great length. That’s because it is one of the most critical ways to save our planet and health, as conventional farming is one of the most destructive and depleting practices today. British environmental writer Georg Monbiot covers this truth in great depth in his vast book, Regenesis: Feeding the World without Devouring the Planet. By incorporating wisdom from farmers and experts who are revolutionizing our understanding of fertility, Monbiot has written an insightful guide for creating a truly sustainable way to live—and it’s a must for every one of us to read. 

How We Eat: The Brave New World of Food and Drink
Food touches every part of our lives, from our culture to our politics to our health. Paco Underhill, an author and expert in consumer habits, looks at the intersection of how our food defines how we live (and vice versa) in his new book, How We Eat. Underhill explores new food technology, advances in urban farming, the marketing of vast supermarkets, and more. This book offers a new way of thinking about not only the nutrients of food but the business practices that fuel our current food industry and the changes that will make it more inclusive, sustainable, and just. 

Better Broths and Healing Tonics: 75 Bone Broth and Vegetarian Broth-Based Recipes for Everyone
Functional medical practitioner Dr. Kara Fitzgerald and certified nutritionist Jill Sheppard Davenport offer this comprehensive guide and cookbook anchored in the healing properties of bone and vegetarian broths. The two specialists share a similar viewpoint with us: Broths are more than a means to making soups. They provide a nutritious foundational base for flavorful meals. This book reads like a conversational tutorial on how to increase your nutrient density. 

Thriving: The Breakthrough Movement to Regenerate Nature, Society, and the Economy 
“We are navigating extraordinary global crises that could result in either the collapse or the thriving of nature, society, and the economy,” writes Wayne Visser, an author and Cambridge University professor. Visser is choosing the latter, and he’s proving how we can all be a part of this in his new book aptly named, Thriving. He posits that every aspect of life is regenerative. When we focus on this and remain both hopeful and proactive, we can shift our way of living and the state of the planet to one that is truly sustainable and healthy. With actionable and accessible tips for individuals and businesses, this book is a roadmap to a bright future.