This Month’s Articles – Page 2

Why Eating “Clean Foods” Has Never Been More Important

June 22, 2022 Chef V

Why Eating “Clean Foods” Has Never Been More Important

There’s a clean food and drink movement brewing. More and more people are becoming conscious of how their food is made. There’s never been a better time to pay attention to every single thing that you chew and sip. That’s because consuming foods with toxic ingredients suppresses the immune system.

But before you go assuming that certain foods are safe, do your research. Food labels, unfortunately, don’t always tell the whole story…

Drink Clean Green Drink!

That’s what I’m all about when it comes to the 7 leafy greens in Chef V Organic Green Drink. I know exactly where these high nutrient-density, health-supporting veggies come from: local organic farms.

So next time you’re in a supermarket, think about what you’re putting in your shopping cart. Are you 100% sure that there are no contaminants like heavy metals in the plastic-wrapped produce or veggie juice?

Unfortunately, lots of people are still deceived by store-bought veggie juices. Most of them trick consumers into thinking they are healthy when in reality they are barely healthier than soda!

Here’s why most brand name juices aren’t healthy:

They are high-heat pasteurized. High heat pasteurization kills the compounds in the veggies that don’t appear on nutrition labels, most notably prebiotic fiber, which is like food for the bacteria in your gut. CHEF V GREEN DRINK is raw, meaning all the friendly bacteria remain intact, which is good for your gut, which in turn is good for your immune system!
They aren’t organic. Even if a veggie juice is low in sugar (most aren’t), if it contains non-organic produce, it will contain pesticides. With Covid-19, you want to minimize as much environmental pollutants as possible.
They are preserved. Ever wonder why a bottle of juice can stay good in your fridge for a long time. Yes, the refrigeration has something to do with it. But it’s also because of preservatives. CHEF V Organic Green Drink is always fresh, made-to-order and contains zero preservatives.

If you have any questions about how Green Drink is made, contact me at veronica@chefv.com. I promise full transparency.

I’m happy that more people these days are willing to pay more for healthier food and drinks. That’s why you’ll always find me shopping at local farmer’s markets. And with Chef V Organic Green Drink, I’m passing the health (and savings) directly on to you.

Clean Foods: No Glyphosate!

Consider hummus, one of the most popular dips and spreads that most people would consider healthy. Made from chickpeas, hummus should be a nutritious plant-protein-filled snack. But according to a report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), several brands of hummus contain unhealthy levels of glyphosate. If you’re not familiar with glyphosate, it’s the world’s best-selling pesticide and herbicide. It was invented by the notorious Monsanto Corporation. Glyphosate has been linked to certain rare cancers such as non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

The report revealed that nine out of 27 varieties of non-organic hummus far exceeded the EWG’s recommended threshold of 160 parts-per-billion. And sadly, these days, government agencies that are supposed to regulate industries for our safety are run by former executives of toxic industries. I’m not going to veer on a political rant; that’s not my thing. But when it comes to clean food, I have to speak up from time to time. So allow me to vent real quick on this issue: How insane is it that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is now headed by someone who was a coal industry lobbyist?

Is it any coincidence that EPA says glyphosate is safe, and instead of 160 parts-per-billion, the agency’s safe threshold is 30 times greater than EWG’s: 5,000 ppb.

And if you think a brand like Whole Foods sells safer hummus, think again. It actually tested highest among all the brands EWG analyzed. Even Whole Foods’ organic hummus contained 2,000 ppm. (In general, organic hummus contains far less glyphosate than non-organic.)

Is the lesson here to never eat hummus or chickpeas again. No. But you might want to think again about how much of it you eat per day.

The same is true about oatmeal and anything else with oats including granola bars. Popular breakfast cereals like Cheerios also contain the controversial weed killer. (You shouldn’t eat cereal for breakfast anyway. Instead, sip 16 oz of Green Drink. Then have a plant-based protein shake.)

Drink Clean Wine and Clean Veggies

Thanks in large part to actress Cameron Diaz, clean wine is a growing consumer trend. Her wine label, Avaline, uses organic grapes produced in biodynamic soil. No synthetic chemicals or fertilizers are used. (In the winemaking industry, glyphosate isn’t spread directly on grapes or the vines but is applied on vineyard weeds.)

Diaz’s goal in making clean wine is to provide full transparency to the wine making process.

Veronica Wheat: Chef V’s Rising Media Star

May 19, 2022 Jean Yates

-> GO TO BLOG HOME PAGE

Veronica Wheat, Chef V

10 Years & Thousands of Green Drinks

The “V” in Chef V usually stands for Veronica, after Veronica Wheat Kress, the entrepreneurial force behind the nation’s first and largest Organic Green Drink and Cleanse delivery program, ChefV.com.

But after helping thousands of customers easily cleanse their systems and feel healthier, the “V” now stands for visibility—high visibility, that is.

Having just celebrated a decade in business, “V” as she likes to be called, has positioned herself as an industry thought leader. She’s been featured in numerous interviews, won awards and recently launched her own cooking video series on YouTube.

Expect to hear, read and see more from Chef V in the future. In the meantime, we thought we’d take a look at some of V’s media highlights over the last few years.

Chef V Featured On Good Morning LALALand

Good Morning LALA Land, is the nation’s first live-streaming daily talk show. Filmed in Los Angeles (aka LaLa Land), the show has received well over 100 million impressions and our own Chef V had the incredible opportunity to showcase her cookbook/healthy living hardcover, “Making Cleansing Easy.”

Not to give the whole segment away, in case you want to watch the 5-minute interview, but V talks about the origins of starting the nation’s first Green Drink delivery business.

Before launching Chef V, V got her start as a private chef in San Diego. V describes how she literally forced her clients to drink her homemade Green Drink to get an “influx of nutrients” before eating a meal. Demand quickly grew and the rest as they say is herstory.

Watch V kill it on LaLa Land

Best Juice Cleanse in New York Winner: Chef V

WLNY/Channel 2 New York, NY, a CBS News affiliate, listed Chef V as “Best Juice Cleanses in New York,” stating,

“Chef V offers a three-, five- and seven-day cleanse, a combination of juices and shakes. Everything is totally vegan, certified organic and gluten-free. Serious cleansers might want to check out the 21-day detox, a veritable master plan to get your health on track, combining sensible meals with the signature Green Drink and protein shakes. The aforementioned Green Drink packs—count ‘em—seven greens and apples into the bottle, practically guaranteed to boost your immune system and your spirit.”

Veronica Wheat Expands Chef V Operations On The East Coast

In 2018, V expanded her East Coast operations, which for the previous five years was located in NYC. Outgrowing the NYC facility, V opened both a larger warehouse as well as a brick-and-mortar cafe/juice bar in New Jersey to better serve her customers on the East Coast.

The borough of Essex Fells, NJ is located right next to West Caldwell, home of Chef V’s cafe. Essex Fells Magazine featured Veronica in the publication’s Feb. 2021 issue, writing that shortly after her arrival to the township, “All the Caldwells went crazy with excitement over this super healthy organic product right around the corner from home.”

Read the article here.

Best-Selling Author & Transformation Coach, Chuck Garcia

In the world of personal transformation experts, Chuck Garcia is literally at the top of the mountain. A professor, best-selling author, public speaker and mountain climber, Garcia has coached hundreds of clients, including Fortune 500 CEOs. One CEO Garcia recently interviewed was V.

Garcia’s interview with Veronica Wheat focused on her leap of faith, scaling up a local meal delivery/private chef business and transforming it into her passion project, ChefV.com.

Want more interviews with V? Check them out here.

Get Cookin’ The Healthy Way With Chef V Life

Hey, when you’re a busy entrepreneur, taking the precious time to produce cooking videos is a luxury. But that’s just what V is committed to. Through her Chef V Life channel on YouTube, V will feature more quick healthy-meal planning tutorials as well as cleansing tips, interviews with customers and much more.

Meet The Chef: Chef V’s Private Facebook Group

Chef V customers never feel like they’re alone and confused about how to stay healthy. The Chef V Community is a private facebook group personally curated by V, where customers’ questions and concerns are answered directly by V. Customers also share recipes, tips and success stories.

Here’s to another 10 years of success. And most importantly to V, here’s to lots more people feeling healthier—for life.

Eat This, Not That … In The Summer

April 4, 2022 Chef V

Veronica slicing cucumber

Are you stoked to finally be able to gather with friends and family this summer? You should be. After the summer of 2020 deprived many of us of pool parties, backyard barbecues and trips to the ice cream store, we should have a newfound appreciation for these favorite summer pastimes.

I don’t blame you for celebrating life to the fullest. But before you party with reckless abandon this summer, there’s a danger posed to your health with every summertime gathering. No, I’m not referring to the C-virus; there’s already enough media attention surrounding that … you don’t need to hear it from me, too.

The danger I’m talking about isn’t potentially lethal like the C-virus, but it can cause vomiting, nausea, diarrhea and other unpleasant symptoms better left unspoken at the dinner table. And I’m not talking about the side effects of partying too much. Obviously, chugging beers by the pool under the blazing sun can make you feel like you’re dying.

traditional Chinese Medicine

Worst Foods To Eat In Summer

What I’m talking about is a 5,000 year-old concept from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). It’s called Damp Heat. What does an esoteric ancient philosophy from the Orient have to do with grilling it up in your backyard with friends?

You see, eating fatty, greasy food isn’t a recent health problem. Thousands of years ago, ancient Chinese enjoyed finger-lickin’ good pork, sometimes to excess. The ancient Chinese philosophers and doctors of their day noticed that just as the air outside can be hot and sticky, eating and drinking certain things in excess can create heat and dampness in the body.

Not to get too textbook-y here, but the basic theory of Dampness in TCM is that it occurs when there’s too much moisture or water trapped in the body. Anybody who feels like they have swollen extremities (edema) can relate.

Unfortunately, many of the most common foods and drinks people have in the summer can create excess Damp and Heat in the body. The offenders include:

Dairy (ice cream)
Grilled meats (barbecue)
Alcohol (beer)
Added sugars
Ice-cold drinks

Am I saying you should never have ice cream? No, I’m not that puritanical of a certified nutrition therapist. But what I am recommending is that the next time you get invited to a backyard gathering, don’t have ice cream and 3 beers and 3 burgers. As always, moderation is the key.

Another thing that Chinese medicine textbooks say to avoid in the summer is lots of raw food like salads. Wait, what? Aren’t salads super healthy and really desirable this time of year? Well, for starters, I sure eat a ton of salads and my digestion is fine.

But the reason you’re not supposed to eat lots of uncooked veggies, according to the theory, is that it requires a lot of energy for your Spleen organ system to process. In Chinese medicine, the Spleen is the organ that’s responsible for transforming nutrients into usable energy. No double pun intended, but this is an instance where I go with my gut and throw theory to the wind.

summer vegetables

Best Foods To Eat In Summer

Yes, I’m totally throwing salads on this list, despite what traditional Chinese medicine theory says. But by all means, if you notice that after you have a big salad that your digestion is off, maybe dial it down and have a much smaller one. And start taking digestive enzymes.

Here’s some other foods I love to feast on this time of year:

Berries (I top them on my salads)
Avocado and guacamole
Corn (Buy organic; over 90% of the conventional corn grown in the USA is genetically-modified.)
Zucchini
Melons
Cucumber
Asparagus
String beans
Celery
Tomatoes
Spinach and other leafy greens (I drink leafy greens every morning doing this.)
Apricots
Quinoa
Other low-starch grains
Lean fish like mahi-mahi, poke, sashimi
Eggplant (Want to get your barbecue on, plant-based style? Grilled eggplant is one of my faves.)
Mango (My go-to healthy dessert; I’m only human so sometimes I top it with whipped cream; whipped coconut cream that is!)

Any seasonal fruit and veggie should be high on your list of foods to eat this time of year. Support small family farms by shopping at local farmer’s markets.

And make sure you don’t overdo it by eating typical summertime unhealthy foods. Not only does barbecued meat have the potential to cause Damp Heat in the body, it also produces Advanced Glycation End (AGE) products in the body. “AGE” is a very appropriate acronym because having lots of AGE products causes premature aging.

To a happy, healthy summer!

Chef V and tropical green drink

They Tried Organic Green Drink For 30 Days And Here’s What Happened

February 24, 2022 Chef V

green drink at pool

If you have Chef V’s Organic Green Drink everyday for breakfast for one month straight, what kind of results can you expect?

Will Green Drink make that much of a difference in your overall health, energy and mood? Will you really notice a difference after just 30 days?

After all, you’re American and in America, we want results fast. Find out what people are saying about incorporating Green Drink into their morning routine for 30 days…

Or you might be like Michael, (photo above) and lose 245 pounds!

weight loss success

Better than Celery Juice for Headaches

February 22, 2022 Chef V

headaches and celery juice

A More Affordable And Less Messy Alternative to Celery Juice For Headaches

Some health trends come and go. And some stick around. A couple years after writing about the celery juice bandwagon here and here, it seems like going to the store and stocking up on stalks of fresh celery and making an absolute mess in your kitchen juicing it, shows no signs of slowing down.

The reason why the celery juice trend is evergreen (no pun intended) is thanks to Anthony William, aka “The Medical Medium,” who I detailed in my article, “Celery Juice Part 1 – Miracle, Hype, or Both?”

The more I’ve read in The Medical Medium’s books, the more I am convinced that he is some sort of natural health savant. And the reason why I wanted to revisit the topic of celery juice is that many people are using it as of late to prevent or cure headaches. And keeping your electrolytes in balance is a better way to keep headaches away.

celery juice and headaches

What Causes Headaches?

You’re not normal if you don’t ever get headaches or migraines. But there’s the thing about these nuisances, which can actually be so intense, they become debilitating conditions…

Headaches and migraines might be common, but they are not normal. If your body is functioning in a state of homeostasis (perfect balance), it’s impossible to get a headache.

The Medical Medium says that there are many causes of headaches.

That analysis doesn’t exactly make him a genius; almost everybody knows that.

But there are a few root causes that William offers that your doctor won’t tell you about. Even a functional medicine doctor or naturopathic/alternative/holistic health practitioner may not be familiar with William’s explanations.

One of the root causes of headaches, according to William, is neurotoxins caused by the shingles virus. Or more accurately, viruses. William claims there are more than 30 types of shingles (who knew?), which itself is caused by inflammation of three nerves in the body: phrenic, vagus, and trigeminal.

Another reason headaches are a frequent occurrence these days isn’t just because stress has gotten worse.

William says the reason headaches are common stems from toxic heavy metals in brain cells. Mercury and aluminum impede the brain’s circuitry flow. This inefficient electrical impulse firing causes the brain to heat up, which requires you to use more energy to process information: “How do I use this damn TIVO? Frickin’ A … my head is killing me.”

Yet another cause of headaches William alludes to is no shocking revelation: dehydration. A lack of oxygen from “dirty blood” causes the liver to become sluggish, William says. Despite the popularity of keto diets, William says that high-fat diets, coupled with a sluggish liver lowers oxygen levels in vital organs such as the brain.

Can Celery Juice Cure Headaches?

The Medical Medium doesn’t outright say that celery juice is a cure for headaches. If he did say that on his website, he would likely get a warning letter from the Food & Drug Administration (FDA). But William—or his attorneys—is expert at dancing around health claims. The Medical Medium website has a disclaimer that’s over 300 words long, or six times longer than the preamble of the U.S. Constitution.

“Drinking celery juice daily in the way I recommend … is so important for these health problems and so many other chronic illnesses and symptoms for these undiscovered reasons and many more,” William says. Notice he doesn’t say that celery juice can cure headaches or chronic diseases. If he could, he would, but he can’t so he smartly tiptoes around the health claim.

But you have to be careful drinking celery juice. People tend to go overboard with things, even when it’s something healthy. Drinking a lot of celery juice, some people report, actually may cause headaches. How much is too much celery juice? It’s hard to say, but let’s just say several stalks a day may not keep the doctor away.

Blending For Headaches

If you’re not stoked about how expensive celery juice has gotten (thanks in big part to The Medical Medium) and how messy it is, there’s a far easier solution.

The Chef V Organic Green Drink Plan delivers directly to your front door a weekly supply of cold-blended juice, consisting of 7 leafy greens.

Imagine getting your daily dose of antioxidants and not having to go to the supermarket every other day and worrying about using all your produce before it goes bad. And just picture all the time and energy you’ll save by not having to wash your veggies, chop them up, blend them and clean them.

And don’t get me started about cleaning your juicer after juicing celery! That itself will cause a headache!

Many juice cleanses are just high-sugar fruit juices in disguise. All that fructose spikes your blood sugar. And when your blood sugar levels are all over the place, guess what happens?

That’s right, you get a headache!

But my Green Drink contains only 3 grams of naturally-occurring sugar per 8 oz. serving.

So save yourself the headache of juicing celery everyday. Instead of supporting your health with just one veggie, get 7 nutrient-dense greens per serving.

LEARN MORE

Chef V and kale

Enhance Your Detox With These Enjoyable Treatments

January 23, 2022 Chef V

older woman hiking

In addition to our Green Drinks there are other great ways to enhance your detox. Some of them can be done – with precautions – at a day spa, at private appointments, or at home. Here are a few of Chef V’s favorites….

Embarking on a 21 day detox will be one of the most transforming journeys of your life.

If it’s a struggle for you to stick to a healthy eating plan, our cleanses and 21 Day Detox will motivate you to eat healthy long after your cleanse is over.

If you’re reading this because you tried every gimmick under the sun that only had short-term success at best, like the Master Cleanse Detox diet, I understand your cynicism.

But please read on….

I, along with the Chef V team, will be with you every step of the way to support you.

My mission is to make it as easy as possible for you to breeze through. Whether it’s the 3-day intro cleanse or the 21 Day Detox Obsessive.

Our Green Drinks, Protein Shakes, Detox Soups, meal plans, and recipe book will nourish and guide you.

But there are other things you can do to support and enhance your cleanse.

Let’s take a look at some tips for a better cleanse. (They’re certainly more enjoyable than a strict master cleanse detox.)

To be sure, if you don’t follow any of these tips, you will still see great results from following our Cleanse and Detox programs.

stomachache

Enhance Your Detox: Colon Hydrotherapy

I’ll admit something. For those unfamiliar with colon hydrotherapy, the idea might sound not so, well, appetizing.

Here’s basically how colon hydrotherapy (also known as colon irrigation) works:

Save You lie on your side in the fetal position. A colon hydrotherapist ever so gently inserts a tube into your colon. Don’t worry, it’s not painful. Next, you sit up with your feet flat on the table. Then, gallons of water gush into your colon. The water navigates up towards your intestines.

After a short while, you will feel pressure. Before it becomes unbearable, the hydrotherapist will pull out the tube. Then, the detox flush occurs.

You can actually watch your toxic waste pass through the tube. This process repeats a few times during the average hydrotherapy session, which lasts about an hour.

I wholeheartedly believe in doing occasional colon hydrotherapy. Especially if you struggle with constipation, bloating, low energy or skin problems.

Your colon is a muscle and it needs to work out every day. So if you’re only going #2 every few days, the muscles of the colon wall weaken.

And as you can imagine, when you don’t poop regularly, toxins accumulate.

Keep in mind that staying hydrated is vital when doing a hydrotherapy session. Your therapist will likely discuss with you how much to drink (at least a half gallon) before the session. In addition, you’ll also need to fast for at least a few hours before.

Moreover, you’ll need to watch what you eat before your session. In the days leading up to and after your hydrotherapy session, you gotta eat clean. It’s the same with a Chef V cleanse or detox.

Although you may think that’s obvious, consider this unbelievable fact: I know people who actually ate a bacon cheeseburger the same day as their hydrotherapy session!

detox

Enhance Your Detox: Sweat Your Butt Off in a Sauna

Ah, shvitzing in a sauna … sounds more relaxing than having a tube stuck up your bum, huh? Though personally, I’d rather have a colonic instead of doing a master cleanser detox diet.

Indeed, soaking in a sauna is not only relaxing, it can also help you detox.

Byproducts of metabolism seep out your sweat pores in a sauna. This dietary waste includes lactic acid and uric acid. Your body also stores fat in the toxins. When you profusely sweat, toxins deep down under the skin move up closer to the skin surface. Keep sweating and some of these toxins escape to the nearest exit, which is out of your skin.

Sitting in a sauna also improves your blood circulation. And when your blood flows better, toxins can move the elimination organs more effectively. In fact, if your blood flow is stagnant, it’s not that different from a sluggish colon imitating a backed-up septic system.

Enhance Your Detox: Open your Pores With Steam

Spending about 20 minutes or so in a steam room is another satisfying spa routine for detoxing.

Who says cleansing has to be a pain in the butt (no pun intended)?

Steam rooms for detoxing works for the same reason that saunas help purify your body. The main difference between sauna and steam is humidity. Saunas produce dry heat while steam rooms feel like a tropical, well, steam bath.

Here is how a steam room can help you detox. The hot steam can increase your metabolism even if it’s temporary. And once you start sweating, this means that toxins are coming out your pores.

In addition, there’s another benefit of steam rooms. They open your mucous membranes. This is a great thing if you battle with congestion frequently.

Another benefit of steam rooms is you’ll lose weight. However, it will be all water weight.

As a side not about weight loss, remember this: when you step on a scale, your weight is not telling you the whole story. What you want to feel is lighter and thinner and more energetic.

However, if you’ve got a wedding or event for which you want to squeeze into a tight-fitting dress, losing a few pounds is a bonus. Just remember to rehydrate!

Enhance Your Detox: treat yourself to a facial

Spending about 20 minutes or so in a steam room is another satisfying spa routine for detoxing.

Who says cleansing has to be a pain in the butt (no pun intended)?

Here is how a steam room can help you detox. The hot steam can increase your metabolism even if it’s temporary. And once you start sweating, this means that toxins are coming out your pores.

In addition, there’s another benefit of steam rooms. They open your mucous membranes. This is a great thing if you battle with congestion frequently.

Another benefit of steam rooms is you’ll lose weight. However, it will be all water weight.

As a side not about weight loss, remember this: when you step on a scale, your weight is not telling you the whole story. What you want to feel is lighter and thinner and more energetic.

However, if you’ve got a wedding or event for which you want to squeeze into a tight-fitting dress, losing a few pounds is a bonus. Just remember to rehydrate!

Enhance Your Detox: treat yourself to a massage

How can I almost forget enhancing your cleanse by getting a massage! It’s yet another oh so satisfying way to detox. I recommend it at least once a month if you can budget for it. Getting a massage releases metabolic waste from your tissues and improves your blood circulation.

Got any other tips for a better detox? Do you think these detox tips are better than the master cleanse detox? Got any detox cleanse recipes you’d like to share? Contact us below or post a comment on our Facebook page.

To your health!

Chef V

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Digestive Bitters: Don’t Be Sad If You’re Bloated, Get Bitter

January 17, 2022 Chef V

older woman hiking

If your belly feels like you’re in the first trimester of pregnancy after a meal, don’t get down, just get bitter, digestive bitters that is. Chef V highlights a handful of her favorite bitters.

I’ve been bitter these days. No, it’s not because of the new scary variant (“scariant”?) or anything like that. I’ve hopped on the bitter bandwagon because lots of my lady customers are of a certain age that let’s just say brings changes.

And when the changes come, one of the first symptoms to manifest is compromised digestion. When your hormones are out of whack, it gets more difficult for the body to detox. It also becomes more difficult to lose weight and keep it off.

That’s why I recommend digestive bitters for any age really, but especially for mature ladies.

image above is of Gentian, an edible bitter herb

bitter face

What Are Bitters?

Out of the roughly 10,000 taste buds tickling your tongue, you’re probably only getting a steady dose of sweet and salty. Unfortunately, that’s the American Standard Diet for you.

Maybe if you eat a little yogurt, your sour taste buds will spring into action. But out of the five tastes our tongues can detect—savory is fourth—if it’s a slimmer belly and weight loss you want, seek out the fifth taste: bitter.

There’s a good reason why the back of your tongue is reserved for bitter taste. If your bitter buds were in the front of your tongue, you’d have a perpetual bitter beer face. (Remember that funny commercial?) In fact, the four other tastes are peppered throughout the tongue. But it’s only bitters that are relegated to the back of the tongue, which, fun fact, is technically considered a digestive organ.

We have an innate recoil response towards bitter food. Would you stuff your face with a head of the radicchio or an endive? No. But that doesn’t mean we should avoid bitters. Digestive bitters are bitter-tasting herbs that people have been using for thousands of years for bloated bellies and other digestive upsets.

red beet hummus

Chef V’s Favorite Bitters

Kale and dandelion are a couple of my favorite bitters. That’s just one of many reasons they are staple ingredients in CHEF V ORGANIC GREEN DRINK.

Now, my next favorite bitters aren’t necessarily meant for weight loss, but they do have a part in a balanced diet: dark chocolate/raw cacao and red wine. Isn’t it nice to know that if a little square of dark chocolate and a glass of red wine is your only indulgence, it’s actually a very healthy one?

If you want to experiment with digestive bitters, the best ones for bile production and metabolism that I recommend are:

● Citrus peel

● Ginger root

● Milk thistle (You can buy this as a supplement; take it if you drink alcohol because it’s great for liver detox!)

● Gentian root

● Chicory root

● Wormwood

Oh, and how can I forget the most widely-used plant-based bitter on the planet: coffee? Personally, I don’t drink coffee, but I’m certainly not going to judge you if you do. I don’t think coffee is good to drink when you’re trying to cleanse. But if you have a cup or two every day, it may even do your body some good. But I recommend cold-brew coffee instead of hot as it’s 60% less acidic and is much easier on your esophagus and digestive system.
In fact, women who drink coffee have lower rates of cardiovascular disease than women who don’t drink it.

Conclusion

If you’re having trouble with weight management and no matter what you’ve tried, nothing seems to work, try adding more digestive bitters to your diet. There are several others, from broccoli to grapefruit, arugula and lots more.

So don’t worry and don’t get mad if your digestion is off. Just get bitter.

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Cleansing In A Winter Wonderland

January 5, 2022 Chef V

Veronica, Brandon, Coco on beach

It’s easy to do a cleanse in August, or RAWGUST, as Chef V calls it. When it’s warm, eating lots of light, raw foods like salad seems so satisfying and appropriate for the season. But in mid-winter, what are you supposed to do if you’re looking to give your digestive system and liver a fresh start? Chef V dishes out the tips for winter cleansing…

It will probably come to you as no surprise that most of my customers begin a CHEF V CLEANSE or 21 DAY DETOX in the summer. When it’s so hot you don’t even feel like eating and certainly not cranking up the oven to 425 degrees, it’s simple to go raw.

But how can you give your digestive system a reboot and stay warm in the winter? This is the time of year when we crave starchy carbs like mashed potatoes, pasta and bread.

For carnivores, the dilemma gets even more complicated. Freezing cold weather leads to cravings for red meat. But if your elimination is sluggish, eating a steak is like throwing more toilet paper into a backed-up toilet.

The good news is that you can gently detox your digestive system with these smart winter cleansing hacks…

detox tea

Winter Detox Tip #1: Warm Yourself Up From The Inside Out

When you’re following a cleanse program like this one, it’s a good idea not to exercise too hard. That’s because you’re going to be consuming less calories than you ordinarily would. So it’s best to take it easy whether you’re just doing a 1 day cleanse or a 3-day or 5-day one.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t crank up your internal thermostat without hardcore exercise.

One of the easiest ways to quickly go from frozen to toasty warm without moving your body all that much is through kundalini breath of fire exercises. Just do a search for kundalini breath of fire for beginners on YouTube and you’ll come across several free videos.

These breathing exercises involve short and powerful inhalations and exhalations and as a bonus, your abs get a workout. Practicing the breath of fire pattern for a few minutes will heat your body up and you might even feel tingly all over.

You can also do a light yoga posture flow going from cat/cow to downward dog or full sun salutations for 5-10 minutes.

Another simple tip for staying warm while doing a cleanse/detox in the winter is sipping hot beverages throughout the day. Duh, right? But not just any plain hot tea or water will do. To generate internal warmth, add a dash of fresh-squeezed lemon juice, cayenne pepper and ginger to herbal tea or water.

And what to do about sipping on Organic GREEN DRINK? After all, on a CHEF V CLEANSE, you drink four of these refrigerated drinks on each day that you’re cleansing. If you’re lucky enough to have central heating in your home, maybe it’s not a problem to drink cold GREEN DRINK.

But even if your cozy comfy home is set to 72 degrees, just knowing that it’s frigid outside might not put you in the mood for a GREEN DRINK straight from the refrigerator.

So here’s what I do. In the morning after I wake up, one of the first things I do is pour myself a glass of green drink. I pour it in a mason jar and seal it with a lid to reduce oxidation. I let the jar of GREEN DRINK sit at room temperature for about an hour so it’s not so cold.

Important side note: Make sure you put the bottle of GREEN DRINK you’re not using back in the fridge right away. Each GREEN DRINK is made fresh and because it’s raw to preserve all the phytonutrients, it has a shelf life of 7 days unlike dead, pasteurized commercial juice that never goes bad.

red beet hummus

Winter Detox Tip #2: We’ve Got The Beet

Beet juice is not a staple in a CHEF V CLEANSE. (You get 4 Green Drinks, 2 vegan protein shakes and 1 Detox Soup with your juice cleanse.) But I feature beets in many of my recipes including red beet hummus. For my customers who want a longer program to reset their metabolism, my 21 Day Detox features some of these recipes with beets.

So why are beets one of the best winter cleansing foods? The answer is that because of the winter holidays, many people overindulge in added sugars. The excess sugar gets stored as body fat by the liver. If the liver is already overworked, this is bad news. Beets are a cleansing superhero because they protect the liver (this study shows).

Sure, you can eat beets any time of year. You can add them to summer salads. But in winter, you can add them to a veggie soup.

Tip #3: Sip On Bone Broth

Now, with my guided cleanses, I recommend going meat-free for the duration of the 1, 3 or 5 day cleanse and the 21 Day Detox. But if you’re following all my other instructions to the “V” I think it’s perfectly ok to add some chicken bone broth that you can sip on during the day to stay warm.

If you want to learn how to make your own chicken bone broth, check out my video recipe here.

Tip #4: Drink Your Greens & Cook Your Greens

In order to support my digestive system, I make ORGANIC GREEN DRINK a part of my daily routine 365 days a year. Even when I travel, I take GREEN DRINKS with me. But in the winter, I also make sure to eat a ton of cooked leafy greens. I sautee the leafy greens in a cast iron skillet with avocado oil. To feel full, I’ll add a scoop or two of healthy grains like quinoa or wild rice.

Again, the CHEF V CLEANSE includes 4 Green Drinks, 2 vegan Protein Shakes and 1 Detox Soup per day. But you don’t have to do an official Chef V cleanse to give your digestive system some cleaner fuel.

(But if you do want the quickest transformation then follow a CHEF V CLEANSE…)

Eat a few servings of cooked leafy or cruciferous greens every single day in the winter. The healthy fats in the avocado oil and the clean-burning carbs from the quinoa, brown rice or quinoa will keep your tummy satisfied and give your digestive system a break from all those Christmas cookies and eggnog.

To your health,

Chef V

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Blended Veggies vs Juicing fruits: What’s Better for You?

January 1, 2022 Chef V

blending green drink

Blended veggies vs juicing fruits … whether it’s to lose weight or detox, or just for overall better health, which one is better for you?

Here’s a question I get a lot from people who are new to cleanses and detoxes:

What’s better for losing weight, blended vegetables or juicing fruits?

Spoiler alert: the answer by far is blended vegetables.

Here’s why.

Juicing fruits is a good way to get nutrients in a concentrated amount.

But if you’re trying to lose weight, there are two main problems with a juice diet.

losing weight

Juicing Fruits Problem #1: Too Much Fructose

First, the amount of fructose (fruit sugar) in fruit juice in some cases is almost as high as regular soda. That’s bad if you’re trying to keep your blood sugar level steady. If you want to be able to study all day or function at work, you need to eat and drink things that will keep your blood sugar rock steady.

And juice diets can make your blood sugar fluctuate.

It’s true that the fructose in whole fruit doesn’t skyrocket your blood sugar like regular soda. However, when you’re juicing fruits, you tend to consume more fruit than is necessary.

If you crave fruit, just eat a handful of berries. Later in the day, you can eat an organic green apple. Both these examples equal one serving of fruit.

Without a doubt, fruit plays an important role in helping prevent chronic diseases like cancer. However, you only need to eat about 4 or 5 servings a day to get the benefits of fruit’s phytochemicals (disease-fighting nutrients).

The problem with juice diets is you get too much fruit sugar. Think about how many oranges it takes to produce a fresh squeezed glass of OJ. Instead of that large glass of OJ at brunch, just eat a whole orange. (Though I admit to enjoying the occasional mimosa at brunch.)

In short, you might be getting adequate vitamins from the juice fruit, but you’re also consuming too much fruit sugar in one sitting. And if you consume sugar at a meal, there better be a nutrient to slow down your digestion to prevent energy crashes and weight gain. This missing nutrient leads us to the second problem with juicing fruits….

kale

Juicing Fruits Problem #2: No Fiber

When you juice fruit, you’re missing out on fiber. There are a few huge benefits of fiber for weight loss and detox.

First, fiber helps you feel full. Blending veggies, especially cold-blending them like our Green Drinks preserves the fiber content.

On the contrary, when you juice fruit, even if it’s organic, it lacks fiber. And when you don’t have fiber to slow the blood sugar rush, you will likely feel hungry soon after drinking the fruit juice. If you’re doing a 7 day juice cleanse, it’s going to be a hellish week for you. You’re going to likely feel cranky, irritable, and moody.

Furthermore, when you feel hungry after a blood sugar crash, you might crave foods with lots of carbs like pasta or bread.

I admit I hear people claiming weight loss and detox success by juicing fruits, even on a 7 day juice cleanse. But I really don’t recommend it. As a nutritional therapist and healthy chef, I encourage you to lose weight and detox by consuming foods and drinks with fiber. And juicing fruits provides zero fiber.

Here’s another reason fiber is so important. It’s vital for overall health and a strong digestive system. The 7 certified organic veggies in our Green Drinks contain insoluble fiber. Insoluble fiber adds bulk to your stool. This helps you detox because the bulk activates your elimination. (In other words, it helps you go #2 and when you go #2 you are detoxing!)

Juicing fruits doesn’t help you in the detox/elimination department. In fact, if you’re doing a 7 day juice cleanse, there’s a good chance your elimination will be sluggish. That’s because of the lack of fiber in a juice diet.

To be clear, cold-blended fruit juice does contain some soluble fiber. Soluble fiber dissolves in water. In addition, soluble fiber slows your digestion. This is a good thing because when your digestion slows down, you don’t get hungry as often or quickly. Which means you won’t have cravings.

However, as I mentioned above, there’s a better way to get your soluble fiber from fruit. And that’s eating a whole piece of fruit a few times a day or blending it in a drink or smoothie.

Chef V kitchen

Blended vegetables vs. juicing fruits: the winner is….

Clearly, blended vegetables are healthier than juicing fruits. This is true for overall health, detox, and weight loss.

Cold-blending both veggies and fruits provide antioxidants. If you need a snack, that’s a perfect time for having a piece of whole organic fruit.

But when it comes to drinking your antioxidants, make it blended vegetables.

We’re here to do the dirty work for you. All the veggies in our Green Drinks are grown locally and certified organic. Instead of shopping, washing, chopping, blending, and cleaning up, let us deliver your healthy blended Green Drinks.

The great thing is it costs about the same price as shopping for all these organic veggies yourself. But we save you time and money by delivering Green Drinks to you overnight!

Chef V and tropical green drink

Gluten-Free Gingerbread Cookies

December 20, 2021 Chef V

It’s not Christmas until the smell of gingerbread is wafting through your kitchen. Thankfully we got you covered with our very own homemade recipe created with your health in mind.

Ingredients that will leave your taste buds satisfied instead of full with regret, these are also a great gift for neighbors, teachers and party hosts. A little secret…It’s just as much fun making them as it is eating them.

But don’t take our word for it, get festive with your favorite cookie cutters and designs with our coconut whipped cream as frosting. Enjoy!

gingerbread cookies

Ingredients

1 tbsp. flaxseed meal
3 tbsp. filtered water
½ cup coconut sugar
¼ cup raw, unsweetened almond butter
3 tbsp. raw coconut nectar
¼ cup vegan butter or coconut oil
1 tsp. ginger
1 tsp. cinnamon
¼ tsp. nutmeg
¼ tsp. sea salt
½ tsp. baking soda
2 cups gluten-free baking flour (we like Bob’s Red Mill)

What You’ll Need

Rolling Pin
Gingerbread cookie cutters

Directions

Mix flax meal with water and let rest for 5 minutes. This mixture will serve as our egg substitute.
Mix all ingredients together except the flour for 3 minutes on high. Add flour and stir with a spoon or mix with your hands. If mix is too dry, add 1 tsp. of water at a time until dough like consistency.
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
Remove the dough and preheat the oven to 350 F.
Cover a flat surface or cutting board and the rolling pin with gluten-free flour to prevent sticking.
Roll the dough out to a thin consistency (the cookies will not rise very much). Use the cookie cutters to create the shape of your gingerbread men.
Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with coconut oil or other cooking spray.
Space the cookies 1 ½ inch away from each other and bake for 10-12 minutes until lightly crisp. Let the cookies cool and use coconut whipped cream as frosting. (See our Coconut Whipped Cream recipe HERE.)

Absolutely The Healthiest Foods To Eat In Winter

December 9, 2021 Chef V

winter

Strolling through the supermarket and loading up your cart with fruits and veggies might seem healthy. But eating certain produce this time of year can actually cause an imbalance in your well-being. In this post, Chef V uses ancient wisdom from the Far East to determine the healthiest foods to eat in winter.

It’s really amazing if you think about it. We have access to an amazing abundance and variety of all kinds of foods throughout the year. Blueberries in winter? No problem, thanks to it being summertime in Chile this time of year. Because of the global supply chain—a little sluggish at the moment but we won’t get into that—and hydroponics (growing produce without soil), we have at our disposal all kinds of produce and grains, no matter the season.

While we definitely should count our blessings and feel gratitude for this abundance, we shouldn’t absent-mindedly toss just any food into our shopping carts. This is true any time of year but at no other time is this food-shopping philosophy more important than in winter.

The stress of holiday shopping, low-UV sunlight that provides insufficient vitamin D, over-eating at holiday parties and the cold weather that drives us indoors zaps our immune system.

To have a healthy, balanced immune system, eat foods that are in season. That means no blueberries, apricots and other summertime fruits. I’ll share my list of the best foods to eat in winter in just a bit. But first, in addition to eating seasonally, there’s another principle of healthy eating this time of year I’d like to share with you…

kidney

Supporting Kidney Function In Winter

I’m a big fan of applying ancient medicinal wisdom into modern diet advice. For instance, according to the 5,000 year old system of traditional Chinese medicine, there’s one organ that’s vital for a balanced immune system in the winter.

Not to be confused with the organs you learned about in science class, traditional Chinese medicine organs involve more than the physical organ. They also include physical energy points (meridians) and directly impact emotional and spiritual well-being.

In ancient Chinese medicine, every organ is associated with a season. Winter is the season of the kidneys. Take care of your kidneys and your kidneys will take care of you. The kidneys in traditional Chinese medicine act as the body’s pilot light. If this light diminishes because of stress and poor diet, your vitality and health will suffer.

root vegetables

Best Foods In Winter To Support Kidney Health

Ok, enough with the Chinese medicine lecture. Let’s cut to the chase. What are the best foods to eat this time of year? Which foods are in season, are warming to the body and keep your kidneys working in balance?

Roots and Tubers

To stay grounded this time of year, we need food that’s pulled from the ground:

Sweet potatoes
Squash
Yam
Green beans
Carrots
Beets
Turnips
Rutabaga
Parsnips
Brussel Sprouts
Mushrooms

Fruits

Are you a fruitarian? Could you live off of fruit all year long? If you want to have a balanced immune system, you’ll increase your chances of staying healthy by eating fruit that’s in season only in winter. The good news is there are a few on the list this time of year that are ripe for the picking:

Apples
Pears
Pomegranates
Oranges
Grapefruit
Persimmons (eat in moderation; they’re high in fructose)
Clementines
Tangerines

grains

Grains and Legumes

Unless you’re on a super strict low-carb diet (keto), you don’t have to say no to grains. Eating a couple handfuls of a grain with a lean protein like wild salmon and healthy fats like avocado will help keep you full.

Here’s my list of the best low-starch grains and legumes (which also get a bum rap in the low-carb world) to eat in winter:

Quinoa
Rye
Oats (purchase non-GMO because oats are one of the most heavily-sprayed crops)
Wild rice
Barley
Kidney beans (makes perfect sense to support kidney health)
Lentils
Black beans (soak them overnight in water to make them easier to digest)

spices

Herbs and Spices

When the weather is frightful outside, herbs and spices that “warm the blood” as the ancient Chinese philosophers would say, might not be able to replace a wood-burning fireplace. But sprinkling these on your food or in your tea may support the immune system and actually make you feel a tad bit warmer:

Ginger
Turmeric
Cumin
Cayenne pepper
Cinnamon
Garlic
Nutmeg
Clove
Cardamom
Garlic
Red chili pepper flakes

kale

Best Wintertime Veggies
And last but certainly not least, no wintertime food shopping run is complete without these veggies not already mentioned above:

Celery
Broccoli
Peas
Pumpkin
Onions
Leeks
These 7 dark leafy greens that you can conveniently drink and have delivered to your home almost anywhere in the USA.

These kidney-supporting foods are in prime season right now. Load up your cart with them and have a healthy winter!

Love,

Chef V

Veronica in field

5 Tips For Surviving The 2021 Holiday Season

December 1, 2021 Chef V

Veronica, Brandon, Coco on beach

The holidays are stressful enough without a global health crisis. But now that the media blitz is scaring the bejeezus out of many people with a new variant, surviving the holiday season requires extra fortitude. Chef V is here to keep you calm and grounded with these 5 tips for staying sane during the holidays…

The holiday season is a paradox: it’s the best of times and it’s the worst of times. It’s the best of times because everything is so festive and beautiful.

But the holiday season creates anxiety for many people, whether it’s getting together with family that you don’t see eye to eye with or running around all over town buying last minute gifts.

In the cold weather months, you’re more likely to get sick than you are in the summer. Yes, some of that has to do simply with weather; viruses thrive in colder weather and are able to circulate and replicate in stagnant, indoor air. But stress is just as much of a contributing factor, if not more so.

So what can you do to manage your stress this time of year? Follow these 5 tips for surviving the holiday season…

yoga for stress

Take Mini Meditation Breaks

Not much of a meditator? Does keeping the mind free of thought seem like an impossible task? The good news is that you don’t need to be a Zen master to quiet your mind. And you also don’t need to meditate for hours upon end to become one with the universe. All it takes is a few minutes of consciously focusing on inhaling and exhaling. Stress managed! It’s really as simple as that.

And if while you are sitting still (a chair is fine; you don’t have to go into deep Lotus pose), thoughts creep in, that’s fine. Just bring your mind back to your breathing. Five long seconds inhaling, and the same on the exhale. Try to inflate your chest and belly like a balloon on the inhale. Deflate on the exhale.

Still thinking about all the bills you have to pay while you’re breathing? It’s fine. Do try and not let those worries consume your thoughts. But just remember the name of the game is not to rid your mind completely of thoughts. Rather, the goal is to focus on your breathing. Because breathing is healing.

Take Mini Exercise Breaks

Some people make the excuse that they don’t have the time to go to a gym or take a class because they’re so busy. But nobody should be so busy that they can’t take the time to take a mini-exercise break.

Something fun I recently started doing is dancing for 3-5 minutes in my home while listening to a song on Pandora or Spotify. I also have a standing desk/desk riser and while I’m pecking away on my laptop, I sashay my hips from side to side. Yes, shaking your groove thing is possible while working.

As the saying goes, sitting is the new smoking. Standing all day while working from home is impossible. And like sitting all day, standing for several hours is also bad for circulation. But alternating between sitting and standing several times a day is ideal for good blood flow and keeping the spirits high.

You can also set a timer and do a three-minute yoga routine every 90-120 minutes. The bottom line is that you don’t need to exercise for a long time in order to manage holiday stress. You can do a few mini movement sessions per day and reap the same benefits.

grain

Eliminate Processed Carbs

This might be the holiday survival tip you dread. If you struggle with eating too many carbs, the good news is that you don’t have to completely quit carbs. I’ll explain in a sec.

But first, let’s take bread as an example. For people who follow a low-carb lifestyle (Keto Diet), bread is a no-no. Eating bread raises blood sugar levels and puts more demand on the pancreas to release insulin.

The more bread and other processed carbs you eat, the more insulin your body needs to keep blood sugar levels steady. If you keep eating bread, bagels, muffins, cereal and other baked goods made with white flour (wheat flour isn’t much better for blood sugar levels), your cells will become resistant to insulin. This places you at a higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

But not all bread is created equally bad. About 99% of supermarket breads are empty carbs. But artisanal sourdough bread contains beneficial bacteria for your gut. You can also buy 100% whole rye bread which contains a lot of fiber. When you see that a bread contains at least a few grams of fiber, it means that the blood sugar spike won’t be as high as bread with little or no fiber.

If you’re at brunch and you’re considering getting a stack of pancakes, think of the pancakes as a giant bowl of sugar. Foods prepared with white flour break down very quickly, metabolizing into sugar.

The problem with this is that sugar suppresses the immune system. Eating a tiny piece of cake at a holiday party is no problem. But if you have trouble controlling your portion sizes, it’s better to just say no than to indulge. Studies have shown that consuming sugar puts your body’s infection-fighting white blood cells to sleep for several hours!

So instead of eating refined carbs, eat whole grains like wild rice, farro, emmer wheat and quinoa (technically, quinoa is a seed but let’s not split hairs).

beach yoga

Take A Social Media Detox

If you’re feeling anxious this time of the year simply because it’s the holidays or for whatever other reason, consider putting your phone down.

Make a phone call, text if you have to, but in order to feel more peaceful, I recommend chilling out on social media for a while.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that recent studies reveal that social media damages teenagers’ mental health. Even if you’re not a teenager anymore, chances are that keeping up with the Joneses or Kardashians on social is negatively impacting your life. Unless you’re using social strictly for work, consider a 3 Day Cleanse. (And if your body needs to physically detox, check out Chef V’s Cleanses.)

In the Dalai Lama’s Art of Happiness book, one of his tips for being happy is not to compare yourself to anybody else. When you’re on social media, it’s hard not to compare yourself to others.

No News Is Good News

Tip #5 for surviving the holiday season is much like my advice to do a social media detox. Unfortunately, news and politics have made us divided and no more is that evident than on social media. In addition to detaching from social media to avoid the news, do the same from cable news, newspapers, talk radio and magazines.

And last but not least, under no circumstances should you discuss news and politics with family who don’t share your point of view. It’s not worth the energy. The more you get triggered, the more stress hormones circulating through your bloodstream. When stress hormones flood the blood, digestion slows down. And when digestion becomes impaired, you’re more likely to pack on the pounds. In light of that metabolic fact, is it really worth arguing about who should be president?

Hopefully these tips will come in handy and make you a happier, healthier person for the holidays…

Love,

Chef V

Chef V Predicts 2022’s Top 5 Natural Health Trends

November 16, 2021 Chef V

Veronica, Brandon on beach

Move over yogurt, kombucha and DIY sourdough bread. Y’all were so 2020. OK, so those three aren’t going away anytime soon. But what will be the biggest health trends next year? Chef V gazes into her crystal ball and offers her predictions for the biggest natural health trends of 2022.

It’s been a whole year since I made health trend predictions. And I bet you dollars to gluten free, apple-cider-vinegar donuts that 99 out of 100 people wouldn’t remember what I predicted for 2021. Chances are, some of the biggest natural health and food trends of 2022 will be the same as I predicted last year: low-carb diets, prebiotics/postbiotics, mushrooms, vitamin D and adaptogens.

So I could have pulled a fast one on you by just rehashing last year’s article. Of course I wouldn’t do something disingenuous like that. But in case you didn’t read last year’s predictions, you can do so here, after reading 2022’s predictions. Without further ado, here’s what I’m seeing for next year’s top trends…

gut health

Top Natural Health Trends 2022 #1: Armoring Up

All five predictions I made for 2021 (see above) relate to supporting the immune system. I don’t know about you but I sure miss the days when worrying about the immune system was just a seasonal issue.

But the silver lining today is that if you’re more health conscious than you were before, the global health crisis has probably made your immune system stronger.

Because of the pandemic, more people are focusing on armoring up their immune system. That means eating a zero-added-sugar-diet, doing intermittent fasting, and the other recommendations I made last year.

“Armoring up” also means taking gut-health supplements like probiotics because 70% to 80% of immune cells are in the gastrointestinal tract. Supporting your immune system 365 days a year isn’t cheap. It requires budgeting if you plan on taking immune-support supplements like zinc, vitamin D, quercetin, Chinese herbs, etc.

I’d rather spend a little less money on entertainment and more on things that will support a robust immunity all year. Instead of paying for cable TV, splurge on a yoga retreat and armor up with immune supplements.

robot meat

#2: Robot Meat

Is lab-produced meat coming soon to your supermarket shelves? The future may be sooner than you think. Today.com says that Artificial Intelligence or AI is helping food companies create things we could have only dreamed of a couple of years ago.

For example, one food technology company is perfecting a vegan dairy doppelganger. In other words, it’s a protein that looks and tastes identical to dairy protein yet 100% plant-based.

AI will likely introduce faux eggs that if we didn’t know it, we’d swear it was from a backyard hen. The company behind the vegan eggs found a way to isolate a protein from mung beans to create the chicken-free eggs.

Today.com also references a company using AI to make a vegan milk that “froths, foams and blends just like dairy.” The plant-based milk is made from pea protein and cabbage juice, and other vegan ingredients.

I’m conflicted about these lab-created foods. On one hand, reducing the number of animals exploited for their meat seems humane. And in comparison to factory farming, fake meat and other engineered vegan food seems at first glance much more environmentally friendly.

But I also believe, even as someone that’s about 97% vegetarian, that animal products provide ecological balance—if the meat and dairy are raised in a way that I predict will be another huge health trend in 2022. See top natural health trends #5, below.

golden milk

#3: Functional Beverages

People need something more fun to drink than plain, purified water. Even a regular cup of coffee and tea are in need of an upgrade. With more people working from home, experimenting with water, coffee and tea has become an art. And it’s not just the taste people are altering. It’s the nutritional quality. A functional beverage means that it’s a drink with added ingredients that may (or may not) provide extra health benefits.

For example, coffee or tea with mushroom powder. CBD-infused seltzer. Golden Milk.

As for ways to make drinking water more palatable, add cucumber slices and infuse the water with little pieces of strawberry. It’s like drinking spa water. Have you ever been to a spa that offers this first-class treatment? Treat yourself to spa water at home.

And if you want a functional beverage with some of the world’s most nutrient-dense veggies on the planet, try Organic Green Drink. It’s great for breaking your intermittent fasting or replacing breakfast. It gets delivered to your house fresh so you don’t have to shop, chop and clean up.

#4: Veggies From The Sea

If you eat sushi and have a kid who loves roasted seaweed snacks, then eating sea veggies is nothing new for you. But most Americans never eat any sea vegetables such as seaweed and kelp.

And that’s too bad because sea veggies are ounce for ounce the most nutrient-dense substances on the planet. They are super rich in minerals. Because of stress and the typical American diet, most people don’t get enough minerals.

I predict that seaweed snacks will continue to rise in popularity. But I also think that we’ll see more fresh seaweed products featured on supermarket shelves in 2022. For my vegan customers, I highly recommend kelp because it contains phytonutrients that are really hard to get without consuming sea veggies.

#5: Regenerative Agriculture

I’m totally in support of 100% plant-based diets. But I’m also a realist. We will likely never live to see a future where everybody swears off eating meat for good. So we may as well support animal products that are grown in the most environmentally-friendly and humane way possible. And this is what regenerative agriculture is all about.

Already, I’m seeing more vendors at local farmers market advertise their 100% grass-fed beef products as having been produced using regenerative farming practices. In a nutshell, “regenerative ag” increases soil biodiversity and organic matter. This creates healthier soil. The majority of the food that you eat is grown in soil that is lacking in minerals. Healthier soils are better able to resist the detrimental impacts of climate change such as flooding and drought. When we eat any food grown in soil using regenerative agriculture, be it animal- or plant-based, we consume the nutrients from that healthy soil.

I previously wrote about regenerative agriculture here if you want to learn more about it. I predict we’ll be hearing much more about it in 2022.

To a happy, healthy 2022!

Love,

Chef V

Swap-Out Makeover: Ingredient Swaps for a Healthy Winter

November 15, 2021 Chef V

swap out makeover

The smallest things matter the most and in this case, small changes can make a big difference. Simple ingredient swaps this fall and winter will help you stay on track while eliminating at the feeling of indulgence guilt. Whether it’s an appetizer or a dessert, these easy changes will help you avoid that pesky holiday weight gain we all hate.

And we promise, you won’t even miss the butter or white flour, in fact, a lot of the time these substitutions will enhance the flavors of your favorite dishes. We’re here to help you make being healthy easy and we can’t wait to see what you cook up this holiday season.

pumpkin skin mask

Chef V

CBD for Pets? Don’t Give Until Reading This!

September 21, 2021 Chef V

CBD for pets - Veronica and Coco

CBD for pets? Got a furry friend that’s in need of some healing? Whether it’s anxiety or arthritis, seizures or nausea, or even cancer, pot for pets has gotten lots of attention lately. But before you dose your dog with cannabis compounds, here’s what you need to know….

I would personally need to take CBD for anxiety if I couldn’t spend lots of time with Coconut, my absolute best friend in the world (no offense, hubby, Brandon). Luckily, being my own boss, I can bring Coconut with me to work.

But what about when I travel abroad? I’m sure Coconut isn’t as content not having us around. And what about when Coconut inevitably gets to 10 or 12 years old and begins suffering from arthritis? How is he going to live to the ripe old age of 18 pain-free? (I’m projecting longevity- and health-consciousness on him.)

I’m not giving Coconut CBD now, but I want to know about it. Does CBD oil for pets work? Is it safe for Coconut to take if he needs it one day?

Cats and cbd oil

CBD For Pets: Miraculous Anecdotes, Limited Research

I’ve heard miraculous stories about pet owners giving CBD tincture to their dogs or cats as a last resort.

In one case, I saw a segment on the Today Show in which a pet owner said her dog was diagnosed with cancer and given two months to live. After spending thousands of dollars on traditional remedies like prescription drugs, she gave CBD oil a try. All she did was add a few drops of CBD oil to her dog’s food. The dog’s owner swears that after being on the brink of death, the dog is now cancer-free.

And on CNBC, I watched a video in which a pet owner claims his dog’s seizures were cured because of CBD oil. Moreover, his doggie, who previously had very little appetite, was devouring all the food. All for the cost of about $40 a month.

However, before you start dosing your dog with CBD, keep in mind that there are possible side effects. CBD oil may indeed be a miracle worker for some pets. But there have been relatively few studies done on CBD and pets. So until there are large studies, we can’t say for sure that it’s perfectly harmless—or effective.

coco and green drink

CBD For Pets: Possible Side Effects

Before I would ever start to give Coconut CBD oil, I would research it thoroughly. I decided to take a look into the research and possible side effects.

The good news is that there doesn’t seem to be any really serious side effects. The American Kennel Club lists dry mouth, low blood pressure and drowsiness as possible side effects. But that’s only in the case of large doses.

CBD seems to be way safer than medications given to pets. Reported side effects from prescriptions for pets include kidney and liver damage.

One preliminary study suggests CBD can curb inflammation that causes allergies in dogs. Another small study shows CBD prevents convulsions and has anti-epileptic properties in dogs, while this study demonstrates that industrial hemp oil (CBD) is effective for pain-relief in dogs with osteoarthritis (OA).

CBD and pets analysis

CBD For Pets: Dosage

In the above studies, a dose of CBD oil at 2 mg per kilogram of the pet’s weight, given every 12 hours was used.

However, one of the studies suggests getting your pet’s liver enzyme values tested (especially ALP), if your pet starts taking CBD products. This is because dosage standards have yet to be established.

My recommendation is that if the tincture dose says 5 drops, start off at a lower dose like 2-3 drops. That’s probably what I would do if I ever gave it to Coconut.

Where to Buy CBD For Pets?

Even in California, where recreational pot is now legal, a veterinarian can’t write your furry friend a prescription. You have to get it yourself from a dispensary. There are some products that are veterinarian-formulated. If I decide to buy some CBD for Coconut, that’s what I’ll look for.

I’ll also make sure the product is organic. It’s bad enough when we eat food that’s laden with pesticides. But small fluff balls like Coconut are even more sensitive to agricultural sprays.

cbd legal states

Quality Matters

And keep in mind your pet deserves high-quality stuff. I’m fully aware that having a pet is like having a kid. Pet food can be just as expensive as buying organic food for a child. But you wouldn’t feed your kid TV dinners every night, would you? Keep in mind that a dog or cat requires food that has a moisture content of approximately 80%. Do you know what the average moisture content of dry pet food is? Try 15%. That’s why I try to mix raw, wet food with Coconut’s dry food.

I realize I’m on a tangent here, talking about pet food. But with buying a CBD product, it’s the same thing. If you buy a cheap CBD dog treat, it’s probably not going to have much positive effect on your dog’s health. In fact, it may not have much CBD at all.

Make sure you can confirm that the CBD product you purchase (I think tinctures are best) for your pet has a verified amount of CBD. The high-quality products will include 3rd-party verification.

One final piece of advice: make sure whatever CBD product you buy is very easy to measure the dosage. You want a CBD product that not only is effective but one that also won’t make your pet lethargic.

To your furry friend’s health!

Chef V

Chef V, Coco and 21 day detox products

So Many Types of CBD! What’s The Best Kind To Use?

September 21, 2021 Jean Yates

So many types of CBD! Biker uses cream

CBD, which comes from cannabis but doesn’t get you high, is supposed to ease tension. But with so many different products and kinds, choosing which CBD to take can induce a headache. Chef V breaks it down for you…

Are you CBD-curious but totally confused by all the different types of products with it? And are you totally confused by the different kinds of CBD to take?

I don’t blame you. A few years ago, I was totally intrigued by CBD. Being a certified nutritional therapist and passionate devotee of all-natural healing, I was determined to learn more about it.

After talking to some people I know who tried it and claimed CBD helped ease anxiety, I tried it myself. But back then, CBD was in just about everything, from shampoo to toothpaste. The CBD bandwagon was out of hand and the green gold rush was on.

The problem was that the therapeutic effects of CBD are only felt if the CBD is of good quality. But there have been lots of shady business practices in the CBD business over the years. The general rule of thumb is that if you see a product with CBD sold at a gas station for cheap, don’t expect miracles. Like most things in life, you get what you pay for. That doesn’t mean the more expensive a CBD product is, the better it is. But you get the idea…

There are still plenty of substandard CBD products out there. CBD is unregulated by the Food and Drug Administration, so anybody can claim that a certain product contains X amount of CBD and you can be left holding the bag.

But in this article, I’ll tell you:

What type of hemp extract is considered therapeutically the best (CBD comes from the hemp plant)
What’s the best product for specific health concerns
And what to look for in a reputable brand

Before we dive in, however, let me give you a mini crash course on CBD just in case you’re still not 100% sure what it is.

CBD oil by mouth

What is CBD?

It stands for cannabidiol. CBD is an extracted molecule from the hemp plant. Hemp belongs to the cannabis family of plants. Marijuana is also a plant from the cannabis family. CBD is in marijuana but it doesn’t get you high. In fact, CBD counteracts the psychoactive properties of THC, which is the most abundant chemical in marijuana.

CBD is actually the second-most abundant molecule in marijuana, and is just one of over 100 molecules that have been discovered in cannabis. These 100 or so molecules (I think it’s 134 that have been identified to date) are known as cannabinoids.

Cannabinoids are phyto- (plant) chemicals that helps stimulate a system in your body that’s responsible for keeping you healthy and balanced. That system is known as the endocannabinoid system.

When you get hurt, your endocannabinoid system springs into action to help relieve the pain. The problem is the effects of each receptor in this system is very short lived. That’s why some people believe CBD is helpful in keeping the endocannabinoid system going strong. This is especially true if you have anxiety or lots of stress.

In 2018, industrial hemp became legal under federal law as an agricultural commodity. That means hemp pants might be back in style soon, for the first time in like 300 years. CBD comes from industrial hemp and contains a tiny amount of THC. But it’s such a small amount you won’t feel it.

CBD gel capsules in hand

Different Types of CBD

When it comes to the different types of CBD, here are three terms you’ll hear a lot:

Broad spectrum
Full spectrum
Isolate

If you’re going to start using CBD on a regular basis, it’s best to know the difference. CBD isolate contains no THC. If you’re one of those rare people who get a contact high from pot from someone smoking 500 yards away, then maybe CBD isolate is right for you. Remember, CBD has trace amounts of THC. So if you work for the CIA and don’t want to risk being nailed on a drug test for THC, you may want to start with CBD isolate.

But for most people, I recommend not using CBD isolate. Broad spectrum also contains no THC. But it does contain other cannabinoids like CBN. In hemp extracts, CBD is by far the most abundant cannabinoid.

However, the trace amounts of other cannabinoids has a synergistic energy that works with CBD. This is called the “entourage effect.” People who swear by CBD believe that these lesser cannabinoids are vital for helping ease anxiety, pain and whatever else is ailing them.

If you want the full entourage effect, choose full-spectrum CBD. It’s got all the cannabinoids of broad spectrum, plus the trace amount of THC. Just to emphasize again: it won’t get you high, and it’s not the same as medical marijuana.

So to sum up, the best type of hemp extract in my opinion is full-spectrum CBD. I’ve tried CBD isolate before and it didn’t really do anything. But I’m sure for other people, CBD isolate or broad spectrum has some effect.

Now that we have our type of CBD chosen, let’s go shopping for some product…

CBD gummies

Best CBD Products

Until I have my own line of CBD—no plans as of yet—I’m not in the business of name-dropping brands. But at the end of this article, I’ll give you some pointers on what to look for when choosing a reputable brand.

Best for Sleep

When it comes to CBD products, gummies are all the rage. And why not. It’s therapeutic candy. What could be more fun?

But there are a couple things I don’t love about gummies. Most of us consume far too much sugar and most gummies have sugar added to them. Plus, many brands have artificial food coloring. Numerous health problems have been associated with fake dye, especially attention-deficit disorder in kids.

However, if I had occasional sleeplessness and had success using CBD gummies before bedtime, I’d keep at it. Just remember to brush those teeth before bed and cut down on the rest of your added sugars.

Best for anxiety & stress-relief

When it comes to easing nervous tension and anxiousness, I’m a believer in using the purest form of CBD possible: oil. Also called “drops”, CBD oil is pure hemp extract with nothing added to it other than MCT oil so it can be better absorbed.

The best way to use full-spectrum CBD oil is to squeeze some drops of it under the tongue and hold it for about a minute before swallowing. This will help with the absorption.

Warning: the purest of the pure CBD oil tastes super earthy and hempy. You can tell if it’s good quality stuff if it smells like weed a little bit.

Best for soothing achy muscles and joints

I think daily use of high-quality CBD oil is the best for general wellness and mental well-being. But when it comes to taking care of your bod, let’s get topical. In the last couple of years, CBD roll-on bottles have become trendy and I think that’s fantastic. Who thought it would have taken so long for someone to come up with a purpose for roll-on bottles other than masking stinky pits?

There are other forms of topical CBD like creams, lotions, salves, balms, etc. But you have to look at the ingredients to determine if it’s a good product.

In addition to premium hemp extract, there should be many other healing botanical helpers like capsaicin, menthol and essential oils to name a few. But don’t expect your pain will miraculously vanish. Topical CBD may work for alleviating or masking pain but it’s not a magic potion.

And what about trendy bath bombs, you may be wondering? Go ahead and try it. Get your luxury bath treatment on. If it’s a good quality bath bomb, you might just feel blissed out.

woman looking at cbd oil in bottle

Tips for choosing great CBD

Any reputable brand will get their products tested by a third party and prominently display those tests on their website. Each batch of hemp extract should be tested for heavy metals, pesticides and fungus. And each lab report should show the molecular profile. That means the report will give you the percentage breakdown of all the cannabinoids like THC in the batch.

By law, CBD can’t have more than 0.3% THC. And when CBD comes from hemp, it won’t contain more than that. CBD from marijuana is not federally legalized.

Conclusion

So now that you know what to look for in a great CBD product, get shopping. Read customer reviews, talk to your friends and experiment. That’s the fun of CBD, and remember, experimenting with CBD won’t get you high.

Chef V

Can CBD Oil Help You Lose Weight & Feel Great?

September 20, 2021 Chef V

CBD oil

Move over, coconut. You, too, avocado and olive. The latest, greatest oil I’m making room for in my kitchen is CBD oil. It’s extracted from the marijuana plant, but don’t worry because it won’t get you high. That is, unless you experience the natural high you’ll feel from the relief of pain, insomnia, anxiety, and the other potential benefits CBD oil may offer. Just make sure it’s legal in your state!

A few weeks ago, I described the stress I was experiencing opening a new commercial kitchen in New Jersey.

But hey, it turns out New Jersey ain’t so bad. At least it’s one of the states where CBD oil is legal.

Too bad I didn’t get turned onto CBD oil last month. Brandon (my husband) and I could have really used a squirt of CBD oil in our Green Drinks to cope with the stress.

As a certified nutritional therapist, I could no longer ignore looking into the benefits of CBD oil. Now that we’ve had our grand opening for our new commercial kitchen, I’ve had the time to get back to one of my favorite extra curricular activities: geeking out on nutrition and natural health articles.

Sure, I’ve heard all the hype about CBD oil over the last couple years. But I wanted to see for myself if the glorified testimonials were legit.

Here’s what I found….

Sample Code

Limited Research But So Far Very Promising

If you’re not familiar with CBD, it’s one of over 100 chemical compounds in marijuana. THC is the compound in marijuana that makes you feel high. But CBD itself doesn’t have any psychoactive properties. In fact, it can counteract the effect of THC.

And that’s a good thing, considering that CBD seems to offer the most benefit when it’s combined with at least some THC. But here’s what we know about CBD oil thus far, although there’s a limited amount of research. It helps to:

Reduce the number of seizures caused by epilepsy
Fights inflammation
Lessen the severity of muscle spasms
Lower blood pressure
Ease anxiety
Normalize blood sugar
Help treat drug addiction
Aid in treating psychotic conditions such as schizophrenia

In addition, preliminary studies on CBD shows it possesses anti-tumor potential. One day, it might even be part of a regimen doctors use to fight Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.

Another thing that really intrigued me about the potential of CBD I read is its ability to regulate metabolism and body weight. In fact, in one study on mice, it even lowered the incidence of diabetes. Granted that study wasn’t on humans, but, and excuse me if this sounds creepy, the protein-coding regions (the area from which we inherit our characteristics) of the mouse and human genomes are 85 percent identical. So, squeak, squeak, y’all!

Adding CBD Oil to Green Drinks

All this research on CBD is relatively new. That’s because CBD itself wasn’t extracted from the cannabis sativa plant (aka, weed) until just a couple decades ago.

But what if the preliminary research proves to be legit … could CBD help people lose weight?

We already know that certain fats can actually help improve your metabolism. Many CBD oil products contain coconut oil. That’s because coconut oil is very high in fat and CBD is fat-soluble. That means in order for you to absorb it, you need to combine it with fat. Coconut oil contains MCT’s, which stands for medium-chain triglycerides. Perhaps you’ve heard of MCT oil? If you haven’t it’s become popular because it’s good for both your brain and your metabolism.

(Two important side notes: be careful not to eat too much coconut oil if you have very high cholesterol. Also, don’t buy hemp-based CBD products like hemp seed oil because hemp contains far less CBD than cannabis-based CBD extract.)

So this got me thinking….

What if people starting adding CBD oil tincture to Chef V Green Drinks? I really think that adding a little bit of this therapeutic oil has the potential to help you lose weight. Plus, the fat from the coconut oil will help you feel fuller for longer.

In fact, if you’re doing one of my cleanse programs adding some CBD may even enhance your cleanse. How? For starters, it will help you relax. And also, other research shows CBD can stimulate genes that can help you breakdown fat; increase metabolism and slow down new fat cell generation.

medical cannabis

But is CBD legal where you live?

Truth be told, I’m not going to make CBD oil an ingredient in my Green Drink or feature it in my cleanse anytime soon. Primarily, it’s because according to federal law, CBD oil is still illegal.

But depending on the state in which you live, you might be able to buy CBD oil. I checked this source and here’s what I found….

If you live in these 6 states, where CBD in all forms is illegal, you’re out of luck: Idaho, South Dakota, West Virginia, Nebraska, Kansas, and Indiana.

As for these 16 states, you likely need a legit serious medical condition for buying and using it: Alabama, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Virginia, and Wisconsin.

However, in the rest of the states, you will likely be able to use CBD oil products with no problem. Currently, nine states allow recreational and medicinal marijuana. And 30 states have legalized medicinal pot.

Weed Wild Wild West

Just keep in mind that not all CBD products are created equal. And none are regulated by any federal guidelines (because it’s illegal).

Therefore, if you’re going to buy some CBD oil or any products with CBD (it’s even in lip balm these days), choose a brand that’s been 3rd-party tested for purity and strength. Lots of companies are trying to cash in on the cannabis craze. It really is a wild wild west green rush. And like the gold rush era of the mid 19th century, when lots of people got burned by speculators, lots of people are buying CBD products that contain very little CBD.

I should also mention that if you have a serious medical condition, of course, it’s always best to first check with your doctor or other health professional. And remember, the most therapeutic CBD seems to also include some THC. So go easy and start with a very low dose and scale up gradually.

To your health!

Love,

Chef V

Leptin function

CBD and Anxiety: What Your Doctor Isn’t Telling You

September 20, 2021 Chef V

cbd oil

Don’t get me wrong, I love being an entrepreneur and helping coach aspiring lady business leaders….

But as I’ve mentioned before, owning a business isn’t all Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous.

In fact, despite all the yoga I do to manage stress, anxiety can still get the best of me; I’m only human.

So … I’ve been thinking about using CBD to chill out when work pressure starts bubbling up to the surface.

Recently, I wrote about the promising results of CBD on lowering inflammation.

I’ve also been reading lots of reports online about people using CBD to calm the nerves.

Being a certified nutrition therapist and research geek, I wanted to see if there were any studies that support claims that CBD for anxiety is legit.

Here’s what I found out….

cbd candy

How Do You Use CBD For Anxiety?

But before I go over some of the research, I wanted to share a few common questions people have about using CBD for anxiety.

“Will I get high if I use it? ”

The answer: maybe.

You see, CBD is just one of about 100 identified compounds in marijuana. But CBD is non-psychoactive. That means that unlike THC, the infamous compound in weed that gets you high, CBD doesn’t make you feel high. In fact, CBD counteracts the effects of THC.

Now the reason I answered ‘maybe’ to the question is that some tinctures (a therapeutic liquid made by dissolving a drug in alcohol) contain a mix of THC and CBD. As I said, CBD works in opposition to THC. But if you have a high ratio of THC in the tincture, it can make you feel loopy.

But you don’t need any THC in order to get the anxiety-relieving effects. Instead, just buy pure CBD oil.

Just make sure that you get CBD oil that comes from hemp, which contains almost no THC (no more than 0.3%; not nearly enough THC to get you stoned).

CBD oil is extracted from industrial hemp.

Although it’s a natural product, CBD has the same problem as pharmaceuticals when it comes to dosage: everybody is different. In other words, the standard serving size of 25 mg of CBD twice a day may affect people differently.

I’ll give you an example: while on vacation, I talked to someone who took the full recommended dosage of 5 drops to help him fall asleep. But the guy ended up getting insomnia.

So here’s the important lesson if you’re new to using CBD for anxiety: start small. If the recommended dose is 5 drops, start off by taking 2. If you don’t feel anything, increase to 3 drops the next day and so on.

There are several other ways to use CBD for anxiety: there’s vape pens; edibles and more. If and when I try CBD for the first time, I’m going to try a few drops of a pure CBD oil tincture. I think it’s much easier to experiment with a small dose with a tincture than, say, a gummy bear (which I may be tempted to eat several).

CBD and aanxiety

Does CBD For Anxiety Work?

Judging by the immense amount of people posting reviews and stories on the Internet, yes.

But I’ll only take that at face value.

Until I see some research showing some promise on it, I’ll remain skeptical.

That being said, however, keep a couple things in mind about the medicinal uses of CBD.

First, your doctor won’t prescribe it for you. At least not yet in most states. Doctors can only recommend it; they can’t write you a ‘scrip.

And second, unless your doctor is doing some reading on his/her own, he/she didn’t learn about CBD in med school. The endocannibidoid system (fatty chemicals that help cells communicate with each other), of which CBD helps activate, plays a huge effect on the body’s response to pain, inflammation, and, yes, anxiety. But the FDA doesn’t regulate dosage of CBD; instead, it’s treated like a dietary supplement.

I don’t need large research studies to convince me that something works. As long as there is at least some preliminary research offering proof, I’m down to give it a try.

And the research shows that CBD does indeed have a calming effect on the central nervous system.

For instance, this retrospective study of 72 adults showed that anxiety scores decreased within the first month for 57 patients (79.2%). The anxiety remained lower during the study duration. The cherry on top is that the test subjects also slept better. Only 3 of the patients did not tolerate CBD well. All in all, CBD “may hold benefit for anxiety-related disorders,” conclude the researchers.

Preliminary studies (like this one) also show that CBD may be an excellent remedy for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

And this research from way back in 2014 (seems like ancient times, right?) says:

“Evidence strongly supports CBD as a treatment for generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and PTSD….”

That’s a promising endorsement. I’m convinced CBD for anxiety can work. But….

cbd oil

Not All CBD is Equal

As is the case with all supplements not created equal–and Green Drinks, too–so it goes with CBD products.

I don’t feel comfortable recommending a particular brand of pure CBD oil because I’m not experienced with taking CBD for anxiety.

But I do know there are some things to consider before buying a product. If you don’t do your due diligence and research reputable brands, you may end up buying a product that contains very little CBD. So make sure the product you buy has 3rd-party, independent testing verification. If you live in a state in which pot is legal, you can visit a dispensary, where they will most likely carry a high-quality brand of pure CBD, instead of a snake oil.

Keep in mind some people believe a full-spectrum product is best. In other words, medical marijuana. Remember, CBD is just one of 100 compounds in cannabis. Similar to how getting antioxidants from whole foods is better for your health than merely relying on supplements, it might be better if you take something that has a rich portfolio of cannabis compounds, but one that is very low in THC.

CBD For Anxiety: Chef V’s Conclusion

I still think that to be on the safe side, pure CBD oil tincture is the way to go. Pure CBD is 100% legal in every state.

And if you’re taking any medication, please talk to your doctor to make sure there won’t be any drug interactions if you use CBD for anxiety.

Remember, this post is not intended as medical advice. While it’s doubtful your doctor would tell you to take CBD, I do think it’s better to be safe than sorry to at least ask your doctor if taking CBD is recommended, especially if your anxiety is serious.

If you’re going to try CBD, choose a product that’s GMO-free; pesticide-free; and extracted using CO2 technology.

To your health,

Chef V

Chef V and meditation

Oatmeal Overrated For Breakfast – (4 Reasons Why)

September 14, 2021 Chef V

Oatmeal Overrated For Breakfast - 4 Reasons

Oatmeal is regarded as one of the healthiest things to eat for breakfast. But Chef V doesn’t have much of an appetite for it. Learn why oatmeal might not be as healthy as you think…

What could be more healthy to eat in the morning than a bowl of oatmeal topped with chia seeds, sliced almonds, a handful of blueberries, and maybe a scoop of nut butter, all drizzled with honey?

Sounds super satisfying, right?

For many people having a bowl of oatmeal for breakfast is indeed the perfect meal for sustained energy and to prevent cravings until lunch time.

If you’re an oatmeal lover I hate to crash your breakfast party but here’s some food for thought…

I have some reasons why you may want to think twice about eating it, or at least eating it every day.

glyphosates and oatmeal

Top Reason Oatmeal is Overrated: Glyphosate

The most heavily sprayed herbicide in the world is a chemical compound called glyphosate, which is lurking in your oatmeal.

I wrote about glyphosate in detail here. In case you missed it or don’t remember what it was about, let me catch you up to speed…

In 2015, glyphosate was declared “probably carcinogenic (cancer-causing) to humans” by the main cancer research institute of the World Health Organization.

Glyphosate is a toxic weed-killer and pesticide and the active ingredient in Roundup. Roundup has been the top-selling herbicide brand in the U.S. for many years.

Heavily sprayed on crops like soy, corn and oats, glyphosate has been blamed in over 125,000 Roundup lawsuits for causing cancer.

It’s sprayed on oats in order to dry the crop faster so it can be more quickly processed into things like oatmeal and oatmeal cookies.

Now I don’t want you to freak out if you’ve been eating oatmeal every day for years. The people who have filed Roundup lawsuits have been mostly recreational gardeners that were directly exposed to glyphosate either through the skin or by inhaling the particles.

But in order to take control of your health, it’s a good idea to limit your intake of foods that contain glyphosate residue.

According to tests conducted by the Environmental Working Group, out of 45 oat-based products, only two did not contain glyphosate.

More troubling, the 43 products that did have it contained levels several times higher than what the EWG considers safe.

So think about that next time you have a bite of conventional oatmeal. And definitely consider these facts if you have kids who eat oatmeal or cereal bars. As the EWG declared, “harmful pesticides don’t belong in kids’ breakfast foods!”

oatmeal high glycemic index

Oatmeal Overrated: High-Starch Carbs

If you want to get leaner, your biggest enemy is high-starch carbs. What are high-starch carbs? Think mashed potatoes, white bread, wheat bread, anything with white flour and the type of oatmeal most people consume.

Most people are in a rush and don’t have the luxury of taking an hour to make old-fashioned steel-cut oats. So packets of instant oats it is.

Microwaveable oatmeal has a high glycemic load. This means that instant oats can significantly raise your blood glucose level after eating it.

And most people eat way too many starchy carbs to begin with. It’s one thing if you’re limiting your intake of carbs during the day to low-starch veggies and a moderate amount of fruit.

But if you’re also eating rice, pasta and bread throughout the day, eating oatmeal is like pouring fuel on the fire. Or more accurately, adding more unburned energy (fat) to the body.

Yeah, but isn’t oatmeal high in fiber? Yes, it is. But that doesn’t mean that your pancreas won’t release insulin in order to control the blood sugar response.

While getting enough fiber in the diet is critical for healthy elimination, you’re better off getting your fiber from produce, quinoa and ancient grains like teff.

oatmeal bloating

Antinutrients in Oatmeal

Over 60 million Americans are diagnosed with a digestive disorder, according to the GI Alliance. That’s a lot of bloated bellies and other unpleasant symptoms of gastrointestinal disorders.

Oats are a type of grain. And grains contain compounds called “antinutrients” that may prevent absorption of vitamins and minerals. Therefore, some people who eat oatmeal may not tolerate it well.

Most grains, before they are processed into food, contain two compounds that are considered anti-nutrients.

The first one is phytic acid, which binds to minerals in the oats, preventing us from absorbing them very well.

So even though you may see on the nutrition label on a box of oatmeal that there are many vitamins and minerals, keep in mind your body may not be up taking them very efficiently.

Grains such as oats also have something called lectins, which prevent plants from being devoured by parasites and insects. Gluten is technically a type of lectin. But even if you’re not allergic to gluten, you can still experience bloating and other digestive upsets from eating foods with lectin.

steel cut oats

What’s In Your Oatmeal?

Besides having to worry about glyphosate, antinutrients and the insulin response to oatmeal, here’s something else to consider.

Oatmeal by itself tastes so bland that the only solution to making it taste appealing, for most people, is usually topping it with something super sweet like sugar or honey.

Unlike high-starch foods, which convert into sugar, sweet toppings can instantly drive up our blood sugar level.

And don’t get me started about all that sugar in instant oatmeal packets.

Can’t Quit Oatmeal? Follow This Advice

If you’re trying to get leaner, skip breakfast entirely. Instead, have a tall glass of water with some fresh-squeezed lemon.

Then wait about half an hour and have 8 to 16 ounces of my Chef V Organic Green Drink. If you’re still hungry later in the morning, have a plant-based protein shake. Do this for a couple weeks and you’ll notice great results!

But if you absolutely love oatmeal, make sure to purchase a non-GMO, organic gluten-free variety. Oats do not naturally contain gluten. But many commercial brands of oatmeal are cross-contaminated with gluten.

And the more old-fashioned the oats are, like steel-cut or porridge, the longer it will take the starches to convert into sugar. And to reduce the antinutrients if your tummy is sensitive to them, try sprouted oats.

While I may not be on the oatmeal breakfast bandwagon, I do love homemade oat milk. Naturally, I use certified organic, gluten-free oats. Here’s how I make it.

Conclusion

Oatmeal is hyped for lowering blood pressure, being rich in fiber and being good for cholesterol. But that’s not the whole story.

Here’s to your health! – Chef V

Chef V

Do you Take Vitamin K? Maybe You Should.

September 1, 2021 Jean Yates

Vitamin K

You know that Vitamin K is important for heart and circulatory system health, but now a connection with viral disease and mortality makes getting your Vitamin K more important than ever.

In recent reporting on viral research, The Guardian reports: “Researchers studying patients who were admitted to the Canisius Wilhelmina hospital in the Dutch city of Nijmegen have extolled the benefits of vitamin K after discovering a link between deficiency and the worst pandemic outcomes.”

Dr Rob Janssen, a scientist working on the project says: ““My advice would be to take those vitamin K supplements. Even if it does not help against severe viral disease, it is good for your blood vessels, bones and probably also for the lungs.”

The research, undertaken in partnership with the Cardiovascular Research Institute Maastricht, one of Europe’s largest heart and vascular research institutes, studied 134 patients hospitalized for viral disease between 12 March and 11 April, alongside a control group of 184 age-matched patients who did not have the disease.

Jona Walk, a second researcher on the study, which was submitted for peer review on Friday, said: “We want to take very sick patients and randomise so that they get a placebo or vitamin K, which is very safe to use in the general population. We want to give vitamin K in a significantly high enough dose that we really will activate [the protein] that is so important for protecting the lungs, and check if it is safe.”

Consumer Reports on Vitamin K

Consumer Reports recently discussed three investigations of people with low amounts of Vitamin K and their increased risk of dying from any cause. Other research has shown that too little vitamin K is associated with various age-related concerns, such as cognitive function and mobility.

Vitamin K is needed for normal blood clotting and is related to healthy lungs – it has been shown to protect lungs by protecting the elasticity of connective tissue, and it makes sure minerals (e.g., calcium) stay in bones rather than the blood vessels, which inhibits atherosclerosis. Both blood clots and difficulty breathing are serious complications of viral disease.

Green Drink has 562% of your daily recommended dose of Vitamin K

If you’re having 16 oz. of my Organic Green Drink every day, you’re getting 562% of your daily value of phylloquinone.

Phylloquinone is the plant form of vitamin K.

And next time you get a cut and you’re bleeding, you can thank my Green Drink for helping stopping the bleeding.

That’s because this critical nutrient produces a protein that helps clot your blood.

(If you take blood-thinning medication, though, don’t overdo the Green Drinks and other foods rich in it.)

Vitamin K in foods

Best Sources

It turns out that two of the top five top sources of vitamin K are in my Organic Green Drink: collard greens and kale.

Now, I never intended to create a detox drink that was specifically high in vitamin K.

That’s because, to be honest, even though I’m a certified nutritional therapist, I, too, tend to treat vitamin K like a neglected friend.

I don’t think about vitamin K often like I do like the B vitamins or C and E (for skin health) or even A.

But next time I get a nick from a bad paper cut, I’m going to be grateful for the fact that my Green Drink not only tastes great, but will help my boo boo heal fast.

Women around my age should consume about 90 micrograms (mcg) a day, of vitamin K. As for men: 120 mcg.

Each 8 oz serving of Green Drink contains 210 mcg (over 250% of your daily value).

That means even if you don’t have any other green leafy veggies the rest of the day, you don’t have to worry about your vitamin K intake.

Which is good news if you’re one of our always on the go customers that don’t get any other greens from food aside from Green Drink. (If that’s you, think of Green Drink as your health insurance.)

In addition to kale and collard greens, lettuce, another of the 7 certified organic veggies in Green Drink is rich in vitamin K.

Who Needs It Most?

Although it’s not common for someone other than newborns to have a vitamin K deficiency, certain people do need more.

If you have any digestive issue that affects how you absorb nutrients, you might want to consume more vitamin K. Ulcerative colitis, Celiac Disease, and Cystic Fibrosis are examples of malabsorption conditions that may require an increase of vitamin K.

If you have one of these conditions, consider not only drinking Green Drink first thing in the morning, but also eating lots of green leafy veggies in salads.

In addition, the Japanese fermented soy food, natto, is the highest source. However, if you have a FODMAP sensitivity, it might be best to avoid fermented foods.

(FODMAPs are short-chain carbs that don’t get absorbed easily in the gut and can lead to fermentation in the digestive system. This is a good resource that explains FODMAPS.)

Vitamin K capsule

K2: Is it the same?

On certain food labels, you might come across vitamin K2. The plant-based form of vitamin K is K1, whereas animal-based sources are K2.

I’m not vegan, or even vegetarian. But I do believe in popular food writer, Michael Pollan’s famous saying: “Eat food. Not too much. Mostly plants.”

WIthout doubt, you can definitely get enough vitamin K from plant sources.

There’s actually vitamins K3, 4 and 5, but you’ll need a degree in biochemistry to understand what they do.

Health Benefits

Here are some other reasons to have a Green Drink every day….

There’s a protein in your heart that depends on vitamin K. The protein is also located in your bone and cartilage. This protein is very important because it can help reduce calcification (hardening) of the arteries in the heart.

That’s why if you’re not getting enough leafy greens in your diet (either through Green Drinks or salads), you might be at greater risk for heart disease.

In addition, there’s another protein that depends on it for healthy bone formation. That’s why researchers believe there’s a link between low vitamin K intake and osteoporosis.

And when you get older, you’ll especially want to make sure you’re getting enough leafy greens. That’s because the higher blood levels of it you have, the lower your chances of memory loss. Moreover, your blood pressure will be at a more normal level.

Have Some Fat With It

K is fat-soluble. That means you need to eat some fat with it so your body absorbs it.

My Green Drink has zero grams of fat, or at most, a trace amount. So what I do is shortly after I have some Green Drink, I’ll have a tiny amount of avocado, coconut oil or almond butter (or other healthy fat) so that next time I get a boo-boo, my blood will clot fast.

Veronica in NYC

Eat Happy! Boost Your Brain’s Feel-Good Chemicals

August 29, 2021 Chef V

Eat Happy! The Best Foods To Boost Your Brain’s Feel-Good Chemicals

Eat Happy – If you’re feeling down or your emotions are fluctuating more wildly than usual, here’s why this fall is going to be different for you.

From this day forward, I want you to consider every morsel of food that you put into your mouth. And ask yourself if this particular food or drink is going to contribute to a more happy you and help to stabilize your mood. Or on the flip side, is what you’re about to consume going to exacerbate your blue mood.

Eat Happy

Eat Happy – Kick Start Your Feel-Good Neurotransmitters

With this in mind, keep this article handy. Print it out. Make copies and place it one on your fridge. Keep a copy in your car so when you go food shopping, you’ll know exactly which foods to buy for a better mood.

Not to get all sciency here, but a tad of human physiology is necessary to explain how food can make you happy.

And it all has to do with neurotransmitters. You’ve probably heard of that term but maybe you’re not exactly sure what they are and what they do.

Here’s the bottom line: they are chemicals that relay messages from one part of the brain to another, and even to distant areas of your body.

Clear communication is vital for business, resolving family disputes and connecting with friends around the world on your laptop or phone. And it’s also critical for a healthy mood, good quality sleep and other important things in which neurotransmitters play critical roles.

Serotonin

Best Foods For Serotonin

Serotonin is one of the most well-known neurotransmitters. It’s one of the most important feel-good chemicals in your body. And it’s not just found in your brain; receptors for it are mostly found in the gut … another reason gut health is so important! But the problem with serotonin is that you can’t actually get in from food. But eating certain foods can kick start a metabolic pathway that increases serotonin activity.

And here are the best foods for that:

Organic Turkey: The reason why people feel content after stuffing their face with turkey during the holidays is that turkey contains the amino acid, tryptophan. But eating lots of meat is hard on the digestive system. And the reason why I recommend eating organic turkey only is because factory-farmed turkey are not treated humanely and may be treated with antibiotics. Not even the most delicious gravy can cover up that bad taste in my mouth!So what’s a plant-based, healthy eater to do? Eat these foods instead:
Leafy greens
Pumpkin seeds
Sunflower seeds
Mushrooms
Soy
Peas
Broccoli

This fall, resist the greasy takeout and stuff your face with healthy options.

best foods for dopamine

Best Foods For Dopamine

Dopamine is another well-known feel-good chemical. (And now that I think about it, maybe marijuana was called dope back in the day because of this reason.) Also called “the happy hormone,” dopamine is released in the brain when you’re engaged in activities that make you feel good, whether or not they are healthy. For instance, that “runner’s high” feeling is in essence a flood of dopamine released from the brain.

But you can also experience a dopamine rush by eating a pint of ice cream. Instead of sabotaging your body and mind, eat these healthy dopamine-boosting foods:

Spinach
Avocados
Apples
Tomatoes
Eggplant
Salmon
Eggs
Bananas (not too ripe)
Nuts
Dark chocolate

Best GABA foods

Eat Happy – Best GABA Foods

Not to be confused with the kid’s puppet show Yo Gabba Gabba!, GABA helps you feel more calm and grounded. People with low levels of this neurotransmitter are more likely to be depressed and experience anxiety.

So go grab some GABA-stimulating grub from this list:

According to PsychologyToday, these are the best foods: whole grains, fava beans, soy, lentils, and other beans; nuts including walnuts, almonds, and sunflower seeds; fish including shrimp and halibut; citrus, tomatoes, berries, spinach, broccoli, potatoes, and cocoa.

Best Happy Foods: Conclusion

Green tea, berries and green-leafy veggies are also some of the best foods to keep your mood rock-steady throughout the day. Another reason some people experience mood swings is that they don’t eat enough during meals. Or, the ratio of macronutrients (fats, proteins and carbs) isn’t balanced. If you find that you need to snack during the day, try eating bigger meals and experiment with what percentage of macros works best for you.

If you don’t love eating lots of veggies and salads, or don’t have the time to prepare them, check out my easy solution.

Chef V

Cooking With An Air Fryer: Is It Healthier Or Just Blowing Hot Air?

August 24, 2021 Chef V

Cooking With An Air Fryer: Is It Healthier Or Just Blowing Hot Air?

The pros of an air fryer: less calories and fat, less greasy smell and less time cooking. What’s not to like? I’ll tell you what to watch out for…

If there’s one thing I’m honest about it’s my one addiction: french fries. While I, as a certified nutritional therapist, preach about health concerns around fried food and GMOs and “forever chemicals” (PFAs) in fast food, like kryptonite to Superman, I am powerless against frozen Russet potato slices submerged in a deep fryer, saturated with highly-inflammatory vegetable oil.

Hey, I’m not perfect but I also preach the 90% rule: live a healthy lifestyle 90% of the time and live a little, within reason.

But out of all the vices I rarely indulge in—ice cream, coffee, alcohol—eating french fries is the unhealthiest. That’s why I wanted to take a closer look at air fryers.

Because if I start using my air fryer a lot, will I eat french fries more often, duped into thinking that they are healthy so I can indulge in my favorite vice more frequently?

If you see an ad for an air fryer, the evidence seems pretty conclusive: they are way healthier than traditional frying. Here’s why:

Air fryers use much less oil and fat
Because of less oil, foods cooked with air fryers have less calories
No greasy, fried-food smell
Easy and tasty way to prepare vegetables for kids who don’t like steamed veggies
Using an air fryer may save time
Saves energy (lower electric bills)

Less fat. Less calories. No stank. Makes veggies more appealing. Saves time and maybe even a few pennies … What’s not to like?

Well, before I tell you about the downsides to cooking with an air fryer, how in the heck do they work in the first place?

Air Fryer

How Air Fryers Work

If you’re a serious foodie, then you know what a convection oven is. Unlike a conventional oven, a convection oven contains a fan and exhaust system that disperses hot, dry air evenly. This process makes veggies, meat and, yes, my fave, french fries, have a crispy mouthfeel without drying out the inside like a regular oven.

Air fryers work in a similar way. They also have a hole-filled basket that you place the food in. The holes in the basket allow the air to circulate and cook every nook and cranny of the food. And it’s this circulating hot, dry air that gives my yummy french fries a very similar crispiness to a regular fryer, but without all that hydrogenated vegetable oil that leads to inflammation in the arteries.

air fryer and avocado oil

Benefits Of Cooking With An Air Fryer

I highlighted the big benefits above. But let’s focus on the fact that air fryers use less oil than conventional frying. I’ve read estimates that say air frying can reduce the calorie count by up to 80%.

That seems a bit excessive. But cooking oil is a dietary fat, which contains 9 calories per gram. Each tablespoon of oil contains 13 grams, which is approximately 120 calories in just one tablespoon. If you’re eating a lot of fries, you’re probably consuming several hundred calories from the cooking oil. For cooking a big batch of fries in an air fryer, you only need one or two teaspoons of oil.

So you can see why this is a huge advantage of using an air fryer.

Another benefit of using an air fryer instead of conventional frying, according to WebMD, is that it produces less of the cancer-causing chemical acrylamide. In fact, air frying may reduce the amount of acrylamide by 90%.

The Downsides of Using An Air Fryer

But before I indulge in my favorite vice, I’m proceeding with caution because there are a few things I’ve read while researching air fryers that have made me think twice.

For starters, some air fryers are made with Teflon. Teflon is the trademarked chemical name of polytetrafluoroethylene or PTFE. PTFE is the non-sticking chemical compound that makes it easy to clean pots and pans. Some air fryer models use PTFE in the baskets to make it easier to clean the grease and oil.

But according to a study, even at normal cooking temperatures, PTFE-coated cookware releases various gases and chemicals that present mild to severe toxicity.

The researchers of the study seem to suggest that PTFE is bad for human health, but exactly how bad is tough to say. They write, “the toxicity and fate of ingested PTFE coatings are also not understood.”

So if you’re going to buy an air fryer, purchase one with either a ceramic or stainless steel basket.

Another risk of using an air fryer frequently, especially for animal protein is that any type of frying creates free-radical damage through oxidation. Oxidation is what causes premature aging. Yes, air frying might be healthier than conventional frying, but that doesn’t necessarily give your arteries a free pass to eat animal flesh more often.

Supposedly, adding fresh parsley or chives to meat can prevent some of the oxidation, but I wouldn’t rely on that.

In addition, if you’re cooking wild salmon or grass-fed beef, both of which are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids, air frying can reduce the amount of omega-3s in the cooking process.

Air fryer french fries

Best Cooking Oil To Use With An Air Fryer

Remember, a major benefit of cooking with an air fryer is that it reduces the amount of harmful vegetable oil that conventional french fries are cooked in. But the paradox of using an air fryer is that because it requires much less cooking oil, you might be depriving your body of healthy fats.

So if you are cooking with an air fryer, use avocado oil or walnut oil and drizzle olive oil on your salad.

Conclusion

Using an air fryer is better than regular frying. But for optimal health, lightly cooking your food by sautéing or baking or light grilling may produce less oxidation

But every now and then, I may just pull out my ceramic air fryer and give in to my french fry addiction.

Chef V

How To Prevent Food Poisoning (From Food & People)

August 1, 2021 Jean Yates

how to prevent food poisoning

The news cycle moves at warp speed so you may not remember that recently I wrote about why I don’t include romaine lettuce in my Organic Green Drinks.

In case you missed it, let me sum up: more than any other green leafy veggie, romaine is the most susceptible to e. coli poisoning.

If you want to keep your gut healthy, don’t buy store bought bagged lettuce. It’s like playing Russian roulette with your immune system. Instead, try growing your own.

But eating contaminated food isn’t the only way you can get sick. In fact, not to freak you out or anything but a recent Consumer Reports article says many people “caught” food poisoning not from the romaine, but from people who ate it.

I wanted to share with you some tips from the article on how not to “catch food poisoning.”

food poisoning bacteria

Hand Sanitizer vs Hand Washing: Which Is Better

If you’re on a cruise, definitely use hand sanitizer whenever possible. Norovirus is a disease caused by food contamination. It most often occurs when you’re shacking up in close quarters to other people.

But when you’re on land, hand sanitizers are overrated. They don’t kill all the bad germs. You’re better off just washing your hands with soap and warm water for about 20 seconds.

And definitely don’t ever use antibacterial soap. It weakens your immune system. You see, you want your hands to be clean. But not too clean. You want your immune system to “exercise” by being exposed to and fighting pathogens. Antibacterial soap also kills your good bacteria. Another concern about antibacterial soap is the potentially cancer-causing chemical, triclosan. Triclosan can also make you more vulnerable to developing allergies.

I prefer to use natural products whenever possible. That’s why I use Dr. Bronner’s hand sanitizer. You can also make your own natural hand sanitizer using a blend of essential oils. To make one, you’ll need a carrier oil like coconut or jojoba. A few of the best essential oil sanitizers are lemon, tea tree, and orange. You can also add some aloe vera oil.

But if you do want to protect yourself with commercial sanitizer, get one that’s alcohol-based and contains at least 60 percent alcohol (ethanol or isopropanol). Any less and it won’t kill all the bad germs.

food poisoning good bad flora

Opening and Closing Doors

Let’s say you’re a good boy or girl and you just went potty in a public bathroom and washed your hands with warm water for 20 seconds.

You’re feeling all high and mighty about your sanitary practices and open the door to go back to your table at the restaurant. But what if the person who just went to the bathroom before you didn’t wash their hands? And what if they have a food-borne illness that’s brewing but not yet fully developed? That person just grabbed the metal door handle and you just touched it.

So whenever you have to open a metal door, even if it’s right after washing your hands, use a paper towel. Even better, to be more environmentally friendly, tear off a small extra piece of toilet paper to open the door. If you have to touch a metal surface like a door handle or railing, make sure you sanitize your hands afterwards and definitely do not touch your eyes or nose with your hands before doing so.

Sorry if it seems like I’m being your mommy. I’m sure you don’t need me to remind you to wash your hands. You’re probably doing that already.

But keep in mind that 2018’s e. coli outbreak was the deadliest in decades. About 200 people got sick and 5 people died.

Some of the people who got sick didn’t eat the contaminated romaine. Rather, they became ill by somehow being in contact with people who ate the bad romaine.

Now I hope you’re not eating while you’re reading this. Because what I’m about to tell you is gross: E. coli can be transmitted through the tiniest piece of poop. All it takes is a trace amount, a microscopic, nano-poop-particle, to both become sick with food poisoning or to infect someone else.

See why I’m preaching hand washing in this post?

True, I might be slightly nagging like a good-intentioned mama. But I do care about my follower’s health and wellness….

Preventing Food Poisoning: Conclusion

Again, sorry if I seem a bit over cautious. I don’t want you to live in fear. Eat, drink and be merry! (In moderation, of course.)

But don’t forget this sage sanitary advice to prevent food poisoning.

Keep in mind the stronger your immune system is, the lower your chance of getting sick from contaminated food. Of course, if you’re on a trip to a foreign country and drink water with bacteria your system isn’t used to, you may get a touch of traveller’s belly. That’s why you should carry a potent probiotic with you.

The strain, “Saccharomyces boulardii” is a great one. It’s a tropical species of yeast that’s naturally found in lychee and mangosteen fruit. Buy it and bring it with you for overseas trips. If you get the “D word” (it’s so nasty, I don’t even like spelling it out) from eating or drinking, it can help. I actually recommend taking it as a preventative. You can take it for several months in a row without side effects.

And don’t forget to feed the good bacteria in your gut with “prebiotics.” Prebiotics are non-digestible fibers. They are what the bacteria in your gut love to chomp on.

Know what’s a great source of prebiotic fiber for your gut? Green leafy veggies. My Organic Green Drinks contain 7 green leafy veggies. It’s the perfect way to start the day and make your belly bacteria happy. And a happy belly means a strong immune system.

To your health….

Chef V

Chef V and tropical green drink

Creamy Avocado Dressing

July 25, 2021 Jean Yates

Chef V’s tip: Most of my salads are delicious with my Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette or Creamy Avocado Dressing. Use these on any salads unless otherwise specified.

creamy avocado dressing

TOTAL TIME: 10 min

SERVES 4-6

Ingredients

1 large ripe avocado
1/2 small white onion, minced or grated
1 clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 small lime, juiced
1 tablespoon cold-pressed-olive oil or avocado oil
1 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

Process all ingredients in a Vitamix until smooth and well combined. Serve immediately.

Berry Blast

July 25, 2021 Chef V

Chef V’s Tip: want to get more calcium into your diet? Look no further! My Berry Blast is chock full of calcium from sources you may not know – almonds (from my raw almond milk), chia seeds, and flaxseeds. Calcium is essential for a healthy heart, bones, blood, and more.

berry blast

Prep Time: 8 minutes

Serving Size: 1 person

Ingredients

1 cup Chef V’s Raw Almond Milk or coconut milk
1/2 Fuji apple, cored and seeded
1/2 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 teaspoon raw chia seeds
1 teaspoon raw flax seeds
1 cup ice
1 tablespoon vegan protein powder, optional

Directions

Process all ingredients in a Vitamix for 1 to 2 minutes, or until smooth. Will keep for up to 3 days refrigerated.

What’s Fueling The TikTok Chlorophyll Trend?

July 19, 2021 Jean Yates

chlorophyll

Drinking liquid chlorophyll is one of the hottest trends right now. And we have TikTok to thank for it.

The short form viral video app hosts dozens of videos showing people — mostly young women in their early 20s—sipping on green water, swearing that liquid chlorophyll cures all.

The majority of the liquid chlorophyll Tik Tok videos claim how the drops are amazing for the skin. Other TikTok users swear by it for weight loss, and pretty much every health concern under the sun.

In this post, I’ll explain what chlorophyll is, its benefits, and I’ll weigh in on whether or not I think it’s worth it to drink liquid chlorophyll…

First off, let me just say that it’s actually kind of refreshing to see young women fueling a health trend. While I’m not jumping on the liquid chlorophyll bandwagon just yet (I’ll explain why below), adding chlorophyll drops to your water is for sure waaaaay healthier than vaping, which is pretty much the only other trend I’m familiar with when it comes to late teens.

What Is Chlorophyll?

Remember learning about photosynthesis in school?

If not, no worries, I’ll catch you up to speed…

Photosynthesis is a chemical process. Plants use a green colored pigment—chlorophyll—to trap sunlight. Carbon dioxide and water are synthesized from sunlight to nourish the plants. In essence, photosynthesis is the transfer of energy from the sun to plants.

Chlorophyll helps plants create sugar molecules. Without chlorophyll, plants wouldn’t provide us with phytonutrient-rich, health-supporting food. It’s no wonder that some people refer to it as “plant blood.” In fact, chlorophyll, when viewed through a microscope, looks very similar to human red blood cells!

My sixth-grade chemistry teacher would probably give me a “C minus” at best for that clunky explanation. But that’s really all you need to know about chlorophyll. To sum up: it’s a pigment that gives plants their green color and abundant micronutrients.

If that’s the case then you should definitely stop reading this article right now and purchase liquid chlorophyll, right? Well, not exactly. I’ll explain why in a little bit.

avocados for brain health

Benefits of Chlorophyll

One plant that’s really rich in the green pigment is wheatgrass. Some people can’t stomach the taste of wheatgrass shots because, well, it tastes like grass. Chlorophyll makes up approximately 70% of the solid content of wheatgrass.

In lab studies, wheatgrass has been shown to reduce oxidative damage in cells. If there’s too much oxidation in your cells, you age prematurely. There have also been studies on people showing that wheatgrass helps reduce the side effects of chemotherapy.

Wheatgrass has also been shown to lessen the severity of several chronic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and ulcerative colitis. Chlorophyll-rich foods and drinks like wheatgrass may also help improve metabolic disorders like diabetes and obesity.

The problem with wheatgrass, besides the grassy taste, is that you need a wheatgrass juicer at home to use it on a consistent basis. Plus, you also need to have a steady supply of the grass.

And that brings us back to the TikTok sensation…

Benefits of Liquid Chlorophyll

Squirting a few drops from a bottle into a glass of water is far easier than the messy hassle of wheatgrass shots.

But are the liquid drops the same as the green pigment in its natural form?

No, liquid chlorophyll is not the same as chlorophyll naturally found in plants.

The liquid drops are synthetic. (Synthetic chlorophyll is called chlorophyllin.) But that doesn’t mean that all these TikTok users are wasting their money or even harming their health.

In fact, liquid chlorophyll, just like natural chlorophyll found in whole plants, may help activate enzymes that play a role in eliminating toxins.

So could it be that the skin benefits many TikTok users are experiencing are from liquid chlorophyll?

It could be. Put it this way. If your diet isn’t exactly wholesome to begin with, adding an alkalizing, anti-inflammatory substance that’s rich in vitamins A, C, E, K and magnesium to your diet could very well seem like a miracle.

Another benefit of liquid chlorophyll is that it builds red blood cells. If you’re going, say, on a ski trip or hiking adventure to a high-altitude destination, chlorophyll drops may come in handy.

But it takes a good 2-3 weeks to build red blood cells so make sure you start using it well in advance of your trip. The copper in liquid chlorophyll drops is highly-concentrated. You need copper (and iron) to form red blood cells. Eating a salad every day isn’t enough to combat the effects of high-altitude sickness.

When it comes to preparing for a high-altitude trip (in my book that’s 9,000 feet or higher), I might consider taking liquid chlorophyll drops.

Side Effects of Liquid Chlorophyll

If green poop grosses you out, lay off the liquid drops. Aside from discoloration of stool, overdoing it on the drops can lead to diarrhea. But the only other serious concern of chlorophyll supplements is that, just like any other health supplement, it’s hard to know how much of it your body is actually digesting and absorbing.

Is Liquid Chlorophyll Worth Buying?

Aside from preparing for a high-altitude trip, no, I don’t think liquid chlorophyll supplements are necessary. Not if you’re eating plenty of whole-food green leafy veggies or having a daily dose of organic Green Drinks.

Best Natural Sources of Chlorophyll

Edible seaweed and superfood powders are excellent natural chlorophyll sources. Superfood powders often contain spirulina, chlorella, or some other combination of blue-green algae. Edible seaweeds include nori (sushi roll wraps), wakame (in miso soup), kombu (found in ramen), dulse flakes and Irish moss.

But I prefer whole foods every time, and that means eating lots of veggies, especially green-leafy ones.

Kale is one of the best sources of chlorophyll. So is parsley, collard greens, chard, and dandelion greens. Organic Green Drink contains these chlorophyll-rich green leafy veggies. And the best part is you can have it delivered right to your home. No messy juicer needed!

So young TikTokers, good on ya for doing something healthy. But make sure you get plenty of whole-food fruits and veggies in your diet. Oh, listen to me, I sound like a mom!

Chef V and kale

This 4th of July, Think About The Freedom To Eat Healthy

July 15, 2021 Chef V

veronica in field

The beginning of summer presents us with two holidays that reflect on freedom: Juneteenth, the federal holiday on June 19th that celebrates the emancipation of slaves in the US, and of course, the 4th of July.

Although our nation is far from perfect, we are afforded freedoms that billions of people around the world don’t have. Unfortunately, part of living in a free society means that our choices of what we put in our bodies is heavily dictated by the marketplace. And the marketplace is overwhelmingly filled with highly-processed food, or in other words, junk.

When only a handful of mega corporations control 99% of the food supply, it can be challenging for some people to find farm-to-fork food that’s grown without potentially-harmful pesticides, herbicides and other synthetic chemicals.

But you do have the freedom to eat healthy.

farmers market

You have the freedom to consume organic, green-leafy veggies. If you don’t feel like buying them from the store and chopping them up, you even have the freedom to have organic greens cold-blended and delivered to you in juice form. Out of the 195 countries in the world, you could probably count on one hand the number of countries that offer that kind of freedom and convenience.

The consolidation of food has led to less choice when it comes to buying the most popular staples like bread and dairy. And in order to maximize profits, giant food conglomerates increase the output of crops, often at the expense of our health.

Consider the use of the weed killer, glyphosate, which the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer labelled “probably carcinogenic to humans” in 2015.

Six years later, however, the Environmental Protection Agency still allows the sale and use of glyphosate for crop production.

The good news is that you have the freedom to eat organic, non-GMO, gluten-free products.

Every single day, you should maintain a practice of gratitude, especially for having the freedom to eat whatever you want to and how much you want to. Nearly 9 percent of the world’s population is food insecure. That’s roughly 690 million people. And it’s not getting better; worldwide, hunger is on the rise.

But having the freedom to eat whatever you want, whenever you want can of course backfire, with serious health consequences.

On this 4th of July, think about having the freedom not to eat whatever you want and whenever you want, but having the freedom to eat for gut health.

A key factor in eating for gut health involves eating sparingly, no more than three times a day. Frequent snacking is a freedom. One that the government shouldn’t try to eliminate. But frequent snacking in my opinion isn’t a freedom, it’s an unnecessary indulgence that can cause a long laundry list of health problems such as SIBO.

Thankfully, as of 2018, with passage of the Hemp Farm Act, you now have the freedom in all 50 states to consume cannabidiol (CBD), the non-intoxicating chemical in the hemp plant. Long overdue, the Hemp Farm Act removed CBD from the Drug Enforcement Agency’s list of schedule 1 controlled substances, the same class as LSD, ecstasy and marijuana.

But did you know you have the freedom to eat foods that activate the body’s internal cannabinoid system? That’s the same system that’s activated by cannabinoids like CBD and THC, the main chemical in marijuana? The internal (or endo-) cannabinoid system helps the body get back to balance.

smoothie table

All over the world, even in the most repressed societies, people enjoy a stiff adult beverage from time to time. Unfortunately, alcoholism is a worldwide concern, with over 3 million deaths worldwide attributed to alcohol abuse. That’s over 5 percent of all deaths caused by alcohol! But you have the freedom to mocktails instead of cocktails. Just as delicious without the potential for abuse.

You also have the freedom to drink low-sugar smoothies and shakes.

As the saying goes, freedom’s never free. While you may have to pay a little more for healthier food, in the long run, having the freedom to eat healthy is far less expensive than paying out of pocket for medical bills caused by unhealthy lifestyle choices.

Chef V and kale

Chef V’s Interview with Rough Day in Showbiz

June 28, 2021 Chef V

Rough Day in Showbiz interview with Veronica Wheat

Chef V is in the house! This interview has Boss Veronica telling Rough Day In Showbiz stories about dealing with the catch-22’s of morning show interviews, chaotic days producing her own content, having to reshoot all the food pictures for her cookbook in two days, the nightmare of a shipping truck breaking down mid-transit, and her encounters with terrible customers leaving negative reviews on Yelp.

Veronica’s interview also provides excellent nutritional advice and valuable tips for aspiring entrepreneurs. This is a green episode!

On Apple podcasts: https://apple.co/3lD8kXx
On Spotify: https://anchor.fm/rdis