Spring Forward Series: Build Wellness Guardrails with Virginia Willis

The Mediterranean way of eating is not only delicious, it can also help keep your mind sharp and improve your mood for the long run. In this episode, dietitians Serena Ball and Deanna Segrave-Daly talk about the key foods and habits to focus on for optimal brain health.   Serena Ball, MS, RD, and Deanna Segrave-Daly, RD, each have over 25 years of culinary nutrition experience and have dedicated their careers to helping people make delicious and nutritious meals. Together, they are the authors of The 30-Minute Mediterranean Diet Cookbook, The Easy Everyday Mediterranean Diet Cookbook, and The Sustainable Mediterranean Diet Cookbook.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Choosing seafood that is both good for you and good for the planet can be a mind-boggling experience. Luckily The Monterey Bay Aquarium Seafood Watch is here to help. They carefully evaluate fishing practices and simplify choices as either Green (Best Choice), Yellow (Good Alternative) or Red (Avoid). In this episode, Seafood Watch’s Program Director Erin Hudson talks about why it’s important to choose sustainable seafood, and how to make the smartest choices without stressing about it. The Monterey Bay Aquarium launched Seafood Watch in 1999 to help people navigate purchasing sustainable seafood through seafood ratings and tools like pocket guides. The program and its scope have grown over the past 25 years. Today, their science-based assessments are a primary resource for understanding sustainable seafood around the world. They also work to transform how seafood is fished and farmed through partnerships with businesses, governments, other NGOs, and producer groups so that people and the planet can thrive now and in the future.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Food is one of the very best gifts you can give because it’s a gift of connection. Homemade food gifts are touchingly personal and much less expensive than store-bought, and they can be created with less effort than you might imagine. In this episode, Elle Simone Scott, food stylist, America’s Test Kitchen cast member, and author of Food Gifts: 150+ Irresistible Recipes for Crafting Personalized Presents, shares her best tips and tricks for making irresistible, heart-felt food gifts with style.  Born and raised in Detroit, Elle found her love for food while spending time in the kitchen with a food enthusiast family. After an internship at the Food Network, Elle discovered her inclination towards the creative aspects of culinary preparation, particularly in designing and decorating as a food stylist, which lead her to work in culinary production for The Chew, Cook's Country, Bravo, Food Network and Cooking Channel. Now Elle resides in Boston as a full time ATK cast member and food stylist, as well as focusing on her role as a board member for Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance, which Elle became involved with after her 2016 cancer diagnosis. With the release of her second cookbook, Elle continues to share her expertise, so you’ll never again resort to an expensive, impersonal store-bought basket. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Ready to stop stressing about food? Gentle nutrition is an approach that frees you from strict food rules and anxiety around eating so you can truly nourish yourself, take pleasure in food, and cultivate a peaceful, joyful relationship with it. In this episode, dietitian Rachael Hartley explains the principles of gentle nutrition and how it can change your life for the better. Rachael Hartley is a Boston, MA based private practice dietitian and owner of the group practice Rachael Hartley Nutrition, specializing in nutrition therapy for disordered eating and navigating health concerns with a sustainable, non-diet approach. She is the author of Gentle Nutrition: A Non-Diet Approach to Healthy Eating, a book that teaches readers how to feed themselves well without a side of diet culture. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Food always seems to taste better when it is eaten outside, whether it is at a picnic, beach cookout or camping trip. No one knows that better than Joy Wilson, whose love of outdoor cooking inspired her viral backyard camping and cooking video series. In this episode she shares her best tips and ideas for making outdoor meals easier, tastier and more exciting.     Joy Wilson is well known from her blog Joy the Baker, where she shares her indulgent and comforting yet approachable recipes, inspiring home cooks of all ages to try new things. Joy is a three-time cookbook author, editor-in-chief of the bi-annual Joy the Baker Magazine, and editor-in-chief of Camp Joy, a zine inspired by Joy’s viral backyard camping and cooking video series.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“Expressing ourselves through food not only reflects our complicated identities, it affirms them,” says Jon Kung in his cookbook Kung Food: Chinese American Recipes from a Third Culture Kitchen. In this episode we talk about how cooking authentically from your own personal experience and freeing yourself from the strict dogma of “traditional cuisine” can take the intimidation out of cooking and keep you truly inspired. Jon Kung is the popular Chinese American chef, content creator and podcast host who has amassed an online following of more than 2 million people for their unique style of third culture cooking, blending cultural traditions, flavors and ingredients that are meaningful and personal to them. Jon creates instructional yet entertaining cooking videos exploring the vast Chinese diaspora and applying culinary techniques of traditional Chinese cooking (stir-frying, braising, creating broths, using a cleaver) onto global flavors and ingredients. In addition to developing recipes, Jon hosts the podcast 1 For The Table with his close friend, legendary makeup mogul and extraordinary drag queen Kim Chi. Their debut cookbook is Kung Food: Chinese American Recipes from a Third Culture Kitchen. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

If you feel intimidated going to the gym you are not alone. A recent poll showed that 50% of Americans have gymtimidation. And it’s not just about the gym. Many are intimidated to do any type of exercise, inside or outside. In this episode, Ash Shah, Clinical Counseling Director at Empower Your Mind Therapy, a leading mental health practice in New York City, sheds light on this issue which can have significant repercussion on well-being, and offers practical ways to beat it. Ash Shah is a therapist dedicated to guiding individuals on their journey towards healing and self-discovery. With a compassionate approach grounded in mindfulness and dialectical behavioral techniques, Ash specializes in reducing anxiety, boosting self-confidence, and rediscovering joy in clients' lives. Ash holds an M.S. in Social Work from Columbia University and is an alumnus of the Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) Training Program. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Will Coleman’s 6 to 1 method for grocery shopping has gone viral because it simplifies shopping while offering endless meal inspiration that’s economical too. In this episode he explains this unique system and how it can make a difference in your life Will Coleman is a chef, content creator, creative director, and TV & media host who aims to diversify the food space and create moments of adventure and joy on and off the screen. He believes that food is meant to be vibrant and shared with community. His work explores Black-American cuisine, global ingredients, and bold flavors. His 6 to 1 Shopping and Meal Guide e-book is available on his website www.chefwillcoleman.comSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Greek Island of Ikaria is one of the “Blue Zones” where people are most likely to live long, healthy lives. So much of their longevity can be attributed to their way of eating. In this episode, Diane Kochilas, a New York City native whose family is from Ikaria, and who now lives there much of the year, explains the essence of the Ikarian way, and how to give traditional recipes a contemporary twist so they are do-able wherever you live. Diane has been at the forefront of bringing healthy, delicious Greek and Mediterranean cuisine to a wide international audience for more than 25 years. She is the host and co-executive producer of the award winning PBS show, My Greek Table and she runs the Glorious Greek Cooking School on Ikaria. Diane has released 18 books on Greek cuisine and won 3 IACP Awards. Her latest is The Ikaria Way.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Chef Virginia Willis has transformed her life since starting her health journey in 2019. She is now happier mentally and physically, and she has maintained a 65 pound weight loss. Willis has become a cheerleader for those wanting to make their own life changes, saying “If a French-trained Southern chef can do it, you can, too!”  She says a key to success is build guardrails to keep you on your healthy path. List to learn what she means by that---and prepare to be inspired! Willis is a James Beard award-winning cookbook author and television personality, Her books include Fresh Start, Secrets of the Southern Table, Lighten Up, Y’all, Bon Appétit, Y’all, Basic to Brilliant, Y’all, Okra, and GritsSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.