Quirky Cooking Chats

Having a curious mindset is of major importance in all areas of life, and is especially crucial in the area of health and wellbeing. If you find yourself shutting down anyone who challenges your thinking around health and diet, you may be shutting down opportunities to learn and grow, and prolonging your health struggles. In Listen In The post QCC 166: Be Curious! The importance of having a curious mindset appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

“Q&A and Dairy-Free Nacho Cheese Sauce” Watch the video here! This week I answer listener’s questions which include: – When will your new cookbook be available? – What kind of things you can make with meat stock? – How many hours a day do you cook? – How can I heal my toddler's gut? She's Listen In The post QCC 165: Q&A and Dairy-Free Nacho Cheese Sauce appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

“Activating Nuts & Seeds – Why, How and When?” Watch the video Here! This week I answer listener’s questions about activating nuts & seeds, such as: – Why activate nuts & seeds, and do you always do it? – Are some nuts harder on the digestive system than others? – What is the difference between Listen In The post QCC 164: Activating Nuts & Seeds – Why, How & When appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

“Gut health – Where do I start??” Watch the video Here! This week I answer the question of where to begin when you want to work on improving your gut health, but feel like it’s all too overwhelming. I share simple steps for a gentle approach to healing: 1) Start slowly! 2) Add in before Listen In The post QCC 163: Gut Health – Where Do I Start? appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

In this episode I share some tips for keeping up with the cooking when you have young kids & work full time. Most parents struggle to keep up with cooking healthy, balanced meals for the family as well as working full time, taking kids to school and other activities, and finding some time for themselves. Listen In The post QCC 162: Saving Time with Meal Prep appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Learn how to make a delicious lamb, leek, lentil and lemon soup, and get some tips for starting on your gut-healing journey! Elyse Comerford, nutritionist and GAPS practitioner, joins me on the show to talk about healing the gut without getting bogged down by stress and overwhelm. We also give an overview of our gut Listen In The post QCC 161: Lamb, Leek, Lentil, Lemon Soup + Gut Health Q&A appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Every day I receive many questions via emails, messages and comments. Sometimes the questions relate to food and healthy eating, sometimes family and homeschooling, sometimes business and personal development. Each week I’ll be choosing a few of these questions to answer in a video/podcast, and I’ll share further resources, recipes, tips and links as well Listen In The post QCC 160: Getting the Family on Board with Healthy Eating appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Beginning on a health journey can be overwhelming. As expenses mount up, so do stress levels! Listen in as I share some of my tips for reducing the money stress while you are working towards a healthier diet and lifestyle and trying to heal your family. I also demonstrate how I make a simple, inexpensive, Listen In The post QCC 159: ‘Toad in a Hole’ + How to Save Money on Your Health Journey appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

DONE IS BETTER THAN PERFECT! This episode is all about letting go of perfectionism and just jumping in and giving it a go… whether ‘it’ is cooking, starting a new project, business tasks you’ve been putting off, exercising, or anything else in life that is making you feel overwhelmed and ‘stuck’! I have a bit Listen In The post QCC 158: Spicy Cabbage Rolls + Done is Better Than Perfect! appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

My son Isaac was diagnosed with severe OCD and anxiety in 2014 (when he was 13 years old), and so began our journey into healing the gut and working to improve his mental health. For the first half hour of this episode I talk to parents of young people who need to move towards a Listen In The post QCC 157: Helping Teens to Heal – Q&A with Isaac Whitton appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Welcome to the first episode of “Quirky Cooking Chats”! 2020 has been a year of changes, and as Jo nestled in to her home during lockdown and shared her everyday cooking via videos on social media, she found that her listeners were excited to have practical help with cooking for good health – not just Listen In The post QCC 156: Meat Stocks & Bone Broths – How & Why appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Join Jo and Fouad for a lighthearted chat about food, family, and life during lockdown! They discuss ‘quarantine cuisine’, what they’re cooking, how they’re coping, and ways they are finding the positives in the current situation. Jo and Fouad answer readers questions about: how to make do with what you’ve got in the fridge, freezer Listen In The post AQJ 155: Quarantine Cuisine, with Jo and Fouad appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Kriben Govender, Food Scientist, Registered Nutritionist and founder of Nourishme Organics, says kefir changed his life. Kriben’s story began 8 years ago, when crippled with anxiety and depression, overweight, and lacking energy, he was told by his psychiatrist that antidepressants were the only option. But being a Food Scientist, he began to look at alternative Listen In The post AQJ 154: How Kefir & Cultured Foods Can Help With Weight Loss & Mental Health – with Kriben Govender appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Lucie McCullough, international interior designer and building biologist, aims to show the world that it IS possible to have beautifully designed homes that are also healthy sanctuaries from the world! In part 2 of “Designing a Healthy Home,” Lucie discusses questions that arise when we consider the bombardment of toxins in our homes and the Listen In The post AQJ 153: Designing a Healthy Home, with Building Biologist & Interior Designer Lucie McCullough – Part 2 appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

In the next two episodes of A Quirky Journey, Jo Whitton and Elyse Comerford interview Lucie McCullough, a successful, international interior designer who ‘developed an environmental and health conscience’ and altered her career to become a building biologist specialising in creating beautiful homes that are sanctuaries from the world. Her ideal of ‘living in nature, Listen In The post AQJ 152: Designing a Healthy Home, with Building Biologist & Interior Designer Lucie McCullough – Part 1 appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

In our first episode for 2020, we (Jo and Fouad) chat about how we are working to begin the year with positivity, in the midst of a national crisis and all the stress that involves. In Australia, we are struggling to cope with high temperatures and drought in many parts of the country, which have Listen In The post AQJ 151: Finding Positivity in the Midst of Crisis appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

In the last podcast for the year, Jo is on the other side of the microphone! Dr Natalie Challis (neuro-psychotherapist) and Leigh Shinde (neuro-nutritionist) recently interviewed Jo for their program, “Love Your Anxious Child“, on her experiences of supporting and parenting an anxious child. They discuss the importance of building connection with your children, spending Listen In The post AQJ 150: Supporting Your Anxious Child appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

If there’s anything I love, it’s a special treat that’s not only delicious, it’s NOURISHING! So I’m excited to share with you one of my favourite producers of fine, quality, healthy treats – Nourishing Bites. Today I interview Shelley about her health journey and how it led her to a career of producing amazing, whole Listen In The post AQJ 149: Recovering from PCOS, Healing Food, and Healthy Treats – with Shelley from Nourishing Bites appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

In this episode, Jo chats with Elyse Comerford, Integrative Nutritionist and GAPS Practitioner, about where to begin on your gut healing journey when you suspect metal toxicity, parasites and/or candida are an issue. This is a question that comes up a lot in the Quirky Cooking for Gut Health chat group… Do you start with Listen In The post AQJ 148: Navigating Parasites, Metals and Candida When Healing appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Dan and Leanne Cordner are the owners of Bellasato Farm, where they raise naturally grown, heritage breed chickens on chemical free pasture in North Queensland. The couple, along with their two young girls began farming life just four years ago, leaving their career jobs – Dan was an engineer and Leanne a microbiologist – in Listen In The post AQJ 147: From City Careers to Farming Life – The Story of Bellasato Farm appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Have you ever wished you could just get rid of all the clutter that weighs you down, sell your house or rent it out, reduce what you own to what you can take with you in a caravan, take your kids out of school, throw away the to-do list, leave the city behind, and travel Listen In The post AQJ 146: Travelling Around Australia with Kids appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Dr Natalie Challis (neuro-psychotherapist) and Leigh Shinde (neuro-nutritionist) of the Kids Development Centre in Perth join us once again for another fascinating interview on the study of the brain, and how QEEG’s (brain imaging) can give parents a clearer picture of why their child is struggling, and the steps that can be taken to heal. Dr Nat Listen In The post AQJ 145: Anxiety – Analysing & Reducing Distress in Children appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Many people struggle with histamine reactions and have been diagnosed with Histamine Intolerance or Mast Cell Activation Syndrome, and have had to limit their diet to reduce reactions. What do these terms mean? What are the symptoms and causes? And what can you do to heal from these issues? In this interview, Elyse Comerford (nutritionist, Listen In The post AQJ 144: Understanding Histamine Intolerance appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Following on from their last podcast, Jo and Fouad have an informal chat about their thoughts on helping children to eat well – with plenty of humour, stories, and insights from their own families! They talk about: the importance of knowing what your goals are, and what you’re trying to teach your kids regarding health Listen In The post AQJ 143: Helping Teens to Eat Well, Part 2 appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

As kids get older and become more independent, they sometimes begin to move away from the healthy foods they’ve been raised on. Hanging out with friends, getting their license and first car, going off to work or uni, going to parties and places where the food is far from ideal… Parents often feel stressed about Listen In The post AQJ 142: Helping Teens to Eat Well, with Dr Damian Kristof & Jo Whitton appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Over the last century, our refined, Western foods have crept into most societies world wide. What has been the impact of these foods on the health and wellbeing of ancient cultures and peoples? In this podcast, we discuss the work of Weston A. Price and the foundation that carries his name, and how they are Listen In The post AQJ 141: Healing with Traditional Foods, with Hilda Gore of WAPF appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Jo has an extra special guest on the show today… Fouad is back! There’s lots of laughs and catching up, and sharing stories and news. We know you’ve missed their crazy banter, so grab a cuppa and enjoy the chat. Jo and Foo share their experiences of working through recent childhood illnesses and health issues Listen In The post AQJ 140: Children’s Health, Eczema, Antibiotics, & Boosting Immunity appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Teaching kids to cook with real food is important for their future, and the future of our planet. Our children’s enjoyment of cooking begins with our attitude towards food and cooking, and often is dependant on mum or dad being organised so they have the time and headspace to include the kids in the meal Listen In The post AQJ 139: Teaching Kids to Cook, with Dani Valent appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Dr. Natalie Challis is a neuro-psychotherapist who specialises in treating children with anxiety and other health concerns. She says, “What drives me? Mothers. I want to be an advocate for mothers experiencing the same distress and frustration I felt.” Dr. Nat first became interested in children’s mental health when her son started showing signs of Listen In The post AQJ 138: Childhood Anxiety & the Inflamed Brain appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Do you have a fussy eater in your home? Need some help? Beth Bonfiglio of Little Fusspot helps people from all over the world with mealtimes that are less than peaceful. She is known as the ‘supernanny of mealtimes’! Beth brings the core fundamentals of many different professions together to make a one stop shop Listen In The post AQJ 137: Fussy Eaters & How to Have Peaceful Mealtimes appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Many of us go through a period in our lives where we begin to question the work we do and our career goals and decide we want to find work that is more fulfilling, that gives us purpose, and that brings connection with like-minded people. Maybe you have been out of the workforce for a Listen In The post AQJ 136: Finding Connection & Fulfilment in Your Work, with Helen Marshall of Primal Alternative appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Rhiannon Crispe is an occupational therapist and passionate autism advocate. She thinks outside the diagnostic box and sees every child as an individual with unlimited potential. On this episode, Rhiannon shares some of the ideas and interventions that can empower parents of kids on the spectrum, and explains that there is not a one-size-fits-all approach Listen In The post AQJ 135: Empowering Parents of Kids on the Spectrum, with Rhiannon Crispe appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Jo and her two eldest kids (19 and 21) have just come back from travelling overseas, and in this episode Jo shares her travel tips, especially for those who are on special diets and find the idea of overseas travel a bit daunting! She talks about: What foods you can and can’t take on flights Listen In The post AQJ 134: Travel Tips – Travel Food, Eating Out and Being Prepared! appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Sharon Collon of The Functional Family is passionate about supporting families with special needs. She loves to share step by step, practical strategies and solutions to improve your daily life and routine, helping to reduce the stress and overwhelm that parents of special needs kids are often dealing with. Over the past ten years she has researched Listen In The post AQJ 132: Calming the Chaos – Supporting Kids with ADD, ADHD & Anxiety appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

“You know how this is supposed to be the season of joy? Well, I don’t know about you, but most years I feel like I’m just running around in the kitchen like a mad woman! I actually want to have time to sit down… time to DO the joy, and to SHARE the time. It’s Listen In The post AQJ 131: A Delicious Wholefood Christmas – with Jude Blereau appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Christmas is a dangerous time of year for those living in the GAPS village. Taken out of their natural habitat – clean water, chemical-free living, wholesome whole foods without additives colours and preservatives – and instead plunged into the chaos of conventional diets means GAPS folk need to be extra careful. Today we interview the Listen In The post AQJ 130: A GAPS Christmas with Elyse Comerford appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Over the next few weeks leading up to Christmas, Jo and Fouad are interviewing a few of their favourite health-foodies about their best Christmas tips, with a focus on ways to reduce the holiday stress and enjoying a beautiful, healthy Christmas with friends and family. Each one will share some of their favourite Christmas traditions, Listen In The post AQJ 129: A Simple, Healthy Christmas with Cyndi O’Meara appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Our gut health and GAPS practitioner Elyse Comerford joins us on the show once more to answer your questions. Today’s discussion includes fasting and in particular broth fasting, what to do while you’re on or recovering from antibiotics, Elyse’s approach to SIBO (small intestinal bacterial overgrowth), reflux and weight management while on a healing diet. Listen In The post AQJ 128: Your Gut Health Questions Answered, with Elyse Comerford appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

It seems that the culture of exercise as portrayed by media equates very low body fat, summer abs and shredding with health. Relatively few exercise practitioners are advocating holistic movement practices, and with the majority of exercise media focusing on attaining aesthetic goals, many of us feel far too daunted by exercise. In addition, if Listen In The post AQJ 127: FUNctional Movement with Carl Hammington appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Calorie restriction, colitis, leaky gut, nourishment in time of stress, weight gain, weight loss, kids that don’t eat vegetables – these and much more are on today’s agenda. Jo and Foo take questions from listeners for a session of ‘Ask Us Anything’. Join us for another information packed episode of A Quirky Journey! Useful Links: Listen In The post AQJ 126: Q&A with Jo & Foo appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

A few years ago, the Australian government introduced “My Health Record”, a nation-wide health database which Australians could choose to be a part of. Australians will now be automatically opted into this system unless they choose to opt out before November 15th, 2018. Some feel there are data security risks with having a centralised system Listen In The post AQJ 125: My Health Record – What’s It All About? appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Join us for part 2 of our podcast on adrenal fatigue. Once more we are joined by our GAPS practitioner Elyse Comerford (and her very cute son, Dylan!), to dive more deeply into this fascinating topic. So many of us, whether we know it or not are dealing with some degree of adrenal fatigue. In Listen In The post AQJ 124: Healing Adrenal Fatigue – Part 2 appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Find yourself feeling constantly tired, always needing that second cup of coffee, or day-dreaming about sleeping on the couch? Our GAPS practitioner Elyse Comerford joins us to talk about adrenal fatigue, a super common cause of daily exhaustion. In part 1 of 2 episodes on this topic, Elyse discusses how to identify adrenal fatigue and Listen In The post AQJ 123: Healing Adrenal Fatigue Part 1 appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Earlier this year, Jo and Fouad were excited to connect with Dr Kama Trudgen and Tim Trudgen of Hope for Health and learn about the important work they are doing with the Yolngu people in Arnhem Land, a remote part of the Northern Territory of Australia. In this podcast they interview Kama about the story Listen In The post AQJ 122: Hope for Health – Reawakening Indigenous Health appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

This week Jo chats with Becky Plotner (naturopathic doctor and certified GAPS Practitioner) about some of the most common GAPS questions. In their last podcast together, Becky shared the science behind how the gut works and how it is damaged, and how to begin the healing process. In this second podcast, Becky answers questions from Listen In The post AQJ 121: GAPS Q&A with Becky Plotner ND appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Jo and Fouad have been talking a lot lately about how to make simple yet powerful lifestyle changes that will help to get your health back on track, before you even begin making major diet changes. One of these lifestyle changes is detoxing your home – your body products, cleaning products, home environment, and pantry. So Listen In The post AQJ 120: Low Tox Life with Alexx Stuart appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

We are joined by the legendary Marcus Pearce, who has just come back from Ikaria, the island where people forget to die. Marcus was running a retreat in this special part of the world, to introduce people to the lifestyle and habits of some of the longest living people on Earth. In this episode, he Listen In The post AQJ 119: The Island Where People Forget To Die – Marcus Pearce on Visiting Ikaria appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

It’s a common story. A person becomes sick, and then starts looking at ways to change their diet to heal. Other contributing lifestyle behaviours are often missed, and these can be important factors in the decline of their health. For many, identifying and addressing lifestyle issues before any food changes are made means that more Listen In The post AQJ 118: Before You Change Your Diet appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

We often talk about the bacterial microbiome on A Quirky Journey, and today we have Dr Jason Hawrelak, a leading expert on the microbiome. Dr Hawrelak has been researching the microbiome for around 2 decades, and is an educator and clinician whose work has been cited over 800 times. In this episode, Dr Hawrelak shares Listen In The post AQJ 117: Meet Your Microbiome, with Dr Jason Hawrelak appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Ever feel like you can’t keep up with cooking healthy meals for your family because you’re just too busy? Enter Bek Freeman, a good friend of Jo’s who is an inspiration to all of us wanting to eat well, despite crazy busy lives! Bek is a teacher, has three young children, her husband works away Listen In The post AQJ 116: Bulk Cooking, Meal Planning and Freezer Meals appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

In this episode, Elyse Comerford (nutritionist and GAPS practitioner) shares her knowledge and how her attitudes have changed over the last couple of years as a GAPS practitioner. She has a burning desire to share the need for a balanced, gentle approach towards healing, and an understanding that as important as a healing diet is, Listen In The post AQJ 115: A Balanced Approach to GAPS, and How to Get Deeper Healing appeared first on The Wellness Couch.