Podcasts about Medjool

This week on The Wellness Scoop, we're unpacking the stories that are reshaping the way we think about food, health, and community. We start with a major new report exposing the rise of nutrition misinformation online — with up to 24 million people now at risk of following harmful diet advice from unqualified influencers. We dig into the shocking stats, the financial machine behind viral health content, and what needs to change if we're going to rebuild trust in expert-led wellness. Next, we look at the government's quiet U-turn on a healthy food policy — after pressure from ultra-processed food giants — and why it matters more than ever in a cost-of-living crisis. We're also shining a light on the growing trend of real food heroes like Medjool dates, exploring the science behind their heart and gut benefits. And finally… saunas. Yes, really. From Finnish forests 10,000 years ago to floating sauna parties in Liverpool, we explore why this ancient ritual is having such a huge cultural comeback — and what the science says about its impact on stress, sleep, pain and longevity. Plus: a powerful personal story from actress Julia Stiles on body image, sample sizes, and learning to trust your body again. Recommendations: Julia Stiles' appearance on How to Fail with Elizabeth Day The Badger Trust - good to know where to find help when you spot wildlife in need Ella's book recommendation: Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano Plus you can order Rhi's new book The Unprocessed Plate ⁠here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In celebration of National Candy Month, this sweet episode of Big Blend Radio's "Peanut Patch" Podcast with Donna George dives into the nostalgic charm of The Peanut Patch and explores how candy-making continues to evolve in creative and surprising ways.  Learn how freeze-dried candy is not only a great option for outdoor adventures but also a lighter, softer treat for movie nights and folks with dental concerns. You'll also discover how Medjool dates—known as “Nature's Candy”—make a naturally sweet, sugar-free alternative. The Peanut Patch even carries a variety of sugar-free candies, making sure there's something for everyone. Located in Yuma, Arizona, The Peanut Patch - open October-April - is an iconic Southwest destination known for farm-fresh peanuts, homemade peanut brittle, and irresistible treats. From traditional favorites to innovative candy-making techniques shaping the future, this family-run business continues to delight generations of sweet-toothed travelers, especially those hitting the road in search of nostalgic, local flavor.

Le ramadan 2025 a débuté il y a deux semaines et doit se terminer fin mars. La période est traditionnellement marquée par une forte demande en dattes. La première année de guerre entre Israël et le Hamas a affecté le marché de la datte. Aujourd'hui, l'impact reste difficile à évaluer, mais demeure. Israël est un des pionniers en matière d'exportation de dattes Medjool, une variété charnue et sucrée. Ses dattes Medjool s'exportent dans le monde entier et sont réputées parmi les meilleures avec celles de Jordanie. Mais il y a toujours des consommateurs qui boycottent ces produits, par principe, depuis le 7 octobre 2023.Tomoor, un opérateur belge, a encore eu il y a quelques jours une proposition pour commercialiser des dattes Medjool à 2 euros les 800 grammes, alors que cette quantité vaut plutôt autour de 7 euros. Il s'agissait de dattes étiquetées Israël, d'où ce prix réduit, signe d'une difficulté qui perdure. Ce même importateur reçoit toujours des demandes de certificat d'origine de la part d'acheteurs qui craignent d'acheter des dattes israéliennes sous un autre label.Des temps de transport plus longsDu côté de la logistique, les expéditions via conteneurs se font à peu près au même prix qu'il y a un an. Mais les délais restent souvent longs en raison notamment de ce qu'on appelle les transbordements (« transshipment » en anglais), c'est-à-dire des conteneurs qui changent de bateau, après une escale à Tanger par exemple. Les trajets vers les destinations européennes sont dans ce cas moins directs.Au plus fort de la guerre entre Israël et le Hamas, les expéditions de dattes jordaniennes, qui se faisaient par Haïfa, ont dû aussi être déroutées vers le port d'Aqaba, au sud de la Jordanie. Un changement qui se traduit par un mois de transport, au lieu d'une semaine.Les flux ont donc été fortement perturbés dans l'année qui s'est écoulée. C'est une nouvelle donne que les importateurs ont dû intégrer « notre métier, c'est toujours plus de géopolitique », résume d'ailleurs l'un d'entre eux.À lire aussiDattes Medjool: trésor palestinien sous occupationLa Deglet Nour a souffert des aléas climatiquesLe métier, c'est aussi de se préoccuper de plus en plus de la météo. L'Algérie et la Tunisie ont souffert de fortes pluies en septembre, avant la récolte d'octobre qui ont touché une partie des fruits et fait grimper les prix. « Mais finalement, la production de Deglet Nour n'a pas été si catastrophique », témoigne un importateur basé dans le sud de la France, selon lequel il resterait encore des stocks de dattes dans les pays concernés.La hausse des prix est restée contenue dans une fourchette de 5 à 10% supplémentaire pour la Deglet Nour, en raison peut-être aussi d'une demande qui n'est pas plus forte que d'ordinaire. En revanche, tous les produits dérivés à base de dattes, utilisés comme les alternatives au sucre, continuent de se faire une place sur le marché, témoigne un de nos interlocuteurs.

Get a Taste of Spring with this episode of Big Blend Radio's "The Peanut Patch" Podcast with Donna George. It's all about peanut butter and chocolate chip cookies, Medjool dates, celery sticks with peanut butter, flapjacks, and more. Open NOW from October-April and located in Yuma, Arizona, The Peanut Patch is a southwest tradition for farm fresh peanuts, nuts and dried fruit, locally grown Royal Medjool Dates, culinary gifts, and sweet treats including homemade fudge and peanut brittle. Shop online year-round and learn more at https://thepeanutpatch.com/   Check out Donna's recipes that include all kinds of delicious favorites from peanut butter cookies to sensational salads, and even pasta dishes: https://blendradioandtv.com/listing-category/donna-george/  The Peanut Patch podcast airs every 1st Friday at 12pm Arizona Time. Listen to episodes and follow the show here: https://peanut-patch.podbean.com/ 

Main pod Mini Pod: The Fab Five - launches we're loving New minipod alert! On this bite-sized episode of On the Scent, we're still diving deep into five fabulous fragrance launches that have captured our hearts of late. Get ready for a tempting tour of these olfactory delights... The Fab Five:@jomalonelondon Beach Blossom Cologne: A limited-edition escape to tropical paradise with zesty lime, refreshing coconut water, and warm tonka bean. @parfumsdemarly Valaya Exclusif : Refined luxury in a bottle, blending velvety almond, transparent white flowers, and creamy white woods for contemporary elegance.@electimusslondon Moroccan Medjool : A sumptuous fruity amber that captures the essence of golden Medjool dates and the warmth of the Moroccan desert.@angelaflanders Shantung Dream : A captivating orange blossom-based floral with warm amber base notes, inspired by the luxury of raw silk and Mediterranean summers.@theharmonist Sacred Water: An energising blend of citrus, ginger, and orange blossom that embodies the power and fluidity of our vast oceans. Tune in to explore these scent-sational new launches in detail!

Cara – Why the one-leg leg press? Also, when I get DOMS, I feel more tired, hungry, and cranky. Is this normal? What can I do to ease it?  Saffi – How can I track food and plan workouts when I'm moving around a lot and staying in different places?  Dierdre – I started on the 17th. Does that mean my check-in week is Monday to Sunday, even though the questionnaire runs Wednesday to Thursday?  Eimer – What's the difference between dumbbell RDLs and barbell RDLs?  Emily – I hit 100kg on the leg press but can only do it if I don't start right at the bottom. Is that okay, or is it ‘cheating'?  Emma – I've been extremely tired despite getting 8 hours of sleep and eating well. I've ordered magnesium but not sure if it will help. Any suggestions besides getting bloodwork done?  Bethan – My weight has stayed the same for the past week, but I feel better in my clothes. Can weight stay the same while building muscle and losing fat?  Sugitha – When and how should I return to exercise after illness?  Lucy – Is it really possible to lose fat and gain muscle at the same time?  Kelly – I feel hangry in a calorie deficit. Is this normal, or could it be menopause symptoms?  Valeria – I'm fasting for Ramadan. What's the best way to break my fast and structure meals around workouts?  Sam C – What are your thoughts on using wrist weights while walking?  Niamh – For Phase 11 cable step-ups, I've been adding 20kg resistance. Is this okay?  Julia – I do home workouts with one PT session using heavier weights. Would I get better results at a gym?  Samantha – Should I log the total weight or just one dumbbell when tracking workouts? And for unilateral exercises, do I log total reps or per side?  Stacey – I'm not hitting my protein target and struggling with low-carb/low-fat options. Should I add a protein powder?  Anna – How should I position myself for the barbell bench press? I keep hitting the hooks when pressing up. Also, the cable biceps curl hurts my wrist—what attachment should I use?  Elaine – For dumbbell hip thrusts, I'm using 15kg and don't feel challenged. Should I get a dumbbell strap to hold two weights?  Annabel – What's the best dark chocolate to buy? What's your take on Medjool dates?  Emily – My wrists feel weak when doing push-ups and holding dumbbells. Are there exercises to strengthen them?  Christine – I struggle with getting enough protein due to a busy lifestyle. Any quick, portable solutions? Also, how do I log meals when eating from a work cafeteria with unknown calories?  Francesca – I've hit a weight loss plateau despite mostly sticking to my plan, aside from five off-track days in the last month. Any advice?

It's Medjool Date Day! So first we discuss our ideas about dates... Then we get some updates for Where They are on Their Journey NOW. Maggie is not in the classroom this year, but Grahame sends us a recording of how he's doing in his second year with CPM. Enjoy!Send Joel and Misty a message!The More Math for More People Podcast is produced by CPM Educational Program. Learn more at CPM.orgX: @cpmmathFacebook: CPMEducationalProgramEmail: cpmpodcast@cpm.org

Las Vegas locals love to hate on the palm trees, but they come with a surprise benefit: they can produce edible fruit. In this big-hit rerun, co-hosts Dayvid Figler and Sarah Lohman — our resident award-winning food historian — talk about the date palm's winding road from the Middle East to the Mojave, how an Indigenous couple in Nevada saved the Medjool date from extinction, and why the palm-hate isn't entirely warranted. Also, Sarah shares two date recipes from her awesome book, Endangered Eating:  Date recipes from Sarah's book Learn more about the sponsor of this November 7th episode: Makers and Finders Want to get in touch? Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram, or email us at lasvegas@citycast.fm. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. For more Las Vegas news, make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter, Hey Las Vegas. Looking to advertise on City Cast Las Vegas? Check out our options for podcast and newsletter ads at citycast.fm/advertise. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lauren joins us today from Australia sharing her two Cesarean stories and her surprise unassisted HBA2C story! Lauren's first birth was a crash Cesarean under general anesthesia at 40+1 due to nonreassuring fetal heart tones. Her second birth was a TOLAC going into spontaneous labor at 40+3 under the midwifery model of care. She labored naturally, had an artificial rupture of membranes at 6 centimeters, baby was posterior, and didn't descend. She pushed for an hour then had a spinal given to help baby manually rotate. Lauren's birth ended in a CBAC which she later learned included a special scar along with the diagnosis of CPD (Cephalopelvic Disproportion). Two years later, Lauren was vigorously planning for a VBA2C. She had her birth team picked out and was ready to go to the hospital for when baby would come at what she thought would be 40 weeks again or later. At 38 weeks and 2 days, her husband went on a work trip 3 hours away and her mom, who was planning on caring for her boys during the birth, was an hour away on a day trip. Lauren's labor began in the evening while she was alone with her two boys and ramped up extremely fast. With the help of her doula and paramedics supervising, Lauren labored and gave birth to her baby on the bathroom floor in just 2 hours from start to finish!Needed WebsiteHow to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for ParentsFull Transcript under Episode Details Meagan: Hello, Women of Strength. You guys, we have another story coming from Australia for you today. We just recently had an Australian mama and I love our Australian episodes because I cannot get enough of your accent. I love listening to you guys. We're so excited. We have our friend, Lauren, and we have our little baby. Lauren: Yes. Little Wren's awake and joining us. Meagan: It's 11:00 PM there so she stayed up extra late to record with us today. We are going to get into her stories. You guys, she had two C-sections. Lauren: Yes, two Cesareans. Meagan: And then a surprise. I feel like you really had very unique things. You had an OB and you were under general– Lauren: For my first. Meagan: Then you were with midwifery care and then a surprise which you are going to be sharing here in a second. You guys, I'm really excited to hear her stories. We do have a Review of the Week and it's called, “So Grateful I Found This Podcast” by shinefortheworldtosee. It says, “After having an emergency C-section last year, I struggled with all of these displaced emotions. Here I was so grateful for my healthy baby but I found myself feeling hurt like I had something taken from me that I struggled finding a safe place to share and it felt as if no one around me had ever experienced the same thing I did. This podcast and group of women are my safe place. I am expecting baby number two and am so, so grateful for the empowerment that those stories told here have given me. I am so excited to try for a VBAC this time and the more I learn here, the more confident I become.“Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making this podcast.” You are so welcome. I love this podcast so much. I love all of the stories. I love the empowerment, the encouragement, the education, and also, I'm a big person who relates. I love relating. I think it brings validation to my heart when I can relate to someone because like this listener said, she felt alone. She didn't have anybody else in her space and this space is so amazing because even if it's a different outcome or there are different parts of the story, there are usually little blurbs of each story that you can truly relate to. Thank you so much for your review, shinefortheworldtosee. As always, if you haven't yet, please leave us a review. We are always so grateful for them. Meagan: Okay, cute Lauren. Oh my gosh. Thank you so much for staying up way late because by the time we are done recording this, it's going to be midnight. Oh my goodness. Oh my gosh, thank you. Lauren: That's okay. I got the time and said, “Oh, it is late,” but I was so excited anyway. I just can't wait. With that review, I was thinking the exact same thing. I remember when I found the podcast, I can't even remember. I was trying to think how it popped up. I didn't even know VBAC was a thing after my first birth. I just remember listening to it and so much of it resonated. I could relate to those little bits. It was like I was meant to hear it. I just had that strong feeling when I started listening to the podcast. I'd be crying in the car and it was just so powerful. It definitely was life-changing when I found the podcast. Huge. I feel like there are so many situations where you've never met them ever in your life. Sometimes we don't even know where they are at and it feels like they are literally sitting on the phone talking to you. Lauren: Speaking to you, yes. Meagan: Speaking to you. Yes. Lauren: Yes, exactly. I felt it. I was just like, This is what I'm supposed to be listening to at this exact time because it was speaking directly to me. It is so special what you have created. I think there is a podcast now in Australia for VBAC but there was never anything before and I would just eat them up. I'd be waiting every week for the podcast because I would be–Meagan: Is it Ashley's? Lauren: There's that one. I think I've listened to her podcast with you actually. There's the “Australian VBAC Stories” as well. They are only maybe up to 8 or 10 episodes so they are quite fresh. Meagan: Yay. Lauren: I just love all VBAC stories. I could listen to them all day. Meagan: Absolutely. Well, let's get going on sharing yours. Lauren: Yes. Okay, so my first birth was– I got pregnant in 2017. We've got three little ones now. Nate was our first baby. We had private health insurance. A few of our friends had gone private. Some of them had gone public. Some had Cesareans. Some had natural births. I hadn't really had a plan of what I wanted to do. I always knew I wanted to have children but I hadn't really given much thought to the pregnancy or the way of birth or anything like that. We just signed up with a private OB. I think from our GP, you get a referral then you start seeing them from about 16-20 weeks. You get all the regular scans. Everything was really straightforward. We were really fortunate with our pregnancy. We found out we were having a boy. We found out in– I think I've written it down– January. I had morning sickness for the first 3 months then I had a bit of Vitamin D deficiency so I had to take supplements throughout the pregnancy for that. I had a growth scan around 36 weeks. Now, I obviously know after doing a lot of research that there's no real need for it and it's just something to give them ammunition to schedule the big baby and the scan actually came back that he was measuring fine. I was like, “Yep, that's good.” Being a first-time mum, I was so excited to see him on the ultrasound anyway. Meagan: That's what I was going to say. I feel like they get you especially for first-time moms but really in general because it's so fun to see our baby. Yeah. Lauren: Of course I want to see him. Definitely. Meagan: We get in there and they're like, “We'll do this plus you'll get to see your baby.” You're like, “Well, I haven't seen my baby since 20 weeks, so okay. I'll do that.” Lauren: And you don't know any different so you're just like, “Yep, that seems fine.” I think we even did a gender reveal and I think my husband's cousin mentioned something about her friend doing Hypnobirthing. I remember I just wasn't in the right place to hear that at the time. I'm like, I wish I would have listened but it just wasn't meant for me at that time. I took maternity leave. I had 4 weeks off because I thought, Whoa, from 36 weeks the baby could really come any time. Looking back, I know 40 weeks is not even your due date. It could be any time, anywhere. Meagan: Estimated. Estimated. Lauren: A guess date I've heard a lot of people refer to it. And first-time moms tend to go over the 40 weeks so it's not uncommon. I remember it being such a mind game toward the end when I was getting closer to the due date. I think my OB offered me a stretch and sweep around 38-39 weeks and I was like, “Yep. I'm ready. I'm over it. Anything that we can do to get the baby.” I didn't really think of it as being an intervention. I didn't really know what the word intervention was at that time. I do remember her saying to me afterward something like, “Oh, I hope we're still friends after this,” after she did it. Meagan: Oh. Lauren: I was like, “Oh, that's a funny thing to say.” Then yeah. I think it was around 39 weeks and there was nothing. It didn't get anything moving. I was just automatically booked in for an induction at 40 + 1 for postdates which is not even near postdates but I was just like, “Yep, great.” I think like you said before, being a first-time mom, I was just ready to see my baby and over it so I was like, “Yep. That's great and exciting.” We got booked in. When I went back through my records, I saw on my induction paperwork that it even said, “Small mummy and postdates,” because I was small apparently. Meagan: Nuh-uh. Lauren: Yeah. I'm quite short. But they were already preempting that I probably wouldn't be able to anyway. We went in. I think we got admitted at 7:00 in the evening. We got ready to do a CTG monitoring and just an initial assessment. When we got in, they said I was having uterine activity but I couldn't feel anything. It was showing on the monitor I was having some Braxton Hicks or some contractions. They were concerned that the baby wasn't really reacting very well to that at the time so they called the OB who just happened to continue with the induction. They did a vaginal assessment and I think I wasn't obviously at anything. They did another CTG for the fetal heart rate and it had gone down, I think, to 90 BPM and had recovered within 2 minutes with a change of position and it had come back to what they were happy with. About an hour after that, they did an intravenous drip in and they did another exam. I was 1 centimeter and my cervix was posterior so obviously, I wasn't anywhere near ready. I think maybe half an hour after that, there was another decel and it said, with pointless uterine activity. It wasn't doing anything, but there was something. Then the OB was asked to come in for that. Obviously, the baby wasn't doing very well when I wasn't really even in active labor and they were a bit concerned with that thinking he wouldn't be able to tolerate full-blown labor at that point. So then it was 9:00– so two hours after we got there– when the OB was in the room. They did an ultrasound and were able to determine that I had a calcified placenta and a pocket full of fluid. There was discussion around maybe booking in for a Cesarean just because of the nonreassuring CTG they were having. I awfully now remember feeling a sense of relief and being like, “Oh, good. I don't have to go through labor and all of that,” because I think probably admitting to myself, I was a little bit scared about the whole labor because I hadn't done any preparation or any planning. The only thing we had done was the antenatal appointment– what's the word? The antenatal class at the hospital where they go through it. After we left, my husband was like, “That all sounds awful.” It was just really interventions and how to get the baby out. He was like, “None of those options sound good.” When they said “Cesarean”, I was like, “Oh, perfect. That will be great.” I think at 9:30, we got prepared to go to theater. My husband got in a gown. My mum had actually just arrived into the hospital so it was all exciting. We were going to meet the baby. This was at 9:30. We didn't know it at the time, but there were a few alarms going on outside our room and there were a few people milling around. I don't know. I don't think that was related to us. We got wheeled out on the bed to go to theater and then all of a sudden, Josh disappears and they were rushing us to the theater room. I was like, “What's happening?” I'll never forget. I remember– I don't know who was pushing me, but he said to me, “I don't think you understand. Your baby needs to come out right now.” We just thought we were going in for a normal Cesarean. We didn't realize it was changed to a general anesthetic so I started getting upset. I said, “Can I just say goodbye to my husband?” They rushed him back. I quickly kissed him and said goodbye. He gave them his phone and we went into theater. I was sobbing at this point because I just didn't know what was happening. There was somebody putting a catheter. They were putting the general anesthetic in then I think my OB popped her head in. At least, I knew some sense of calm. She said, “It's me. I'm here. We're just going to get the baby out.” I remember I could see them prepping my stomach under the mirror and the anesthetist was lovely. He rubbed my cheek and said, “It's going to be okay. We're just going to get the baby.” That's it. That's all I remember and then I was gone. After that, I think at the time, I read back on the notes that it was 9:45. It got upgraded to an emergency call. I went under at 9:50 and he was born at 9:52 so it was very quick. He came out. He cried. He was fine. His APGARS were 9 which are healthy. Meagan: That's great, yeah. Lauren: So fine, yeah. I think he was 3,000 grams which is 6.8 pounds and the surgery was complete at 10:05 so it was super quick in and out. Meagan: Wow. Lauren: He went to Josh straightaway. Poor Josh was obviously just waiting and didn't know what was happening. They brought Nate out and he said, “Well, that's great, but where's Lauren? Where is she?” So then I didn't make it into recovery until 20 minutes later which I know is still really fortunate compared to what some people experience. It was really quick. When I came to, I was still sobbing I think it must have been because I went under crying. When I came out, I was in tears and I could just see Josh sitting on the bed next to me holding Nate. Instantly, I knew he was okay and he was fine. I was able to hold him and breastfeed him so I think from then on, everything was really quite lucky. We got in straightaway. I think we were in recovery maybe another 20 minutes and then we got taken to the ward. At the time, I don't think I really registered how full-on it was. I just had a healthy baby. I was okay. Postpartum was a beautiful experience. We were in the hospital, I think, for 5 days together because we were private. Josh got to stay with us. It was like a second honeymoon. We were in there. It was like a hotel where we were getting food. That side of it, I think, was just beautiful and I didn't really feel like I missed anything birth-wise at that point. That was it I guess with that. Then in 2019, we started thinking about having another baby. I hadn't really thought too much about a VBAC or what I would do. I guess I was like most people where you just are once a Cesarean, always a Cesarean and there wasn't another option. I really wish I could remember how I came across it because I can't remember at all, but I must have found your podcast and I remember listening to it even before I was pregnant. I was just like, I have to try and do this because I never got to experience any labor at all with Nate and then with this pregnancy, I really felt like I missed that and I wanted to have something. I wanted to go into labor and at least try and be given the chance. We were really fortunate and fell pregnant straightaway. That was in 2019 and I knew I wasn't going to be doing private obstetrician this time so I did a bit of research before I was even pregnant actually with a public hospital that had a midwifery program attached to it. You attended all of your appointments at a clinic and they had a VBAC-specific clinic then you birthed at the hospital. Meagan: That's awesome. Lauren: Yeah, but you have to apply straightaway. As soon as I got the positive, I filled out the application form and applied directly with them. I got accepted and I was like, If I'm going to go for this, this is going to give me my best chance to go and have a VBAC. I think, I can't remember how far along I was but I still went. The hospital we were going to is a half hour away but all the appointments with the midwives were only 10 minutes away. That was really good. I knew the drive was a half hour but it was going to be okay. I also had signed up to do the VBAC course with you guys. I got my handout for that and I ate it up. I love that. I went through it and was doing it at night time. After listening to the podcast, I also knew I wanted to do Hypnobirthing so I did Hypnobirthing around 7 or 8 months which was when COVID started to come into the picture. It wasn't around in Australia but it was happening. The course was supposed to be a group environment with a few classes. We ended up doing an online course which was actually really lovely because when Nate was asleep, Josh and I would sit in bed. We would do all of the Hypnobirthing courses, listen to the tracks, watch the videos, and then we had one in-house visit where we went through all of the positions and acupressure and things like that that I wanted for pain management during birth. That was really good then I think from 37 weeks, I started doing all of the things. I was doing raspberry leaf tea, eating Medjool dates, and sitting on the birth ball. In my head, I felt like I was really getting prepared in the best way possible. Now I know in my third birth, I thought I was but I wasn't as prepared as I probably could have been. I was still doing more than what I did for my first birth. I had one chiropractic appointment at 38 weeks to get everything balanced and aligned. I never had chiro before so that was all new to me. Then at 39 weeks, I had an acupuncture appointment. I had never done acupuncture before and I loved that. I felt that was really nice. I think it was just my hands and my ankles and then they just put the music on and I felt so relaxed. I really loved that. That was good. I remember when I went in, I said, “I hope I haven't left it at too late.” They said, “You're pretty much a first-time mom. You've never had labor. Your body has never been through that.” He did some statistics and he said to me that from 40-41 weeks was the average time. I remember with Nate, when I got to 40 weeks, I thought the baby was going to come any day so with this pregnancy, I pushed it out to 41 weeks. In my head, that was when my due date was. I don't know what I would have done if I got to 41 and I hadn't gone into labor but I had that I was going to 41 weeks. I had an online hospital tour. We couldn't go in to see it because of COVID then I had an online appointment at 39 weeks. When you have midwifery care, you still have to be signed off by an obstetrician in the hospital to give you the okay and run through all of the stats and everything. I was prepared to be up against an uphill battle when I went to that appointment. They were pretty supportive. They just talked about postdates, the risk of rupture, and things like that. I said I was comfortable going to 41 weeks and reassessing then so I think that was around 39-40 weeks and then we were rebooked in for 41 weeks if I hadn't gone in. So then I think I was 40– oh, sorry. I'm jumping around a bit. My due date was a week after Nate's second birthday so in my head, I just wanted to get to Nate's birthday and then the baby could come after. We had a little birthday celebration for Nate a few days before I went into labor. We were happy that was done then at 40+3, in the afternoon at about 4:00 I felt a few little tinges but obviously, I didn't know what anything was so I was thinking this might be it or this could be prodromal labor or Braxton Hicks. I just wasn't sure. I was like, well, I know from the podcast that I don't pay attention to it. I'm just going to go about my normal routine with Nate. I'll get dinner, do bathtime, all of those things, and try not to focus on it too much thinking it might either go away–Meagan: Or fizzle out. Lauren: Yeah. In my head, I'm like, It can take days. By 4:00 it started, then by 7:00, I was getting Nate ready for bed. He was in a cot at this stage. I remember taking a big breath in and slowly exhaling like in Hypnobirthing. I noticed I was having to do that as I put him to bed. I remember being so excited like, This is happening. My body was doing it naturally. I really wanted to try to not get induced if I could avoid it. I remember I really had to focus on my breathing. I was leaning on the bed with my knees on the floor leaning on my bed and just breathing and really trying to relax and listening to my Hypnobirthing tracks. The plan was my mum was going to come over and watch Nate if I went into labor at nighttime. I think it was around 10:00 and I think someone said from one of the podcasts as well to gauge the distance you need to go with how well you are managing and how well the drive is going to take if you're going to be okay. I called my mum to come. I was like, “I feel like I'm not struggling but it is ramping up a little bit.” I was like, “I don't know how much longer I can be at home and sitting in the car for a half hour to go.” She arrived. We called the midwives and we let them know we were going into hospital. My mum came and you could just see she was like, “Oh gosh.” She had me naturally. She had three naturals and then her fourth was a Cesarean. She couldn't understand why I wasn't trying for a Cesarean because I already had one and why would I not just have another one?Meagan: Why would you not just do that, yeah? Lauren: She came and I remember walking out of my room to the front and I had to stop a few times on the way and stand in the garage and just take a few breaths between each contraction. I went to go sit in the car. In my head, I thought I was going to be on my knees leaning over the chair. I just couldn't even fit down in that area so I was up against the back of the chair. Obviously, it was not comfortable but I was just thinking if anybody was driving on the freeway and looking, it would have been such a funny sight. I still had my podcast in and I was really focusing on breathing. Josh was just driving. He had never been to any of the appointments with me because of COVID. He hadn't been to the hospital so we were almost there and his navigation was doing funny things. I had to in the middle of labor try to direct him on how to get to the hospital. We pulled up and I just automatically went to where I would park for all of my appointments which wasn't in the front of the hospital. I went to get out of the car and I was like, “I can't walk to the front of the hospital,” so I had to get back in. We drove right to the front and then we went in and we had to get assessed for the COVID triage which was a real pain. We had to wait and do that before we could walk in and get triaged. I think we arrived at the hospital around 11:00. We got admitted at 11:00 at night and then we were triaged maybe at 11:30. By that stage, my contractions were every 3 minutes and lasting about 40-50 seconds. I had a vaginal exam and I was 4 centimeters. I remember just being so excited because I was already progressing. I was hoping I would be further along, but I was like, “4 centimeters is good.” I was 90% effaced and I was thin and soft so I was like, “Oh, that's good.” I think by midnight we had gone to the labor and delivery suite. They dimmed the lights per my request. I asked to go in the shower because I really wanted to be in the shower. They told me I had to wait until my midwife had come because she wasn't at the hospital. Meagan: They checked you and got everything assessed. Lauren: Yeah, so I had to wait. That was fine. I was at the stage. I was leaning on the bed swaying. Josh was doing a bit of acupressure on my back and I was really enjoying it at that time. My midwife got there at about 1:00. I was still coping well through it. By 1:30, I don't think it was my midwife. I think it was one of the hospital midwives who came in and assessed me again. I was at 6 centimeters and I was -2. There were a little bit of complicated decels on the CTG and momentarily in my head, I was like, Oh no, not again. It evened out and it was okay so I think it just must have been a bad reading because of the bulky monitors that they had to put on. They didn't have the mobile ones. It was the bands that you had to be attached to and monitoring. They suggested to artificially break my waters and I hadn't felt too much about that in my prep. I think I was just focused on going into labor naturally as opposed to actually being in labor. They asked to break my waters. I had gas for that and I remember getting on the bed to do that which I think was one of my first bad things because then I never got off the bed once I got on there to do that. I couldn't manage to get back off. I wish I would have known or asked to be helped to get taken off but I was just not in the position to get off the bed. I was stuck there. Yeah. I didn't remember this but when I read in my notes, they offered me a Cesarean at that point and I was like, “No. I'm trying for a VBAC,” so they said, “That's okay.” We tried repositioning some fluids and then the CTG was back to where they were happy with it. Then at about a half hour later, I was on my side. I felt a bit of pressure and my sound changed a little bit. I remember my midwife saying to me, “Oh Lauren, that sounded a bit pushy.” It felt a bit pushy so I was like, “Oh, that was really exciting.” That was at 2:00 and at 2:30 in the morning, they assessed me and I was fully dilated. I was so excited. They were seeing some complicated decels on the monitor. I think they said– do you know what the normal heart rate is? I've written them all down but they were saying it was 140 without a contraction and then they'd ask the registrar to come in the room so the registrar came in to see what the CTG was doing for progress and pushing. I had a bit of a funny moment. When I was doing the pushing, I was on gas. I must have taken a big inhale of the gas and my vision went dark. I couldn't see anything. I remember getting a bit scared at that point. I didn't know what was happening. I could hear everything and I could feel everything but I just couldn't see. I think it was just from inhaling the gas and the contraction and something. Meagan: It was just too much all at once. Lauren: Yeah. It was really scary but it was a one-off and it was fine after that. Then I think at 2:40, the ped was paged to come in and attend delivery so I think at this stage they still thought things were happening and we were going to have a baby vaginally. 5 minutes later, they gave me an in-dwelling catheter to drain my bladder in case that was creating a blockage for the baby to come down. Meagan: Which is actually something that does happen. Lauren: Yeah. Meagan: If baby is not coming down, sometimes it's urine blocking. Lauren: Yeah. They said, “Only 50mL came out so it wasn't a lot,” but I was like, well that was good. At least they tried that. They said the registrar did an IV and said that it was ROP so right occiput posterior so not in a great position and at my spine. They said there was some descent with pushing but not enough. I think that's when they decided to call to be transferred to theater. The plan was to have a spinal and try for some instrumental assistance to get the baby out. I think at that point, it was quite quick. It was quite intense and I was relieved. I didn't think I had it in me to push anymore so I agreed to go up to theater and have forceps or manual rotation to help assist the baby out. We got up to theater and I think they called them at 2:40. We got to theater at 3:20 so it wasn't that long of a wait but it felt like an eternity when my body was contracting and pushing and they were telling me not to push and just to pant through the contractions. I just remember it felt like a really long time. I will never forget that we got to theater. I had to sit up on the edge of the bed and the person trying to put my spinal in asked me to scoot up the bed. I was sitting there mid-contraction and I just remember looking at my midwife and I was like, “You'll just have to wait until after this contraction and then I can just move up for the spinal.” I got the spinal and they discussed the options of an episiotomy and using forceps to aid the baby. At that stage, I said, “Yep, whatever we need to do,” I would really like to try to get him out. They tried a manual rotation while pushing and his heart rate dropped to 93. They assessed the position and then maybe decided to do the forceps. They must have said that then changed to apply a vacuum because then they did a vacuum and they went to do the first pull and his heart rate dropped to 67. They did another pull and his heart was up at 133. Then a couple of minutes later, they decided to do forceps. They attempted to do the forceps. They applied them and his heart rate dropped to 86 then they reapplied to get a better position around his head and his heart rate again dropped to 75. The baby, even though he had changed position and was now facing– I think his head was facing my back which was OA and he was at a -1 station, they obviously thought he was just not in a great enough position to aid him out so they decided to convert to a Cesarean. I remember at that point, I didn't feel like it was a failure or I hadn't done it because they had given me every opportunity to try and I still got to experience so much more than I had with my first birth. Even though I still didn't end up with a vaginal birth, I got 95% of the way and I was still so happy and proud of my body for getting to that point. I was just like, if they couldn't even get him out with forceps, there was no way I was going to be able to do it. I was quite happy and content with the decision. They did say he had been down there quite a bit so he might come out not great. Because he was so far down, they did have to– and they did write the word “extract” him which I thought was quite an interesting term to use but the extraction was breech because he was so far low. He came out. His APGARs were 8/9. He was 7.4 pounds and a similar size in length to my first. I think we were there maybe for an hour or two in recovery. He fed straightaway and then we returned to the ward. On my notes, it said, “Repeat C-section due to failed TOLAC.” I was just like, I had that word “failed” but I understand that's the terminology they used. It says that about an hour later, we had a debrief. They came back into the room and went through all of the happenings and made sure I was okay with it all. They actually discussed any future deliveries and the recommendation for an elective Cesarean. I don't even remember that conversation. Meagan: Oh really? Lauren: Yeah. I don't even remember so when I went back through my notes, I was like, “Oh, that's interesting.” Then in the notes, it also says, “CPD?” I can't pronounce that word either. Cephalic Pelvic Dysproportion. They said that and then they also said there was a small extension to the upper midline of my Cesarean incision. I had my normal scar and then it obviously had come farther up and it said it was sutured separately on the uterus. I'm reading it in real-time now but I didn't realize that until my recent birth when I went back through my notes with my midwife. I was like, Well, that's really interesting. They obviously told me but I must have not registered that at the time. Then obviously we were in hospital due to COVID so Josh wasn't allowed to stay with us. An hour after his birth, he had to leave and being a Cesarean, I was in hospital for a few days and my other son, Nate, wasn't able to come in to visit us. I really missed out on us being a family of four for those first few days. Yeah. We got home. I think I was in there for two nights then we got discharged. They met us at the hospital and that drive home was really special. That was the first time they met was in the car driving home. We always knew we wanted a third but it was a lot, the transition to two, and we probably weren't ready straightaway. We gave it three years then when Call was two, we decided we would try again for baby number three. We fell pregnant really quickly with the first two so we just assumed that would happen this time and we were trying for a few months and it just didn't really happen. We were trying for 6 months and gave ourselves a bit of a breather and just let it take its natural course because we took the pressure off and then the both of us were saying before the boys were born a week apart in May and we found out we were pregnant with our third in between the middle of their birthdays. It was really special. May has always been a special month but yes, we had Nate's birthday. I found out we were pregnant then a few days later we had Call's birthday. So it was really special timing. I knew I wanted to try again. It would be our last baby. If I was going to have a natural birth, it would be this pregnancy. I went to go through the same model of care that I was with Call, but they had changed their practice. The midwife group that I went to no longer existed. It was the MGP so Midwifery Group Practice. They were based in the hospital this time so all of my appointments were in the hospital and they were VBAC-supportive. I think we went in and then you still have to have your OB appointments around 36 weeks and we didn't find out our gender with this one. We had the two boys and for our third, we weren't going to find out what we were having. I had the same sort of morning sickness with my third. I was a lot sicker this time. I knew this time I was going to have a student-midwife and a doula. I got a visit. Obviously, The VBAC Community group on Facebook, I posted in there and I also posted in a Western Australia VBAC support group there about recommendations for student-midwives and doulas. Then I spoke to a few of them and then obviously whoever I felt that connection with, I went with them. The doula– I did research doulas with Call, but I don't know why I didn't do it that time. I think that would have made a difference. I was like, this is the time I'm going to do it and I'm going to have a doula. We did that. I did a bit of a refresher for the Hypnobirthing as well. I met my doula at about 25 weeks and we sat. We met at a park and we just chatted for hours. She had a VBAC as well herself. Meagan: Oh, that's awesome. Lauren: Her second was a home birth and a surprise as well. She had a boy and then she had a surprise for her girl. So much was similar with our situations. I just felt like she was meant to be our doula. Yeah. So that was at 25 weeks and I think at 6 months, we had a suggestion of a fetal growth scan again which was the same and I was like, they were already preempting that but I was more prepared even if I went to that scan and it was a big baby that I would be okay with that. Then at 28 weeks, I did the normal blood test and the fasting for gestational diabetes. I didn't have it with the two boys and I had it this time around. That was a bit of a surprise. I didn't really know much about gestational diabetes. You have to do your three blood sugars after your fasting and the third one had to be under 8.5 and I was 8.5 so I was just on the cusp. I remember my midwife saying to me, “Who knows? If you had waited another 15 minutes before your blood test, you probably would have been fine.” Meagan: Yeah, it could have been lower. Lauren: I started snowballing with all of the things. I thought it was going to mean I was going to be induced for bigger babies and I didn't want to be induced. I had gone to 40 weeks with the boys so I didn't assume I would be having an early labor so I started really worrying about my chances of having a VBAC at that point. I did a lot of research and listened to podcasts with people who had gestational diabetes. I tried to get in a good headspace again. I just took it as a positive to eat healthier and watch what my weight gain and things like that this pregnancy. I had to check my blood sugar four times a day– after fasting in the morning first thing when you wake up, and then every two hours after a meal. I was able to manage it with just my diet which was really good so I didn't have to have insulin. Meagan: Insulin, yeah. That's awesome. Lauren: That was really good and then the diabetes, they were checking with me and I could change to testing every alternate day. Thankfully, I was able to manage it from that side but it just meant there was increased monitoring of the growth of the baby and my weight and things like that.I also had low iron which I never had with my first two pregnancies but this pregnancy was just a real curveball from the start. Yeah. So then at 29 weeks, I went in for my next appointment. I checked diabetes and everything was still fine. My youngest tested positive for COVID so that was a little bit of an interesting one. None of us got it which was really lucky so I didn't know how that would go being pregnant and getting COVID. I had noticed I started to lose a bit of my mucus plug which I've never experienced before and it was quite early but my midwife said, “That's fine. It doesn't mean anything. It can happen. It builds back up again.” But that was a bit different and exciting. Then I think at about 32 weeks was my appointment with my midwife and that was when we went through all of my previous births just as a debrief. Meagan: Op reports.Lauren: Yeah. That was a bit of an eye-opener because I think those things that we highlighted in Call's birth weren't really brought to my attention until this one. You could see as my midwife was reading it that she wasn't really aware of that either in the notes. It just said there was a sign of obstruction, a loss of station between the manual and the vacuum rotation, an inability to place the forceps, and an understanding of why the labor was abandoned and the vaginal birth. Then it says that a VBAC was not recommended. The midwives would still support me if I wanted to try for a VBAC after two and if I wanted an elective that they would support with that. I remember leaving feeling so disheartened. I was only 4 weeks away from my due date. I came home and I remember Josh and I talking it over and I was like, “Is it worth going through all of that over again just to get to that point of pushing and not being able to fit through my pelvis and being through a scary C-section again?” We went through all of our options and Josh was happy to support what I wanted but I was so torn. I didn't know but I kept coming back to a VBAC. I just didn't feel content with a Cesarean. I just said, “I'll never know if I don't try.” I spoke to my doula and I said that I was just frazzled. My head was all over the place. I had a good chat with her over the phone that stuck with me. She said, “Different baby, different birth.” Meagan: Absolutely. Lauren: I just kept saying that to myself. I think I listened to one of The VBAC Link podcasts and they said the same thing. It just was the right information that I needed to listen to at the time and the whole CPD with the pelvis. She said, “You don't even have an official diagnosis.” She said, “That's just somebody's opinion as to why they are saying that the baby didn't descend. He just wasn't in a great position.” She highlighted that they broke my waters at 6 centimeters before he even descended which maybe led to him being even more stuck. All of these things, and then I remember just trying to focus on positive VBAC stories and get my head in the right space so I was listening to lots of podcasts at this point and I was following a lot of Instagram pages about pelvic mobility. I didn't really do a lot of research about that with my first or my second pregnancies about your pelvic inlet, your pelvic outlet, internal and external rotation. This was all news to me and I really, really enjoyed that. It made sense that the pelvis is not rigid. It can move and I just kept visualizing that when I was trying to be positive toward this labor. I was doing a lot of exercises for only a couple of minutes at night before bed. I was doing a lot of window wipers where you lay back and rotate your knees from side to side, deep squats in the shower, I was doing a lot of lunges and just creating a lot of space and room that I felt like I could in my pelvis. I did a lot of visualization. I remember I just kept putting my hands between my legs and imagining feeling my baby's head. I don't know why I did that and it probably might seem a bit strange but I just really felt that and I was imagining going through labor and having that moment. Yeah. Meagan: It doesn't. Lauren: That was really quite powerful at that point to get back on the right track for having a VBAC. There were two other podcasts I was listening to which are Australian-based– The Great Birth Rebellion and that's really, really good, and The Midwife's Cauldron. They just question a lot of things that are expected or standard and not to question. I thought that was really good. One of the ladies who does The Midwife's Cauldron has a book called Reclaiming Childbirth as a Rite of Passage. I didn't get all the way through it but it was another thing like finding your podcast. It just really resonated with me and everything I read, I felt was meant for me. It was really, really powerful. The two Instagram pages that I followed were The Body Ready Method and they have little reels of exercises and things to do to get your body ready. Then I got to 35 weeks. We went through my last appointment and I was happy to go through with the VBAC and that they would support me. They advised of the standard guidelines of having an IV, CTG monitoring, and regular vaginal examinations. At 36 weeks, I had my OB appointment and I had my growth scan. The baby was in the 90th percentile. I thought I was going to have to say, “I know they can be inaccurate.” But the OB wasn't worried about that at all and he said, “Yep. Baby's size is fine.” He discussed the pros and cons. He pulled out graphs and figures and I was like, oh gosh. Here we go. He's going to tell me all of these problems. He was so pro-VBAC and supportive. He was from the UK and he said, “I came to Australia and I didn't realize what the problem with VBAC is.” They are so supportive in the UK with VBAC and the hospital I was going to has a 60% VBAC success rate which I was like, well that's pretty positive. I did my GBS screening and then he rebooked me in for 39 weeks. I'll never forget he said to me, “I'll see you at 39 weeks if you are still pregnant.” In my head, I was like, Of course, I'm still going to be pregnant because I went to 40 weeks with the boys so we will see you at 39 weeks and reassess.You don't have a set obstetrician either so you get whichever one is there. I was really hoping he would be at my next appointment and when I went into labor. At 37 weeks, we went on a little holiday down south. It was a big drive. We came back. I was having regular chiropractic appointments I should say. I had my chiro appointment when I got back. I had been sitting in the car and she mentioned that the baby was sitting asynclitic which is the head tilted. I thought, Oh no. I was so focused on getting the baby in a good position. She said, “It's probably because you were sitting for such a long time. It's no concern.” She realigned me and then gave me some pelvic tilt exercises to get into the right spot. Then on the 14th of January which was around 37, just before 38 weeks, we had a meet-up with my doula again just pre-birth to run through everything. She got to meet Josh and we left feeling really positive and excited and happy with everything. She was on call. I got to 38 weeks. I had an appointment on Thursday with my chiro and then on Friday, I was working from home. I still had another week. I was sitting on the exercise ball pretty much all day doing lots of circles and pelvic tilts. I had maybe one or two twinges and I was like, Oh, that's interesting. Nothing eventuated from that. Nothing through the night so I didn't really read too much into it. The next morning which was the 20th of January which was 38+2, Josh had to go down south for work which was a 3-hour drive away. A lot of people were like, “Oh, that's a bit dangerous.” I said, “Oh no, I'd rather he go now and be back for my due date.” I said that. I said, “I'd rather have you go now and be around for 40 weeks.” He headed off first thing Saturday morning. He did the drive. He did a full day's worth of work. It just was a normal day. At 4:30 in the afternoon, I got two boys in the car. We went to the shops. I had to do a bit of shopping for a birthday the next day. Then at 5:00, I do Click and Collect. I don't know if you have that but you do your grocery shopping. You pull up. They just put it in your boots and then you drive home. Meagan: Yes. We do have that. Grocery pickup is what we call it. Lauren: They came out from COVID and I just haven't stopped doing that. It's so handy with children. That was at 5:00. We did that. We got home. At about 7:00, I'm getting the boys ready for bed. They were in the bath. I was just tidying up a few things. I squatted down to pick a few things up and I had a bit of a leak. I was like, I just felt like I wet myself a little bit, but not a gush. Not anything. I had a pad on so it was just a little bit of water. I called Josh. I said, “I don't know if this is anything, but maybe just have an early night. If things do start to happen, you might have to drive home early in the morning to get back.” This was at 7:00 then at about a quarter past 7:00, I sent a photo to my friends because they were out. I was just at home. I bought a special birthing robe. I just for some reason put it on that night. I was sitting on the couch in my birthing robe. I took a photo and sent it to them completely oblivious of what was about to unfold. I got the boys in their pajamas and brushed their teeth. We were getting ready for bed and it was about just before 8:00 and I had a little bit of a cramp so I was like, Oh. It was really weird because with my previous birth, I didn't notice the contractions or take note of them for a long time. But at 7:55 was my first contraction and then 10 past 8:00 was my next one. I was like, Oh. That's weird. It was 15 minutes later. The next one came 5 minutes later. I was like, That's weird. The next one was 4 minutes. I was like, That's weird. I stopped writing them down. I was like, Obviously, I'm not writing them down properly. I must be doing something wrong because that just can't be right. During that, I must have gone to the toilet and there was a slight tinge of red in the bowl. I remember taking a photo of it being like, I'll just keep it. Meagan: Like some bloody show?Lauren: Yeah, but not a lot. Really faint in the water. I took a photo because I wasn't even sure if it was there. Then at about 8:20, I called Josh again and said, “Maybe start heading back because things might be happening. The contractions don't seem like they are slowing down but we will just see what happens in the next few hours but it's 3 hours so maybe start heading back.” I called my mum at that point as well. She was an hour up north. She never goes up there but she had just gone for a day trip so she was away as well. At that point, the boys were still awake and I couldn't get them. I wasn't capable of getting them into bed and doing all of that. I said, “Just pop on the couch,” and they were watching Bluey which is a TV show they love. They were watching that and I just hopped in the shower. It must have been 8:30 at that time and I called Megan, my doula. The plan was I was going to labor at home as long as possible and she was just going to meet us at the hospital. I called her and I just said, “Josh isn't here. My mum's not here. I'm alone with my boys. I'm going to try and put them to bed and focus and get into my breathing techniques and then I'll check in and touch base with how I'm going.”That was about 8:30 then 10-15 minutes after that, I jumped in the shower and things started to ramp up quite a bit. I was really upset because I was in the shower thinking that would be my mode of pain relief and it just was not. Meagan: Uh-huh or slow it down. Lauren: Yeah, I've heard that as well. If you hop in the shower, it will slow down if it's not the real thing. It did nothing and I was like, Oh no. This is not good. I remember thinking to myself, I just need to press pause. I just need to stop this because it can't be happening right now because I'm literally on my own. This is not how it was supposed to happen. I was in the shower and then I had a little bit of a bloody show in the shower and then at that point, I called my doula again. I was like, “I think you need to come over. I just need a little bit of support just to watch the boys.” In my head, I was still thinking I had hours to go. In my head, I was like, If you could just watch the boys until Josh gets here, then you can head home and we can give you a call when we head into hospital. At that point, I got out of the shower because it wasn't doing anything. The contractions started to feel different. It felt like I was having to bear down a little bit. I was like, Okay. But I still feel like I was oblivious because I just– it was so quick. In my head, it wasn't happening that fast. I remember thinking, When I get to the hospital, I'm not going to be able to do this all night. I'm going to get the epidural because it's too much. I got out of the shower and Megan had given me a TENS machine. I was like, that is in the bedroom. I'll get the TENS machine. I couldn't even make it to my bedroom to get my TENS machine. I was like, oh goodness. I put a nappy on and then I went and I sat down. I think I must have made it to the toilet so then I sat back on the toilet and that was a really comfortable, familiar place that I was sitting and I was sitting down there. That was really nice for the contractions to break through. My boys wouldn't have known what was going on. They kept coming in and checking and asking if I was okay. I said, “Yeah, mummy is fine. I think the baby is coming.” They knew something was going on because I was making some noises. My eldest was a little bit scared but he was okay and then I was sitting on the toilet and I remember I had locked the whole house up. We've got a side gate security door and a front door. I thought, Oh my god. When Megan arrives, she's not going to be able to get in. Nate found the keys for me and he gave them to me. He was so happy with himself that he gave me the keys and I managed through contractions to walk. It was probably 5 minutes to the front door and I only had a nappy on at this point. I was completely naked because I just got out of the shower and had a nappy on. I unlocked both doors. I was in a little side area and I thought, Goodness if anyone walks past and hears me and sees me– thankfully, it was late and nobody saw it but I don't know how I managed to do that. I got back in and I was on the toilet. I think that was around maybe 8:50 at that point when I had moved to the toilet. The light was off in the toilet and the hospital bag I had packed had lots of candles and LED lights to have to set the mood. In the boys' bathroom, I have one candle on which is just for their nightlight if they need to go to the toilet. That was the little nightlight that I had on in the toilet. That was actually quite nice to have a dark room with a little candle on. At this point, I'm sorry. I unlocked the door at about 9:00 and then it was 9:23 that my doula arrived. She came in and my eldest son, Nate, ran into the door and he was just so excited that somebody was there to help mum. He's like, “Mum's there. She's in the toilet.” I remember Megan coming in and she was so calm and she was so relaxed. She looked at me and she said, “Lauren, are you pushing?” I remember looking at her and I was like, “I think I'm pushing.” She just said, “Okay. I'm just going to call the ambulance.” She was on the phone and she was calling. I think in my head at this point, I still hadn't registered it was that sudden. I still just thought I was– Meagan: And this has been maybe 2 hours. Lauren: Yeah. 2 hours. You can push for hours so in my head, I was like, We've still got hours. We're fine. It was intense, but I was just so excited. Things were happening and it was all going. Then I don't know how we got to it but we called my neighbor to come over because my doula was trying to support me but then the boys were there. She said, “I just need somebody else to watch the boys.” My beautiful neighbor came over. We are friendly but not in the middle of birth naked friendly. She comes and the toilet is off the hallway so I remember her walking in and she's like, “Hi.” I was like, “Sorry, Adrienne.” I was pushing and she was walking off the hallway to sit with the boys on the couch. I was about to have a baby. It was so crazy. Yes. I think that was just about 9:30. Megan gave me some water and she was rubbing my back. She put a cold towel on my back and I was still sitting on the toilet at this point and my legs were quite shaky. I just felt a bit sweaty then I instinctively just got up to move to sit on my knees in the toilet and that toilet's not very big. You can put your arms up and hold the walls. I was on there on my knees. I had one leg up and I was rocking, circling my hips. I was doing all of the things and just instinctively. I didn't really notice that I was doing them. Then I think she had towels and she had pillows. She was still on the phone to the ambulance that were coming. I'll never forget. The guy on the phone was just like, “Put her on her back. She needs to be. Can you get her on her back? You need to be able to see.” They were asking her to tell them when I was having contractions. I remember we were looking and each other and I'm like, “He can hear when I'm having a contraction. I'm starting to make the noises.” Megan would just be like, “Now.” He could tell when I was having contractions. Obviously, he had a script to read off but it was so obvious when I was contracting and when I wasn't. The head wasn't there but I could feel bulging. I remember putting my hand down there and I was just so excited and happy. I was just so calm. I don't know how because none of it was planned. It was happening so quickly. I guess there was no time to really process it or even think about it or get scared about it. It was just happening. There were two paramedics that arrived. This was just before 10:00 at this point. I was there. I could feel bulging. There was still no head or anything yet. They came in and they turned the lights on in the toilet and I was like, “Oh no.” It was too bright. They turned it off. They looked at me and said, “Lauren, are you okay? Do you need anything?” I don't even know if I could speak. I just shook my head. In hindsight, we couldn't have gone. It was too late. We couldn't have gone anywhere anyway but they just stood back. They turned the light off and they literally just watched which was so special. They didn't interfere. They didn't try to take over. They just sort of let me go and I don't know how it happened but the doula gave the paramedics my phone and they recorded the birth. Meagan: Oh that's awesome. Lauren: Yeah, which was not planned. I guess it was so special because Josh was still an hour away. Meagan: Yeah, and your mom? Lauren: My mum wasn't there so at least they could see it. I'm so glad that they thought to do that and to record it. They were recording it and I was getting close. I remember in the video, you can hear me say, “I can't do this anymore.” Obviously, I was very, very close and I put my hand down. I was just saying, “Ow, ow, ow, ow,” because I could feel the stretch. I know people call it the ring of fire but I tried not to think of it like that. I tried to just visualize the stretching of everything. Then I could feel the baby's head and then I just remember sobbing because I was so happy. I could feel and I was saying, “Ow, ow, ow, ow,” and then her head– I didn't know it was her at the time, but her head sort of popped out through my contraction. You could just see my relief. I was so happy and she cried. Her head was out and she made two little cries. Meagan: She did? Lauren: I've never heard of that happening before. Meagan: I have never seen that ever.Lauren: Yeah, it was incredible. Even the doula was like, “What in the world?” I knew she was fine at that stage. I heard the little cries then it was maybe a minute before the next contraction then I was like, “She's coming out.” The doula had her hand under. She guided her head to me and then her shoulders and I just pulled her up to me. It was just– yeah. The look on my face. I just could not believe it. I had done it. I think I just kept saying, “Oh my god. Oh my god.” I just held her. I keep saying her but I held the baby. I just could not believe that she had come out just so quickly and so easily. I was so worried in the lead-up that the baby would get stuck or I wouldn't be able to get the baby out and none of that was even in my mind at that point. She just was there. I was holding her and it was the most incredible, special moment. Even now, even when I hold the top of her head, I always remember feeling her head coming out. Yeah. I don't even know if I'm doing it justice because it was just the most incredible feeling. I was holding her. Our neighbor brought the boys down so within the first minute, she's walking down the hallway and she had Nate and Call and they were both in the doorway of the toilet looking at me holding their little baby. My youngest sort of looked in and was like, “No.” He just walked away. It was all a bit much for him. Then my eldest walked straight in. Stuff was everywhere and he was so brave. He walked straight in and was like, “Mummy had the baby. The baby is here.” I said to him, “We don't know what it is. Do you want to have a look and see if it's a boy or a girl?” He looked down and I said, “Is there a vagina or a willy?” He looked down and the whole time he said he thought she was going to be a girl. He goes, “I think it's a girl.” He looked down and I don't know what he saw, but he said it was a boy. I was like, “Is it another boy?” He must have seen something that he thought looked like a willy. Meagan: Maybe an umbilical cord or something. Lauren: Yeah, maybe the cord or swelling but they get quite swollen so he might have thought it looked like little testes so he said, “It's a boy,” and Megan whispered something in his ear and in that split second, I was just like, Oh my gosh. It's not a boy. I'm like, “Is it a girl?” I just couldn't believe it. The fact that she was such a surprise, her birth, and the way she came, and then that she was a girl as well and then we were just sitting there in the toilet for so long and then we were like, “Oh, we'd better call Josh.” Megan was like, “I'll call Josh.” She said, “You need to pull over Josh. Can you pull over?” He was on the highway doing 110 to get back to us. He was like, “Okay.” So we FaceTimed him and I'm just sitting on the floor holding Wren on the toilet saying, “She's here. We had the baby.” He was so happy. He was still an hour away. My mum– I think we just sat in the toilet. My mum arrived 20 minutes after she was born. She just came and sat on the floor of the toilet with me. We just sat in there. She couldn't believe it. Then about maybe 40 minutes after, we walked up and I was able to sit in my own bed and I sat in the bed. They were sort of a bit worried about the placenta and things like that. I hadn't birthed the placenta yet. They asked if I wanted to cut the cord. I said that I wanted to leave it as long as possible until it goes white. We were hoping for Josh to come at that point so then I was sitting down. I stood up for a little bit and I remember my mum was in the bed with me and my doula was there. I said, “Oh, I'm so sorry. I think I need to do a number two.” Then she was like, “No, I think that's your placenta.” Meagan: Probably your placenta sitting in there. Lauren: The placenta came straight out and she caught it in one of my mixing bowls because we didn't have anything prepared. She stayed attached to that for a while. Because they had gestational diabetes, they had to do a heel prick on Wren. Her sugars were fine. Josh was still about an hour away. We didn't even have a capsule for the car so I hadn't picked up the capsule so we got transferred because she came so early. We got transferred to the hospital in the amublance and Josh met us there at 10:30. I should say she was born at 10:09 which was just pretty much 2 hours. Meagan: So 7:40-something to 10:09. Lauren: I remember the midwives when we got to the hospital were like, “Why didn't you know?” I was like, “I just had no idea that it was happening that suddenly.” Now looking back, obviously, the signs were all there but it wasn't happening that quickly in my head. We got to the hospital and Josh got to meet us at the entrance and it was so special. I just still could not believe that it had happened and I was on this high. I was just so incredibly happy. We went in and they just didn't know what to do with us. They didn't know to put us in labor and delivery or to take us to the maternity ward. We went to labor and delivery. They did all of the assessments. She was my biggest baby. She was 7.8 pounds so 3.5 kilos compared to the boys so it's quite funny that Call wasn't able to come out but she was able to come out. I think it was just positioning and I was relaxed. I was at home. I didn't have any interventions or anything played a huge part in it. They did an assessment. I think her APGARs were in the hospital but she was 10 and 10. She was perfect. They did assess me for a tear and I remember saying, “Oh, I don't think I teared,” because in my head if I had torn, I thought it would have been a painful feeling. I actually had a 2nd-degree tear which I didn't realize so I had to have some local anesthetic which was probably the most painful part of it all. It was excruciating. I had to have stitches for that and then just a superficial tear at the top. Josh actually went home at that point because we still had a few hours before we could get discharged. He drove 3 hours in the morning, worked the whole day, drove 3 hours, hadn't slept for 24 hours. I said, “You go to your parents. Have a quick sleep.” He came back. They did a few checks on Wren. She had to go to the special care nursery just for some monitoring really quickly because there was a difference on some of her monitoring with her heart rate. They did an echo which came back fine so there was no follow-up. It must have been a funny reading. They were all fine so I think we got discharged at about 9:00 the next morning. She was born at 10:00 at night. We went to the hospital at midnight. We left there at 9:00 in the morning and were back home literally within a few hours with the boys. It was just so surreal and so special compared to the other two birth experiences that I had. One, to be able to get up and walk around and just do things without being conscious of a scar and recovery and things like that and even when I walked in home– because my mum had stayed at home with the two boys, she said, “You don't even look like you just had a baby.” I just felt like I was on top of the world. It was such a different experience. I remember saying to her that obviously I didn't know what it was going to be like but now that I've experienced it, I can't imagine going through life never having experienced that and having birth that way. It was just so– I remember a few of the midwives looked at me as if I had planned to have a home birth and I was like, “Absolutely not. There was no way I would have planned it like that with no support, with nobody here.” Meagan: Yeah. You're like, I would not have planned to do that. Lauren: My boys didn't know anything about natural birth. I was going to the hospital to have a baby and coming back with their baby brother or sister. There was no way that I was– that was a bit funny. I was like, no. It was not planned. It was all very sudden. I remember my doula said to me in the coming days after Wren was born, “How special for Wren to have been born that way and then also for you

From local honey and Medjool dates to jalapeno peanut brittle and all kinds of salsas, relishes, and preserves, celebrate the sweet and spice of September with this episode of "The Peanut Patch," a Big Blend Radio foodie podcast featuring Donna George.  Check out Donna's recipe for Pita Pockets with Chinese Chicken-Peanut Sauce: https://blendradioandtv.com/listing/pita-pockets-with-chinese-chicken-peanut-sauce/  Open from October-April and located in Yuma, Arizona, The Peanut Patch is a southwest tradition for farm fresh peanuts, culinary gifts, and sweet treats. Shop online year-round and learn more at https://thepeanutpatch.com/   The Peanut Patch podcast airs every 1st Friday at 12pm Arizona Time. Listen to episodes and follow the show here: https://peanut-patch.podbean.com/ 

Text Dr. Black your questions or comments.Love chocolate mousse?? Ever had Mexican Hot Chocolate?? What if we could combine these? And... what it if was healthy?Have I got good news for you!  I recently visited Toronto, Ontario and I discovered a gem at the St. Lawrence Market that I just had to share with you. The Chocosol Chocolate store has amazing ethically sourced, locally made vegan chocolate. Listen in to hear about the incredible health benefits of pure dark chocolate. Then join me for a tutorial on how to make the most decadent vegan Mexican Chocolate Mousse. YUM!!Video Tutorial on YouTubeChocosol TradersRecipeIngredients:1 bar Chocosol Turmeric-Ginger dark chocolate1 package organic silken tofu*1 tsp espresso powder or 1 individual pack of instant espresso¼ cup maple syrup3 Medjool dates, pitted and coarsely chopped1 tsp fresh ginger, grated 1 tsp ground cinnamon½ tsp chili powder¼ tsp ground turmericInstructions:Add all ingredients except the chocolate to the pitcher of your blender and blend on high until thoroughly combined and creamy. Scrape down the sides of the pitcher and blend again to ensure that the dates are thoroughly incorporated.Melt the chocolate in a double boiler or in the microwave. If using the microwave, heat for 30 second intervals at 50% power, stirring well each time until chocolate is melted. Do not rush this process or the chocolate will burn.With the blender on low speed, gradually add the melted chocolate to the spiced tofu mixture. Scrape the sides and blend for an additional minute at medium speed.Pour into a glass bowl, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours, or overnight. Serve cold topped with your favorite grated Chocosol chocolate, vegan whipped cream, or berries. *Use silken tofu, not firm or extra firm. If you are allergic to soy, substitute with 2 ripe avocados.If you enjoyed this episode, please take a moment to rate it, leave a review, and most importantly, share it with a friend! For my free guide to Living a Plant-Forward Life, visit the show website and subscribe! eatgreenswithdrblack.com For resources related to a plant-based diet or if you struggle to afford healthy food for your family, please go to eatgreenswithdrblack.com/resources.You can contact Dr. Black at dr.black@eatgreenswithdrblack.comI am happy to answer general questions related to the information presented on this podcast. Be advised that I will never offer specific medical advice via this website, even if your child is an established patient in my practice. If you have concerns about your child's health or growth, please contact their doctor.Thanks for listening and don't forget to Eat Your Greens!

Consumers today crave convenient, healthy snacks they can feel good about. They want healthier options with more flavor, satisfaction, and transparency. However, creating a mess-free, shelf-stable snack without compromising taste or nutrition is challenging. realsy understands this need and created snacks that are the perfect pick-me-up, pre-workout fuel, and guilt-free treat, proving that health and convenience can go hand in hand. In this episode, Jen talks with Austin Patry and Sophia Karbowski, the Co-Founders of realsy. As young entrepreneurs aspiring to do big things, Austin and Sophia became business partners in college in 2017 while studying entrepreneurship. They started their first business with an unrelenting mission to spread healthy vibes all over the country, growing from a single food truck to health food cafes on college campuses across the country. Since then, Austin and Sophia have entered the CPG (consumer packaged goods) space with a strong desire to make their genuinely nutritious food options more accessible and convenient. Austin and Sophia talk with Jen about their journey from starting a smoothie and acai bowl cafe in college to launching realsy as a consumer packaged goods brand. They discuss how realsy provides a convenient and nutritious snacking option, how they developed their unique product, and the challenges they faced in creating a shelf-stable, mess-free snack. Finally, Austin and Sophia share their vision for the future of realsy and their commitment to providing consumers with clean, convenient snacks. In this episode: [01:15] - How Sophia and Austin became business partners [05:04] - What it takes to produce on-the-go nut butter-filled dates [06:49] - What sets the Medjool date apart from other dates [07:48] - What makes realsy a great snack [10:16] - The ingredients of realsy snack bars [12:27] - Where and how realsy ingredients are produced [14:08] - Where to find realsy products [16:03] - The nutritional benefits of realsy snacks Quotes [04:13] - "We created realsy because dates are a produce item. We decided to take something that was a produce item and make it easier to take on the go, fun, interesting, convenient, and that tastes amazing with the nut butter on the inside." ~ Sophia Karbowski [05:38] - "We wanted to create something shelf-stable that's portable, lightweight, and not a mess. It is not only shelf-stable but also has a consistency that's not oozing out and a little bit thicker." ~ Austin Patry [11:20] - "What does nutrition mean to us? It really is just whole foods and ingredients that you recognize. It's as simple as that." ~ Austin Patry [11:51] - "You shouldn't be eating anything you can't picture holding the separate ingredient in your hand. If you can't imagine what one of the ingredients looks like in the palm of your hand, then you shouldn't be eating it." ~ Sophia Karbowski Links  Austin Patry on LinkedIn Sophia Karbowski on LinkedIn realsy realsy snacks on Instagram Fresh Thyme Hungryroot Connect with our host Jen on Instagram Jen on Facebook Wake Up and Read the Labels! Schedule a 15 Min Breakthrough Chat with a WURL Food Coach! Subscribe and stay in touch Apple Podcasts Spotify

For as long as she can remember, Sydney has always been passionate about food and cooking. In an attempt to rediscover her love for food after falling trap to the often-obsessive health food world, she began her food blog, @sydney_kw.Inspired by her late French grandmother and her time living in Bordeaux, she began sharing her meals, recipes and favorite restaurants.What started out as just a food Instagram, has now turned into a business, with @frenchsquirrel.coBerets, nutrient-dense, vegan and gluten-free refrigerated protein bitesBateaux, nut butter-stuffed organic Medjool dates, both coated in 100% pure, unsweetened chocolate.Bisous, peanut butter and chocolate-coated vegan and gluten-free cereal clusters dusted in date sugar.Sydney is a Certified Hormone Specialist, specializing in blood sugar management and female health through a nutrition perspective. After experiencing hormone imbalances, she discovered a natural and holistic approach to heal her hormones through diet, exercise, and powerful adaptogens and herbs.

In today's episode I talk to Emma Pearson about: ❤️ Embracing new love as a widow in your fifties ❤️ Fully accepting ourselves and our circumstances ❤️ Love and grief being at the core of everything ❤️ How psychedelics helped Emma to gain a wider perspective on loss ❤️ How Heartgasms can invite the energies of love, confidence and joy into our energetic field. About Emma Pearson:  Emma is a Brit who has been living in France, just outside Geneva, for the past 25 years. She grew up in Brussels in the 1970s and 1980s then headed to the UK for university studies, specialising in organisational psychology – a field she still loves today and works in as an independent practitioner. Between 2015 and 2019 Emma had four significant losses – her best male friend, Don; her youngest brother, Edward; her husband, Mike; and then their youngest child, Julia. It's been a lot of loss. And yet the world keeps spinning and somehow life carries on. There is much to live for and much to enjoy about life. Emma still has two surviving children, now young adults. There is a lovely new man in her life who goes by the name of Medjool (after her favourite dates!) And at the time of writing, she is still lucky enough to have both her parents, now in their mid-80s, as well as her dog, almost 13. Connect with Emma here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emmapearson/ https://www.facebook.com/emmappearson www.kaleidoscopedevelopment.com http://www.widowingemptynests.com/ emma@kaleidoscopedevelopment.com Email me: info@samallencoachingcreatively.com Find out more about working with me as a Coach & Tantra Guide on my ⁠website⁠ www.samallencoachingcreatively.com Book an intro call ⁠here:⁠ --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/heartgasmswithsamallen/message

HOW TO DEAL WITH GRIEF AND TRAUMA is completely self-funded, produced, and edited by me, Nathalie Himmelrich. Consider making a small donation to support the Podcast: bit.ly/SupportGTPodcast. Thank you! For more information, please visit Nathalie's website, join the podcast's Instagram page, and subscribe to the newsletter to receive updates on future episodes here.About this week's episodeFor today's episode, I speak with Emma who I've met through email as she reached out to me as a podcast listener, where she shared about her multiple significant losses. Something in her email touched me and interested me. I felt that her specific story – the combination of grieving a child at the same time as grieving her husband and the father of their child - would be very interesting to share in an episode in the hope of fostering a community of widowed parents grieving a child.  About this week's guest Emma is a Brit who has been living in France, just outside Geneva, for the past 25 years. She grew up in Brussels in the 1970s and 1980s then headed to the UK for university studies, specialising in organisational psychology - a field she still loves and works in as an independent practitioner. Between 2015 and 2019 Emma had a series of four significant losses - starting with her best male friend, Don; then her youngest brother, Edward; then her husband, Mike; and then their youngest child, Julia. It's been a lot. Too much. And yet the world keeps spinning and somehow life carries on. There is much to live for and much to enjoy about life. Emma still has her two surviving children, now young adults. There is a lovely new man in her life who goes by the name of Medjool (dates!) And at the time of writing, still has both parents, now in their mid-80s.Website: kaleidoscopedevelopment.comWebsite: www.widowingemptynests.comLinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/emmapearson Resources mentioned in this episode:Episode 64 with Turiya: Grief, Trauma, Essence Connection and Safety Support the showSupport the show: Become a supporter of the show! Starting at $3/month Join Facebook Group - Grief and Trauma Support Network Download the FREE grief resource eBook Book a Discovery Call Leave a review Follow on socials: Instagram Facebook Website

La préparation du ramadan n'a pas été de tout repos pour les importateurs européens de dattes. Ils ont dû faire face à des retards de livraison, composer avec de qualités fluctuantes, et trouver des alternatives pour les consommateurs qui boycottent les produits israéliens. Comme d'autres matières premières agricoles, la datte a, elle aussi, été prise dans le tourbillon des crises géopolitiques actuelles. Les tensions en mer Rouge ont affecté le coût du transport depuis le mois de décembre et pesé sur les prix, mais c'est sans aucun doute le conflit entre Israël et le Hamas qui a eu le plus d'impact. Son déclenchement le 7 octobre a coïncidé avec la période de récolte et de commercialisation des dattes.En Israël et en Cisjordanie, les difficultés à mobiliser de la main-d'œuvre et par endroits l'insécurité ont perturbé le calendrier des récoltes et le travail en usine. Or ces territoires sont d'importants exportateurs de dattes de la variété Medjool. L'importateur belge Tomoor raconte avoir reçu des commandes avec plusieurs semaines de retard sur les délais habituels. « C'est une année à oublier », lui a confié un de ses fournisseurs de Cisjordanie.Des acheteurs vigilantsLa tendance au boycott des produits israéliens a aussi compliqué le tableau. Face à des acheteurs exigeants pour ce ramadan, Tomoor témoigne avoir dû fournir des certificats d'origine pour attester sans équivoque la provenance de ses dattes. Une requête qui fait écho aux fraudes à l'étiquetage de produits israéliens, dénoncées par les tenants du boycott. Plusieurs grandes enseignes de distribution en Europe ont été montrées du doigt ces dernières semaines.Il est encore trop tôt pour avoir des données chiffrées, mais ce climat aurait profité au Maroc, qui s'est lancé depuis peu dans la commercialisation de la fameuse datte Medjool. L'autre alternative qui a la cote sur le marché, selon un opérateur, c'est la Deglet Nour, variété très répandue en Algérie et en Tunisie, mais peu produite en Israël.À lire aussiDattes Medjool: trésor palestinien sous occupationSi les difficultés logistiques et le contexte ont tendance à pousser le prix des dattes à la hausse, il n'a pas flambé pour autant, contrairement à celui d'autres fruits secs tels que les figues et les abricots séchés, assure Armand Fabre, importateur basé à Marseille dans le sud de la France.

Yes, it's true, the witchy home hunt saga is still unfolding. In this episode, you'll hear about magical pines, the kindness of strangers, and synchronicities that are too “coincidental” to ignore. We're letting go while Spirit continues to lead the way… enjoy the journey and its muddy trails, blocked paths, and rushing streams. It's a little messy but well worth the effort! What am I reading?The Kamogawa Food Detectives by Hisashi KashiwaiHearth & Home Witchcraft: Rituals and Recipes to Nourish Home and Spirit by Jennie BlondeWhat am I playing on repeat? Brazil by Declan McKenna What's for dinner? Caramelized Brussels Sprouts Pasta With Toasted ChickpeasKosher salt and black pepper6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil1can chickpeas, rinsed and patted dry2tablespoons unsalted butter3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced1 lb brussels sprouts, trimmed and very thinly sliced 8 oz dried pasta½ cup freshly grated Parmesan2 tablespoons drained capers2 tablespoons lemon juice½ tsp red-pepper flakes¼ cup chopped fresh chivesInstructions:Bring a pot of salted water to a boil.Meanwhile, in a Dutch oven or a large, deep skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium. Add chickpeas, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until deep golden and well toasted, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chickpeas to a paper towel-lined plate.Add the butter, garlic and 2 tablespoons of the oil to the Dutch oven and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add brussels sprouts, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly caramelized, about 10 minutes.Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions in the boiling water until al dente. Drain, reserving 2 cups of the pasta water.Add the pasta, 1 cup reserved pasta water, about ¾ of the toasted chickpeas and the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to the Dutch oven. Stir in the Parmesan, capers, lemon juice, red-pepper flakes and half the chives until well incorporated and saucy, 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add more pasta water if a thinner sauce is desired.Divide pasta among bowls. Top with remaining toasted chickpeas and chives. Garnish with more black pepper and Parmesan.Energy BallsIngredients:1 1/2 cups oat flour1 cup walnuts1/3 cup well-stirred creamy natural PB10 soft Medjool dates**1 teaspoon vanilla extract2 tablespoons water1/2 teaspoon sea salt1/2 cup mini chocolate chipsInstructions:In a food processor, place the oat flour, walnuts, almond butter, dates, vanilla, water, and salt. Pulse until the mixture sticks together when pinched. If it's too crumbly, pulse in more water, 1 teaspoon at a time.Transfer the mixture to a bowl and stir in the chocolate chips. Use a 2-tablespoon cookie scoop to scoop and roll into balls.Store extra energy balls in the fridge. They also freeze well. To thaw, leave them at room temperature until soft.

A lot of us locals love to hate on palm trees in our landscaping — but did you know that they can produce edible fruit? Phoenix dactylifera, the date palm, produces those brown, wrinkly, caramel-flavored fruits that show up in Christmas cakes, Ramadan tables, and the date shakes you always see advertised along the I-15. So today, our co-hosts, Dayvid Figler and Sarah Lohman, a food historian and author of the book Endangered Eating, sit down to talk about the date palm's winding road from the Middle East to the Mojave, how an Indigenous couple in Nevada saved the Medjool date from extinction, and why the palm-hate isn't entirely warranted. A special bonus for our listeners — Sarah is sharing two date recipes from her book:  Date recipes from Sarah's book We're on social media! Follow us @CityCastVegas on Instagram. You can also call or text us at 702-514-0719. Want some more Las Vegas news? Then make sure to sign up for our morning newsletter here. Interested in advertising on City Cast? Learn more here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

La saison des dattes s'annonce bonne avec une récolte estimée à 390 000 tonnes au lieu des 340 000 de l'année dernière en Tunisie, selon le ministère de l'Agriculture. Mais à Tozeur, dans les palmeraies et oasis vieilles de 4 000 ans du sud du pays, les agriculteurs parlent aussi des problèmes liés à la sécheresse, car les dattes restent des fruits à forte consommation en eau. De notre correspondante à Tunis,Perché à près de 10 mètres de hauteur, Chokri 24 ans, coupe les branches des dattiers avec dextérité. En chaussettes et sans gants, il grimpe le long des troncs des palmiers avec agilité pour récolter les dattes : « Dès qu'on est petit, on apprend à grimper dans les palmeraies donc c'est très facile pour moi, c'est mon travail, mais aussi une passion. Pendant l'automne, tous les jeunes de la région ne font que ça. » « On s'occupe de la palmeraie le reste de l'année, son entretien surtout et son irrigation. Pour moi, c'est un métier vraiment important, car ça fait partie de notre identité à Tozeur et c'est aussi ce qui fait marcher l'économie de la ville », poursuit Chokri.Une économie basée sur 10 000 hectares d'oasis et 400 000 palmiers dattiers avec la culture des dattes Deglett Ennour qui représentent 70% de la production totale.Le manque d'eau impacte la qualité des dattesDans une autre palmeraie, Hedi Abassi récolte avec d'autres ouvriers la fameuse variété destinée à l'export, cette année le manque de pluie a affecté la production. « La saison est mitigée parce que même s'il y a des dattes, on voit qu'elles sont un peu sèches et ça, c'est à cause du manque d'eau. Cela se voit dans la couleur du fruit. Normalement, lorsqu'il pleut, la pluie lave la poussière qu'il y a sur la datte et les fait briller. Leur prix est plus élevé, car elles sont belles, brillantes et plus tendres, là ce n'est pas le cas. »Les prix à l'export sont fixés par l'État autour de 5 à 6 dinars soit environ 2 euros le kilo. Un prix attractif, mais la concurrence est rude sur le marché international comme l'explique Lamine Touati. Ce gestionnaire supervise le tri des dattes et les départs des camions vers les sociétés exportatrices : « Les prix fluctuent beaucoup en fonction de la concurrence sur le marché international. Nous sommes toujours obligés de nous aligner sur le marché étranger, donc nous surveillons de près cet aspect. Cette année, vu que les dattes manquent d'eau, elles sont plus sèches donc leur poids se réduit lors de la pesée en vrac, précise Lamine Touati. Économiquement, cela a un impact et nous avons plus de pertes. »Le manque d'eau a été un peu atténué par des pluies fin novembre, mais les agriculteurs redoutent une baisse de la production dans les années à venir avec les périodes de sécheresse prolongée et le tarissement des sources souterraines.À lire aussiLa datte Medjool se démocratiseÀ lire aussiDattes Medjool: trésor palestinien sous occupation

Kristen Hong writes the blog hellonutritarian.com, where she shares about fridge organization, meal prep, and plant-based recipes, and runs a successful Instagram of the same name (@hellonutritarian), where she showcases her well-organized and gorgeously styled fridge photos. She lives in California with her husband and two children. Links on how to gift my cookbook for the holidays & how to wrap any cookbook beautifully using a tea towel: https://hellonutritarian.com/fridge-love-gift-guide/ Links to products Kristen used in the recipe demo: https://amzn.to/3tJjmkI You can get Kristen's book on Amazon here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0358434726?... Kristen's blog: https://hellonutritarian.com/ On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hellonutritarian/ On YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UCOLWRfK4jTqPFM4Cqp4PrZg On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HelloNutritarian Oil-Free Fruit-Sweetened Nut or Seed Granola excerpted from Fridge Love by Kristen Hong Yield: Makes 5 to 6 cups (Six to eight 3/4-cup servings) Ingredients: 2 very ripe, spotty bananas 5 Medjool dates, pitted ¼ cup raw almond butter or tahini 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ¼ teaspoon vanilla powder or vanilla extract, or seeds from ¼ vanilla bean 3 ½ cups rolled oats ½ cup chopped raw walnuts or hulled sunflower seeds ½ cup golden raisins (or dried fruit of your choice) Instructions: Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Combine the bananas, dates, almond butter (or tahini), cinnamon, and vanilla in a high-speed blender. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. In a large bowl, combine the oats and walnuts (or sunflower seeds). Pour the banana-date mixture into the bowl (make sure to scrape down the sides of the blender jar) and mix well. Spread the mixture evenly over the prepared baking sheet (clumps are okay and, in my opinion, preferred). Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the baking sheet and mix the granola well, breaking up any very large clumps. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes more, until the granola is dark golden brown. Let cool completely, then mix in raisins (or other dried fruit). Storage: Store at room temperature in a glass food storage container or glass jar with a tight-fitting lid for up to 14 days.

From Cheri: My path to SOS started with my Seventh-day Adventist family which had a dairy farm in Tillamook, Oregon. My grandparents had 100 dairy cows and at 10 years old I stayed with them one summer and the following school year. I learned all of the cows names and numbers and helped with all of the chores including feeding the baby calves. It was very hard work. I feel fortunate that I had that experience and at the time eating dairy was accepted in the SDA community. As I grew, I was very interested in health matters and as valedictorian of my 8th grade class, my whole address centered around health. Sometime in high school, I heard a lecture about the hazards of sugar and refused to eat anything containing sugar. That lasted until the cultural influences at college made me stray into Pleasure Trap eating. My mother has always been an adventurous cook, and I slowly followed in her footsteps. Our culture is obsessed with food, and I am no exception. I have been Vegan and evan Raw Vegan in the last 30 years. As the various ‘experts' have made their proclamations about food, I accepted the contradictory notion that clean animal products were healthy. As I embraced more meat, butter and eggs, my cholesterol climbed to 314. I started to cut back on the cheese, but only got into the 200's. My very active grandfather died suddenly of a massive heart attack at age 66, so I became concerned. Additionally, my A1C was creeping up, and my father had had Diabetes, so these factors weighed heavily on my mind. Sometime in the summer of 2022, I saw Chef AJ on the Rich Roll podcast, and the notion of food addiction really resonated with me. SOS-free was a foreign concept and it took a few months for me to wean myself away from eggs and cheese, but I was able to go SOS-free on October 31, 2022. Within six weeks my labs were all within normal limits! I just want to share a few of the recipes that helped keep me on the WFPB path without feeling deprived BEET HUMMUS 2 Cans No Salt Garbonzo beans or 3 ½ cups cooked in the Instant Pot 16 to 20 oz steamed beets with skins slipped off 2 Lemons, zested & juiced 1 clove garlic ¼ cup White wine vinegar ½ teaspoon ground Cayenne Pepper 2 Tablespoons Tahini, optional Blend in Vita Mix DIVINE PICKLED BEETS 1 to 2 pounds steamed beets with the skins slipped off, slice with wavy slicer or as desired. Pour over Huckleberry or Ruby Red Onion California Balsamic Vinegar, use enough to coat to beets. Make a day ahead and store in the fridge. Turn the beets gently to distribute to vinegar. CITRUSY 1 - 2 - 3 DRESSING 1 Cup Organic Balsamic Vinegar ⅔ cup Mustard, (yellow or Dijon) ⅓ cup date paste* 1 orange, zested and juiced Blend with Immersion Blender *DATE PASTE 2 Pound box of Medjool dates (remove all pits) Boiling water to cover. Soak overnight. Blend in VitaMix. Freeze or fridge STRAWBERRY VINAIGRETTE 2 cups fresh or frozen strawberries ¼ cup red wine vinegar 2 T Dijon mustard 2 T Maple syrup OR date paste Blend in VitaMix. Serve on chopped salad. Refrigerate. RED VELVET CHOCOLATE MUFFINS BY DR WROBLEWSKI 1.1 Pounds cooked beets 10 oz fresh banana 10 pitted Medjool dates 2 teaspoons vanilla 1 Tablespoon Balsamic vinegar Blend in Cuisinart, then add: ½ cup cacao powder 1 teaspoon reduced sodium baking powder 1 ½ cup old fashioned organic oats Blend again. Divide into 24 silicone cupcakes. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 55 minutes. Store in the fridge. Serve with Dazzle Berry Sauce. DAZZLE-BERRY SAUCE BY TIMAREE HAGENBURGER 12 ounces Blackberries ⅓ to ½ cup date paste 1 T Cashews OR 1 T chia seeds ½ teaspoon Cinnamon ½ teaspoon vanilla ½ to 1 teaspoon Lemon zest Blend in VitaMix. Add water to achieve desired consistency. Refrigerate. Follow Cherie On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100093706254780&mibextid=ZbWKwL On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chefcheriamore/

GET MY FREE INSTANT POT COOKBOOK: https://www.chefaj.com/instapot-download ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MY LATEST BESTSELLING BOOK: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1570674086?tag=onamzchefajsh-20&linkCode=ssc&creativeASIN=1570674086&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.1GNPDCAG4A86S ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer: This podcast does not provide medical advice. The content of this podcast is provided for informational or educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health issue without consulting your doctor. Always seek medical advice before making any lifestyle changes. It's bundle time again! Get The Ultimate Raw Vegan Bundle right now for only $49, and you'll get Matt's new ebook, 5-Star Salad Revolution in addition to everything else in this incredible bundle! Get the bundle here: https://transactions.sendowl.com/stores/14628/206456 It's only available for a limited time so use the link above to see everything you are getting for ONLY $49! Matt Bennett is a Holistic Health Educator with a passionate focus on raw, living foods, and detoxification. Matt has been living a raw vegan lifestyle since 2011, and has experienced the healing of many of his childhood health conditions throughout that time. He now enjoys inspiring people to eat more raw fruits and vegetables through his books, social media, and his monthly newsletter at https://myrawintuition.com. See all of Matt's books and resources here: https://myrawintuition.com/shop/ Follow Matt on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/rawintuition Follow Matt on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rawintuition Today's Recipe: In A Pickle 5-Star Salad 1 large head of romaine lettuce, chopped (360 g / 12 .5 oz) 1.5 cups napa cabbage, finely chopped (114 g / 4 oz) 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (4 g / .1 oz) 1/4 cup red onion, chopped (50 g / 1.75 oz) 1 carrot, shredded or chopped (60 g / 2 oz) 1/3 cup raisins (50 g / 1.75 oz) 2 green apples, sliced or chopped (350 g / 12 oz) 7 - 10 grape tomatoes, halved (70 g / 2.5 oz) Add all ingredients to a large salad bowl and mix well. Dressing: Pickle Spice (1 - 2 Servings) 3 Tbsp sunflower seeds (27 g / 1 oz) 2 Medjool dates, pitted (48 g / 1.5 oz) 1/2 lemon, peeled (29 g / 1 oz) 1 clove garlic (3 g / .1 oz) 1 tsp pickle spice seasoning (4 g / .1 oz) 3/4 cup distilled water (178 g / 6 oz) Add all ingredients to a blender. Blend until smooth.

GET MY FREE INSTANT POT COOKBOOK: https://www.chefaj.com/instapot-download ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MY LATEST BESTSELLING BOOK: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1570674086?tag=onamzchefajsh-20&linkCode=ssc&creativeASIN=1570674086&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.1GNPDCAG4A86S ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Disclaimer: This podcast does not provide medical advice. The content of this podcast is provided for informational or educational purposes only. It is not intended to be a substitute for informed medical advice or care. You should not use this information to diagnose or treat any health issue without consulting your doctor. Always seek medical advice before making any lifestyle changes. The Ultimate Raw Vegan Bundle https://transactions.sendowl.com/stores/14628/250299 Debbie Adler is a plant-based chef, bakery owner, and the award-winning cookbook author of the critically acclaimed The Mediterranean Plate, Sweet, Savory & Free and Sweet Debbie's Organic Treats. Debbie is a plant-based cooking and baking instructor and her popular online courses Plant Powerful Life GPS, Quintessential Health 360° and The Complete Plant Powerful Weight Loss System have been taken by hundreds of students worldwide. She has been interviewed on NBC's Nightly News, ABC-7's Eyewitness News, CBS Los Angeles and the national superstation WGN. Debbie has been featured in the Los Angeles Times and on NPR's radio show Here and Now. Her recipes have been published in national publications such as Pilates Style Magazine, Naked Food Magazine, Allergic Living, Living Without, Simply Gluten-Free, Delight Gluten-Free, Ventura Blvd, and Low Sugar Living, as well as on popular websites and blogs such as Cosmopolitan, One Green Planet, The Kitchn, Chic Vegan, Austin Food Magazine, and Self. Carrot Icebox Cake By Debbie Adler Makes one 9-inch cake Must Have Cake 18 carrots, peeled and chopped 9 Medjool dates, pitted and soaked for 20 minutes 1/2 cup raisins 1/2 cup chopped raw walnuts 1 teaspoon cinnamon powder 1/2 teaspoon ginger powder Icing 2 cups cashews, soaked for 20 minutes 7 Medjool dates, pitted and soaked for 20 minutes 1 cup coconut water 1/2-inch vanilla bean Toppings Shredded unsweetened coconut Chopped pistachios Must Do 1. Line a 9-inch springform pan with parchment paper. 2. To make the cake: Add the carrots and dates to a food processor and pulse until smooth. 3. Add the raisins and walnuts and pulse until combined. Add the cinnamon and ginger and pulse to incorporate. 4. To make the icing: add the cashews, dates and coconut water to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth. 5. With a paring knife cut a slit in the vanilla bean in the middle, scrape out the vanilla beans and add to the icing. Pulse to incorporate. 6. To assemble the icebox cake: spread 1/2 the carrot mixture to the bottom of the prepared pan. 7. Top the carrot layer with 1/2 the icing. 8. Add another carrot layer and top again with remaining icing. 9. Top with the coconut and pistachios. 10. Freeze for 2 hours or overnight and serve.

“It's a dream. I am so thankful and just hope I can return the favor to the community because you all have been such a gift in my life. If I can give anything back, I hope that my story helps people.”Lindsey's episode has SO much to offer! From listening to over 200 VBAC Link birth stories and extensive evidence-based research, and now fresh off of her own HBAC, Lindsey shares her list of helpful VBAC tips. As an active duty Air Force servicemember, Lindsey also shares tips on finding birth support during a military PCS as well as getting a referral to birth outside of the hospital under military insurance. Finally, Lindsey shares her husband's journey with paternal postpartum anxiety and an update on how his anxiety levels are now– three months after her HBAC.Lindsey's stories are just as impressive as she is and we are so honored to have her on the podcast today! Additional LinksHow to VBAC: The Ultimate Prep Course for ParentsThe VBAC Link Facebook CommunityFull Transcript under Episode DetailsMeagan: Hello, you guys. Welcome to The VBAC Link Podcast. We have a story coming to you today from Maryland. We have a mama. Her name is Lindsey and she married her high school sweetheart which I think is so fun. So fun. They have two boys, right?Lindsey: Yes. Meagan: Pretty fresh postpartum. Three months out. Lindsey: Pretty fresh. Meagan: Pretty cool. Your husband is a stay-at-home dad and you are on active duty Air Force and work as a dentist. How? You are a powerhouse. That is awesome. Lindsey: Thank you. Meagan: You are doing a residency and you have lived all over the country and seen so many things and you've had a VBAC. Lindsey: I can't wait to share. Meagan: Yes, I can't wait to get into this story. You guys, one of the things we are also going to be talking about today is something that I actually don't know if we've ever talked about on the podcast but it is something that I feel like I saw in my husband when I was going to VBAC for the first time with my second birth. I saw what happened and he shut out, so we want to talk about paternal postpartum anxiety a little bit today because it's something that we don't focus on highly. We are focused on the mom giving birth and the experience that they have had, but it's so important not to forget about our significant others or our birth partners, or anybody there that was in the space and witnessed birth. I'm excited to be talking in just a minute with Lindsey about paternal postpartum. So if you have a significant other that may have had a traumatic experience, definitely listen up. It's going to be great and then also sometimes, I think just hearing these stories and hearing maybe some of the characteristics and things that are happening, it might help you know. I didn't know until he had said things when I was preparing for my vaginal birth after two Cesareans, he was saying things and I was like, “Okay. You are not okay completely. That triggered you and let's talk about it.” So I'm really, really excited. Review of the WeekOf course, though, we have a review of the week and this is a long one. I would always make Julie read the long reviews because I swear I can't read and hear myself at the same time. I just get mixed up so we'll see how this goes.Lindsey: You've got this. Meagan: This is from likap8 so thank you. It says, “I did it. I have my VBAC.” It says, “Hello, ladies. I was waiting to write this review since I was pregnant and tell you thank you very much from the bottom of my heart. I knew I was going to achieve a VBAC thanks to the knowledge you provide. When I was 12 weeks pregnant, my doula team recommended it to me and I immediately felt really empowered by listening to every single story. I finally had something real from real women telling me that VBACs are possible, that I just needed to educate myself and do everything in my hands to make it happen, and that's what I did.”“I hired a doula team. I went to the chiropractor. I did Spinning Babies. I followed doulas on Instagram that tell you what exercise you must do to prepare for labor. I did Hypnobirthing. I submerged myself in everything about natural birth and I trained my body and my mind for this big day. I had my VBAC on March 15, 2022” which is almost a year ago. Actually when this comes out, it will be over a year ago. It says, “and it was the most healing experience. I did it thanks to you all and people like you to help women like me have our dream birth.”Wow. That was incredible. Such an amazing review. Thank you so much. We are always smiling when we see these reviews come in on Apple Podcasts or Google. Sometimes like I've said in the past, we'll just get an email that says, “Hey, I just want to quickly write a review.” So if you have a review for us, please shoot it over. We would love to read it on the next podcast. Lindsey's StoriesMeagan: Okay, Lindsey. Are you ready? Lindsey: I'm ready. I'm excited. Meagan: I'm so ready. Thank you so much. I'd absolutely love to turn the time over to you and share all your wealth of knowledge and your experience that these listeners are definitely going to benefit from.Lindsey: Thank you so much for having me. This is a moment that I daydreamed so many times when I was walking with my son, well, when I was pregnant with him and when I drove. At one point, I was driving to a provider in Virginia and I would listen to it on the drive. I was like, “Maybe one day I can be on the show.” Meagan: And here you are. Three months postpartum. Lindsey: Oh my gosh. It's a dream. I am so thankful and just hope I can return the favor to the community because like your review said, you all have been such a gift in my life. So if I can give anything back, I hope that my story helps people. Meagan: Awesome. Lindsey: Yeah. So I first learned about The VBAC Link actually right after I had my Cesarean. It was a week after my Cesarean. I searched #vbac on Instagram and you guys popped up. I started following it and tucked it in the back of my mind because I had heard about a VBAC and I knew that I wanted to try for that. I didn't start listening to the podcasts until I was 24 weeks pregnant. My family and I had just done another military move. We moved from Kansas to Maryland and I was pretty overwhelmed by starting over again. The moves have been pretty good, but when you start adding kids to the mix, it makes it a little harder. I felt like I didn't have a community and I was starting this intense training program and feeling kind of lonely. I felt like I didn't have the time or mental capacity to learn everything I should learn to have a good VBAC, so the podcast was such a gift because it packaged it into a reasonable amount of time that I could do when I was multitasking and then provide evidence-based information and hear a powerful story. It was just everything that I needed, so I learned so much from you all. I'm so thankful. My Cesarean story, to start out, I wanted an unmedicated birth with my first son. We hired a doula. We found the only midwife in the town where we were living in Kansas who covered our military insurance. The base I was at didn't have OB care so we got an automatic referral. I kept a really active pregnancy. I even did cardio kickboxing up until the day before my water broke. Meagan: Cool. That's awesome. Lindsey: I was like, “Yeah, I've got this.” But a couple of things looking back on my pregnancy, I did have a brand new midwife. She said I would probably be the first birth that she attended which is fine. Meagan: Yeah, you've got to start somewhere. You've got to start somewhere. Lindsey: Yeah, but the way that it worked in the city where I was living in Kansas, she was not on her own. She was actually part of an OB practice. She couldn't be on her own so that practice, I found out later, had the highest Cesarean rate in town. I didn't know that at the time. She also gave me the recommendation to start using primrose oil vaginally at 38 weeks and I didn't know that that was an induction method. I found that out on your podcast. She said that it would prevent tearing so I was like, “Oh.” I found out things later. Things I didn't ask about. I didn't know to ask about them. My water started leaking at 40 weeks and 1 day. I woke up at 3:00 AM. It was just a trickle and mild contractions. I went back to bed and called the midwife on call at 6:00 AM. She was like, “Well, you have an appointment today at 8:00 so you can wait for that.” At 8:00, she checked and my waters had ruptured. She left the room to talk to the OB and then when she came back, she was like, “You know, let's have you eat some breakfast and then have you come start Pitocin.” The hospital had a birthing center across the street from the hospital so you weren't actually at the hospital but they were prepared if something went south. You could have a Cesarean there too, but not really meant for it. So then I arrived to the birthing center, or a birthing suite, and they didn't have a cordless monitor so they put me on a monitor that had the cord. I remember being really disappointed because I was like, “I want to walk around,” but it was really limited with that. They started Pitocin and really an hour later, I was having a hard time handling them. The contractions were really hard and really fast. We called my doula and she came. I remember my midwife saying, “Don't scream.” I said, “Okay, well I don't know what to do. I'm trying not to scream.” I labored with Pitocin for seven hours and got to 6. My midwife then had me stop Pitocin and labor on my own for three hours. I remember sitting in the bath and not wanting to get out. I was like, “I don't want to get out of this bath.” I wasn't really feeling any contractions at this time. I did have the labor shakes and I remember asking why. No one really answered me why I was having the shakes. I found out on your show later, one episode, and I was like, “Oh, that's normal. I didn't know that it was normal.” Meagan: So was the water helping you contraction-wise? You weren't really feeling them or did it just stop?Lindsey: Unfortunately, she checked me and I was still at a 6 three hours later. Meagan: So when they turned Pitocin off, your body wasn't quite in that active phase on its own. Lindsey: Okay. Meagan: Okay. That's when I was like, “Hmm.”Lindsey: I know. She put me back on Pitocin and I said, “If you're going to do that, you're going to have to give me an epidural,” because my body had just calmed down from not having it for three hours. The epidural worked so well. I was numb all the way up my chest. Meagan: Oh wow. Lindsey: I know. I remember asking, “Can we turn this down?” They never turned it down because it never felt less than that. Then seven or eight hours later was when I made it to a 10 and I had got some rest. They said, “Okay, time to push.” Again, I couldn't feel anything. They showed me how to do it. They said, “You're doing it.” After two hours of pushing, my midwife went in and manually tried to turn my son because she said that he was in a weird position. When she did, his heart rate deceled. She told my husband, “Go pull the cord.” He pulled the cord. Eight people flooded in the room and then I heard, “Turn her on my side,” then I was like, “Oh.” So I turned myself on my side and my midwife apologized actually to me afterward. She was like, “I didn't mean for you to turn you on your side,” but I was just like, I don't know if it's because I'm in the military and I heard something so I was like, “I've got to do it.” But we laughed about it. It was something to laugh about. After another hour of pushing, so three hours total, she asked the hospitalist who was working to come in and the hospitalist did a pelvic evaluation. She determined she couldn't get forceps around my son. He was asynclitic and at that point, she said that she recommended a Cesarean. I learned that it's an unplanned Cesarean, not an emergency Cesarean, but still, it felt emergent and it felt unplanned. It felt very unplanned. Meagan: Yeah. That's one of the hardest things for me as a doula, as a mom who has had them, to decipher what is emergent because they treat it as it is an emergency and we are feeling that feeling so we think that we had these emergent situations. Lindsey: Yes. You definitely feel it. Meagan: I'm not saying there aren't. There are definite emergent situations, but sometimes, we label them as emergencies and they're not but the way that everybody is making it seem feels that way. Lindsey: Yes, and the tension was definitely in the room. I mean, even when I was in labor and pushing. Meagan: Was he doing okay? I know he had the decels a little bit, but was he doing okay now? Lindsey: Yeah. Oh yeah. He was stable at that point when they brought me back which was good. So he had had the decels. Then I consented and thirty minutes later, they pulled my son out. He was crying and I cried and felt that instant love that you feel for your baby like you'd do anything for them and it was very special, but I definitely felt really excited and then also really robbed of the birth that I wanted at the same time so it was kind of weird to feel both things at once. Meagan: But that's okay. That's okay. Lindsey: It is okay. What was encouraging though was like, “Man, I labored for nothing.” 20-something hours of labor, but all of those hormones, the midwife did say, “You know all of the hormones you had released are really good for the baby too,” so I was like, “Okay if it worked for something.” So then about 4-5 hours after my son was born, they left us alone for a little bit. They still came and checked on us. I woke up and my husband was pacing the room. I asked him, “What's going on?” He said that he was shaking. I could see that he was shaking and his heart rate was racing. He was really emotional. I told him, “I think you're having a panic attack.” We were married for almost ten years before we had kids, then we were together for five years before that so we'd been together for a long time and I'd never seen him go through anything like that before. I was like, “Oh my gosh, just come,” and I had him lay in the hospital bed with me until he stopped shaking. Yeah, so that was our experience at the hospital, and then we got home and I remember we ordered pizza and he couldn't eat it at home after the hospital. He couldn't eat anything for a few days after we were home. He barely was eating anything. He couldn't be in the same room with our son when he was crying. He felt like another panic attack would come on, then couldn't be in the room when we were sleeping at night. I remember feeling so concerned that he would never be the same again. We would never want any more children. He is my best friend, so it was like, “Oh my gosh. Who do I talk to about this? What do we do?” We actually ended up, he talked to one of the pastors at our church and worked through that. We were like, “Okay. This is a hard moment. We're working through it.” Evenings were the worst at the time. When the sun started to go down, that's when we would try to connect together and talk about what he was feeling and going through. We would pray and we would watch Gilmore Girls which is our favorite show. It seemed like things were slowly getting better, but then five months later, my husband was watching our son and I had already gone back to work after 12 weeks and then he was also watching our friend's baby who is a little bit younger than our son and the baby started crying and he had a panic attack. He called me and I was working across the street. Our base was across the street from where our friends lived. Thankfully that day, a skunk had gotten into the ventilation system at work. Meagan: Oh gross. Lindsey: We were all being evacuated at that moment. They called it a natural disaster. Meagan: Oh my gosh, that's a natural disaster. That is. Lindsey: It was $80,000 worth of work to fix it in the end. It was nuts. I was literally leaving my desk at that moment to go home. I said, “I'll be right there.” So I was there and had him go walk it off. I had heard of a therapy group in town from a friend and got the information. He started therapy pretty soon after. I think it was in that week. He ended up going for the rest of the time we were in Kansas which was I guess a year and a half that he went. It made a huge difference, a huge huge difference. I am really thankful for that. Meagan: Did he feel that the birth itself was what brought everything on? Was that a trigger?Lindsey: Great question. That's what we're thinking is that it was all of the heightened emotions from me being in labor and that not going well, then all of a sudden we were in a Cesarean. The pulling of the cord was something that really stood out in his mind, like, “Oh my gosh. This is a serious thing.” Just that fight or flight reflex was on for that whole time. Meagan: He was the one that pulled the cord, right? He was the one that was told to go pull the cord. Lindsey: He was the one that pulled the cord, exactly. Meagan: Which if you think about it, when someone tells you to go pull the cord when you know that's an emergent, really scary, someone-could-be-dying cord, you can imagine where his mind went. Lindsey: Exactly, exactly. He brings up this story when they brought me in for the Cesarean, they had me on the– I don't really remember because they had given me medicine at that point, but he said that I was on a table naked. No curtains were up. They were rubbing iodine on me or something and he was like, “Oh my gosh. Are they not going to put a curtain up? I'm just going to see my wife being sliced open?” They had my arms tied down. Meagan: Scary. Lindsey: Scary, yeah. He's not a medical person at all. I'm a dentist and he doesn't do the blood thing. He said, “No, that's not for me.” I'm going to bounce back and forth between what he went through and then jump back into the story too. I had a lot of questions about my Cesarean mainly about how did I go from wanting an unmedicated birth to having a Cesarean? I remember asking my midwife at my six-week postpartum because I had done some reading on Evidence Based Birth, the website of how you can wait after PROM so many hours before you start Pitocin. I asked her, “Why did we start so quickly?” It was six hours after I had PROM that we started Pitocin. She said in a hushed voice– no one was in the room with us, but she kept her voice really low. She said, “Oh, it was the OBs that I'm working under.” I was like, “Oh, okay.” I don't know. I was disappointed that I had a Cesarean, but in the state of weakness, it really taught me to rely on faith and it also set me on a path to really deep-dive into the world of birth education. I'm no expert by any means, but I learned so much compared to where I was at the first time. Flashing forward to January 2022, we were celebrating my son's first birthday and I found out I was pregnant. I was nervous and excited. We were going to be getting orders from Kansas to Maryland, so we will flash forward to Maryland. We moved when I was 24 weeks pregnant. My doula, Lauren, came as a recommendation from a friend in the area who lives in Virginia. Lauren, the doula, suggested a practice that was VBAC-friendly. At this point, I am working at a military installation, so they expected me to give birth there, but long story short, I was able to get a referral, so if anyone is on active duty listening to this, hang in there. It's hard. Sometimes you can't get a referral. But I was able to get one thankfully and the practice in Virginia was an hour away so I would drive to the appointments. They were nice, but I didn't see anyone consistently. I did move later on in my pregnancy, so it was hard to see every person because there were so many people that worked there. I did have one experience before I decided to ultimately change to home birth. When I was 30 weeks pregnant, I was feeling menstrual-like cramps and it really concerned me because I know that could be a sign of labor contractions. They didn't go away, so I called. It was a Saturday. I called the OB on call and she said, “Well, why don't you ahead and come to the hospital? I'm working here. We'll put you on some monitors and check.” So I drove and I remember driving by myself and again, feeling really lonely because I was there by myself. My husband was with our son. It was late in the evening. His bedtime would have been soon. I called my doula and she offered to come with me because she's awesome, but I was like, “No, it's okay. I'll just call and check up.” When I got to the hospital, I got checked in. I was crying and the nurse was like, “Oh my gosh, what's going on?” She was really sweet. But the OB popped her head in, looked, and she said something quickly, and walked away. Then I never saw her again. She had the midwife come in and talk to me. The midwife said, “Everything looks good. No contractions. You're probably dehydrated. Let's get you some fluids.” She asked to do a cervical check. We did a cervical check. I was at a 1, but she said that most women who have either given vaginal birth or have dilated to a 10 walk around at a 1 at any time. I was like, “Okay.”Meagan: Or more. 1 or more. Lindsey: I'm sure. I'm sure. She walked away and went to talk to the OB. She came back and said, “Okay, so OB would like you to start some steroids for the baby in case you go into labor.” I was like, “Wait, you just said that I'm fine.” Meagan: I'm not in labor, yeah. Lindsey: Right. I felt really conflicted. I wanted the best for my child. I was confused because I didn't have any other signs of being in labor. There was a woman who was– it was the triage room so it's just curtains. I heard a woman who was the same gestational age as me and she was at a 5 and in labor, so they were like, “Okay, we're going to do this intervention and this intervention.” I thought in my mind, “That makes sense. This woman is in labor. I am not.” I felt really disappointed that the OB didn't come and look me in the eye or talk to me, put her hand on my shoulder, find out that, “Hey, you just moved to a new area. You're stressed out. Stress could make this happen,” which I found out later. So I ultimately ended up declining and had a very healthy pregnancy. It was just that one time that I had that happen for about a week and everything was okay. He actually came a week past my due date, or eight days past my due date so no worries about being early. That's something and I'll touch on this later too, as a provider, it's so important to connect with your patient and in my specialty that I'm getting into, we talk about, “Listen to your patients. They'll tell you what's going on.” It's not that we have to stand over them and make a clinical decision, it's like, “Look at them. Hear what they have to say. They will tell you what the problem is even if they don't know what it is. Their story will tell you.” So it's so important that they do that. Find a provider that's willing to listen. So then at 35 weeks, I was actually listening to an episode of The VBAC Link on my lunch break and I texted my doula. I said, “You know, if I have a third child while we're living here, I really think I'll do a home birth.” She said to me, “It's never too late” –I wrote it down– “to follow your gut and find the perfect birth team. I was like, “That's nice to say that but that is way too stressful to try to figure out a home birth at 35 weeks pregnant, get a new referral from the military,” and I said, “I'll look into it,” but it seemed really overwhelming. She was really encouraging. Meagan: Very daunting. Lindsey: Very daunting. She said that she would support me either way, but she did send me the names of a few midwives in the area. I ended up calling three and one had openings around my due date. I felt really connected to her right away. She put my mind at ease and she had worked with a lot of military families so she knew about my insurance. She actually has delivered over 2000 babies at this point, so tons of experience which was really nice to have.Meagan: Kind of the opposite end of things. Lindsey: The opposite end of things, yeah. We told her we would get back to her. I went home and presented it to Zach because I did all of this in one day. I just ended up having an extended lunch break and called then went back to my residency, then called more. I told my husband about it and he was like, “What?” At that time, we were doing a birth education class with our doula, so we were watching some of the videos that she sent us then we watched a video of the hospital room. He couldn't finish the video of the hospital room. I was like, “Babe if you can't finish the video of the hospital room, how do you think it's going to go if we get in there?” So we thought about it that day and prayed about it, then the next morning, he was like, “Yeah. Let's do it.” I was like, “Okay. Now I need to think a little bit more,” so I took the rest of the week to think about it. We ultimately decided to do it. I remember my first prenatal appointment with her was a few days after that and she spent over an hour with me. I kept looking at the time and I was like, “She's got to go. She's got other patients and I feel guilty.” It was weird. I felt this guilt of, “I'm taking up too much time from her.Then I could tell by her demeanor though, she was in no rush to leave at all. Even when she walked out the door, she was just like, “Okay, yeah.”So with that being said, her appointments were kind of a time range like, “I'll be there around 2:00.” Sometimes it was later. Sometimes it was a little bit earlier so we had flexibility with our prenatal appointments. They were all at our home. Meagan: Which is awesome. Lindsey: Yeah, it was so nice. My HBAC story, at 8:00 PM, I had a few painful contractions the night before my son was born. I texted my doula and she recommended doing the Miles Circuit. Then I texted my midwife and she recommended I have a glass of wine or some Benadryl and go to sleep. I didn't because, at the time, I was like, “Alcohol interrupts your sleep cycle. I don't know. Maybe I shouldn't.” But I probably should have done some Benadryl or something because after I gave birth, I was talking to her about it and she said, because I had these irregular– maybe someone will connect with this– but I had these irregular contractions all night and I was so tired. She said, “Having some Benadryl probably would have helped you sleep and stopped the irregular contractions. I'm like, “Okay. The next time that happens, I will take Benadryl.” But I go into the shower an hour later and that really helped to labor in the shower, just the hot water hitting my back. I was on my hands and knees and I really wanted to let my husband sleep because, in the back of my mind, I was thinking of what happened our first time. I just didn't want that to happen again to him and to us. But I didn't feel like, “Oh, I just have to do this because I have to be strong for the two of us.” It felt like, “Okay, we're a team. I'm able to do it myself right now and then at some point, I'll need him to tap in, but I can do it now.” As much as you enjoy labor, I was like, “Okay, I can do this on my own,” so it was kind of a good time to just be with myself and my baby and think about what was ahead. Zach did bring me a birth ball around 10:00 PM and I used that. At 11:00 PM, I tried to get some sleep. I couldn't get comfortable. I took a nap in between contractions, but they kept waking me up. Then until basically 4:00 AM, they were 5-20 minutes apart so I would try to sleep on the floor but every time a contraction hit, I had to move and get up on my hands and knees. I felt like I just couldn't stay still during the contraction. At 4:00 AM, I was like, “Okay, I need Zach. I need some help.” He worked with me from 4:00-5:00 and did hip squeezes. He was super sweet and encouraging. Then we called my doula at 5:00 and she arrived around 5:30. She was like, “Okay, where are you feeling it?” I was pointing to my back and she said, “Let's get this baby off of your back.” We did some Spinning Babies and this really helped the back labor. I mean, it was still labor, but it was all in the front at that point which was really helpful. The contractions were more regular, still pretty far apart like 10 minutes apart. She said, “All right, you're at a good place.” This was a little before 8:00. She said, “I'm actually feeling really sick by the way.” I was like, “Oh.” She said, ”I called my backup doula just in case, but I just want you to know where I'm at.” I was like, “Oh no, Lauren.” She's like, “Nope, not about me. Don't worry about me.” I was like, “Okay.” But at 8:00 AM, she left, and then within half an hour, it was all in my back and I was like, “Oh my gosh.” I wanted to call her back right away but I also knew, “She is sick. I don't know.” We waited a couple of hours and it actually ended up being a really sweet time for my husband and me because we talked and we prayed and we cried. We just talked about how different our life would be. I mean, we had done that too before our second son was born, but it felt like that was such a special time to talk it out. I'm thankful for that. 10:30, I did call my doula back and she said was going to tough it out and come over, then the backup doula would be coming, but then she called me right back and said, “Lindsey, I have a fever. I'm so sorry.” I was like, “Oh no.” I didn't want to expose myself to a fever and the baby, so she took care of all of that. The backup doula was going to be coming at 12:30 but I was like, “Oh gosh. I have to make it until 12:30.”I found out two weeks before I was giving birth that my pastor's wife is training to be a doula so I invited her to come. I don't know her very well and I especially didn't know her very well at the time, but I told her, “We're going to know each other very well after this.” So we called her to come and it was nice because she is not a birth worker, but it was really beautiful to have her there and she was helping my husband at a few different points. Just watching her cry when the baby was born and I actually heard– jumping ahead here– but I actually heard my midwife telling her, “Okay, this,” and giving her tips. Meagan: Tips and stuff? Lindsey: Tips and stuff, yeah. That might bother some people, but maybe because I've been in school for so long myself, but I liked hearing it too so it ended up being a really beautiful thing. She was praying for us while everything was going on. The whole house was so peaceful. The backup doula ended up coming at 11:30. She came a little bit earlier at 11:30, then I had the pastor's wife, and then when my midwife came, I felt so surrounded by loving, confident women and felt very safe. That's something that I really wanted to feel was just like I knew everyone there. I felt really safe. That's what I felt. At this point, I was back in the shower when the doula arrived. Ashley is her name and I had never met her before. I turned off the shower and I was like, “Thank you for being here,” naked and sobbing. I hugged her. She said, “Okay, let's do some Spinning Babies.” We did a few things and then at 12, it wasn't even that long later, I was like, “I've got to go back to the shower.” So I was back to the shower and things continued to build up.I get out. They called the midwife and Ashley had thought of a few things we could do with Spinning Babies. She and the midwife were immediately on the same page. The midwife was on her way. They were like, “Let's have Lindsey do the side-lying release,” and I was like, “Nothing in me wants to get on the side of the bed.” I looked at her and I said, “I'm done. I've got to go to the hospital. I need meds. I tried. I can't do it.” She was very, very kind and acknowledged what I had to say and said, “Let's just try this.”Meagan: Yeah. It's such a hard thing as a doula because you're like, “I know you want this and you're saying this. I don't want to ignore you and not take you seriously, to then later have you not feel heard or respected…”Lindsey: I can only imagine. Meagan: But you can see a different space than they can see. Yeah. It's a hard space to be in. Lindsey: Right, especially when you met them an hour ago. Meagan: Yes. Oh, I can't even imagine, yeah. Lindsey: Yeah, yeah. No, exactly. I appreciated that she was validating me, but I was like, “No. I've got to go.” But then I was pacing the house in my diaper naked and Zach said I was walking around like a zombie. The little amount in me that could think reasonably was like, “Okay, if I have to go to the hospital then I have to get checked in, and then if I get checked in, then I have to wait for an epidural from the anesthesiologist, then I have to be in the car to get to the hospital. That's going to take so long. Okay. Let's just try it.” So I tried it through three contractions, then she had me flip over to the other side. As soon as I flipped over to the other side, my water exploded. I was wearing those diapers and it felt like the water filled up like a water balloon in my diaper and then burst to the floor. I was like, “Oh my gosh.” I looked down at the water and it was green. I stood up and I was like, “Ashley!” I was hysterical. I was like, “It's not clear. It's not clear.” She was like, “I've been to a lot of births. It's something that happens. We'll talk to your midwife and see what she has to say.” It really ramped up. I went back to the shower. I remember I ran to the shower and turned it on. When I got in, it was cold, but the water warmed up. Meagan: Yeah, but shocking. Lindsey: Shocking, a cold shower, yeah. I was gasping. Then the water warmed up and I started screaming. She really was helping me through the contractions and was like, “Keep it low,” and so sweet in how she did it. I was just following her voice. So really, my husband at this point, when the doula was there, he was like, “I'm going to let her help my wife.” I didn't feel like, “Where is my husband?” I felt like, “Okay, this is good. I'm glad that Ashley is helping me.” Actually, I found out later that he went and cleaned up my water. He was like, “I have something to do,” and he cleaned it up. She reminded me, I failed to mention that when I did want to go the hospital, she reminded me, “When you get to this point, I know you've listened to a lot of birth education and listened to a lot of podcasts,” you know that this means that you are really close. It just didn't feel real. I was like, “Yeah, but they were close. I don't think that I'm close.”Meagan: It's not possible that I'm the same. Lindsey: I just felt like it was not possible, no. I did find this out later too because Jennifer, my midwife, wasn't worried about the water. She said, “The color of the water, when it's bright green, usually means that a baby is in distress, but when it's brown and murky, it just means that the baby is old and has been in there for a while.” Again, he was eight days past his due date because I asked her later, “Why weren't you concerned about it?” So she said that it was fine. That was good to know. Meagan: Yeah, very good to know. Lindsey: Yeah, so then I get in the shower. I had the mucus plug come out, the bloody show, and then things were ramping up. The midwife gets here and they want me to get out. I started to make a grunting noise. I was like, “Oh my gosh. Did I actually just do that?” Ashley said, “Are you feeling pushy?” I said, “I don't know. I think so, maybe.” Then the midwife arrived and she was checking the water. She said, “The water is not warm enough,” because I had used all of the hot water. They were filling up the tub and the water was gone, so my husband was boiling water in the kitchen because there's a certain threshold for the temperature that it has to be. I still didn't believe even though I was making grunting noises that I was going to give birth. I still thought, “I'm going to have to go to the hospital.” They tried to get me to sit on the toilet, and I can't. I was like, “No.” I go to sit down and then I would get back up. I know the toilet is a dilation station and I was like, “Oh, I just can't do it.” When she arrived, my midwife put her hand on my lower back. She never did a cervical check. She put her hand on my lower back. She said to my husband, I found out later, that I was probably a 7 or 8 when she got there. I asked her how she knew that and she said she would feel the tailbone push out and then the back of my buttcrack is a darker color. I was like, “Oh, interesting.” I'm in the tub and they are adding hot water. I am pushing and they don't have to coach me. I'm doing it. They're encouraging m– my doula and my midwife– but my body just knew how to do it which was so cool. I did start to feel the ring of fire which actually to me didn't feel that bad because the whole labor felt really bad. Meagan: It didn't to me either. It just felt like I had a whole ton of pressure. I just remember pressure. I don't remember the full, full ring of fire. Lindsey: No. Oh wait, I did forget one thing. I didn't want to forget this. I didn't think I could do it when I started to get to almost pushing. I think I must have said something. I should ask my husband. I must have said something because my midwife gave me a pep talk and she said, “Okay. Would it help you if you felt your baby's head, like a little bit of biofeedback?” As a dentist, we talk to patients about different things like biofeedback so I was like, “Yeah, that connects with me.” I was like, “I don't know how to do it.” She said, “Reach down, feel, and then you'll feel something firm and squishy. It won't feel like you.” I was like, “Okay.” Then I did. I was like, “Oh my gosh. He's there.” That was definitely a big motivator for me. I didn't do that with my first son. They had offered and I was like, “Oh gosh, no. I don't want to,” but I think that it was very helpful. There is a mental hurdle to giving birth. I think VBAC moms, I don't want to say more of a hurdle, but I think we do. Meagan: Sometimes we have extra stuff. We just do. We just do. Lindsey: Yeah, so setting yourself up for success if it is touching your baby's head. That was my point when I had to have the Cesarean was when I was pushing, so that pushed me through the threshold. It was mental at that point. The baby was coming. I just had to work with my body to do it. My husband has a funny memory of me when I was in the birth pool. I was holding both sides because there were the sides of the tub. I literally am roaring and I felt like I was roaring. I was like, “Come on.” My son's name is Finn. I was like, “Come on, Finn. Let's get this over with,” and just roaring him out. My doula was standing in front of me. He was like, “You were just yelling in her face.” It took me an hour to push which sounds like a long time but didn't feel like a long time at all. I held him and I cried. Zach was crying. The picture that I sent is really cool because you can see my husband tearing up in it. The pastor's wife cried. Ashley was crying. Except for our midwife, she was cracking jokes the whole time not in a disrespectful way, but she kept the mood really light. I didn't notice because I was in labor land, but my husband said that it was really nice. It kept him calm because she was so chill.She said to me later actually when I got in bed that my son didn't cry right away but she checked. Actually, my doula recorded it so I could hear her. She checked the pulse and the cord. She wasn't concerned that the baby didn't cry right away because she felt that the pulse was really good. In the video, she was like, “He's just getting ready to take his first breath,” really calm. She said to me later that she did do a little bit of suctioning which I was like, “No, that's fine. I didn't have a problem with that.” I say that because everything was so considerate. For all of the questions that were asked or what she did, she wanted to let me know. I could have never known that she did suctioning ever but she wanted me to know. I just thought that was really cool.She has me quickly get out of bed. I didn't think it was quick, but we talked in our debrief later that it was quick because she saw that I was bleeding but no placenta came out, so she wanted to figure out where it was coming from. She had a really cool way of testing or trying to triage me without me knowing. At one point, I did pick up on it because she asked, “Are you feeling any pain in your arm?” Then I was like, “Oh, she's checking my heart. I know that from being a dentist?” She would just ask low-key questions but was trying to make sure everything was all right. Meagan: Without making you feel like it. Lindsey: Panic. She was like, “Okay, we're going to check your blood pressure.” Blood pressure was 100/40 so she said, “All right, Lindsey, let's start you with some IVs,” I was like, “I don't care. Do anything. I have my baby on my chest. Do whatever you want.” She said, “You have some bleeding. We're going to try to see where it's coming from and get the placenta out.” She had me try to push and I was like, “I feel like I can't. I have no urge to push.” She said, “All right. I can try,” so she tried to pull it but then the cord was feeling like it was going to separate so she said, “Okay, I'm not going to do that.” Sorry, when they started the IV, she was like, “I would like to give you a shot of PItocin.” I was like, “Okay, yeah. Go for it.” So she gave me a shot of Pitocin in my leg. It turns out that she was concerned about the bleeding. She was like, “I've got to figure out where this is coming from.” At that point, she had tried to pull it out. She wasn't able to so she said, “Okay, Lindsey. I need you to push the placenta out.” I was like, “Okay.” So I pushed it out and she said, “I'm sorry. I have to be really mean and press on your abdomen,” so she really got on there to make sure that I wasn't hemorrhaging or anything. The birth assistant was stuck in traffic so she had just arrived at that point. She had her check too and she did find a small tear, a first-degree tear. Oh, sorry. I wasn't going to do this but I'm going to do this one time. When I did feel that ring of fire, she said at that point, “Okay. Put your hand down there and where you are feeling burning, move the tissue out of the way,” so I think that helped. She told me in a prenatal visit that she has women do that because she can try to feel or try to guess where they might tear, but when moms do it, it usually is really successful because they can feel it. I thought that would be really interesting. I did have that first-degree tear, but she said, “You probably don't need a stitch, but I'd like to go ahead and do it because you have blood.” I said, “Yeah, fine.” So we did it. It was a venous tear so that's why it ended up bleeding more. The bleeding stopped. We weighed the baby and they did the tuck-in service. My in-laws were in town. They actually are the best and they were supposed to fly back to California that day because they came two weeks early. They came a week before my due date and stayed a week past because we thought the baby would be born then but he wasn't. They were flying out that day but they canceled their flight and stayed because I had gone into labor the night before they left so they were with our one-and-a-half-year-old. They ended up saying, “We're just going to get a hotel room and you guys hang out,” which was nice to have that time with just Zach and I and our new little baby boy. After my HBAC, we were sitting on the bed with our second son and just so thankful. I asked my husband how he was feeling because I was curious about this experience. Would it be different than the hospital? He said that he was feeling great. He felt like in the hospital, he couldn't really do much. The doula didn't take over but he would try to support me in labor, but then he was like, “Well, what else do I do?” He felt like being at home, he put water in the tub. He cleaned up my water. At one point, he even said, “I put the dishes away.” That night in bed, he did have a little bit of shaking, but I think his sympathetic nervous system was so ramped up. That happens. The specialty I'm getting into is pain– head and neck pain. Oral-facial pain is what it's called. We have patients with chronic pain, people who have undergone post-traumatic stress and TBI, or I should say have post-traumatic stress disorder or TBI and their sympathetic nervous system is ramped up. It's designed like a zebra outrunning a lion. You'll see a zebra shake after it's done and shake it all out. But a zebra doesn't keep thinking, “What if that lion would have caught me? What if I would have lost the let?” Zebras just move on. But we as people are the ones that think about, “What if?” So that's what causes that sympathetic nervous system to keep staying on. Anyway, so he had a little bit of the shakes. I was thinking through that and one of the things that we have patients do for chronic pain patients, it can also help with anxiety, and it can also help lower your blood pressure. Feel free to link this and look into it because there is a lot of evidence-based research on it. I'm saying that to all of the listeners too. It's called diaphragmatic breathing. I highly recommend it just in general for any type of chronic pain. It's really helpful but there have been studies of people lowering their blood pressure. I was like, “All right, honey.” We were in bed. I was like, “We're going to do some diaphragmatic breathing.” We did some diaphragmatic breathing and it really helped him calm down. What it does is it activates your vagus nerve which is that fight or flight reflex responsible, that nerve that innervates and starts up the fight or flight. It helps activate your parasympathetic nervous system to calm your body down. So that's what I did and it was awesome. Meagan: I love that. Lindsey: Yeah. One more thing to go over after this, but to show where we are now, I did go back to work and this is my second week back, so very timely. My husband did a full week by himself with the kids and there was lots of crying because my baby doesn't take a bottle during the day which is another story and also stressful. We're working on it. The baby's been crying a lot and is hungry. I asked him last night, “Okay, I'm on the podcast tomorrow. Let's give a full update.” He said, “I have not felt any anxiety at all.” I was like, “That is so awesome.”Meagan: Oh awesome. Lindsey: Right after the birth we talked about it, I was like, “Do you feel like you would have had this in the hospital?” He was like, “I don't know. I don't know if I would have because I would have had the same smells, same sights.” He and I both feel like the total change of environment was what was best for our family and really helped my success in my HBAC and for him too. I really do think that I would have gotten an epidural 100% if I was in the hospital. I was so close so I just wonder, “Would that have hindered me?” Who knows? You can't play those games. You never know. Meagan: It's hard to know. It's hard to know. I believe that if I were in a hospital for the second, and this is not to say anything bad about a hospital birth–Lindsey: No, no definitely not. Meagan: I probably would have had an epidural too and I do believe that I probably would have had a third Cesarean but it's so hard to know. I'm curious, maybe not. I have no idea. Lindsey: Right, yeah. Absolutely. Meagan: Oh man. Lindsey: I have one last little thing I want to go over. Thank you. So one of the key components I think that was missing from my first birth was education. At almost every prenatal appointment, my midwife would say, “Any questions?” Almost every single time, I didn't. I guess I trusted her and not that you shouldn't trust your providers but I didn't even know what to ask so that's why I recommend your podcast to first-time moms too because then you know what to ask. I did some reading. I definitely did some reading and I did the hospital birth class. I did a class with our doula too, a birth class with our first doula, but I did so much more the second time around. My point is that definitely finding a provider you can trust and you can feel like you can ask those questions or who would maybe even prompt you with what questions to ask is so helpful because being informed as a patient– I strive to build that rapport and trust with my patients every time. I tell them this, “We're working together as a team and I want you to do your own research and I want to work with you to determine the best plan for you,” because when you feel empowered and informed, you have better outcomes. I really felt like birth happened to me the first time around and then the second time, I was actively a part of my birth which was really a powerful thing. Meagan: Very, very, very powerful. That's something I was going to say. Even if it doesn't go the way you want, you can still be the driver in the driver's seat. We know that with babies and birth, things go certain ways and everything but you can still be empowered. Lindsey: Thank you for saying that. I actually had that thought to say to share that too. Birth is crazy and you never know how it's going to go or what's going to happen but you would know, “Okay. I did all of the research beforehand and I can rest in the fact that it's okay. We made the best decision at the time given the information that we had.” Meagan: Absolutely. Lindsey: I'm just going to read if it's okay, a quick list because I am a list person and I listened to all of your VBAC Links. I gathered my own list. Everyone's list of how to have a VBAC might look different but this is my list. Meagan: Yay, I love it. Lindsey: I'm a list person for all of you guys out there. I did listen to as many birth stories as possible. If I would have started sooner, I would have listened more, but my number one on Spotify in 2022 was The VBAC Link. I had listened to 206 episodes. I know there were almost all of the 206 episodes at the time. Almost all of them, not quite. I did learn things like the risks and benefits of Pitocin, what the labor shakes were, how having a tight pelvic floor can prevent baby from descending, how important movement is in labor, and coached pushing versus self-directed pushing. I learned a lot about breathwork. There's a really good YouTube video by Bridget Teyler that my doula told me about. Meagan: Bridget's awesome. Lindsey: And then your podcast too talked about breathing. The low tones are so important. I didn't know that the first time around. I did see a chiropractor once a week for the majority of my pregnancy starting really in the second trimester. When we moved here, I couldn't find a Webster-based chiropractor in my area but I saw a corporate practice called The Joint. The woman there was trained in Webster. She just wasn't certified because she doesn't pay an annual fee to get the certification. Something to think about there. I did drink the tea, the red raspberry leaf tea, and ate the Medjool dates at 37 weeks. Spinning Babies, I started that three to five days a week. I didn't do as many intense workouts as I did with my first son. I really did a lot of walking partially because I had so many Braxton Hicks and partially because of hearing that having a tight pelvic floor can prevent the baby from descending.Hydrotherapy– I did so much of that during labor. I squeezed a comb through every single contraction. The comb was the comb that we brought home from my first birth that they give you at the hospital so it was kind of poetic. By the end, the comb was very destroyed from all of my squeezing. I did write down my fears and emotions with the birth. I did boil it down to three that I was feeling. I told my doula and my midwife about them. I was like, “In case I stall in labor, I just want you to know.” I tried to really turn the fear/tension/pain cycle to not give in to the fear through every contraction. I'd turn that into prayer. Every contraction is helping my body to move down my baby and to work with that. I remember, and I would say that Pitocin contractions were worse than actual contractions, but I do remember that I was bracing every one like, “Oh no. Another one is coming.” I'd fight every contraction. It was still hard, but I tried to work with my body instead of pushing them away, then moving every 15 minutes to a new position in labor. Meagan: Such a powerful list right there. Lindsey: Oh, thank you. Hopefully, if someone is like, “Oh, my VBAC might be tomorrow, maybe they can listen to this episode and get some tips at the end there in the final hour.” Meagan: Yes, the final hour. The final countdown. I love it. Thank you so much and huge congrats. Lindsey: Thank you. Thank you.Meagan: Congrats. What a crazy journey to go from moving and finding providers, then changing and even changing doulas in the very end. You had change up until the very end. Lindsey: The very end. I didn't even think about that. That's true. Meagan: Yeah, you really did. Awesome. I'm so happy to hear that everything is going well right now and your husband is going better. That's really awesome. Lindsey: Thank you. It's really good, really, really good. Thank you so much. I'm just so honored to be here and to see you face to face and just thank you for all that you do. Meagan: Thank you. ClosingWould you like to be a guest on the podcast? Tell us about your experience at thevbaclink.com/share. For more information on all things VBAC including online and in-person VBAC classes, The VBAC Link blog, and Meagan's bio, head over to thevbaclink.com. Congratulations on starting your journey of learning and discovery with The VBAC Link.Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/the-vbac-link/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brands

Date syrup is a sweetener made from the juice of dates. It is a thick, dark liquid with a rich, caramel-like flavor. It is used in cooking as a natural sweetener in a variety of dishes, including desserts, baked goods, and savory dishes. It is also used as a topping or drizzle for pancakes, waffles, and oatmeal. In Middle Eastern cuisine it is commonly used in traditional dishes such as baklava, falafel, and is also drizzled over labneh. In restaurants, it may be used as a natural sweetener in salad dressings, marinades, and sauces, and as a garnish for desserts. It can also be used as a natural sweetener in hot and cold beverages like coffee and tea. I'd like to share a potential educational resource, "Conversations Behind the Kitchen Door", my new book that features dialogues with accomplished culinary leaders from various backgrounds and cultures. It delves into the future of culinary creativity and the hospitality industry, drawing from insights of a restaurant-industry-focused podcast, ‘flavors unknown”. It includes perspectives from renowned chefs and local professionals, making it a valuable resource for those interested in building a career in the culinary industry.Get the book here! Why is Date Syrup becoming popular in the U.S. Date syrup is becoming a popular alternative sweetener in the United States for its natural and healthy properties. It's high in antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins, and has a low glycemic index, making it perfect for those watching their blood sugar levels. Its versatility in cooking and baking, as well as its use in coffee and tea, make it a go-to sweetener. The growing popularity of Middle Eastern cuisine is also introducing more people to the unique taste and versatility of date syrup. With more companies producing and selling date syrup in the US, it's now more easily accessible to purchase and use. How to make Date Syrup? Here is a simple recipe to make at home (recipe created by A.I.)Ingredients:1 pound of Medjool dates, pitted3 cups of water1 tsp of lemon juice (optional)Instructions:Soak the dates in 3 cups of water for a minimum of 2 hours or overnight.Drain the water and reserve it.Add the soaked dates to a blender and blend until smooth.Pour the blended mixture into a saucepan and add 2 cups of the reserved water.Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.Add lemon juice, if using, and stir.Remove from heat and let it cool for a few minutes.Strain the mixture through a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth to remove any solids.The date syrup is now ready to use. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.Note: the ratio of dates to water can be adjusted depending on the desired consistency, usually 1:2 or 1:3. Also, the syrup can be flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, or other spices to taste. BBQ Sauce recipe featuring Date Syrup Ingredients:1 cup ketchup1/2 cup date syrup1/4 cup apple cider vinegar2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce2 tbsp Dijon mustard2 cloves of garlic, minced1 tsp smoked paprika1 tsp onion powder1/2 tsp black pepper1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)Instructions:In a medium saucepan, add the ketchup, date syrup, apple cider vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, Dijon mustard, minced garlic, smoked paprika, onion powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper (if using).Stir the ingredients together and bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.Reduce the heat and let the sauce simmer for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.Remove the sauce from heat and let it cool for a few minutes.The BBQ sauce is now ready to use. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.This BBQ sauce can be used as a marinade for meats, fish, and vegetables, or as a dip for chicken wings, ribs, and other BBQ favorites. It's sweet,

As a Holiday gift to you ,Matt is offering his fabulous ebook for FREE!!! (until 1/1/2023) et 21 Day Raw Transformation Program as an ebook here: https://myrawintuition.com/shop/ use code AJLIVE You can a hard copy of Matt's book here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0999425811?tag=onamzchefajsh-20&linkCode=ssc&creativeASIN=0999425811&asc_item-id=amzn1.ideas.1GNPDCAG4A86S&ref_=aip_sf_list_spv_ofs_mixed_d_asin Matt Bennett is a Holistic Health Educator with a passionate focus on raw, living foods, and detoxification. Matt has been living a raw vegan lifestyle since 2011, and has experienced the healing of many of his childhood health conditions throughout that time. He now enjoys inspiring people to eat more raw fruits and vegetables through his books, social media, and his monthly newsletter at https://myrawintuition.com. Get Matt's book, 21 Day Raw Transformation Program in paperback here: https://www.amazon.com/Day-Raw-Transformation-Program-Sustainable/dp/0999425811/ref=sr_1_1?crid=WWKFIE87X5XQ&keywords=21+day+raw+transformation+program&qid=1670826354&sprefix=%2Caps%2C144&sr=8-1 Get 21 Day Raw Transformation Program as an ebook here: https://myrawintuition.com/shop/ See all of Matt's other popular books and resources here: https://myrawintuition.com/shop/ Follow Matt on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/rawintuition Follow Matt on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rawintuition Join the Raw Intuition Community Newsletter at https://myrawintuition.com. TDOAY'S DELICIOUS RECIPES: BANANA NOG: 2 Frozen spotted bananas 2 Fresh spotted bananas 2 Medjool dates (pitted) 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 tsp nutmeg 1 cup purified water 1. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth FEN-APPLE SLAW ½ head small red cabbage 2 large apples (any sweet variety) 1 medium bulb fresh fennel ½ cup cilantro (chopped) 1 cup cranberries (fresh or dried) 2 Tbsp lemon juice Finely chop the cabbage in a food processor and place into a mixing bowl. Finely chop the apples in the food processor and add to the mixing bowl. Finely chop the fennel in the food processor and add to the mixing bowl. Finely chop the cilantro in the food processor and add to the mixing bowl. Add the lemon juice and cranberries to the mixture, thoroughly mix all ingredients and serve. Raisins can be substituted for the cranberries if desired. Angel'd Tomatoes 1 cup cashews, soaked in water for 4 - 8 hours then rinsed 2 Tbsp yellow mustard 1 Medjool date, pitted 1 tsp smoked paprika 1 tsp onion powder 2 tsp dried dill 1/2 tsp turmeric powder 1 tsp black pepper 1/2 tsp sea salt 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar 1/2 cup water 10 small Roma tomatoes Add all ingredients (except tomatoes) to a blender and blend until smooth. Slice each tomato in half (length-wise) and scoop out the middle with a spoon - add this to your salad! With a spoon, add the blended mixture into the center of each slice of tomato and top with an additional pinch of smoked paprika. Serve and enjoy.

We are ever-so-lucky to have the delightful and irrepressible Crescent Dragonwagon back with us to talk about another of her wonderful books out in a new edition. This time it's Dairy Hollow House Soup & Bread, a Country Inn Cookbook. Raghavan Iyer says, “Soup and bread in her capable hands create all the right magic for the body and soul,” and that her “recipes sing with flavor.” Below Crescent shares one of her readers' favorites (as mentioned in this episode), just in time for autumn For nearly two decades, Dairy Hollow House—an inn and restaurant tucked into the Ozark Mountain resort town of Eureka Springs, Arkansas—welcomed guests from all over the world. The inn offered sparkling fresh, innovative “nouveau'zarks” cuisine, contemporary interpretations of local traditional cooking. Although now closed, you can still enjoy the satisfying dishes in the 30th anniversary edition of Crescent's magical book.   Greek Lentil and Spinach Soup with Lemon Makes 4-6 servings Serve this with couscous salad, a plate of sliced feta and olives, some baba ghanoush with whole-wheat pita, and fresh pineapple and Medjool dates for dessert. 1 lb brown or large green lentils, rinsed and picked over 10 cups vegetable broth or water 1 jalapeño pepper, stemmed, seeded and chopped 2 tsp whole coriander seeds 1½ tsp cumin seeds 2½ tsp dried oregano 2 bay leaves 2 medium Yukon gold, russet or red potatoes (1¼ lbs), scrubbed, cut into ½-inch dice 10 oz baby spinach, chopped 1 small butternut squash (1 lb), peeled, seeded, cut into ½-inch dice (about 3 cups) 2 Tbsp olive oil 1 large onion, chopped 2 ribs celery, with leaves, sliced 3 large garlic cloves, finely chopped 2 tsp kosher salt, or more to taste ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper, or more to taste 1/3 cup fresh lemon juice 2 lemons Directions: In a large soup pot over medium-high heat, combine the lentils, stock or water, jalapeño, coriander, cumin, oregano, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low. Simmer, partially covered, about 30 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Add the potatoes, spinach and butternut squash, re-cover and cook another 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes and squash are tender. Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Add the onion, and cook, stirring, until it starts to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the celery and garlic and cook, stirring often, until they soften, 3 minutes. Add the mixture to the soup, deglazing the skillet with a little soup liquid and adding the deglaze contents back to the soup pot. Add the salt and pepper, taste, and add more if needed. Pick out and discard the bay leaves. Thinly slice one of the lemons and cut the other into wedges. Just before serving, stir the lemon juice into the soup. Serve the soup hot, with a lemon slice floating atop each bowl. Pass lemon wedges at the table. CRESCENT'S LINKS: Website: https://dragonwagon.com Book: https://www.amazon.com/Dairy-Hollow-House-Soup-Bread/dp/1682261840/ref=sr_1_1 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/crescent.dragonwagon Twitter: https://twitter.com/cdragonwagon Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/cdragonwagon/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/crescent-dragonwagon-0565b47/ Women Beyond a Certain Age is an award-winning weekly podcast with Denise Vivaldo. She brings her own lively, humorous, and experienced viewpoint to the topics she discusses with her guests. The podcast covers wide-ranging subjects of importance to older women. SHOW LINKS: Website: https://womenbeyond.podbean.com Join our Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WomenBeyond/ Follow our Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/WomenBeyond/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/womenbeyondacertainage/ Episode archive: https://womenbeyond.podbean.com Email us: WomenBeyond@icloud.com Denise Vivaldo is the host of WBACA. Her info lives here: https://denisevivaldogroup.com/ More of Denise's info is here: https://denisevivaldo.com Cindie Flannigan is the producer WBACA. Her info lives here: https://linktr.ee/cindieflannigan Denise and Cindie's books: https://www.amazon.com/Denise-Vivaldo/e/B001K8QNRA%3Fref=dbs_a_mng_rwt_scns_share

New Limited Coffee Drop | Manuel Gonzalez - Finca Rio Caldera - Gesha Static Cherry - Boquete - Panama https://www.memlicoffee.com/product-page/panama-rio-caldera-gesha-static-cherry Tasting Notes | strawberry, black cherry, Medjool dates, rambutan, cocoa finish Creativa Coffee District integrates art and specialty coffee in a unique space where artists are promoted to inspire coffee producers to push the boundaries and propose a new creative approach supporting a new demand for coffee production standards that guarantee higher incomes for growers and sustainable ecological practices for processing stations worldwide. To contribute to this construction, the program supports transdisciplinary exchange where research spaces arise that lead to questioning, reflection, and new understandings in an experimental and innovative environment conducive to creation. COUNTRY | Panama REGION | Tierras Altas, Boquete PRODUCING PARTNER | Creativa Coffee District FARMER | Manuel Gonzalez FARM | Inmobiliaria Rio Caldera VARIETY | Gesha PICKING | Manual PROCESS | Static Cherry 60hr Anaerobic DRYING | Double-Shaded Patio ELEVATION | 1,350 masl HARVEST | 2021/2022 Manuel Gonzalez brings beautifully ripe cherries to us at CCD mill, and the work begins. First, we make sure the quality is there. We look for average Brix levels of 18° or higher, and a pH above 4.5. After this, we assign the different lots to one of four fermentation designs. Each one is carefully crafted to suit each lot, bringing their unique characteristics to the forefront, setting the stage for works of art to take form in the roastery and the cup. Each lot is placed into sealed valved plastic circular tanks, with 270kg of cherry in each. The valve allows oxygen to escape, creating an anaerobic environment. The tanks are housed in-house and generously shaded to maintain average temperatures of 28° celsius. Static Cherry is where we begin to explore newer horizons and begin to leave the traditional behind. We see more development of lactic acidity in the cup, darker fruit notes, with a big, creamy body. We begin to see more complex notes appear, with more nuances within each canvas. Feel free to share your thoughts and ideas on the content we approach every week. If you would like to go further on these topics and are curious about the content behind the scenes, check out our Patreon where we interact deeper with the community: https://www.patreon.com/memlicoffee Check our latest coffee offerings here: https://www.memlicoffee.com/shop To subscribe to our coffees, visit: https://www.memlicoffee.com/subscriptions Want to work with us? Check out our wholesale page: https://www.memlicoffee.com/wholesale Join one of our in-person tasting and brewing workshop: https://www.memlicoffee.com/workshop ______________________________________________________ Follow us & contact us on our other platforms below: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/memlicoffee Website: https://www.memlicoffee.com/ Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYy7gTbYB3JIzM1PYkp81pQ Podcast: https://www.memlicoffee.com/memli-coffee-podcast Email: mehmet.sogan@memlicoffee.com

The Arizona Farm Bureau's Julie Murphree is joined by Juan Guzman, producer of Natural Delights Medjool Dates.  Juan explains how Arizona became a producer of the 'king of dates' enjoyed worldwide.  Discusses the unique care of the date palm trees and health benefits of this low glycemic, potassium rich fruit.

5 DELICIOUS DINNER RECIPES to support your weight loss: https://www.chefaj.com/5-delicious-lo... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ MY LATEST BESTSELLING BOOK: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1570674086?... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ To download a free copy of Your Daily Guide to Cancer-Kicking Foods: https://www.backtobalancenutrition.com/ Hanna Rakowska BHS, RHN, CHCP, RDH Hanna is a Registered Holistic Nutritionist and Certified Holistic Cancer Practitioner. She currently maintains her private consulting practice in Vancouver, BC. After overcoming cancer as a young woman and realizing the impact of nutrition on healing and recovery, Hanna became interested in the field of nutrition. She works primarily with cancer survivors by assisting them in using evidence-based dietary interventions to help prevent cancer recurrence and restore health after cancer treatment. Hanna also works with individuals with chronic pain. In the past, Hanna held the position of Nutrition Operations Manager for Choices Markets, where she managed the company's nutrition department. She has also held the roles of nutrition facilitator and nutritionist at medical clinics such as CHANGEpain and Care Medical Group, where she worked with individuals with chronic pain and other chronic medical conditions. Hanna has developed educational seminars and programs for individuals with chronic pain, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. She has also been featured on television shows such as CTV Morning Live, CBC and Global News. Hanna's mission is to raise awareness about the role of dietary and lifestyle behaviours in the development and prevention of cancer and other chronic diseases, as well as the importance of nutritional therapy during cancer treatment. She is dedicated to empowering individuals facing a cancer diagnosis to take control of their health through the power of nutrition. A discount (20% off) for viewers for Hannah's online course, The 7 Day Anti-Cancer Diet Kickstart (launches Sept 1st). https://www.backtobalancenutrition.co... The discount code is CHEFAJ and it expires August 31/2022. The Ultimate Cancer-fighting Smoothie: 2 Tbsp ground flaxseeds 1 cup leafy greens (kale, collards, spinach, chard) 1/2 cup frozen berries (blueberries/strawberries/raspberries/blackberries) 1 cup non-GMO unsweetened soy milk 1 tsp Amla (Indian gooseberry) powder 1/2 cup raw broccoli, cauliflower or purple cabbage ¼ cup broccoli sprouts or 1 scoop freeze-dried broccoli sprout powder ½ tsp ground turmeric powder or ¼ inch fresh turmeric root ¼ inch fresh ginger root, peeled and grated ¼ tsp black pepper 1 scoop medicinal mushroom extract powder (as directed on product label) 2 ounces brewed green tea OR one emptied green tea bag OR 1 tsp matcha powder 1 small banana or 2 Medjool dates 1/2 orange 1 scoop powdered greens If undergoing chemotherapy or radiation: 1 scoop plant-based/vegan protein powder (see Supplement Recommendations for product recommendations)

July is upon us, 30 days of JING has begun, and we have well and truly fallen into cooler temperatures that call for nourishment, replenishment, and slowing down. Today on the podcast, we're reminding you of all things warming, tonifying, and delicious to replenish you in these cooler months with wellness coach and Qi Food Therapist Kimberly Ashton. We love having Kimberly on for our seasonal Five Element food podcasts- she reminds us to eat local, eat for the season, and above all, eat intuitively. Within the Five Element philosophy of Traditional Chinese Medicine, there is an understanding that the more we rest in Winter, the more harvest we can expect in Late Summer. Understanding this critical element of Water/Winter time helps us surrender more willingly into hibernation and doing-less mode. Just as nature withdraws to compound its reserves for the warmer months, so should we.  In this episode, Kimberly takes us on a journey through the flavours, foods, and cooking styles of the Water Element, explaining the philosophy behind eating and preparing food specifically for this season. Think salty flavours, Yin nourishment, and slow-cooked casseroles that leave you feeling satiated and warm. As always, Kimberly inspires us to localise our minds when buying produce, forage where possible, and eat intuitively- even if it means breaking the rules. Tune in and make sure you scroll down for Kimberly's deliciously warming black sesame superfood latte recipe.    Kimberly and Mason discuss: -Yin foods for Winter. -Winter shopping list. -Cooking styles for Winter. -Winter foods and flavours. -Supporting local produce. -The truth about soya foods.  -Foods that nourish the Kidneys. -Wild foraging Water Element foods. -How to eat if you have a Yin deficiency. -Why we don't eat the same foods all year round. -Traditional Chinese Medicine Five Element philosophy.   Kimberly's black sesame superfood latte recipe  Ingredients: -1 cup soy milk, cashew, or oat milk -1 teaspoon black sesame powder -1/2 teaspoon black tahini -1/2 teaspoon walnuts/hemp seeds (blended into powder)- optional -1 teaspoon coconut sugar/brown rice syrup or sweetener of choice -1/4 teaspoon SuperFeast JING tonic herb- optional -1/4 teaspoon Mason's Mushrooms tonic herb- optional -2 Jujube dates, to enjoy on the side    Method: -Add milk to a small pot with the black sesame powder and black tahini -Bring to a boil and then simmer -Add the sugar/sweetener, stir  -Add the walnut/hemp seed powder, stir -Turn off the heat and add the SuperFeast tonic herbs, stir well -Serve with the Jujube dates for a delicious morning or afternoon tea snack (alternatively you warm the milk and blend ALL the ingredients with the milk in a blender, including the Jujube dates- just remove the piths first).   Winter Kindney nourishing shopping list Salty condiments, good quality sea salt, tamari or soya sauce, miso, olives, capers, sea vegetables, jujube dates, Medjool dates, blackberries, black beans, black lentils, kidney beans, black sesame, black tahini, lamb, beef, beetroot, seafood, walnuts, mushrooms, seaweeds, dark kale, black rice, buckwheat.   Resource guide   Kimberly's website Kimberly's instagram Five Seasons TCM Kimberly's Element E-Book Five Elements and Cycles E-Course Tonics: Tremella Cordyceps JING blend Relevant Podcasts:  How To Eat In Spring with Kimberly Ashton (EP#133) Eating For Vitality in Summer with Kimberly Ashton (EP#147) How To Eat In Spleen Season with Kimberly Ashton (EP#151)   Check Out The Transcript Here: https://www.superfeast.com.au/blogs/articles/ep-168-winter-podcast-kimberly-ashton  

This delicious Roasted Date and Crispy Chickpea Salad is the perfect lunch for healthy foodies who are blatantly uninterested in salads (like me!). It's made with perfectly caramelized dates, chopped pistachios, and the best orange tahini salad dressing that is so flavorful, you'll be licking your plate clean! I'll be making this chickpea salad all summer long because it's loaded with plant based protein, fiber, and healthy fats for an easy, healthy weekday lunch. I think this elevated salad would also be a crowd-pleaser at your next summer get-together! Oh, and did I mention that this high protein salad is the perfect recipe for weight loss, hormone balance, and constipation? Salad dreams do come true, and as always, I give you more details on the science-backed health benefits below. This salad is for the salad haters, including myself. First off, I find most salads really uninspiring. What's the point of eating a salad if I need to cover it in cheese and dressing to make it enjoyable? Unless the salad is to die for (which this one is), I just eat my vegetables in different forms, like a green smoothie or a vegan Cookie Dough Milkshake with hidden veggies! What can I say, it takes a lot to woo me in salad land. But, I'm happy to announce, THIS salad does it for me. It's very loosely inspired by the Date and Tahini Salad I had at a fancy plant-based restaurant in Brooklyn, Sofreh, on my recent trip to NYC. I went out to eat with one of my fellow food blogger friends, Justine from Justine Snacks, who you might remember from the Ben & Jerry's copycat recipe challenge we did during quarantine! We were literally mid-bite when I turned to Justine and said, “I MUST make a recipe like this.” ⁣ The crunch of the pistachios. The perfectly crispy chickpeas. The caramel-y sweetness of the Medjool dates. The fresh burst of citrus. Everything you could want in a salad is right here. At the restaurant, the salad serves only as a delicious appetizer. But this vegetarian salad with protein you're about to make is made absolutely meal-worthy with the addition of protein-and-fiber-rich chickpeas and a tangle of fresh herbs, like mint and cilantro. What makes this date, tahini, and chickpea salad healthy? In this delicious, high protein salad, I incoroprated ingredients to make this your new go-to recipe for weight loss, hormone balance, and constipation and bloating. Four problems I'd definitely want to solve in one swoop, or dare I say, one salad. If you're dealing with constipation, you MUST listen to my recent podcast episode where Dr. Bulsiewicz, an award-winning and internationally recognized gastroenterologist, reveals the surprising hidden causes of constipation and bloating that NO ONE is talking about. I was so surprised. Plus, on this episode about blood sugar on the Healthier Together Podcast, resesarcher Jesse Inchauspe tells us how eating balanced meals with protein, fiber, and fat will help all four of these health factors. Adding roasted chickpeas to your meals is one of the easiest ways to sneak in all those health benefits because it's high in protein and fiber. And if you're looking to play around with adding them to other plant based recipes, I have an easy guide for roasting chickpeas three ways here. Here's exactly how this salad will boost your health: Weight loss: tahini and pistachios are both proven to help you lose weight and maintain a healthy weight! Tahini is made from ground sesame seeds, which like pistachios, are filled with fiber and plant based protein that will help keep you fuller longer. Chickpeas are also shown to be one of the top fat-burning foods that help you lose weight. Hormone balance: the sesame seeds and tahini also are shown in research to regulate sex hormones. They also are super rich in vitamins and antioxidants which balance out hormone levels and give a bountiful supply of nutrients, making them a wonderful meal for the pregnancy diet.

La datte Medjool a vu son prix baisser ces dernières années. De quoi prendre des parts de marché à la datte Deglet Nour même si celle-ci reste toujours moins chère. Depuis 7 à 8 ans, le prix de la Medjool ne fait que baisser. Alors qu'il était impossible d'en trouver à moins de 12 euros le kilo, on peut acheter aujourd'hui des Medjool premier prix à 7 euros ! La datte de luxe, charnue et sucrée, devient désormais beaucoup plus accessible, notamment grâce à une offre croissante sur le marché international.  L'Arabie saoudite a conforté sa place encore cette année grâce à un soutien toujours plus fort des autorités à la production locale. Le Royaume a même lancé ces derniers jours une plate-forme électronique pour que se rencontrent plus facilement importateurs et producteurs locaux.  Le Maroc, nouvel eldorado de la Medjool ?  Mais un nouvel acteur pourrait venir tirer les prix un peu plus à la baisse sur le marché européen : il s'agit du Maroc qui vient d'envoyer pour ce ramadan deux conteneurs tests sur le marché parisien de Rungis. Ces dattes ont été produites dans la plus grande ferme du pays dans la région d'Errachidia. À l'origine, le groupe Saham, qui a planté 55 000 palmiers dattiers et vise une production de 7 500 tonnes par an. Cet immense projet agricole s'appuie sur un processus de tri par traitement optique pour une qualité et un calibre optimal, mais aussi sur une unité d'emballage ultra-moderne.  Les coûts du fret favorisent les circuits courts  Si la qualité de cette datte marocaine qui s'exporte sous le label Medjoolstar se confirme, elle pourrait être en mesure de concurrencer ses cousines d'Israël et de Jordanie. D'autant qu'elle bénéficie d'un atout de taille : sa proximité avec le marché européen, dans un contexte où les coûts du fret maritime ont changé la géographie des flux de dattes : les Californiennes et les Iraniennes ont presque disparu en effet cette année du marché européen, selon Mustapha Chihabi importateur belge basé à Anvers -société Tomoor. L'Iran et le Pakistan, qui produit des dattes plus industrielles, se sont tournés pour ce ramadan davantage vers l'Inde et la Russie. Pour éviter un casse-tête logistique, les importateurs européens sont, eux aussi, contraints de privilégier les circuits courts.  La Deglet Nour lutte pour ne pas perdre des parts de marché  Si cette baisse des prix de la Medjool est bonne pour les consommateurs, elle ne fait pas l'affaire en revanche des Algériens et Tunisiens qui tirent la langue, confie un importateur du sud de la France : ils produisent essentiellement la variété Deglet Nour et peuvent difficilement se lancer dans la Medjool, à cause d'un manque d'eau. Alors pour ne pas perdre leurs clients, Algériens et Tunisiens ont baissé leur prix. Leur datte reste encore presque moitié moins chère que la Medjool de base. La Tunisie se démarque également avec la Deglet Nour biologique, qui vise à conquérir de nouveaux consommateurs.  

Konten episode ini adalah obrolan pertama Moses dan Nico di bulan Ramadhan. Obrolannya ringan aja tentang kebiasaan menu buka puasa Nico dan juga sharing pengeluaran selama bulan Ramadhan dibanding bulan biasa. Lebih lengkapnya yuk dengerin Episode Podcast Kotak Masuk #13 Kurma Medjool dan Tahu Petis | Apakah Lebih Hemat selama Puasa di Bulan Ramadhan? Punya ide/topik untuk kami teliti dan bahas? Kirim DM ke Instagram @podcastkotakmasuk yuk. Stay tuned dengan follow podcast kita di platform podcast-mu dan follow IG Podcast Kotak Masuk di @podcastkotakmasuk. Support kami juga ya via Trakteer Podcast Kotak Masuk

Join Caroline Wilson and Corrie Perkin for Ep 210 – Healthy Distance, Healthy Perspective.Thanks to Red Energy for supporting our podcast - voted most satisfied customers 12 years in a row.MOTHER'S DAY LIVE EVENT – TICKETS ON SALE NOWThanks to Red Energy you're invited to join us for our first live podcast event WHEN: Thursday 5th of MayWHERE: Bell's Hotel, 157 Moray Street South MelbourneTIME: 5.30pm – 7.30pmCOST: $60 (includes light refreshments and drink on arrival)Proceeds from this event will assist the Breast Cancer Network of AustraliaBOOKING: https://ballparkentertainment.com.au/tickets/dstm-mothers-day-liveThis week we discuss;The Lifetime Achievement Award bestowed on Caro by the Melbourne Press Club at the 2022 Quill Awards. Watch the video tribute to Caro HERE.The Tom Morris Affair: from attacked to attacker – and then sacked - in just two daysRead Megan Barnard's statement HERE. The problem with Luke Beveridge and trouble at the Western Bulldogs.In The Cocktail Cabinet for Prince Wine Store, Myles introduces us to the Firkin Whiskey Co.Head to our dedicated Don't Shoot the Messenger page HERE and use the promo code MESS at checkout online to receive a listener discount. Prince Wine Store – bringing wine enthusiasts the greatest wine in the world.In BSF;The Mitford Vanishing by Jessica FellowesDeep Water at the moviesLiz's Date and Almond Balls (see recipe below)Plus in 6 Quick Questions we discuss the fall-out from the Kimberly Kitching ‘mean girls' claims, reminisce on favourite Elvis songs and movies, Crepe Myrtle is our Caro's fav autumn bloom and touch on a heart-warming footy story and a fun fact.JOIN US FOR FOOTY TIPSTo join our tipping competition head to www.tipping.sen.com.au HERE. Search for the 'Don't Shoot the Messenger Podcast' competition - if you're prompted to provide a league code it's TMJJAS44.Listen out for the bonus episode of Dear Caro and Corrie and send us your question to feedback@dontshootpod.com.auTo receive our weekly email which includes recipes SIGN UP HERE.For videos and pics make sure you follow us on Instagram, Facebook or TwitterEmail the show via feedback@dontshootpod.com.au.Don't Shoot the Messenger is produced by Corrie Perkin, Caroline Wilson and produced, engineered and edited by Jane Nield for Sports Entertainment Network.LIZ's DATE & ALMOND BALLSMakes about 12 balls (I usually make a double batch as they freeze well and keep for quite a while in the fridge)INGREDIENTS1 cup dried pitted Medjool dates1 cup whole almonds1/4 cup desiccated coconut1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract1/4 teaspoon saltExtra desiccated coconut, for rollingDESCRIPTIONNB: don't forget to soak the dates first. The double quantity makes 26 balls of 27-29g each (ave 28g per ball). The food food processor struggles to cope when all ingredients are added at once, so best to blend the dry ingredients firstDIRECTIONSSoak the dates in a bowl of warm water for 20 minutes. Drain the water.Pulse the almonds, salt and 1/4 cup coconut in food processor until coarsely ground.Add the soaked dates to a food processor along with the vanilla extract. Process until smooth and well combined.Form tablespoons full of mixture into balls. Roll in the extra desiccated coconut.Store bliss in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Welcome to the Instant Trivia podcast episode 335, where we ask the best trivia on the Internet. Round 1. Category: "S"Tuff 1: This term for the illegal selling of concert tickets sounds like a bad way to lose your hair. scalping. 2: Alphabetically, he's the last of Snow White's 7 dwarfs. Sneezy. 3: From the Latin for "salted", it's spicy, seasoned meat chopped and stuffed into a tube of intestine. sausage. 4: Attributed to Druids, Greeks and even Romans, this Neolithic site on Salisbury Plain was erected by unknown builders. Stonehenge. 5: In the Bible's Book of Judges, he carried the Gates of Gaza about 40 miles to a hilltop near Hebron. Samson. Round 2. Category: Sports Stadiums 1: Artificial grass named for the site of its 1st installation. AstroTurf. 2: In 1976, the name of this university's stadium was changed from Denny to Bryant-Denny. Alabama. 3: N.Y. stadium that now seats 13000 fewer people than it did 15 years ago. Yankee Stadium. 4: Major League Baseball's oldest stadium is this one in Chicago. Comiskey Park. 5: While Huskie Stadium(-skie) belongs to Northern Illinois University, Husky Stadium (-sky) is this school's home field. Washington. Round 3. Category: "Foo" Finders 1: It's a Chinese-American chopped goodies omelet with gravy. egg foo young. 2: Iron pyrite. fool's gold. 3: "Speedy" term for McDonald's, etc.. fast food. 4: From the Italian for "clowning", it's a 7-letter word for a person given to clowning and joking. buffoon. 5: "Essence of Emeril" is a favorite show on this cable TV channel. the Food Network. Round 4. Category: Fruit 1: The name of this fruit contains the name of the drink of the gods. nectarine. 2: The Medjool type of this is the fruit of a certain palm tree. a date. 3: Raisins are rich in this, symbolized Fe. iron. 4: The Royal Ann type of this fruit is often canned or used to make maraschinos. cherries. 5: It's the most important fruit export of Costa Rica and Honduras. bananas. Round 5. Category: Ask The Audience 1: Audiences were transfixed by an episode of her TV show in which she revealed she had lost 67 lbs. on a liquid diet. Oprah Winfrey. 2: Practice, practice, practice and you too can get to this 2,804-seat NYC venue at 57th and 7th. Carnegie Hall. 3: On Easter Sunday 1939, she sang before an audience of 75,000 at the Lincoln Memorial. Marian Anderson. 4: When this Stravinsky work premiered in Paris in 1913, the audience went nuts and began a riot. The Rite of Spring. 5: The Audience Research Institute was founded by this famous pollster in 1939 in Princeton, N.J.. (George) Gallup. Thanks for listening! Come back tomorrow for more exciting trivia!

Allow us to indulge our inner aunties: We've set you up on a really hot date this episode—with one of nature's sweetest fruits, the date! Adored by pleasure-seekers and paleo dieters alike, dates are a Christmas baking standby, and the first bite when breaking fast during Ramadan. These fudgy, caramelly, brown-buttery fruits are so important in their Arab homelands that they're known as the "bread of the desert" and thought to be the tree of life in the Garden of Eden story. We reveal why this episode, plus we've also got the story of how a Native American couple in Nevada may have saved the Medjool date for the world, as well as how California built an Orientalist fantasy around its burgeoning date industry, complete with Wild East shows, hoochie-coochie dances, and camel races. All that, as well as the squidgy, soft, and oh-so-sweet dates you've been missing out on—and why you might want to play the field a little in future, at least when it comes to dates. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Amanda Sains is the Director of Marketing at Joolies California Superfruit. Joolies offers California-grown, organic Medjool dates as a delicious and healthy snack. As Director of Marketing, Amanda bridges the gap between branded food and commoditized produce. She is a passionate brand builder by nature and comes from multiple functional CPG companies. Previously, Amanda was the Director of Marketing and Business Development at B'more Organic and the Director of Marketing at Vive Organic. She is currently the Marketing Director for Desert Valley Date. Amanda holds both a BS and MS from West Virginia University. In this episode… Dates. Are we talking about going out to dinner or the fruit that grandmas eat? Neither. We're talking about the sweet, nutritious fruit that is for everyone. Grown in southern California under the year-round sunshine, Medjool dates are naturally sweet and a great source of dietary fiber, magnesium, and copper. While they may have previously held a reputation as an old-people snack, Amanda Sains is on a mission to change that — and she's succeeding. Thanks to her branding and marketing expertise, Joolies California Superfruit is offering dates as a better-for-you snack that millennials are snatching up. So, how did Amanda turn around the reputation of a brown, wrinkly fruit? In this episode of the Gooder Podcast, Diana Fryc is joined by Amanda Sains, Director of Marketing at Joolies California Superfruit, to discuss how she is bridging the gap between branded food and commoditized produce. Amanda shares how Joolies got started, why she is passionate about the better-for-you industry, and how she is reaching new audiences with strategic marketing. She also opens up about maintaining a healthy work-life balance while working towards big goals.

In this episode of GoGreenfields, River and Terran learn along with their viewers when they welcome Chef Charmaine back to their home.   Welcome, Chef Charmaine! Chef Charmaine is an authority on healthy living and gastronomy.  She holds a PhD in Health Education with an emphasis in pediatric preventative health, and lives her work. On this episode of GoGreenfields, Chef Charmaine teaches River and Terran a bit about the science of Gastronomy. Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines Gastronomy as “the art or science of good eating”. The word is actually derived from two ancient greek words meaning “stomach” and “rule”.  What is Gastronomy? Generally speaking, Gastronomy is the study of food, how it is influenced by- and how it influences culture.  Furthermore, it is the art of preparing good food that appeals to the senses— It looks good, smells good, and tastes fantastic!   Raw Lemony Cheesecake Crust Ingredients ¼ C packed soft pitted Medjool dates 1 C dry shredded coconut 1 C macadamia nuts Crust Directions   Place dry coconut, macadamia nuts and salt in a food process outfitted with the “S” blade and process to a coarse meal.  Add dates and process again. Be careful not to over process. Take out a piece and pinch it between your fingers, if it sticks together it is finished. Press into a springform pan or tartlet pan lined with parchment paper. Filling Ingredients 1 tsp agar agar powder 1 C water 1 ½ C agave, light 1 can organic coconut milk 2 C soaked cashews 6 Tbsp Irish moss paste*  ¼ C coconut oil, liquefied 1 tsp lemon zest ½ tsp turmeric Pinch of salt Filling Directions  Simmer agar agar powder in 1 cup water and stir constantly. Mixture should be clear and transparent.  Remove from heat and allow the agar agar to cool for a few minutes while preparing the remaining ingredients for the filling. Place the lemon juice, agave, cashews, and coconut milk in a blender and process until smooth.   Add Irish moss gel, cooked and cooled agar agar, coconut oil, lemon zest, turmeric, and salt, and blend again until smooth.  Pour over the crust and allow to set in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. (Lift the pan and drop gently to diffuse bubbles). Blackberry Syrup Ingredients 3 C Blackberries 1 Tbsp Irish moss paste Honey (to taste) Blackberry Syrup Directions Place 3 cups of blackberries into your blender and blend well. Strain the mixture through your strainer to separate the tiny seeds. You might have to stir the mixture to move the seeds aside and help the liquid to pass through the strainer. Add just a little honey or liquid sweetener to taste and 1 T. Irish moss to thicken, process in a blender. Pour in a container and set aside. NOTE: *Irish Moss is a sea vegetable that can be used as a thickener without heating.  To make Irish Moss gel or paste, soak Irish Moss for about 8 hours. Rinse it very well and soak again. Continue this procedure until Irish Moss is clean and nearly transparent.  Once ready, place Irish Moss in blender and blend with just enough water to make a thick paste. Place about 2 Tbsp. of the paste into ice cube trays. Freeze and then place into an airtight container to store safely for several months. Be sure to label it!  If you don't want to make your own Irish Moss Paste, you can buy some here.   We strongly recommend that you do just that, and be sure to tag us in your social media posts of the outcome. If you have a share-worthy gastronomy-inspired recipe, share that with us too! Facebook:  @gogreenfieldspodcast  Twitter: @GoGreenfields Instagram: @gogreenfieldsshow Snapchat: GoGreenfields TikTok: GoGreenfields   Like and share with Chef Charmaine on Social: Eat More Rainbows – https://www.facebook.com/eatmorerainbows Chef Charmaine on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/charmainevierra/ For more great content from the GoGreenfields team, follow us!   This episode is brought to you by: Chef Charmaine's Book — Eat More Rainbows! Chef Charmaine — Certified Health Coach and Founder Farmer's Juice — Stop Buying Overpriced Juice. Organic is better! Doc Parsley's Sleep Remedy — Get the Best Sleep of Your Life! Thrive Market — Better for People and for the Planet! Fresh-Pressed Olive Oil Club — The Freshest, Most Flavorful Artisanal Olive Oil You'll Ever Taste Dessert Farms Camel Milk — 100% Raw and Natural Source of Calcium and Vitamin B1 Magic Spoon — Delicious and Nutritious, High-Protein Cereal! (use coupon code GOGREENFIELDS) Wake Up Foods — Good Food for a Good Morning! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gogreenfieldspodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gogreenfieldsshow/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoGreenfields     Recommended Products Get your own copy of Eat More Rainbows here: https://gogreenfields.com/EatMoreRainbows Get colorful spatulas like Chef Charmaine's! Go here: https://gogreenfields.com/SpatulasOfTheRainbow Do you want to make your own Irish Paste?  Buy Pure Irish Moss here: https://gogreenfields.com/IrishMoss

In this episode of GoGreenfields, River and Terran learn along with their viewers when they welcome Chef Charmaine into the kitchen.   Getting to Know Chef Charmaine Chef Charmaine is a force to be reckoned with in the kitchen. She holds a PhD in Health Education with an emphasis in pediatric preventative health. Her passion in raw food led her to pursue hands-on training at Living Light Culinary Arts Institute, the world's premier organic raw vegan chef training school. She graduated as an Associate Chef and Instructor. She has made it her mission to teach kids, like River and Terran, how to prepare healthy, colorful foods in a way that entices the taste buds and boosts immunity. She has conducted live food workshops all over the world in an effort to help educate, promote healthy living, and reduce the impacts of chronic disease on children.  Her cookbook, entitled Eat More Rainbows brings these messages into the homes of kids.  You can purchase your own copy here. You can also learn more about Chef Charmaine on her website. Let's Eat Cheesecake! Who knew that science could be so delicious?  With the help of Chef Charmaine, River and Terran produce an absolutely decadent lemon cheesecake.  If only you could taste it through the screen!  The next best thing would be to give these recipes a try on your own.     Raw Lemony Cheesecake Crust Ingredients ¼ C packed soft pitted Medjool dates 1 C dry shredded coconut 1 C macadamia nuts Crust Directions   Place dry coconut, macadamia nuts and salt in a food process outfitted with the “S” blade and process to a coarse meal.  Add dates and process again. Be careful not to over process. Take out a piece and pinch it between your fingers, if it sticks together it is finished. Press into a springform pan or tartlet pan lined with parchment paper. Filling Ingredients 1 tsp agar agar powder 1 C water 1 ½ C agave, light 1 can organic coconut milk 2 C soaked cashews 6 Tbsp Irish moss paste*  ¼ C coconut oil, liquefied 1 tsp lemon zest ½ tsp turmeric Pinch of salt Filling Directions  Simmer agar agar powder in 1 cup water and stir constantly. Mixture should be clear and transparent.  Remove from heat and allow the agar agar to cool for a few minutes while preparing the remaining ingredients for the filling. Place the lemon juice, agave, cashews, and coconut milk in a blender and process until smooth.   Add Irish moss gel, cooked and cooled agar agar, coconut oil, lemon zest, turmeric, and salt, and blend again until smooth.  Pour over the crust and allow to set in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours. (Lift the pan and drop gently to diffuse bubbles). Blackberry Syrup Ingredients 3 C Blackberries 1 Tbsp Irish moss paste Honey (to taste) Blackberry Syrup Directions Place 3 cups of blackberries into your blender and blend well. Strain the mixture through your strainer to separate the tiny seeds. You might have to stir the mixture to move the seeds aside and help the liquid to pass through the strainer. Add just a little honey or liquid sweetener to taste and 1 T. Irish moss to thicken, process in a blender. Pour in a container and set aside. NOTE: *Irish Moss is a sea vegetable that can be used as a thickener without heating.  To make Irish Moss gel or paste, soak Irish Moss for about 8 hours. Rinse it very well and soak again. Continue this procedure until Irish Moss is clean and nearly transparent.  Once ready, place Irish Moss in blender and blend with just enough water to make a thick paste. Place about 2 Tbsp. of the paste into ice cube trays. Freeze and then place into an airtight container to store safely for several months. Be sure to label it!  If you don't want to make your own Irish Moss Paste, you can buy some here.   We strongly recommend that you do just that, and be sure to tag us in your social media posts of the outcome. If you have a share-worthy gastronomy-inspired recipe, share that with us too! Facebook:  @gogreenfieldspodcast  Twitter: @GoGreenfields Instagram: @gogreenfieldsshow Snapchat: GoGreenfields TikTok: GoGreenfields   Like and share with Chef Charmaine on Social: Eat More Rainbows – https://www.facebook.com/eatmorerainbows Chef Charmaine on Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/charmainevierra/ For more great content from the GoGreenfields team, follow us! Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gogreenfieldspodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gogreenfieldsshow/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/GoGreenfields     Recommended Products   Get your own copy of Eat More Rainbows here: https://gogreenfields.com/EatMoreRainbows Get colorful spatulas like Chef Charmaine's! Go here: https://gogreenfields.com/SpatulasOfTheRainbow Do you want to make your own Irish Paste?  Buy Pure Irish Moss here: https://gogreenfields.com/IrishMoss

Our guest today is a wildly successful food writer who’s fresh off an appearance on Fresh Air—and who never “should” have written a cookbook at all. (Read on for a recipe.) Here’s her bio, in her own words:I grew up a Palestinian in Israel. I went to an American missionary school and by the grace of whatever gods were looking down on me and sheer grit, I came to UPenn for undergrad, where I struggled initially, but kept going until I graduated in the top of my class and went on straight to do my MBA at Wharton. From there, McKinsey, The London School of Economics, The World Economic Forum and, by any measure, a fast track, prestigious career. But I felt disillusioned when I realized I was following the herd and living someone else’s version of success, not mine. So I turned my back on the whole thing and decided to write a cookbook. But she did (The Palestinian Table) and now she’s written another (The Arabesque Table). We talk about the nitty gritty of cookbook publishing along with the things she didn’t know (and how that helped), why you should just ask and how to convince yourself—and others—that you know what you need to know to make this happen.#AmReadingReem: Beyond the North Wind: Russia in Recipes and Lore by Darra GoldsteinThe Mountains Sing by Mai Phan Que NguyenYour Turn: How to Be an Adult by Julie Lythcott-HaimsKJ: My Kitchen Year : 136 Recipes That Saved My Life: a Cookbook by Ruth ReichlCook’s Illustrated Chinese Recipes Sarina: Food52 Genius Recipes: 100 Recipes That Will Change the Way You Cook by Kristen MigloreFind Reem on Instagram: Reem.kassisRECIPE!Quick and Easy Bseeseh (Nut and Date Snacks)Makes 25-30 ballsIngredients1 cup (51/4 oz/150 g) unhulled sesame seeds14 oz (400 g) date paste (see Note)2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil (choose one whose flavor you like)1/4 cup (1 oz / 30 g) pistachios (or any other nut you like), coarsely ground1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamonMethod1. Line a large plate with parchment or wax (greaseproof) paper and set aside.2. In a large frying pan, dry-roast the sesame seeds over medium heat, stirring constantly, until aromatic and toasted, 7–10 minutes. You’ll know they are toasted when you start to hear some seeds popping and smell the nutty aroma of sesame and notice the color darken slightly. Remove from the heat, transfer to a plate, and set aside to cool completely. 3. In a large bowl, combine the date paste, olive oil, pistachios, cinnamon, and cooled sesame seeds. Mix with your hands until thoroughly combined. Wearing disposable food gloves is the easiest way to do this. 4. Take about 1 tablespoon of the mixture and roll between your palms to form a ball, then place on the lined plate. Repeat to make 25–30 balls. 5. Store the balls in an airtight container, with layers of parchment beneath and between. Although they will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for a couple of weeks, I recommend storing them in the fridge. They taste just as delicious when firmer and cooler.Note from Reem: Date paste can be found in any Middle Eastern grocery shop. You could also buy very soft Medjool dates and work them into a paste with your hands. If you do, I recommend wearing gloves and using some oil, otherwise it can get quite sticky. To get 14 ounces (400 g) of date paste you will need roughly 25 large Medjool dates. Addendum from KJ: There are lots of recipes for date paste online, and most seem to involve soaking the dates first overnight then popping them in a food processor or blender. I’m guessing that’s probably because your dates are unlikely to be “very soft.”And—hello, your dream job is calling! Click here to revel in some success stories from Author Accelerator’s book coach certification program and imagine where you could be next year—if you sign up now. This is a public episode. Get access to private episodes at amwriting.substack.com/subscribe

It's been another busy week at the Enduro World Series and EWS-E office! But it probably wasn't as busy as Kasper Woolley should be preparing to be... Ruaridh and Ric catch up to discuss the young Canadian's upcoming mentorship under Jared Graves, one of the most complete bike racers ever, on the newly-announced Yeti / OneUp Components Pro Team. Forbidden Synthesis - another all-Canadian super squad has arrived as the Battle for Squamish heats up! We also take a look at the uniquely suspended race machines of the new Juliana Free Agents team. Plus how to embarrass yourself outside of an ice cream parlour, stuffing/preloading Medjool dates, rappers in space and a whole lot more...

We cover so much in today's podcast! We discuss the life changing books I have read/am reading, what preps you're missing and doing wrong, Bible verse memorization songs, potato meal prepping, and so much more! Join the conversation at my website or my instagram!

#003 – Today's guest is  Mimi Wlodarczyk, a personal and private chef.  She is here today to talk about how to prepare for upcoming holiday meals, by giving us some easy to make recipe ideas.Show notes can only accommodate a limited amount of text - and all of the recipes from the show won't fit!  Please click the link below for all of these recipes!  Happy Holidays!Holiday Recipes PDFTHANK YOU FOR LISTENING! If you have been enjoying Quest for Healing, please hit subscribe so that you don't miss an episode! Also, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts or your podcast provider.RECIPES FROM THE SHOW:Pecan and Maple Sweet Potatoes(Adapted from Deliciously Ella)3 medium sweet potatoes, cut into wedges 2 tsp ground cinnamon2T maple syrupOlive oilSea salt and pepper½ cup of pecans (halves or pieces)Pre-heat the oven to 400°F.  Put the sweet potato wedges on a baking sheet lined with unbleached parchment paper.Sprinkle the cinnamon across the wedges and also one tablespoon of the maple syrup, plus a ‘glug' of olive oil.  Mix with your fingers to coat the potatoes, then spread the potatoes across the baking sheet.  Sprinkle lightly with sea salt and pepper, if desired.  Roast for 45 mins, turning them about halfway through.While the potatoes are roasting, mix the pecans with one tablespoon of maple syrup.  After the potatoes have cooked for 45 minutes, sprinkle the pecan mixture on top of the potatoes and then cook for another 5-10 minutes so that the pecans are crunchy.Roasted Whole Carrots(Adapted from Deliciously Ella)1 to 1 ½ pounds Multi-colored carrots (about 16 small/medium carrots)Olive oil1T maple syrup1 tsp cumin1 tsp cumin seeds1 tsp paprika (regular or smoked)4 Medjool dates (pitted and chopped)Sea salt to tastePre-heat the over to 425°F.  Place the carrots (whole) on a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Drizzle olive oil, maple syrup, cumin, cumin seeds, the paprika, and a little salt (if desired) over the carrots.  Toss the carrots around with a wooden spoon or your hands until the carrots are coated.  Roast for 30 minutes.  Shake the pan half way through to ensure even cooking.  After 30 minutes, remove the baking sheet and add the dates.  Mix with a wooden spoon and return to the oven for another 10 minutes.  All of the recipes don't fit here so please download the Holiday Recipes PDF for more recipes!The Quest for Healing Podcast is hosted by Kerstin Ramstrom. For more information about Kerstin and her health coaching practice, Carefully Healing, please find her atCarefullyHealing.comFacebook: Carefully HealingInstagram: @CarefullyHealingWithKerstinYouTube: Carefully Healing with KerstinIf you want save up to 25% off supplements that you're taking every day, check out Wellevate in the Resources section of my website at CarefullyHealing.com/Resources and go to the Wellevate section. Shipping is FREE for orders over $49, US only. ($)

Have you found pleasure and shame to go hand-in-hand? Nicole Nardone swings open the doors to talk about how self-pleasuring is absolutely vital to our boundlessness, especially as women, for whom it is not uncommon to not have self-pleasured until their late 20's (like me), or even NEVER. This episode is not just about sexual energy though, it's about LIFE energy, enjoyment, integration of shadows, of really hard stuff, of sweetness, and most of all, of LOVE. Some of the highlights for me, other than being able to be in Nicole's presence for nearly an hour, were how she would use the sound, "Mmmm," throughout, my favorite quote by her, "It doesn't matter what modality you use as long as there is love," and how she felt about Kundalini Yoga when she started practicing in college. (I share her sentiments exactly). As Promised in the episode, you'll find the recipe for the "Mouth Orgasm Bombs, Up-Leveled below. About Nicole: A truth seeker since birth, Nicole has always known there was more to life than what meets the eye. Her life has been a mostly joyful, sometimes uncomfortable, quest to quench her thirst for meaning, healing, and love. She grew up learning various alternative healing modalities and spiritual traditions as a child. She has trained under shamans, yogis, wild women, and spirits on the other side. Her journey has led her to the simple but powerful truth that love is the ultimate medicine for all that ails us. She leads retreats worldwide, coaches individually, and leads online and in person workshops. She fuses ancient wisdom and a keen understanding of what ails the modern heart, body, and soul. Her powerful offerings have been described as "completely life changing" and "incredibly playful." Her work is to help the world wake up to love, while having a whole lot of fun along the way... And, she'll choose two people randomly to win a free mini-session with her, so be sure to click here and fill out the entry form!: https://forms.gle/ak9W27WAS5oV3CkVA If you'd like to receive an Instant Shift Session from Laura Christine, go here: https://beingboundless.teachable.com/p/instant-shift To enroll FREE in Being Boundless Basics and set a firm foundation for Boundlessness: https://beingboundless.teachable.com/p/basics Mouth Orgasm Bombs (Up-Leveled) 1 organic Medjool date, pitted and opened As much ghee (clarified butter) as your Boundless heart desires A pinch of salt (or none if your Macadamia nut as some on it, up to you) A Macadamia nut or two ~~Put as much ghee as you'd like onto the opened date. Place a mac nut or two on top. If it isn't salted, go for it, put a pinch of salt on there! If you don't have mac nut, you can try another kind (but really, mac nuts are the most up-leveled I've tasted) or go without. It's still an orgasmic experience! PLEASE let me know how you like it! Leave a message at the link below and if you say it's okay on there, I'll share what you think on a future episode! --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/theboundlesssoul/support

Après avoir découvert les vacances du chef landais Julien Duboué et de la naturopathe à la tête de La Guinguette d’Angèle Angèle Ferreux-Maeght, c’est au tour du fondateur de La Fabrique Givrée, le célèbre glacier Jérémie Runel de se prêter au jeu des confidences estivales. Jérémie n’a pas seulement inventé une glace absolument terrible à la datte Medjool et à la fleur d’oranger, vous l’aurez peut-être aussi vu à la télé il y a quelques années dans Qui sera le prochain grand pâtissier ?  Cet adepte du triathlon d’une gentillesse incroyable partage avec vous ses vacances actives en Espagne, son amour pour l’aubergine et des nouvelles tout en fraîcheur de sa Fabrique Givrée en plein contexte coronavirus.  Si l’épisode vous plaît, ce serait super chouette de me laisser un avis 5 étoiles sur Apple Podcasts ou de parler de Patate autour de vous. Votre aide est plus que précieuse pour Patate et pour moi. Alors un immense merci et très bonne écoute à vous.  

Celebrity chef Dan Hayes is co-owner of Victoria's premier cooking school, The London Chef. In this gastronomic episode, we explore the beginning of Dan's love for food: his childhood in England and Spain, hunting wild game, and a boarding school chef. He went on to work in the kitchens of some of Europe's most revered seafood chefs including Rick Stein, Mitch Tonks and Peter Rossiglioni. A woman eventually entered the picture, now Dan's wife Micayla, and a new life in Canada unfolded, eventually leading to two beautiful daughters. We discuss the early days of reengage catering, the creation of The London Chef, and nearly a decade with the hit TV show "Moosemeat and Marmalade", which led Dan to less-visited parts of Canada and hunting bigger wild game than in his youth. We also talk about Dan's current passion project of teaching cooking in local prisons, which is impacting his life, and the prisoners', in incredible ways. No chef interview would be complete with a close look at food, and we discuss many of Dan's favourites…and borderline food addictions. If you love food, make a snack – perhaps Dan's favourite Medjool dates stuffed with peanut butter and salt, pull up a chair, and enjoy the flavours of this delicious episode. Episode Links: http://thelondonchef.com/ http://moosemeatandmarmalade.com/ Learning Links: PRC's School of Holistic Nutrition PRC's Workshops PRCOnline – Online Nutrition Workshops

This episode of Big Blend Radio features Donna George, owner of The Peanut Patch in Yuma, Arizona. Hear about peanut and Medjool date farming history in Yuma, the various gourmet gifts available at The Peanut Patch as well as their popular tours. More: https://thepeanutpatch.com/On this episode Donna also sends hosts Nancy J. Reid and Lisa D. Smith on a special Farm Stories Across America map story project to document and share farm related stories that range from farm-to-table restaurants to historic farm equipment displays, farmers markets, and agricultural events. See Map: https://nationalparktraveling.com/listing/farm-stories-across-america/

“Growers are becoming smarter each and every day in their quest to raise the most flavorful food for us all.”Lori Taylor (15:09-15:17) As we wind down another year and look to 2020, The Produce Moms team is taking a look back on our biggest takeaways, favorite podcast episodes, and industry trends to look out for. “We're close to a perfect five-star rating. We have amazing reviews, and when I read them, it motivates me to stay dedicated to this platform. When we get that feedback from our audience, we know it's worth it.” - Lori Taylor (11:37-12:01)  We've done some amazing work this year with Kroger Health and supporting their mission to spread their message of health through their Fresh for Everyone initiative and other projects. We've added new brand partners and have had some breakthrough media opportunities, which is helping us reach an even larger audience.  The Fresh Summit, the Super Bowl of the fresh produce industry, brings all brands involved in the industry together to showcase their new products. We were so proud to be involved in the event and see the Produce Moms logo on the packaging of one of the Crunch Pak products. The company's Apple Slices product is a perfect fit for our company and the audience we serve.  Most Memorable Moments of 2019 on The Produce Moms Podcast The podcast is one of my favorite platforms for spreading our message of better health through fresh fruits and vegetables. It lets us highlight the remarkable people who are helping the industry achieve so much more.  Interviewing the founder and CEO of Hazel Technologies was a personal favorite podcast moment. Hazel Technologies is working to reduce food waste, which is a critical issue for the global food supply.  In other episodes, we discussed the process of recycling as well as how the produce industry is leading the way in packaging innovations. We highlighted the role that plastic can play in mitigating food waste—something that most people don't understand.  We did an episode on the coconut fruit and its misclassification as a tree nut by the FDA, which is a big problem when you consider the impact this can have on food labeling. Fruits and Vegetables are Here to StayThe growing interest in plant-based eating is an indication that fruits and vegetables are here to stay. A trend to watch out for in 2020 is plant breeding that focuses on flavor first in a way that's never been done before. Today's growers are using new methods for enhancing the quality of the foods they produce and distribute.  Medjool dates have emerged as a healthy, satisfying, sweet, and natural treat. It's like nature's candy. If you've never tried a Medjool date,  2020 is your year to try them.” - Lori Taylor (12:58-13:13) Jicama, celery juice, and dried fruits continue to become popular among health-conscious consumers. Herbs like basil are being recognized for their ability to make just about anything taste better.  Many people have reached out to The Produce Moms team about pomegranates. Most people's experience with this delicious fruit is through drinking pomegranate juice. But the fruit's small edible seeds can also be found in your local grocery store. Reflecting on everything we've done this year gives us a tremendous feeling of gratitude. We could not be more thankful for everyone who supports the work we do here at The Produce Moms.  It takes a lot of passionate people bringing their talents to the table, and we look forward to what 2020 has in store for us and for you and your family.    How to get involved Join The Produce Moms Group on Facebook and continue the discussion every week!  Reach out to us - we'd love to hear more about where you are in life and business! Find out more here.    If you liked this episode, be sure to subscribe and leave a quick review on iTunes. It would mean the world to hear your feedback and we'd love for you to help us spread the word!

On today’s show, I’m going to take you through my nutrition journey and how I’ve learned to eat healthier over the past few years, which is invaluable to me as a freelance business owner. As freelancers, in particular, we need to focus on our health. Often, we sit at home all day behind a computer. Many of us are not getting enough exercise—we’re not even getting up enough throughout the day to stand, walk or stretch. And food temptations are just a room or two away. As freelancers, if we don’t work, we don’t make money. If you’re eating foods that make you feel sluggish, or you’re dehydrated and tired, or you’re hopped up on too much caffeine, you’re not going to do your best work. Your brain might not be as sharp that day, or you’re just tired and want a nap. As an employee, you can feel this way and either push through or just suffer through the day—but you get paid either way. Not so as a freelancer. You need to be on your game and doing your best work. This episode is not about weight, even though I do want to lose a few pounds. I’m trying really hard to focus on the health aspects in my own life, which does include not gaining any more weight. First up: water. I have finally embraced how magnificent water is. Of course, I knew this intellectually. But I never drank it. Instead, throughout my 20s, I would drink 3–6 cans of Mountain Dew every day. In my 30s, I switched to Diet Mountain Dew to get away from the calories, but now I was consuming the aspartame sweetener also. I tried to give up caffeine several times and finally succeeded in giving it up cold turkey in 2009. To do that, I started on a Thursday so I could suffer my caffeine withdrawals mostly over the weekend. However, for several years, I just replaced my Diet Mountain Dew with Sprite or Sierra Mist or root beer. I did start drinking caffeinated tea a few years ago, but I make sure not to get addicted. In fact, this year I switched to drinking mostly rooibos tea, which is delicious and doesn’t have caffeine. Then, just a couple of years ago I finally gave up Sprite and all soda in favor of water. But I needed help to do so. I’m a former newspaper reporter and a very curious person. I’m also a “questioner,” according to Gretchen Rubin’s book “The Four Tendencies.” Gretchen divides people into four categories based on how we respond to expectations and make decisions in our life. A questioner tends to meet inner expectations when we set our mind to something—like when I finally decided to quit caffeine cold turkey—but we tend to resist outer expectations if there’s no reason we can believe in. The catch is that I will meet outer societal expectations if I respect the rule, the person or the process. With that in mind, I decided to hire a nutritionist at Third Space Wellness here in Silver Spring, Maryland, a few years ago, to help me out on my journey. I worked with my nutritionist, Susie, for a couple of months. She presented me with facts about food, and she worked to help me develop new healthy habits into my life. Our first step: getting rid of Sprite. And drinking water. Susie helped me realize that to drink more water I needed to have it with me all the time. So I bought an insulated water bottle and began by drinking 8–16 oz. of water every day and worked my way up to more. Another tip from Susie: Fill up your water bottle at night and put it on your nightstand. We all start out our mornings already dehydrated, so drinking 8–16 oz. of water each morning starts us off on the right path. Susie also helped me find healthier snacks. She encouraged me to take a fun field trip to local markets new to me and scour the shelves for healthier alternatives. I headed to Mom’s Organic Market, where Susie recommended I try Hope’s spicy avocado hummus. I now eat it with Jovial organic einkorn sourdough crackers. I also eat more fruit and am trying out Medjool dates, which are a sweet, soft and chewy fruit. My dad is an avid cyclist. He has been tall and thin and in great shape all of his adult life. However, his cholesterol was sky-high, no matter how much he exercised. So, last year, my dad adopted a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle, which is essentially vegan—except he’s doing it solely for health reasons. Dad heard about the whole-food, plant-based lifestyle from his cycling friend Ian Cramer, an allied health care professional with degrees in kinesiology and athletic training. Ian has a podcast called the Ian Cramer Podcast, where he interviews doctors and scholars of lifestyle medicine and plant-based nutrition. My dad had long conversations with Ian about this new lifestyle and decided to try it. He’s lucky that my mom loves to cook and was willing to switch over all of her cooking for both of them to vegan meals. They had fun looking for and trying out new recipes together. Dad ate Brussels sprouts for the first time, discovering he loved them. He bought a Ninja blender to make smoothies with almond milk and fruit. After six months or so, he dropped 20 pounds—he’s leaner and even healthier looking now. And his bad cholesterol level dropped 62 points! He has kept track of his bike rides for years, and after changing his diet, his cycling app showed him riding faster up hills and riding more miles overall. I was inspired. So, August 11, 2018, was the last time I ate meat. I don’t miss it, and it was easy for me to give it up, which was a huge surprise. However, I still eat fish and seafood, which I love, though I’ve definitely cut back and usually only eat it in restaurants, not at home. The other thing I gave up was dairy—mostly. I love cheese, but, again, I cut way back. I don’t have it in the house and usually only eat it when I go out to eat, as a treat. If it’s just a topping, I often ask for the cheese to be left off. But I gave up milk, yogurt, butter, ice cream, plus eggs. I consider myself about 80% whole-food, plant-based. On most days, I’m fully living a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle. Other days, I’m vegetarian, and some days I’m pescatarian—eating fish that day. But it’s a journey. So, what do I eat? I usually start off my day with oatmeal: Nature’s Path’s Blueberry Cinnamon Flax instant oatmeal. I add chia seeds, flax seeds, cinnamon and fresh blueberries and strawberries. On days when I’m in a hurry, I eat KIND blueberry almond breakfast bars. I’ve been trying to eat more beans for fiber and protein. I eat a lot of vegetables—I love mushrooms. I love to cook, but I also aim for convenience, so rice bowls with jasmine rice are an easy meal. I also like tacos and fajitas and trying new Indian and Asian recipes. If you like sandwiches, you can make meatless sandwiches that are filling and tasty. I use a vegan mayo or hummus for the spread and then fill the sandwich with lettuce, tomatoes and avocado. I especially love buying unique types of tomatoes at the farmers market when they’re in season and trying all those different flavors. My next step in my nutrition journey is to cut back on sugar. This will probably be the hardest food-related action I’ve ever taken. I think I’m more addicted to sugar than I ever was to caffeine. I’m not quite ready to say I’m cutting out sugar completely though. I’ll be testing myself this holiday season to cut back on sugar, to sometimes refuse the cookies or cakes, pies or candy. Biz Bite: Use an app to remind you to drink more water. Some apps to choose from: My Water Balance; Drink Water Reminder; Daily Water; Waterlogged   The Bookshelf: “Ask Again, Yes” by Mary Beth Keane   Resources: “The Four Tendencies” by Gretchen Rubin Third Space Wellness in Silver Spring, Maryland Ian Cramer Podcast Melanie’s dad’s blog post: “1000s of miles of cycling couldn’t save me from a poor diet” Learn more about whole-food, plant-based living at Forks Over Knives.   Churchill’s Fine Teas in Cincinnati Mom’s Organic Market Hope spicy avocado hummus Jovial einkorn sourdough crackers Nature’s Path Blueberry Cinnamon Flax instant oatmeal KIND blueberry almond breakfast bars   Forks Over Knives vegan Thanksgiving recipes Creamy avocado basil pesto spaghetti Maple-glazed cooked carrots Vegan Chickpea Cauliflower Tots Tot sauce: mix equal parts vegan mayo and honey together; add Dijon mustard to taste.   Linguine with sautéed asparagus (1 bunch, cut in small pieces) and cremini mushrooms (8–12 ounces): Sauté the vegetables together and add one-fourth cup of white cooking wine and two tablespoons of lemon juice and stir. Add one-fourth teaspoon of red pepper flakes, more if you like heat. Mix sauce with cooked linguine in a large serving bowl.

11-26-19 Tonight we're talking with Annie Zipser and Amy Olsen, Annie and Amy are both award winning home mead makers, and are now involved with the Michigan Mead Coalition. The Michigan Mead Coalition is a group of meadmakers who are looking to create a shared environment where they can talk mead, share their skills, and even have shared equipment and supply buys. We'll be talking more about that in the show. We'll also talk meadmaking, things we've learned, and generally just geek out on meadmaking. More about Annie: Annie Zipser has been making mead for about 6 ½ years now. She started making mead because so many excellent meads were being offered to her at Ann Arbor Brewer’s Guild meetings (that she was attending because her husband is a homebrewer). The Guild has a large mead presence and Annie has always felt very lucky that she had so many excellent resources in her learning experience. She joined Fermenta, a group focused on women in the fermenting world, and through a Fermenta scholarship took the BJCP mead exam. Annie retired from teaching in 2016…and working at Adventures in Homebrewing provided a great springboard into retirement activities. While working there she presented seminars and classes about mead, got to teach people about mead, and connected to the larger mead world. Since getting her BJCP ranking, Annie has been judging at the National Homebrew Competition and the Mazer Cup along with the Michigan Beer Cup and the Michigan Mead Cup. Going to the Mazer Cup to judge led her to going to the AMMA conference as a volunteer. This has since led to being on the planning committee for the conference. She is also on the planning committee for the Michigan Mead Cup and is one of the organizers of the AMMA presence at HomebrewCon. She is currently on the Home Governing Board (AMMA) where she serves as secretary. Her newest activity is the Michigan Mead Coalition where she serves as event coordinator. Michigan is a great state for mead makers and the Michigan Mead Coalition hopes to bring meadmakers together the same way that a homebrew club brings brewers together. Annie is a self professed “mead geek” and is having a great time letting her hobby be her retirement career! And some info on Amy: Have you ever had a conversation with a total stranger that changed the course of your life? That is what happened to me nearly 5 years ago. I was having a beer after work at Kuhnhenn Brewing in Warren, MI; and making conversation with other people at the bar. Some random small talk turned into a fairly in-depth conversation about flavor and my new friend asked me that life changing question..."Have you ever considered making mead”? Long story short, the gentleman at the bar turned out to be Frank Retell, the mead maker at Kuhnhenn Brewing. I was extremely fortunate to have a very experienced and talented mead maker show me how to make mead, let me ask a million questions and allow me to work with him on several batches that were released at the brewery. I was hooked! I am a classically trained chef by trade. I now teach culinary arts, baking and pastry arts and run a restaurant in my school district. So, food and flavor are a huge part of my life and background. Mead seemed like a very logical and natural progression. Within a year I was making solo batches at home. My family and friends were very supportive, but they pretty much would tell me that they liked it and drank a lot. I wanted some impartial feedback and constructive criticism. So I entered my first competition; The Michigan Mead Cup in 2014. I earned a gold medal and won Best of Show with my very first entry. It was Michigan wildflower honey with Medjool dates, black mission figs, and sultanas…all desert fruits. I called it A Gift to the Khaleesi. That’s pretty much where things got started. I have continued to make mead and enter competitions. Since then, I have earned several gold, silver,

Dave Kohl is the founder of Joolies, a California based farm and CPG brand producing Medjool date products. Dave and his family founded the original date farm two decades ago and recently launched Joolies. He shares more about the company's origin and how they strategically built the brand and product messaging. Connect with Joolies Website | Twitter | Instagram Connect with The Modern Acre Website | Instagram | Twitter Sign up for Acre Insights HERE

9-17-19 9PM EST: Tonight we're talking with women who make mead. Award winning, bitching good meadmaking women. We're talking with Traci Kuhfuss and Amy Olsen. If you've been paying attention, these ladies are tearing it up out there with their meads. Traci Kuhfuss comes to us from Texas by way of Arizona and Hawaii. She’s been active as a homebrewer and mead maker for many years, participating in brew clubs and competitions in all the places she’s lived. Traci is a professional photographer and print designer who loves making mead. Traci got into brewing - once upon a time, she was newly divorced and her friends were all getting married and having kids. She was bored with sitting at home with nothing to do. Her friends got her a home brewing kit that year for Christmas. She made her first beer that New Years Eve.  She eventually joined a homebrew club and was introduced to mead. She started making mead then and winning more medals with mead than beer. In 2006 her orange blossom special mead took BOS at the Great Arizona Homebrew competition. over all the other beers, ciders and mead. Traci is running the Texas Mead Competition this year, and it looks like it's going to be a great event. Amy Olsen lives in the Detroit area. She’s a classically trained chef, and teaches culinary arts now. She’s obviously a big fan of food and flavor as a result. Around 5 years ago, she was grabbing a beer at a local brewery, and ended up meeting Frank Retell, the mead maker at Kuhnhenn Brewing in an in-depth conversation about flavors. They hit it off, and Amy was on her way to be a mead maker. Frank helped her, and she even got to help make meads with him at Kuhnhenn. Within a year she was makoing mead at home, and her family and friends loved it and encouraged her to keep it up. She made the next jump to competitions because she wanted to get some experienced feedback and constructive criticism. Her first comp was the Michigan Mead Cup in 2014. She got a gold medal and best of show her first time out with a Michigan wildflower mead with Medjool dates, black mission figs and sultanas, calling it ‘A Gift to the Khaleesi’. She’s continued to make mead and enter competitions. She’s claimed a number of medals at comps around the country, and has 4 AHA National Home Brew Competition first round ribbons and 7 Mazer Cups, including 2 in the Digby category (that is historic recipes from Sir Kenelm Digby’s Closet Unlock’d, a special MCI category). She’s won BoS at the Great Northern Brew Ha Ha and BoS and Meadmaker’s Choice awards at Mid-Winter Homebrew comp. Amy says that making mead has been a fabulous addition to her life. She’s been to 2 MeadCons, 3 Mazer Cup comps, taken classes at UC Davis, got elected to the AMMA Home Brew Committee, became a BJCP judge, joined the Michigan Mead Coalition and took a huge mead-centric trip this summer, getting to meet some pretty awesome folks and drink a lot of great mead. Both Traci and Amy are looking forward to making even more and better meads as they continue to hone their craft. This player will show the most recent show, and when we're live, will play the live feed. If you are calling in, please turn off the player sound, so we don't get feedback. Click here to see a playable list of all our episodes! If you want to ask your mead making questions, you can call us at 803-443-MEAD (6323) or send us a question via email, or via Twitter @GotmeadNow and we'll tackle it online! 9PM EDT/6PM PDT Join us on live chat during the show Bring your questions and your mead, and let's talk mead! You can call us at 803-443-MEAD (6323), or Skype us at meadwench (please friend me first and say you're a listener, I get tons of Skype spam), or tweet to @gotmeadnow. Show links and notes Evoak - Oak Solutions Black Swan Barrels (exotic woods) Ethiopian Spice Market (for gesho) Let There Be Melomels by Rob Ratliff

The 3rd Season of Keep Calm and Cook On kicks off with Antoni Porowski from Netflix’s Queer Eye and author of the brand new cookbook Antoni in the Kitchen. He and Julia cover everything from imposter syndrome to throwing dinner parties to how to handle being an empathetic person. One lucky listener is eligible to win a copy of Antoni’s new cookbook! To enter for a chance to win, leave a review of Keep Calm and Cook On on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts, screenshot it, and send it to keepcalmandcookonpodcast@gmail.com or DM it on Instagram to @turshen. One submission will be randomly selected one to win a copy of Antoni’s wonderful new cookbook! Follow-up links: For more about Antoni and his book, head here. For more about Julia and her work, head here. For more about Oxo, head here. For more about The Trevor Project, head here. For the Medjool dates that Antoni loves, head here.

I have a few things that I wholeheartedly recommend to anyone who will listen to me: the fancy Medjool dates from Trader Joe's, my acupressure mat, the book Station Eleven. And for the past few months, I've added Girls' Night In to that list. Girls' Night In (GNI) is an email newsletter that goes out every Friday, and it's dedicated to all things self-care and the joy of staying in. Expect to get a blend of product recommendations, buzzworthy conversation topics, and a few #longreads to kill those last few hours at your desk. It's no secret around here that I love the written word, and I have a special fascination with email newsletters in particular (in no small part because I have occasionally tried to force my friends to read my own recaps of The Bachelor by spamming their inboxes with my long-winded musings). The feeling of writing a long, thought-out email and then sending it into the internet is a special kind of vulnerability—will anyone respond? Is someone going to get that obscure Drake lyric? Did I misspell occasionally? But GNI has taken a traditionally one-way communication—the email—and brought it into a real life community. That feat is exactly why I decided I wanted to interview Olivia Rogine for our feature on community. Olivia is the Community and Experiences Lead at Girls' Night In, meaning she's responsible for bringing GNI experiences to life and create a community where members can build meaningful connections (not unlike a #Sweatworking event). Ironically, Olivia's own self-care suffered when she first began to get involved with GNI. After cold-emailing GNI founder Alisha Ramos (a move I personally identified with, since that's how I connected with Jeana way back when), Olivia began working part-time as a GNI Book Club host. But as her passion and involvement with GNI ramped up, so did her full-time work life, leading to Olivia burning the candle at both ends and neglecting her self-care priorities. Now that she's full-time at GNI, Olivia is dedicated to building an inclusive, diverse community of GNI readers. "The most important thing in building a community is building that common ground with inclusivity and empathy," she explained to me, when I asked . "Making those introductions, finding people that have commonalities, and introducing community members to one another"—those all go a long way in turning Internet strangers into real-life buddies. And as far as Olivia's own goals that she's working towards? This year, she's all about taking control over her personal finance—a form of what we referred to as "boring self-care." That goal led us to talking about how self-care is often viewed as a privileged activity; after all, the people who can take part in the most Insta-friendly self-care routines (you know EXACTLY which face mask and bubble bath posts I'm talking about) have the free time and the budget to do that performative self-care. But, Olivia pointed out, some of the most important self-care we do is free and wouldn't be that interesting to post about. Olivia, for example, loves meal planning and taking her time writing her grocery list, cooking, and knowing that she's nourishing her body for the week ahead—a ritual she developed as a child growing up in an agricultural community. I could go on and on about the intersection of self-care and community, but I think it'll be easier for you to listen to the episode yourself. You can listen to the podcast here, on iTunes, Spotify, or anywhere you get your podcasts. Like us? Let us know! Leave us a rating or a review; it'd mean the world to us. And if you're obsessed with self-care and staying in on a Friday night, a) we were meant to be friends, and b) you can sign up for the Girls' Night In newsletter right here (don't be surprised if you find yourself forwarding the newsletters to your besties every single week), and fall instantly in love with their Instagram @girlsnightinclub.

A Nutrition Coach and Clinical Nutrition Student aiming to provide current, evidence-based research and a growing expertise in the area of Nutrition Science. I believe in an emphasis on balance, self-love, and self-care through mind-body-spirit nourishment, connection, and health education. I get deep in this episode, providing context for my Nutrition path, the pain points that led me to where I am today, and why I think knowledge is the most powerful tool when it comes to taking good care of ourselves. Today's Recipe: Protein Fat Balls Ingredients: Makes 32 bite-sized balls 3-4 pitted Medjool dates (many recipes call for about 10, but that's a LOT of sugar your body doesn't need) 1 cup raw, unsalted cashews 3/4 cup melted coconut oil 3/4 cup almond milk (or dairy-free alternative) 1/4 cup cacao powder 1/2 cup protein powder (vanilla tastes best in this recipe) 2 TBSP chia seeds The juice of 1 lemon 1/2 tsp Himalayan salt 2 tsp vanilla extract (optional) 3-4 d

In this episode I am breaking bread and breaking fast with Salma Haidrani. Salma is a multi-award winning writer and journalist whose work focuses on contemporary faith, food, women’s health and social issues. She writes for national magazines and newspapers including i-D, Vice, Broadly, Cosmopolitan, Stylist, and Time Out London among others. Last year she was awarded ‘Young Journalist of the Year’ at the GG2 Leadership Awards and was the youngest winner of the ‘Best Feature’ award at the End Violence Against Women Media Awards for her work investigating so-called honour killings on British soil.This episode was recorded during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and, as a practicing Muslim, Salma describes what it means to her and how a month of fasting affects her relationship with food and her faith. Along the way we also discuss the 'rediscovery' of traditionally ethnic foods as part of the wellness movement and how, as a result, she is reclaiming dates as part of her heritage.At times this conversation may feel a bit challenging for some listeners. I hope you can stick with it because a) I think it is important for us to have our opinions challenged and b) we can only grow by making room for the experiences of others. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

From delicious holiday appetizers to gourmet gifts, Donna George, owner of The Peanut Patch in Yuma, Arizona, shares how Medjool Dates are the perfect ingredient for the Holidays! See Donna's Stuffed Medjool Date suggestions here: http://blendradioandtv.com/listing/stuffed-medjool-dates-for-parties-and-holidays/

Donna George, owner of The Peanut Patch in Yuma, Arizona, shares the nutritional qualities of Medjool Dates "Nature's Candy". www.ThePeanutPatch.com

If you have a sweet tooth, giving up your favorite tweaks for the sake of health may seem impossible.If you have a sweet tooth, giving up your favorite tweaks for the sake of health may seem impossible.However, there are plenty of substitutes you can use to make the transition.Caryn Fine Sullivan, Healthy Living Expert, joins host Lisa Davis to share her top five picks. Medjool dates filled with nut butter Cacao chips Coconut milk or water Fruit Flavored seltzer water Listen in as Caryn explains how you can use these ingredients to create your own yummy (yet healthy) treats.

If you have a sweet tooth, giving up your favorite tweaks for the sake of health may seem impossible.If you have a sweet tooth, giving up your favorite tweaks for the sake of health may seem impossible.However, there are plenty of substitutes you can use to make the transition.Caryn Fine Sullivan, Healthy Living Expert, joins host Lisa Davis to share her top five picks. Medjool dates filled with nut butter Cacao chips Coconut milk or water Fruit Flavored seltzer water Listen in as Caryn explains how you can use these ingredients to create your own yummy (yet healthy) treats.

The dudes are joined by comedian Andrew George to discuss the Laughing Skull Comedy Festival, 7th Heaven scandals, the pros and cons of weddings and try Medjool Dates.

The fabled Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth, and locals rely on the water's minerals to keep their skin young. En route to the Dead Sea, Medjool dates are ripe for tasting in Jericho. At www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.

The fabled Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth, and locals rely on the water's minerals to keep their skin young. En route to the Dead Sea, Medjool dates are ripe for tasting in Jericho. At www.ricksteves.com, you'll find money-saving travel tips, small-group tours, guidebooks, TV shows, radio programs, podcasts, and more on this destination.

Bay Area restaurants profiled: 1) Medjool: | restaurant information | reviews | episode video | [CLOSED] 2) B44: | restaurant information | reviews | episode video | 3) Da Flora: | restaurant information | reviews | recipe | episode video |

Bay Area restaurants profiled and reviewed: 1) Millennium: | restaurant information | reviews | [CLOSED] 2) Medjool: | restaurant information | reviews | [CLOSED] 3) Tropix: | restaurant information | reviews | [CLOSED]