Quirky Cooking Chats – Détails, épisodes et analyse

"OCD doesn't control me anymore." - Isaac Whitton

Food is medicine! Jo's son, Isaac, shares his story of healing with food - how the GAPS protocol helped to heal his gut and mind, calming anxiety and OCD symptoms and changing his life.

This interview is from Jo's "Quirky Cooking Health Reset" online program - watch the video here.

Do you need a 'health reset'? Learn to slow down, refocus on your health, calm the chaos, reset your gut health with delicious, nourishing recipes, organise your life to create space for healing, simplify your cooking and bring calm to your kitchen! Learn more about the "Quirky Cooking Health Reset" program here: https://quirkycooking.com.au/gut-health-programs/

Follow Isaac's business page here: https://www.instagram.com/wavelengthtech/ 

In this episode, Jo Whitton chats with Johannes Kettelhodt, engineer and co-founder of Clearlight and Helsi Life saunas, about the science behind red light therapy and infrared saunas, and they benefits they can have on our health.

Johannes, explains how these technologies support overall well-being by enhancing mitochondrial function, boosting ATP production, reducing inflammation and promoting detoxification, cardiovascular health, and stress relief. Johannes answers listener questions about the differences, benefits, and potential risks of red light therapy and infrared saunas, including concerns about EMFs and how Clearlight and Helsi saunas ensure ultra-low EMF exposure.

The conversation covers practical tips for choosing safe and effective devices, combining therapies, and understanding their impact on pain relief, sleep, energy, beauty, and muscle recovery.

With personal insights and expert guidance, this episode provides a well-rounded introduction to these cutting-edge health tools.

Learn more about Clearlight Saunas here: https://clearlightsaunas.com.au/

Learn more about Helsi Life saunas, red light therapy devices and ice baths here: https://au.helsi.life/?ref=QUIRKYCOOKING (affiliate link)

Use the code QUIRKYCOOKING for 7% off all Helsi Life products!

Visit the Quirky Cooking website here, for recipes, videos, podcasts, cooking classes, coaching and more: https://quirkycooking.com.au/

Join The Quirky Cooking Gut Health Program here: https://quirkycooking.com.au/gut-health-programs/

Welcome to Episode 36 of Quirky Cooking Chats (Season 2), with Jo Whitton:

Lucie McCullough (Interior Designer, Building Biologist) on GAPS, Mould Illness, Life in an Italian Village & Our Gut Health Retreat in the Italian Alps

Join Jo for an inspiring conversation with Lucie McCullough - building biologist, interior designer and culinary medicine enthusiast.

After a career in fashion that took her to Rome, Paris, Milan and London, with stints at Valentino, Ralph Lauren and Vogue, as well as a successful interior design business in Hong Kong, Lucie McCullough's personal health journey took her in an unexpected direction…

Lucie shares her incredible story of healing from mould illness and infertility, and how that led to a passion for food as medicine, building healthy homes, and creating a school environment where children learn in nature with a focus on health and community connection.

IN THIS PODCAST:

•  Mould illness, EMFS, neurological inflammation, infertility, anxiety, panic attacks, hormone issues, period pain… and healing with GAPS (Gut and Psychology/Physiology Syndrome protocol)
•  Lucie’s reaction to the wastefulness and the toxic building materials in the interior design world, and how it led her to study sustainable design and building biology
•  Why Lucie and her family moved from the USA to a small Italian village during the height of the COVID pandemic, where she co-founded the Waldorf-inspired ‘Village Forest School’
•  Renovating a 326 year old chalet in the Italian alps with totally natural materials (now luxury ski lodge, Baita 1697, where we will be holding our gut health retreat in June - see below!)
•  Life in a small village, and the importance of community and connection
•  The importance of food as medicine, teaching children to cook and eat well, and why nutrient-dense meals are served at Lucie’s school, cooked by chefs who follow the principles of Weston A. Price
•  The benefits of ‘learning by doing’ and about our gut health retreat at Lucie’s luxury chalet in the Italian alps

Tune in to this episode to hear Lucie's inspiring story of natural healing and learn about her work at the Village Forest School and our upcoming gut health retreat!

LUXURY HEALTH RETREAT IN THE ITALIAN ALPS: https://bit.ly/italyretreat23

•  Where: Lucie’s luxury chalet, Baita 1697, in Pragelato - a rustic village 1600 metres above sea level on the French-Italian border near Turin, on the edge of a beautiful national park
•  When: 31 May - 4 June, 2023
•  Food: a GAPS / Weston A. Price style menu - gut-healing meals using local, traditional, biodynamic foods including locally-made cheeses, wild boar, venison, seafood, a wide variety of seasonal produce, hazelnuts (which the area is famous for) and foraged, medicinal herbs. (Meals are adjusted to include specific dietary needs of attendees.)
•  Learning: daily cooking classes (GAPS/healing foods, cheese making, gluten-free sourdough, fermenting and traditional Italian dishes), ‘learning by doing’, and teaching about gut-healing topics by Jo, Lucie and Naomi Miller (naturopath, nutritionist, herbal medicine, Chinese medicine, healing diets and whole-food chef); ask your questions and get expert advice on cooking for gut health and healing naturally
•  Activities: foraging, walking, natural movement, cooking, exploring the local villages, visiting local producers/artisans, relaxing outdoors, fireside chats at night, hot tub on the roof under the stars, magnesium baths, relationship-building, community and connection
•  Included: transport to and from Milan or Turin, luxury accommodation, all meals from arrival to departure (catered to your specific needs), all workshops/classes and activities, personalised advice to help you begin implementing gut-healing diet and lifestyle changes that suit your unique family and situation, a ‘goodie bag’ with local gifts and a cookbook by Jo, resources to help you continue your health journey at home

LINKS & RESOURCES:

Gut-Health Retreat in Italy: https://bit.ly/italyretreat23

The Village Forest School: https://www.villageforestschool.com/values.php

Visit Baita 1697: http://www.baita1697.com/

Lucie McCullough Interiors: https://www.luciemccullough.com/

Welcome to Episode 35 of Quirky Cooking Chats (Season 2), with Jo Whitton: My Best Thought of the Day + Q&A

Jo popped into the Quirky Cooking Chat Group this morning for a live video chat, to share some inspiration and answer questions from listeners. Listen in as she talks about:

• the concept of having a 'best thought of the day' and sharing it with your family and friends (a great idea shared by her sister, Joye, with a quote from ‘I Guess I Haven’t Learnt That Yet’ by Shauna Niequist)
• social media: finding the balance
• being intentional about what you see online and who you let into your feed
• breaking the habit of mindless scrolling
• quiet your world, slow down your busy brain, curate your day

Q&A:

• how to make no-nasties taco mince
• food dehydrators
• how to freeze leafy greens
• where to source ethical, pasture-raised meat
• my favourite cooking pots and pans
• fermenting crocks
• Aussie pepper, organic spices, freeze-dried fruit
• how to freeze leafy greens
• how to make a grain-free peach clafoutis (base recipe used: Fat Bomb Muffins in Life-Changing Food)
• all about fats and cholesterol (listen to this podcast: https://youtu.be/QW6Sx8PvWKM)
• where to find Jo if you're visiting Far North Queensland

...and more!

Join Jo's FB chat group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/quirkycooking

Visit Jo's website for recipes, videos, workshops and events: www.quirkycooking.com.au 

Welcome to Episode 34 of Quirky Cooking Chats (Season 2), with Jo Whitton: A Healthy Perspective on Fats and Cholesterol, with Dr Damian Kristof

Dr Damian Kristof of Vida Lifestyles (chiropractor, naturopath and nutritionist) answers common questions about fats and cholesterol in this game-changing podcast! Listen in to understand more about the role of cholesterol in the body, why we need it, how it's made, and how we can help our bodies to create the GOOD cholesterol that feeds our brain, hormones, and every cell in our body.

• Should saturated fats be a part of a healthy diet?
• Do they cause high cholesterol and/or heart disease?
• What is the 'cholesterol myth' and how did it become so ingrained in our modern society?
• What DOES cause high cholesterol?
• How can we reduce our LDL and triglyceride levels?
• What traditional diets are 'heart healthy'? Is a vegetarian diet the answer?
• What fats and oils should we use and how?
• What's the link between high cholesterol and diabetes?
• What are the basic principles to keep in mind around the healthy consumption of fats?
• What's some examples of daily meals for a heart-healthy diet?

Damian's Links:

• About Damian Kristof: http://vidalifestyles.com/about/dr-damian-kristof/
• Damo and Marcus' Podcast, 100 Not Out: https://thewellnesscouch.com/shows/100-not-out
• Visit a 'blue zone' with Damo and Marcus! Ikaria Trip: https://100notout.com/ikaria/
• Previous podcast with Damian, "The Philosophy of Health & Wellness": https://youtu.be/24G7ke-9aCo

Jo's Links:

• Quirky Cooking website: https://quirkycooking.com.au/
• The Gut Health Formula program: https://quirkycooking.com.au/gut-health-programs-cooking-classes/
• Jo & Lucie's Luxury Health Retreat in the Italian Alps: https://quirkycooking.com.au/2023/01/luxury-health-retreat-in-the-italian-alps-2023/
• Sign up to Jo's newsletter: https://quirkycooking.mykajabi.com/newsletter-sign-up 

Welcome to Episode 33 of Quirky Cooking Chats (Season 2), with Jo Whitton: Healthy Habits I'm Working on This Year

Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/MPVUIsGU8y8 

This episode follows on from "Healthy Habits for the New Year: Journaling": https://youtu.be/PFn1AuJhF1k

Jo shares some more habits she's personally working on this year, and gives some tips for working into a healthier diet and lifestyle in a doable way.

Helpful Links:

* COMING UP!

• FREE "Gut-Healing Basics" live webinar and cooking class with Jo Whitton & Elyse Comerford - watch the REPLAY (https://bit.ly/guthealingbasics)
• 10th February: "The Gut Health Formula" 8 week program, with Jo Whitton & Elyse Comerford (https://www.wellbellyhealth.com.au/the-gut-health-formula)
• 30th May - 4th June: Gut Health Retreat in the Italian Alps! https://quirkycooking.com.au/2023/01/luxury-health-retreat-in-the-italian-alps-2023/
• Coming soon (date TBA): "Healthy Snacks Cooking Workshop" with Jo Whitton (workshops will be posted here: https://quirkycooking.com.au/live-cooking-workshops/)

Visit www.quirkycooking.com.au for healthy recipes and resources.

Welcome to Episode 32 of Quirky Cooking Chats (Season 2), with Jo Whitton: Healthy Habits for the New Year - Journaling

[Watch this video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/PFn1AuJhF1k]

For the next few weeks Jo will be sharing “Healthy Habits” she's working on this year and her best tips to gradually build good habits into your everyday life.

In this episode, Jo chats about easing into the new year gently, without stressing yourself out with huge expectations and unsustainable goals... just small steps towards good habits that will last a lifetime.

JOURNALING:

"A fresh, new year and a fresh, new journal - what a great feeling! But do you feel a bit hesitant to start writing in your lovely, blank notebook because you don't want to mess it up? It's kind of the same as the feeling of starting a new year… it's so new and unblemished and we don't want to ruin it. But hey, that’s life - messy and beautiful and never quite to plan - right? So let’s just embrace it and jump in! 😊" - Jo Whitton

So, why journal? Journaling is a wonderful creativity boost and also works like a “brain dump”, helping to reduce stress as you get things off you mind and onto paper where you can set it aside until you’re ready to think about it further.

Listen in and learn how journaling helps with mental health, motivation, creativity, organisation and more... and get some ideas for how to begin if you've never done it before.

USEFUL RESOURCES:

Creating Healthy Habits (video): https://youtu.be/GWSZdNPimOg

Gut Health 101 - Elyse Comerford & Jo Whitton (video): https://youtu.be/pe2GV8IIWo0

The Gut Health Formula (8 week program with Elyse & Jo): https://www.wellbellyhealth.com.au/the-gut-health-formula

NAC study (How supplementing with N-acetyl-cysteine can improve motivation: https://mindd.org/research/10-7554-elife-77791/?mc_cid=5f034f9bf4&mc_eid=009475d5fb

Meat Stocks vs Bone Broths (video): https://youtu.be/bo4KLoiKTv4 

FIND HEALTHY RECIPES AT: www.quirkycooking.com.au 

Welcome to Episode 31 of Quirky Cooking Chats (Season 2), with Jo Whitton: Wild Vanilla - Australian vanilla, grown in the rainforest in FNQ

Watch the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/TyzsFmBZjbY

Nestled into the rainforest on the picturesque southern end of the Atherton Tablelands, Far North Queensland, is a very special farm. As you walk down the track from the house, sunlight flickers through the trees and the sound of rainforest birds and cicadas grows louder until it feels like you are immersed in tropical 'surround sound'. There under the rainforest canopy are row after row of lush vanilla vines, propped up by poles and trellises so that the flowers (or beans, depending on the time of year) are easy to access.

As you wander along the rows you may see birds and butterflies flitting about, small spiders dangling from fine threads, busy insects... and a cute puppy bouncing along after the owners and their children. This is an organic, family-owned vanilla plantation, so insects, butterflies, puppies and children are all welcome!

Join Jo as she visits the beautiful Wild Vanilla plantation, owned by her friend Bek and Bek's dad, brother, and their families. Jo's daughter India works as farm manager and enjoys the peace and quiet of spending her mornings amongst the vines and flowers in the rainforest. And Jo loves Wild Vanilla powder and beans so much she now sells them in her online store! (quirkycooking.com.au/shop)

In this episode, you'll learn about:

• the intricate process needed to produce vanilla that is of a consistently high standard
• the process of hand-pollinating the vanilla flowers
• how premium-quality vanilla powder is produced
• the time, effort and love that goes into farming vanilla organically
• and some tips from Bek on how to use vanilla in your cooking - both sweet and savoury!

Bek has promised to share the recipe for Vanilla Coconut Panna Cotta with Berry Coulis (seen in this video), so keep an eye on Jo's blog (www.quirkycooking.com.au) and social media (@jowhitton on Instagram and @quirkycooking on Facebook)!

You can find Wild Vanilla on Facebook and Instagram (@wildvanillafnq) and their website will be up soon.

Bek is also well-known as the founder of Once A Term Cooking - a community where you can learn to meal plan and meal prep for 3 months at a time! (Bek is a teacher as well as a busy mum and business owner, so school-holiday meal prep has been a game changer for her.) Find Once A Term Cooking on Facebook and Instagram, and listen in to a past podcast where Jo interviewed Bek about this fascinating way of preparing ahead for a busy term: https://youtu.be/B3g9Z6vXntQ

You will find lots of recipe ideas and tips at www.quirkycooking.com.au.

Welcome to Episode 30 of Quirky Cooking Chats (Season 2), with Jo Whitton: Healthy Travel Food Ideas, with Nutritional Therapist Tori Collins

Thinking of doing some travelling over the holidays? Wondering how you’ll manage to eat healthy meals while you’re on the road? In this podcast Jo chats with her young friend from the UK, Tori, who is backpacking in Australia for a few months.

Tori is a nutritional therapist with a passion for good food (and good coffee!) and she shares her tips for eating well, on a budget, while travelling. Jo also shares her advice for healthy eating while travelling, gleaned from years of travelling around Australia and overseas for her health and cooking workshops.

Jo and Tori understand the struggle for those travelling with special diet needs. They both eat mostly gluten free (apart from the occasional good quality sourdough!) and Jo has also travelled extensively (and eaten well!) while on the Intro GAPS diet (think no gluten, grains, dairy or starches) - without a kitchen to cook in! Both Jo and Tori have some great tips to help simplify your travel food and keep it healthy.

Topics covered:

• backpacking: travelling light, must-haves for your 'food bag', filtered water bottles, food storage ideas
• cooking in hostel, hotel and BNB kitchens: what to use instead of the teflon pans, tips and tricks for cooking in communal kitchens, food storage, one-pot meals
• buying ingredients in small amounts for 1-2 meals so you don't waste food
• reducing plastic waste: reusable food wraps, snack bags, travel cups, containers and utensils to take with you
• tips for keeping blood sugar levels balanced while travelling to keep energy up and avoid snacking on junk food
• what to buy when you're in the middle of nowhere and can only find truck stops or a small store with few healthy options
• how to order when eating out with special dietary needs
• camping food: ideas for camping without refrigeration
• food to take on flights and coach trips
• keeping it simple and travel food on a budget
• spice it up: seasonings to take with you that will jazz up your meals!

and so much more!!

Give Tori a follow on her new nutrition page on Instagram, @toricollinsnutrition, and keep updated with her travel and food adventures as she explores Australia!

Helpful Resources:

• Listen to a podcast from Jo's archives about travelling in Spain and her tips for travelling and eating out when gluten-free: https://youtu.be/Nr1aqE1RKWA
• Healthy, grain-free granola & breads that are perfect for the road: https://primalalternative.com/
• A delicious nut milk base that doesn't need refrigeration, just whisk into water as needed: https://florafoods.love/pages/mlk
• The filtered water bottle Tori uses: https://www.aussieberkeyshop.com.au/sport-berkey-water-filter-bottle
• For recipe ideas for travel snacks, check out Jo's cookbooks here: https://quirkycooking.com.au/shop/brands/quirky-cooking/life-changing-food-simple-healing-food-quirky-cooking-cookbook-bundle/
• Visit Jo's blog for hundreds of free recipes and tips: https://quirkycooking.com.au/ 

Welcome to Episode 29 of Quirky Cooking Chats (Season 2), with Jo Whitton: Coffee Farming, Fermenting & Flavour - a Visit to Crater Mountain Coffee

Come visit Crater Mountain Coffee on the Atherton Tablelands in Far North Queensland!

In this episode, Jo chats with Lucy Stocker and James Masterman, owners of Australia's highest altitude coffee farm and producers of unique, specialty coffees.

Lucy and James are working with food scientists from Christian Hansen to test various yeasts and cultures for coffee fermentation, and they give us a glimpse into the careful research and science that goes into a good cup of coffee.

Australian (and International) barista champion and coffee trainer at ONA Coffee, Hugh Kelly, is also visiting to share his expertise in producing coffee with optimal quality and unique flavour profiles.

More about Crater Mountain Coffee: https://www.cratermountain.com.au/

More about Christian Hansen and their food cultures and probiotics: https://www.chr-hansen.com/en/

More about Hugh Kelly: https://www.instagram.com/hugh_t_kelly/

Visit Jo's website: https://quirkycooking.com.au/