Food Heals – Details, episodes & analysis

Get ready to fall in love with vegan Italian food. In this delicious episode of Food Heals, Allison sits down with Chef Tara Punzone, founder of LA's award-winning vegan restaurant Pura Vita, and renowned author Gene Stone (Forks Over Knives, How Not to Die) to talk about their brand new cookbook, Vegana Italiana.

From mouthwatering pastas and creamy vegan ricotta to tiramisu you'll dream about, this episode explores how simple, clean ingredients and a little love can create unforgettable meals that are as good for you as they are for the planet.

You'll discover:

• The story behind the first vegan Italian organic restaurant in the U.S. and how it survived Covid and thrived

• How Tara and Gene teamed up to bring her recipes and stories to life in Vegana Italiana

• The secret to making authentic Italian flavors without dairy or meat (hint: it starts with olive oil and San Marzano tomatoes)

• Why real Italian food makes you feel good instead of bloated and how ingredients grown in Italy differ from those in the U.S.

• What "biodynamic wine" actually means (and why you'll never drink the same way again)

• Tara's top favorite recipes from the book, including her vegan tiramisu, handmade gnocchi, and addictive mozzarella

• How to stock your "Essential Vegan Italian Pantry" for success

• The mindset shifts that helped Tara manifest her dream restaurant and now, her dream cookbook

Listen now to learn how to cook, eat, and live the Italian vegan way, full of passion, flavor, and love.

We've all heard the promises of The Secret. If you think positive thoughts and raise your frequency, you can have, be, and do anything you want. But what happens when your nervous system is stuck in trauma and doesn't feel safe enough to receive? That's when manifestation stops working and survival mode takes over.

In this episode of Food Heals, Allison Melody chats with Empowerment Strategist JJ Flizanes to explore the 4 survival states, how they block our manifestation, and how to move from trauma to transformation.

Fight is when your body gears up to defend at all costs. Think Katniss Everdeen in The Hunger Games or Will Smith at the Oscars yelling, "Keep my wife's name out of your f--king mouth."

Flight is when your system tells you to run or avoid the situation entirely. Scooby-Doo and Shaggy bolting from monsters. Forrest Gump's iconic "Run, Forrest, run." Meredith Marks  disengaging.

Freeze is when you shut down, dissociate, or feel paralyzed. Think Ophelia in Hamlet, frozen and silenced by grief. Harry Potter stunned into stillness when Voldemort reappears.

Fawn is when you abandon your own needs in order to appease or please others. Kyle Richards feeling guilty when Kathy has to apologize to her, Sansa Stark pledging her loyalty to King Joffrey in Game of Thrones just to survive.

In today's episode, you will learn:

• Why traditional Law of Attraction teachings stop at the mind and miss the body

• How trauma and unprocessed emotions can keep you stuck in survival states

• Tools to shift from survival into safety so you can finally align with your desires

• The exact steps JJ takes herself when she feels triggered and needs to reset

Listen now to discover how to move from survival mode into flow so you can finally create the life you have been vision-boarding. Get tickets to JJ's event October 17–19 and save $250 with the code FOODHEALS250 at jjflizanes.com/unleash.

If you've ever felt powerless in the face of cravings, you're not alone. But what if you could break the cycle of emotional eating, self-sabotage, and guilt—for good?

In this episode of Food Heals, Allison Melody and Sexy Fit Vegan founder Ella Magers dive deep into The Peace Process—a 5-step framework designed to help you pause, reflect, and make empowered choices around food.

Ella walks Alli through the process in real-time, leading to a massive aha moment that could change the way you think about food forever. Plus, Allison and Ella share personal stories of overcoming cravings, rewriting limiting beliefs, and learning to trust their bodies.

✔️ The Peace Process: A step-by-step method to break free from cravings and emotional eating
✔️ How to shift from autopilot reactions to conscious, empowered choices
✔️ A behind-the-scenes moment where Allison experiences a powerful breakthrough

If you're ready to take control of your eating habits without restriction or willpower battles, this episode is for you!

🎧 Tune in now to discover how The Peace Process can help you finally feel free around food!

🌱 Learn more about Ella at sexyfitvegan.com.
💖 Join the Food Freedom Blueprint with Ella at https://allison.sexyfitvegan.com.

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

Organifi

Organifi, is a line of organic superfood blends that offers plant-based nutrition made with high-quality ingredients. Organifi takes pride in offering the best tasting superfood products on the market at a price that works out to less than $3 a day. Go to www.organifi.com/foodheals and use code foodheals for 20% off.

Did you know that chronic disease is the number one thing killing us in 2023? Noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) kill 41 million people each year worldwide, equivalent to 71% of all deaths globally. That statistic is staggering. Don't become a statistic! Instead listen to today's episode of Food Heals with Katherine Maslen, Naturopath and Founder of The Shift Clinics in Australia.

When addressing the cause of chronic disease, the number one thing we need to talk about is gut health. What do cancer, autoimmune diseases, allergies, mental health and fertility all have in common? The gut. 

That's right! Your microbiome does everything from digesting food to absorbing minerals to regulating your immune system and your hormones. All disease begins in the gut… and that's where healing begins as well! So in this week's episode we couldn't wait to interview an international expert on the topic of gut health, Katherine Maslen.

Katherine got into nutrition after witnessing a close friend's journey through lupus, an autoimmune disease. As she got sicker, her medicine cabinet grew, yet none of these medications had any positive effect on her health. She passed away at just 52. 

Katherine knew there just had to be a better way. This is what led her to create the Shift Clinic, an international wellness company that is changing the face of health and empowering people to take control of their healing journey. 

Check out Katherine's book Get Well Stay Well to discover the secrets to get back in touch with your body and start thriving. 

Listen to the Shift Podcast. 

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

True Leaf Market

Since 1974 True Leaf Market has been the choice of over a million growers for Heirloom and Organic garden seeds.

True Leaf Market offers a great selection of cover crop seeds, including their all purpose garden cover crop mix: their most popular cover crop seeds for home gardeners.

Order Online at TrueLeafMarket.com, use promo code FOODHEALS10, and get $10 off your order of $50 or more.

Organifi

Organifi, is a line of organic superfood blends that offers plant based nutrition made with high quality ingredients. Organifi takes pride in offering the best tasting superfood products on the market at a price that works out to less than $3 a day. You can experience Organifi's high quality superfoods without breaking the bank.

Go to www.organifi.com/foodheals and use code foodheals for 20% off.

Just Thrive Health Probiotics 

A Proven, Potent and Effective Spore Probiotic to Help You Be Your Healthier You. Guarantees survivability through the stomach & upper digestive system. Just Thrive's breakthrough, award-winning probiotic contains the proprietary strain, Bacillus Indicus HU36®, which produces antioxidants directly in the digestive system where they can be best absorbed by your body.

Go to www.justthrivehealth.com, use the coupon code foodheals, get 20% off.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What is Vitamin L and why is it important? What are cover crops and what do we need to know about them? How can we grow wheatgrass, sprouts, microgreens and more at home?

In episode 412 of Food Heals, Allison Melody interviews Parker Garlitz, co-founder of True Leaf Market, an independent non-GMO seed company that has been curating premium seed brands since 1974 to answer these questions and more.

Parker says, the modern diet often lacks food that is actually alive when you eat it, as even grocery store produce has been off the vine for days to weeks before it gets to you. Living foods such as sprouts, microgreens, wheatgrass juice, and fresh garden produce eaten right after harvest can provide valuable nutrition.

"We believe that everyone should have access to indoor and outdoor growing," said Garlitz. "We want to build and rebuild communities through growing by making it an accessible practice for all. We hope everyone can experience the joy of growing."

Garlitz also discussed the benefits of growing cover crops, which he says is the most affordable and naturally sustainable way to revitalize garden soil for the coming growing season.

True Leaf Market curates premium brands such as Mountain Valley Seeds for conventional, Sustainable Seeds for organics, Kitazawa Seeds for Asian varieties, Mountain Valley Hybrids for F1 varieties, and Handy Pantry for sprouting. The company is dedicated to helping anyone begin growing and provides customer support and online growing information.

"We are intent on building strong relationships with suppliers, customers, and the home garden seed industry alike, to ensure that we are providing the best seed possible," said Garlitz. "We hope you'll make us your seed company of choice."

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

True Leaf Market

Since 1974 True Leaf Market has been the choice of over a million growers for Heirloom and Organic garden seeds.

True Leaf Market offers a great selection of cover crop seeds, including their all purpose garden cover crop mix: their most popular cover crop seeds for home gardeners.

Order Online at TrueLeafMarket.com, use promo code FOODHEALS10, and get $10 off your order of $50 or more.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if meal prepping, working out, and biohacking your health could be easy? That's what today's guests will help you do. Learn how to workout for weight loss, meal prep like a boss, and bio-hack your health with simple things you can add to your healthy routine.

This is part two of our healthy AF series where I am featuring some of the best content from Healthy AF which is my total transformation program that you can join right now.

You'll get access to all the trainings plus weekly live coaching calls Go to http://foodhealsnation.com/transformation and sign up for just $333 and lets get healthy AF together.

First up we've got Fitness coach and MMA Fighter Ryan White, then we'll hear from plant-based meal planning expert Stephanie Dreyer, and finally Allison Melody will be sharing some of her favorite bio hacks for your health.

Ryan White's lifelong struggle with his weight led to him devoting a lot of time to learning the in's and out's of change psychology so he could better both himself and his many clients. You can check out his book Getting off the Rollercoaster on Amazon. 

Stephanie Dreyer is a freelance writer, author, and marketing consultant. She is also the founder of VeegMama, where she helps families cook and eat healthier. Get dinner on the table in about 30 minutes each night with our done-for-you meal plans, prep schedules and grocery lists. You can get started for just $1 over at foodhealsnation.com/batch.

If you're interested in overcoming emotional eating and manifesting true health by setting healthy boundaries and cultivating self-love, join the Healthy AF Total Transformation program. We offer a special deal for the next 2months, which includes access to all the previous classes and recordings plus 2 months of live coaching calls with us and other experts for the months of March and April. For only $333. Sign up at Foodhealsnation.com/Transformation.

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

Just Thrive Health Probiotics 

A Proven, Potent and Effective Spore Probiotic to Help You Be Your Healthier You. Guarantees survivability through the stomach & upper digestive system. Just Thrive's breakthrough, award-winning probiotic contains the proprietary strain, Bacillus Indicus HU36®, which produces antioxidants directly in the digestive system where they can be best absorbed by your body.

Go to www.justthrivehealth.com, use the coupon code foodheals, get 20% off.

CURED Nutrition

When the world feels crazy and chaotic, remember that *you* don't have to. You deserve to take control of your mental and physical health. CURED Nutrition is trying to make it easier for you to do exactly that. Formulated with their trinity of ingredients – a blend of full-spectrum cannabinoids, functional mushrooms, and adaptogens – Serenity gummies are your answer to finding the calm in every storm.

You can grab your CURED favorites for 20% off by visiting www.curednutrition.com and using coupon code foodheals at checkout.

True Leaf Market

Since 1974 True Leaf Market has been the choice of over a million growers for Heirloom and Organic garden seeds.

True Leaf Market offers a great selection of cover crop seeds, including their all purpose garden cover crop mix: their most popular cover crop seeds for home gardeners.

Order Online at TrueLeafMarket.com, use promo code FOODHEALS10, and get $10 off your order of $50 or more.

Organifi

Organifi, is a line of organic superfood blends that offers plant based nutrition made with high quality ingredients. Organifi takes pride in offering the best tasting superfood products on the market at a price that works out to less than $3 a day. You can experience Organifi's high quality superfoods without breaking the bank.

Go to www.organifi.com/foodheals and use code foodheals for 20% off.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emotional eating is a common phenomenon that many people struggle with, but often goes unnoticed. It involves turning to food to cope with difficult emotions, rather than eating because you are hungry. Emotional eating can lead to consuming more calories than your body needs or can use, which can cause health problems. However, there are ways to overcome emotional eating and manifest true health by setting healthy boundaries and cultivating self-love.

In this 2-part series, we will discuss mindful eating, emotional healing, self-doubt, and setting healthy boundaries. We'll explore some behaviors and thought patterns that may increase your likelihood of becoming an emotional eater, and how to change them.

In the first two clips, Allison will discuss an overview of how to get healthy AF, then we'll talk about how to become aware of your emotional eating habits and how to change them with a food and mood journal.

Then, we have JJ Flizanes discussing self-doubt, avoiding self-sabotage, emotional healing, and the law of attraction. JJ says we can't create long-lasting change when we are doing it from a place of "I'm not good enough" or "I'll be good enough when I am fit, healthy, thin." Instead, she encourages us to get healthy AF from a place of self-love.

Learn more about JJ at JJFlizanes.com.

Finally, we end with Laura Powers talking about how to set healthy boundaries. Laura emphasizes that whatever we are choosing, we get sent more of that. Therefore, it's essential to show the universe what we want more of by creating more of that in our lives every day.

Learn more about Laura at HealingPowers.net

If you're interested in overcoming emotional eating and manifesting true health by setting healthy boundaries and cultivating self-love, join the Healthy AF Total Transformation program. We offer a special deal for the next 2months, which includes access to all the previous classes and recordings plus 2 months of live coaching calls with us and other experts for the months of March and April. For only $333. Sign up at Foodhealsnation.com/Transformation.

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

CURED Nutrition

When the world feels crazy and chaotic, remember that *you* don't have to. You deserve to take control of your mental and physical health. CURED Nutrition is trying to make it easier for you to do exactly that. Formulated with their trinity of ingredients – a blend of full-spectrum cannabinoids, functional mushrooms, and adaptogens – Serenity gummies are your answer to finding the calm in every storm.

You can grab your CURED favorites for 20% off by visiting www.curednutrition.com and using coupon code foodheals at checkout.

Athletic Greens

Who else wants free Vitamin D for a year? Say goodbye to piles of pills and countless powders. One daily serving of AG1 delivers a potent blend of 9 health products—a multivitamin, minerals, probiotics, adaptogens and more. It's the comprehensive, foundational nutrition you need!

Go to AthleticGreens.com/foodheals to get your FREE One Year Supply of Vitamin D3+K2, 5 Travel Packs using the code foodheals.

Just Thrive Health Probiotics 

A Proven, Potent and Effective Spore Probiotic to Help You Be Your Healthier You. Guarantees survivability through the stomach & upper digestive system. Just Thrive's breakthrough, award-winning probiotic contains the proprietary strain, Bacillus Indicus HU36®, which produces antioxidants directly in the digestive system where they can be best absorbed by your body.

Go to www.justhrivehealth.com, use the coupon code foodheals15, get 20% off.

Organifi

Organifi, is a line of organic superfood blends that offers plant based nutrition made with high quality ingredients. Organifi takes pride in offering the best tasting superfood products on the market at a price that works out to less than $3 a day. You can experience Organifi's high quality superfoods without breaking the bank.

Go to www.organifi.com/foodheals and use code foodheals for 20% off.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

His shoes were hanging off the ledge and he was about to let go. He was trapped in a deep depression. At this crossroads moment of his life, he had a realization - he would let his depression make something of him or he could make something of it. He chose the latter and Cured Nutrition was born

This is the story of today's guest, Joe Sheehey. 

What are cannabinoids and how can they help us when it comes to sleep, depression, and anxiety? Why would an aerospace engineer leave corporate America to help people heal naturally and elevate their consciousness? Answers to these questions and more on today's episode of Food Heals.

Joe Sheehey is the Founder and CEO of CURED Nutrition, a leading cannabinoid wellness brand. Joe, a former NASA contributing aerospace engineer, shares his personal journey of leaving corporate America and committing to a future of health that looks much different than the past.

Joe's life was governed by a strict set of rules and adherence to socially-acceptable paths until he found himself trapped in a deep depression. At a crossroads moment, he realized that he could let his depression make something of him or he could make something of it. He chose the latter and CURED Nutrition was born.

Joe's mission is to change the narrative around cannabis and elevate consciousness on all fronts, guiding others towards a radical sense of self-actualization. He shares his story of resilience, perseverance, and renewed self-awareness, triumphing through periods of anxiety, depression, and suicidal attempts.

In this episode, Joe discusses cannabinoids and how they can help with sleep, depression, and anxiety. He also talks about why he left his career as an aerospace engineer to help people heal naturally and elevate their consciousness. Listeners can check out CURED Nutrition at curednutrition.com and use the code "foodheals" to save 20% off their order. Tune in to this inspiring episode to learn more about Joe's journey and his commitment to pushing boundaries and changing the future of health.

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

CURED Nutrition

When the world feels crazy and chaotic, remember that *you* don't have to. You deserve to take control of your mental and physical health. CURED Nutrition is trying to make it easier for you to do exactly that. Formulated with their trinity of ingredients – a blend of full-spectrum cannabinoids, functional mushrooms, and adaptogens – Serenity gummies are your answer to finding the calm in every storm.

CURED is extending an exclusive offer to you, my listeners. You can grab your CURED favorites for 20% off by visiting www.curednutrition.com and using coupon code foodheals at checkout.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

What if it were possible to create a super convenient, organic, nutrient-dense, delicious, vegan food delivery company without compromising on taste, quality, or sustainability? Sounds like a dream right? Well, my guest today has made this dream into a reality with his company BIO RAW. I met Oren Epstein years ago at Expo West and have had the pleasure of watching his company not only grow but flourish.

Oren shares his journey of building BIO RAW from the ground up at just 24 years old, and how he scaled the company to over nine figures while maintaining integrity in his business operations. He also talks about the challenges he faced while creating one of the world's first zero-waste production facilities, which is also certified organic, gluten-free, nut-free, climate-neutral certified, and 100% green-powered.

In this episode, Oren discusses the importance of creating a business that aligns with your values, and how BIO RAW is committed to sustainability, social responsibility, and making a positive impact on the world. He also shares his experience as a consultant and speaker, helping other brands launch and expand while becoming forces for good in their own right.

So, join us as we dive into Oren's inspiring story of creating a vegan, organic, convenient, sustainable food company that is making a difference in the world.

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

CURED Nutrition

When the world feels crazy and chaotic, remember that *you* don't have to. You deserve to take control of your mental and physical health. CURED Nutrition is trying to make it easier for you to do exactly that. Formulated with their trinity of ingredients – a blend of full-spectrum cannabinoids, functional mushrooms, and adaptogens – Serenity gummies are your answer to finding the calm in every storm.

CURED is extending an exclusive offer to you, my listeners. You can grab your CURED favorites for 20% off by visiting www.curednutrition.com and using coupon code foodheals at checkout.

Organifi

Organifi, is a line of organic superfood blends that offers plant based nutrition made with high quality ingredients. Organifi takes pride in offering the best tasting superfood products on the market at a price that works out to less than $3 a day. You can experience Organifi's high quality superfoods without breaking the bank.

Go to www.organifi.com/foodheals and use code foodheals for 20% off your order.

Just Thrive Health Probiotics 

A Proven, Potent and Effective Spore Probiotic to Help You Be Your Healthier You. Guarantees survivability through the stomach & upper digestive system. Just Thrive's breakthrough, award-winning probiotic contains the proprietary strain, Bacillus Indicus HU36®, which produces antioxidants directly in the digestive system where they can be best absorbed by your body.

Go to www.justhrivehealth.com, use the coupon code foodheals15, get 15% off your first order, and add a spore-based probiotic to your healing and detox routine today.

Athletic Greens

Who else wants free Vitamin D for a year? Say goodbye to piles of pills and countless powders. One daily serving of AG1 delivers a potent blend of 9 health products—a multivitamin, minerals, probiotics, adaptogens and more. It's the comprehensive, foundational nutrition you need with the convenience your life demands.

Go to AthleticGreens.com/foodheals to get your FREE One Year Supply of Vitamin D3+K2, 5 Travel Packs using the code foodheals.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Today we've got the health hazards that are not making enough headlines and what you need to know to keep yourself healthy after a disaster. Then I'm talking about the future of plant-based protein with Jonathan Golan and how his company Brevel is making microalgae for the masses.

How to Detox After A Chemical Exposure:

It's been 13 days since a train carrying toxic chemicals derailed in East Palestine. Fires broke out and residents evacuated. Officials had to burn off a dangerous chemical called vinyl chloride before it could explode, causing a toxic pillar of smoke to tower over the town for days. Unfortunately, the aftermath of the accident is still being felt, with dead fish appearing in the creeks, and local residents reporting sudden deaths of chickens and illnesses in their pets.

If you have been affected by this disaster, it is imperative that you take your health back into your own hands and start a detox protocol.

Make sure to drink filtered water, which can remove some of the contaminants. Using an air purifier in your home with an UltraHEPA filter, can also help reduce exposure to the dangerous chemicals in the air. Taking supplements like nascent iodine, superfoods, and probiotics can assist your body in the detoxings. We may not be able to control the disaster itself, but we can control our own health and safety by taking steps to limit our exposure to dangerous chemicals.

The Future of Protein is Microalgae:

Yonatan Golan is passionate about making the world a better place through sustainable nutrition, social change and cutting edge science.

With his brothers he founded the company Brevel. Brevel makes microalgae alternative protein which is affordable, flavor and color neutral, highly functional, sustainable and scalable. Brevel is providing microalgae based alternative protein which is affordable, flavor and color neutral, highly functional, sustainable and at consistent and scalable production.

Today we discuss why the future of protein is microalgae, colonizing Mars, and the truth about The Martian film with Matt Damon.

Thank You to Our Sponsors!

Organifi

Organifi, is a line of organic superfood blends that offers plant based nutrition made with high quality ingredients. Organifi takes pride in offering the best tasting superfood products on the market at a price that works out to less than $3 a day.

Go to www.organifi.com/foodheals and use code foodheals for 20% off your order.

Just Thrive Health Probiotics 

A Proven, Potent and Effective Spore Probiotic to Help You Be Your Healthier You. Guarantees survivability through the stomach & upper digestive system. Just Thrive's breakthrough, award-winning probiotic contains the proprietary strain, Bacillus Indicus HU36®, which produces antioxidants directly in the digestive system where they can be best absorbed by your body.

Go to www.justhrivehealth.com, use the coupon code foodheals15, get 15% off your first order.

CURED Nutrition

Rise is a nootropic formulated by CURED's very own in-house clinical herbalist. It contains a blend of Lion's Mane and Cordyceps mushrooms, Rhodiola, Ginseng, and Broad Spectrum CBD. This blend of functional mushrooms, adaptogens and cannabinoids will leave your brain on fire and your to-do list asking for more.

CURED is extending an exclusive offer to you!. Grab Rise for 10% off by visiting www.curednutrition.com & usecoupon code foodheals at checkout.

Athletic Greens

Who else wants free Vitamin D for a year? Say goodbye to piles of pills and countless powders. One daily serving of AG1 delivers a potent blend of 9 health products—a multivitamin, minerals, probiotics, adaptogens and more. It's the comprehensive, foundational nutrition you need with the convenience your life demands.

Go to AthleticGreens.com/foodheals to get your FREE One Year Supply of Vitamin D3+K2, 5 Travel Packs with code foodheals.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices