Pay the Farmer, Not the Pharmacy

Meera & Ashok Vasudevan
  • 5.0 (4)
  • NUTRITION
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Meera & Ashok Vasudevan bring 50+ years of experience as leaders in the Plant-based & Natural Food industry. Their entrepreneurial journey continues with the recent acquisition of 2 heritage brands- Annapurna & Captain CookIn this timely podcast series titled "Pay the farmer, Not the Pharmacy" they show you how to unleash the magic in your kitchen with evidence-based tips & tricks that improve digestion, enhance gut health, build immunity and provide simple solutions to affordable wellness. Pay the Farmer, Not the pharmacy. Brought to you by CSAW, the Centre for the Spread of Affordable Wellness.   Also, included are other talks, interviews and discussions of Ashok Vasudevan on a range of issues, not only related to food to wellness 

  1. 2D AGO

    Kitchen Pharmacy ( Heart & Circulation) 1/8—The Beating Center

    Share your thoughts Your heart beats 100,000 times a day. It pumps blood through 60,000 miles of vessels. And the foods you eat can either protect it or slowly destroy it. The good news? Your kitchen is full of heart healers—and the science is rock solid. In Episode 2 of "The Magic of the Kitchen Pharmacy," Ashok and Meera dive into the first pillar of healing: Heart and Circulation. From garlic that thins the blood naturally to beetroot that opens blood vessels, from omega-3 rich flaxseeds to polyphenol-packed olive oil—this episode covers the evidence-based foods that keep your cardiovascular system humming. Organized by ingredient type: herbs and spices (garlic, turmeric, cayenne, ginger), nuts and seeds (walnuts, flaxseeds), fruits (pomegranate, berries), vegetables (beetroot, leafy greens), and healing liquids (olive oil, green tea). Plus a surprise guest—dark chocolate. Your heart works hard for you. Time to return the favor—from your kitchen. Hashtags #KitchenPharmacy #PayTheFarmer #HeartHealth #CardiovascularHealth #8PillarsOfHealing #FoodAsMedicine #Garlic #Turmeric #Beetroot #OliveOil #Flaxseeds #HeartHealthyFoods #NaturalHealing #EvidenceBasedNutrition #WellnessPodcast #CSAW #AshokVasudevan #MeeraVasudevan #PayTheFarmerNotThePharmacy Thanks for tuning in to "Pay the Farmer, Not the Pharmacy"! Hosted by Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Stay Connected #PayTheFarmerNotThePharmacy #PlantBasedWellness #NaturalFood #AffordableWellness #GutHealth #ImmunityBoost #NutritionTips #CSAW (Centre for the Spread of Affordable Wellness) #Meeravasudevan #Ashokvasudevan https://umaglobalfoods.com/ https://csaw.co https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/pay-the-farmer-not-the-pharmacy/id1512934794 https://open.spotify.com/show/34nzNQQ62O8tygMaut2h8V

    6 min

  2. FEB 9

    Kitchen Pharmacy Series (Opener) 0/8—Your Grandmother Was Right

    Share your thoughts Your grandmother wasn't guessing. She was practicing medicine—she just called it dinner. Turmeric for inflammation. Ginger for nausea. Honey for a cough. Garlic for everything. These weren't old wives' tales. They were clinical wisdom, passed down through kitchens for centuries. And now, modern science is finally catching up. Welcome to "The Magic of the Kitchen Pharmacy"—a 10-part series exploring the healing power of everyday foods, herbs, and spices. But this isn't just about cures. It's about two sides of the same coin: nutrition and remedy. Nutrition is wellness—the daily nourishment that prevents illness. Remedy is what you reach for when something's already off. The same kitchen serves both purposes. In this opening episode, Ashok and Meera introduce the 8 Pillars of Healing: Heart & Circulation, Brain & Cognitive Health, Sleep & Stress, Immunity & Respiratory, Digestion & Gut Health, Blood Sugar & Metabolism, Skin, Hair & Beauty, and Bones, Joints & Pain. Within each pillar, we'll explore healing ingredients organized the way your grandmother would—by type: herbs and spices, nuts and seeds, grains and millets, lentils and pulses, fruits, vegetables, and healing liquids. Because that's how real kitchens work. This is food as medicine. This is paying the farmer, not the pharmacy. Welcome to the Kitchen Pharmacy. Hashtags #KitchenPharmacy #PayTheFarmer #8PillarsOfHealing #FoodAsMedicine #NutritionAndRemedy #AncientRemedies #NaturalHealing #HealingFoods #HerbsAndSpices #NutsAndSeeds #GrainsAndMillets #EvidenceBasedNutrition #HolisticHealth #PlantMedicine #WellnessPodcast #PayTheFarmerPodcast #CSAW #AshokVasudevan #MeeraVasudevan #PayTheFarmerNotThePharmacy   Thanks for tuning in to "Pay the Farmer, Not the Pharmacy"! Hosted by Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Stay Connected #PayTheFarmerNotThePharmacy #PlantBasedWellness #NaturalFood #AffordableWellness #GutHealth #ImmunityBoost #NutritionTips #CSAW (Centre for the Spread of Affordable Wellness) #Meeravasudevan #Ashokvasudevan https://umaglobalfoods.com/ https://csaw.co https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/pay-the-farmer-not-the-pharmacy/id1512934794 https://open.spotify.com/show/34nzNQQ62O8tygMaut2h8V

    7 min

  3. FEB 2

    Quarter, Quarter, Half Or The Balanced Plate, Part 4: The Evening Plate — Dinner Done Right

    Share your thoughts Dinner is where families gather, traditions are passed down, and the day finally slows down. It's also the meal where seniors often eat alone, where busy parents throw together whatever's fastest, and where late-night eating can wreck tomorrow's sleep. The evening plate matters—for every generation. In the finale of "The Balanced Plate" series, Ashok and Meera bring Quarter Quarter Half home to the dinner table. We cover the science of dinner timing, why protein becomes MORE important as we age, and kitchen hacks that make balanced dinners easy—whether you're cooking for a family or just yourself. This episode covers: why eating late disrupts sleep, the one-pot wonder approach to balanced dinners, stir-fries as the ultimate weeknight hero, cooking for one without the sadness, and how to make dinner the meal that brings generations together. From khichdi to sheet pan dinners, from daal-roti to Mediterranean soups—dinner done right, for everyone. #TheBalancedPlate #PayTheFarmer #QuarterQuarterHalf #HealthyDinner #DinnerIdeas #OnePotMeals #SeniorNutrition #FamilyDinner #MyHealthyPlateSG #HealthierSG #HPBsg #GlobalCuisine #WholeFoodNutrition #WellnessPodcast #PayTheFarmerPodcast #CSAW #AshokVasudevan #MeeraVasudevan #PayTheFarmerNotThePharmacy   Thanks for tuning in to "Pay the Farmer, Not the Pharmacy"! Hosted by Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Stay Connected #PayTheFarmerNotThePharmacy #PlantBasedWellness #NaturalFood #AffordableWellness #GutHealth #ImmunityBoost #NutritionTips #CSAW (Centre for the Spread of Affordable Wellness) #Meeravasudevan #Ashokvasudevan https://umaglobalfoods.com/ https://csaw.co https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/pay-the-farmer-not-the-pharmacy/id1512934794 https://open.spotify.com/show/34nzNQQ62O8tygMaut2h8V

    6 min

  4. JAN 26

    Quarter, Quarter, Half or The Balanced Plate, Part 3: The Midday Plate — Lunch That Works

    Share your thoughts A sad desk sandwich. Fast food grabbed between meetings. Or worse—skipping lunch entirely and crashing by 3pm. For working people everywhere, lunch is where good intentions meet brutal schedules. Convenience wins, balance loses. In Part 3 of "The Balanced Plate" series, Ashok and Meera tackle the midday meal—the one that determines whether your afternoon is productive or a fog of fatigue and cravings. The secret? A little planning goes a long way. This episode covers: why lunch affects your afternoon energy more than coffee ever will, the simple "bowl formula" that makes Quarter Quarter Half easy, global lunch ideas from Asian rice bowls to Indian daal-rice to Mediterranean grain salads, and meal prep strategies that take 30 minutes on Sunday and save you all week. Stop letting lunch happen to you. Start building it. Hashtags #TheBalancedPlate #PayTheFarmer #QuarterQuarterHalf #HealthyLunch #MealPrep #LunchIdeas #MyHealthyPlateSG #HealthierSG #HPBsg #BowlFood #WorkLunch #GlobalCuisine #WholeFoodNutrition #WellnessPodcast #PayTheFarmerPodcast #CSAW #AshokVasudevan #MeeraVasudevan #PayTheFarmerNotThePharmacy Thanks for tuning in to "Pay the Farmer, Not the Pharmacy"! Hosted by Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Stay Connected #PayTheFarmerNotThePharmacy #PlantBasedWellness #NaturalFood #AffordableWellness #GutHealth #ImmunityBoost #NutritionTips #CSAW (Centre for the Spread of Affordable Wellness) #Meeravasudevan #Ashokvasudevan https://umaglobalfoods.com/ https://csaw.co https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/pay-the-farmer-not-the-pharmacy/id1512934794 https://open.spotify.com/show/34nzNQQ62O8tygMaut2h8V

    5 min

  5. JAN 19

    Quarter, Quarter, Half or The Balanced Plate, Part 2: The Morning Plate — Rethinking Breakfast

    Share your thoughts Cereal and milk. Toast and jam. A muffin with your coffee. For most of the Western world, breakfast is where the balanced plate goes to die—75% carbs, minimal protein, vegetables nowhere in sight. But here's the thing: your body just spent eight hours in rest mode with stable blood sugar. Why spike it first thing in the morning? In Part 2 of "The Balanced Plate" series, Ashok and Meera tackle the most unbalanced meal of the day. We explore why the typical Western breakfast sets you up for energy crashes and mid-morning cravings—and how cultures around the world have figured out a better way. This episode covers: why breakfast is the hardest meal to balance, the blood sugar science of morning eating, and Quarter Quarter Half breakfast ideas from Asian, Indian, Mediterranean, and Western kitchens—including congee, poha, shakshuka, and overnight oats done right. Vegetables at breakfast sounds strange? Most of the world has been doing it for centuries. Hashtags #TheBalancedPlate #PayTheFarmer #QuarterQuarterHalf #BreakfastIdeas #HealthyBreakfast #BloodSugarBalance #MyHealthyPlateSG #HealthierSG #HPBsg #GlobalCuisine #MorningFuel #WholeFoodNutrition #WellnessPodcast #PayTheFarmerPodcast #CSAW #AshokVasudevan #MeeraVasudevan #PayTheFarmerNotThePharmacy Thanks for tuning in to "Pay the Farmer, Not the Pharmacy"! Hosted by Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Stay Connected #PayTheFarmerNotThePharmacy #PlantBasedWellness #NaturalFood #AffordableWellness #GutHealth #ImmunityBoost #NutritionTips #CSAW (Centre for the Spread of Affordable Wellness) #Meeravasudevan #Ashokvasudevan https://umaglobalfoods.com/ https://csaw.co https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/pay-the-farmer-not-the-pharmacy/id1512934794 https://open.spotify.com/show/34nzNQQ62O8tygMaut2h8V

    5 min

  6. JAN 12

    The Balanced Plate or Quarter, Quarter, Half - Part 1: A Smarter Way to Build Your Plate

    Share your thoughts The food pyramid. The inverted pyramid. Michelle Obama's MyPlate. Low-fat, then low-carb, then keto, now carnivore. American nutrition guidelines have kept us spinning for decades—a new shape every few years. But what if the answer isn't another US framework, but one from Singapore? In this first episode of "The Balanced Plate" series, Ashok and Meera introduce Singapore's "My Healthy Plate" approach—also known as Quarter Quarter Half. One quarter wholegrains. One quarter protein. Half vegetables and fruits. No calorie counting. No kitchen scales. Just look at your plate. This episode covers: the dizzying history of American dietary guidelines, why Michelle Obama's MyPlate was a step forward but still had issues, the elegant simplicity of Singapore's Quarter Quarter Half framework, and how this approach reflects generations of food wisdom from cultures around the world. Coming up in the series: we'll apply this framework to breakfast, lunch, and dinner—with ideas spanning Asian, Indian, Mediterranean, and Western cuisines. Hashtags #TheBalancedPlate #PayTheFarmerNotthe Pharmacy #QuarterQuarterHalf #MyHealthyPlateSG #NutritionSimplified #WholeFoodNutrition #PlantForward #HealthyEating #GlobalCuisine #FoodWisdom #WellnessPodcast #MeeraVasudevan #AshokVasudevan #CSAW #HealthHubSG Thanks for tuning in to "Pay the Farmer, Not the Pharmacy"! Hosted by Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Stay Connected #PayTheFarmerNotThePharmacy #PlantBasedWellness #NaturalFood #AffordableWellness #GutHealth #ImmunityBoost #NutritionTips #CSAW (Centre for the Spread of Affordable Wellness) #Meeravasudevan #Ashokvasudevan https://umaglobalfoods.com/ https://csaw.co https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/pay-the-farmer-not-the-pharmacy/id1512934794 https://open.spotify.com/show/34nzNQQ62O8tygMaut2h8V

    7 min

  7. JAN 5

    Break the Inflammation Cycle, Part 4: The Exit — Anti-Inflammatory Eating That Actually Works

    Share your thoughts This is the 4th and the final episode in  the inflammation cycle: stress hijacks your cravings, wrecks your sleep, and pushes you toward quick fixes that make everything worse. Now it's time for the exit. In Part 4 of "Break the Inflammation Cycle," Ashok and Meera break down anti-inflammatory eating—not as a restrictive diet, but as a direction. It's not about perfection. It's about adding the foods that calm your system and crowding out the ones that don't. This episode covers: what chronic inflammation actually does to your body, the four pillars of anti-inflammatory eating (omega-3s, polyphenols, fiber, and fermented foods), sneaky inflammation triggers beyond obvious junk food, and how to build an anti-inflammatory plate without overthinking it. You've got the knowledge. Now run your own experiment. #BreakTheInflammationCycle #PayTheFarmer #AntiInflammatory #FunctionalFood #GutHealth #Omega3 #Polyphenols #FermentedFoods #WholeFoodNutrition #NutritionScience #WellnessPodcast #HealthyEating #FoodIsMedicine #PayTheFarmerPodcast #MeeraVasudevan #AshokVasudevan #CSAW Thanks for tuning in to "Pay the Farmer, Not the Pharmacy"! Hosted by Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Stay Connected #PayTheFarmerNotThePharmacy #PlantBasedWellness #NaturalFood #AffordableWellness #GutHealth #ImmunityBoost #NutritionTips #CSAW (Centre for the Spread of Affordable Wellness) #Meeravasudevan #Ashokvasudevan https://umaglobalfoods.com/ https://csaw.co https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/pay-the-farmer-not-the-pharmacy/id1512934794 https://open.spotify.com/show/34nzNQQ62O8tygMaut2h8V

    6 min

  8. 12/29/2025

    Break the Inflammation Cycle, Part 3: The Overcorrection — When Protein Obsession Backfires

    Share your thoughts You're stressed. You're exhausted. You know you need to eat "healthy." So, you reach for a protein bar, a shake, maybe some beef jerky. It feels virtuous. But is it actually helping—or just a different kind of overcorrection? In Part 3 of "Break the Inflammation Cycle," Ashok and Meera tackle the protein obsession that's taken over grocery aisles and gym bags alike. We're not anti-protein—protein is essential. But somewhere between "eat enough protein" and "protein everything," we lost the plot. This episode covers: why tired people reach for protein (and what they're actually craving), the 1g per pound myth vs. what research actually shows, what's really in those bars and shakes, what gets crowded out when you're chasing protein grams, and whole food sources that outperform powders. Next episode: we bring it all together with anti-inflammatory eating—the real exit from the cycle. #BreakTheInflammationCycle #PayTheFarmer #ProteinMyth #WholeFood #FunctionalFood #NutritionScience #ProteinObsession #RealFood #GutHealth #AntiInflammatory #WellnessPodcast #HealthyEating #PayTheFarmerPodcast #MeeraVasudevan #AshokVasudevan #CSAW Thanks for tuning in to "Pay the Farmer, Not the Pharmacy"! Hosted by Meera & Ashok Vasudevan Stay Connected #PayTheFarmerNotThePharmacy #PlantBasedWellness #NaturalFood #AffordableWellness #GutHealth #ImmunityBoost #NutritionTips #CSAW (Centre for the Spread of Affordable Wellness) #Meeravasudevan #Ashokvasudevan https://umaglobalfoods.com/ https://csaw.co https://podcasts.apple.com/sg/podcast/pay-the-farmer-not-the-pharmacy/id1512934794 https://open.spotify.com/show/34nzNQQ62O8tygMaut2h8V

    5 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
4 Ratings

About

Meera & Ashok Vasudevan bring 50+ years of experience as leaders in the Plant-based & Natural Food industry. Their entrepreneurial journey continues with the recent acquisition of 2 heritage brands- Annapurna & Captain CookIn this timely podcast series titled "Pay the farmer, Not the Pharmacy" they show you how to unleash the magic in your kitchen with evidence-based tips & tricks that improve digestion, enhance gut health, build immunity and provide simple solutions to affordable wellness. Pay the Farmer, Not the pharmacy. Brought to you by CSAW, the Centre for the Spread of Affordable Wellness.   Also, included are other talks, interviews and discussions of Ashok Vasudevan on a range of issues, not only related to food to wellness 

Information

  • Creator
    Meera & Ashok Vasudevan
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    63
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Pay the Farmer, Not the Pharmacy
  • Show Website
    Pay the Farmer, Not the Pharmacy

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