PATH Positive Approaches To Health Jenny Pitcher

The Ladies of the PATHPod are on the road again headed south to Atlanta, GA. During this road trip they take a deep dive into the world of Food Is Medicine with Registered Dietitian Kristen Avera. Kristen works for Open Hand Atlanta as the Nutrition Services Coordinator, providing group nutrition education as well as medical nutrition therapy to a variety of populations throughout the metro Atlanta area. Open Hand’s prepared meal programs serve vulnerable low-income clients in a variety of settings, providing freshly cooked, home-delivered meals, combined with snacks or supplements, to meet their daily nutrition needs. Meals are designed by Registered Dietitian Nutritionists to meet individual clients’ dietary requirements and tailored to their specific health conditions. This is an important part of the treatment portion of the Food Is Medicine initiative which includes a variety of services and interventions that realize and respond to the critical connection between nutrition and the illnesses that so many Americans are dealing with. These three ladies get into the specifics of the work that Kristen is part of along with who pays for these services and what she predicts for the future. They even talk about a collaboration that involves honey bees! If you ever wondered what the future of nutrition might look like – Food Is Medicine is it! Learn about Open Hand & their work or donate to help. 

The ladies of the PATHPod head west once again, finding themselves in LA talking with an amazing researcher and clinician. Dr. David Wiss is a Registered Dietitian who founded Nutrition In Recovery, a group practice of RDNs specializing in the treatment of eating and substance use disorders in 2013. He earned his Doctor of Philosophy degree (PhD) in 2022 by investigating the links between adverse childhood experiences and various mental health outcomes among socially disadvantaged men. The three of them talked about nutrition and its role in substance use disorder and the recovery process. That lead them to dig into the role of nutrition in mental health, food addiction and the relationship between eating disorders and substance use disorder, adverse childhood experiences and the role social determinants of health play in all of it. Dr. Wiss tackles challenging information and his brilliance is in synthesizing it, communicating in a way that can be easily understood and impactful. This is an episode to share far and wide as these issues effect far too many and solutions are less than ideal. Dr. Wiss is truly a pioneer and what he offers here is profound and healing. You can find Dr. Wiss at his clinical practice, Nutrition In Recovery or at Wise Mind Nutrition. Also check him out on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok @drdavidwiss or on YouTube at Wise Mind Nutrition.

Toni and Jenny of The PATHPod head out on the road again, this time making a beauTEAful stop in Arlington, VA to talk to the Minister of Commerce and Enlightenment at Republic of Tea, Kristina Richens Tucker. Kristina shares her vast knowledge about Republic of Tea, the mythical place she has been a citizen of since the 1990’s and defected to in 2003. Since that time, she has been steeped in Camelia Sinensis and the incredible properties this plant has to offer, both physically and spiritually. The three of them talk about the art and science of drinking tea, the incredible health benefits of flavonoids and the calm yet alert state one can reach with the caffeine and L-Theanine inherent in tea. Kristina shares what is trending in the world of tea and how Republic of Tea keeps evolving with over 350 varieties of tea to their name. Kristina teaches Toni and Jenny about Ta Shun – the great harmony and well-being of the collective whole and how the ritual of having tea together creates a sense of presence allowing for incredible connection. Learn more about Republic Of Tea and where to purchase here. 

The PATHPod gals are traveling across the globe to talk with cook, writer and vegelante, Alice Zaslavsky. Alice has been shaking things up down under in her hometown of Melbourne for the last decade plus. The outcome of all that moving and shaking has been the incredible debut of her cookbook, In Praise of Veg. The PATHPod feels like they struck gold connecting with Alice and promoting her beautiful book. Their conversation took place about a year and a half ago and has been sitting on ice, waiting for In Praise of Veg to hit bookshelves in the US. They talk about all things veg and the incredible work Alice has been focused on including children’s food literacy and her time on Master Chef Australia which catapulted her into the broadcasting world. She uses her influence to promote healthy eating with vegetables at the center of the plate and harnesses her karma of connection, allowing that message to stick. Listen to this episode on a walk or while cooking up some veg and find that you will be inspired by this warm and spunky young lady who is taking the world by storm - a veggie storm! Learn more about Alice, her cookbook and her story or follow her across social media @aliceinframes.

Toni and Jenny continue their road trip, this time landing in Mt. Vernon, Ohio a little town northeast of Columbus. They find themselves with Benji Ballmer, the Dave Matthew’s-loving Dad & owner of YellowBird Foodshed. Yellowbird is an innovative food company that works with over 100 food growers and producers from Ohio to bring the food they grow and harvest to the surrounding community. Some people would call them a CSA (community supported agriculture) but Benji prefers to call his business a foodshed, which is a term used to describe a region of food flows, from the area where it is produced, to the place where it is consumed, including: the land it grows on, the route it travels, the markets it passes through, and the tables it ends up on. He has hit the mark with Yellowbird and has a WHOLE LOT to say about local food and decentralizing our current food system. He gives the PATHPod ladies much to consider and will have anyone who gives this a listen wondering about the origins of the food they eat. Check out Yellowbird or follow them on Instagram at yellowbirdfoodshed and then consider checking into a similar organization in the community where you reside. 

Toni & Jenny take a quick road trip to the city of San Francisco to meet up with Linda Shiue - physician, chef & culinary medicine powerhouse! The three of them have a conversation about Linda’s Path and how she came to write an incredible cookbook and culinary resource - Spicebox Kitchen. Not only is Linda an amazing creative, she’s a scientist and has melded those two worlds together in this stunning book. It has a beautifully unique aesthetic and is full of stories that give the book incredible dimension. She takes her readers on a cooking journey, visiting all kinds of different flavors using spices, herbs and vegetables from around the globe. Not only is the book an incredible tool to add to your healthy lifestyle toolkit but the culinary thoughts and ideas she offers up during this conversation will inspire and nudge you right into the kitchen. She will have you pulling out a pan and firing up your stove in no time!! Learn more about Dr. Shiue and Spicebox Kitchen. Follow her on Twitter and IG @spiceboxtravels or on FB and YouTube @TheDoctorsSpicebox or check out her blog.