Episode 20 – Mineral vs. Chemical Sunscreen

Listen to “Mineral vs. Chemical Sunscreen” on Spreaker.

What is the best sunscreen? Co-Founder and CEO of Thrive Natural Care, Alex McIntosh, explains the differences between mineral and chemical sunscreen, and provides tips on what to look for in a sunscreen that not only protects you from the sun but is also safe to use. With his company’s mission to “leave things better than we found them”, Alex also explains Thrive’s regenerative business model that helps restore degraded ecosystems and communities in Costa Rica.

In this episode you’ll hear:

2:30 – Thrive’s mission and regenerative business model

4:50 –  Alex’s journey to starting Thrive Natural Care

7:30 –  The multi-pronged approach to reducing skin inflammation

11:45 – Difference between mineral and chemical sunscreens

13:10 – Unsafe chemical sunscreen ingredients

14:30 – Pros & cons of mineral sunscreen

17:30 – Non-nano zinc oxide explained

19:45 – Plant based sunscreen ingredients and antioxidants

23:10 – How Thrive’s business model helps re-couple growth with health

27:00 – What you should look for on sunscreen packaging

28:00 – Impact of sunscreen on coral reefs

CREDITS:
Sound Recording and Editing: Will Crann

Episode 19 – Plant Based Nutrition for Children with Else Nutrition CEO and Co-Founder Hamutal Yitzhak

Listen to “Plant Based Nutrition for Children with Else Nutrition CEO Hamutal Yitzhak” on Spreaker.

If you know a baby or child with food intolerances, allergies, skin sensitivities and growth or stomach problems, this episode is for you. Esther chats with the CEO of Else Nutrition, Hamutal Yitzhak, about the story behind Else and the benefits of a whole food plant based formula for children. Hamutal is a serial entrepreneur and inventor who has dedicated most of her professional life to infant and child nutrition.

In this episode you’ll hear:

1:10 – The story behind Else Nutrition

4:45 – The formula explained

6:35 – Intolerance v. allergy and statistics about dairy and soy allergies in children

9:40 – About infant formula

11:25 – Benefits of a whole food plant based formula for growth problems, skin sensitivities and gastric problems

12:35 – Sugar content

13:25 – How sustainable is an almond based formula v. a dairy formula?

14:35 – Upcoming product lines for Else

16:20 – Discount code

CREDITS:
Sound Recording and Editing: Will Crann

Episode 18 – Heart Health Benefits of a Plant Based Diet

Listen to “Heart Health Benefits of a Plant Based Diet” on Spreaker.

“Studies show that every step you take in the direction of a plant based diet can improve your health,” according to guest Colleen Montgomery. Colleen is a Clinical Exercise Physiologist and Certified Plant Based Health Coach who chats about lowering blood pressure and cholesterol naturally with a plant based diet to prevent and even reverse heart disease. She offers cooking tips and recipes, including a wonderful “No-Cheese” vegan dip which she prepares live during the episode.

In this episode you’ll hear:

PART 1
In conversation with Colleen Montgomery

2:00 –  Colleen’s work with cardiac patients

4:30 –  Heart disease: How much is genetic v. lifestyle?

7:00 –  Why Colleen is a plant based diet proponent

11:15 – Overcoming the challenges of adopting a plant based diet

PART 2
In the kitchen with Colleen – Colleen’s No-Cheese Dip

16:10 – How long should you soak cashews

17:55 – Ingredients for no-cheese vegan dip

18:35 – Vegetable ideas for dipping

19:30 – Making the dip

20:40 – Nutritional yeast as a cheese alternative

CREDITS:
Sound Recording and Editing: Will Crann

Episode 17 – Chinese Medicine and Plant Based Eating

Listen to “Chinese Medicine and Plant Based Eating” on Spreaker.

How does plant based eating fit into the practice of Chinese Medicine? What foods should we be eating in different seasons? In this episode, Ellen Goldsmith, an educator, licensed acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist, and author of Nutritional Healing with Chinese Medicine, discusses the basic principles of Chinese medicine and the interplay with nutrition. She explains how it differs from the Western approach and elucidates the concepts of yin and yang, qi, seasonal eating  and the thermal nature and flavour of food.

In this episode you’ll hear:

 2:30 – Basic principles of Chinese Medicine

3:10 – Yin and yang explained

4:25 – Role of food therapy in Chinese Medicine

5:05 – Where does plant based eating fit in?

5:50 – Difference between Chinese dietary therapy and the Western approach?

10:20 – Seasonal eating with examples of what to eat in winter

13:10 – Recipe examples from Ellen’s book

18:00 – Seasonal eating for spring, summer and fall

23:00 – Qi explained

26:00 – How long does it take to see results from Chinese dietary therapy?

Episode 16 – Clean Haircare with World Hair and Skin Founder Brian Phillips

Listen to “Clean Haircare with World Hair and Skin Founder Brian Phillips” on Spreaker.

What chemicals are lurking in your shampoo and other haircare products? Do you have skin issues? In the third of three episodes on clean beauty, we chat with celebrity hair designer and World founder, Brian Phillips. After ten years being a hairstylist, Brian developed contact dermatitis on his hands. The culprit? Fragrance in haircare products. Brian shines a light on the over-marketing and greenwashing in the haircare industry and discusses how suffering from his skin condition led him to research and create a line of multi-purpose, non-toxic hair and skin products.

In this episode you’ll hear:

1:50 – How Brian’s contact dermatitis caused by fragrance in haircare products led him to create his own line of hair and skin products

6:20  – Over-marketing and waste in the haircare industry

10:30 – Haircare ingredients and their link to illness

13:40 – State of regulation of toxic chemicals: Canada v US

16:30 – What is the biggest offender in haircare products? Colour? Hair straighteners?

22:30 – Gluten free and vegan haircare

25:00 – What’s not plant based in haircare products

29:00 – Brian’s top ingredients to avoid in shampoos and conditioners

Episode 15 – Clean Makeup with Vapour Beauty Co-Founder Krysia Boinis

Listen to “Clean Makeup with Vapour Beauty Co-Founder Krysia Boinis” on Spreaker.

What is the toxic exposure in makeup? In the second of three episodes on clean beauty, we chat with a pioneer in clean beauty and co-founder of Vapour Beauty, Krysia Boinis. A breast cancer survivor, Krysia discusses why she started a non-toxic deodorant company and her own line of all natural cosmetic products. In this eye-opening discussion, you’ll hear what’s actually in conventional makeup and why you might want to change what you buy.

In this episode you’ll hear:

1:50 – Krysia’s wellness journey

6:05 – The importance of non-aluminum deodorant

9:30 – Size of the cosmetic industry and the growth of clean cosmetics

11:00 – Conventional cosmetic toxic ingredients that we’re putting on our skin

14:10 – Why vegan makeup might not be always healthy

15:30 – Animal products in makeup and cruelty free testing

17:05 – Understanding cosmetic ingredients

22:30 – Lack of government regulation in the US makeup industry

24:30 – What sets Vapour products apart?

29:40 – Krysia’s top 5 makeup products and how to figure out your undertone

Episode 14 – Clean Beauty with Skincare Company Founder Indie Lee

Listen to “Clean Beauty with Skincare Company Founder Indie Lee” on Spreaker.

It’s not only what we eat but what we put onto our skin that’s important for our health. After all, skin is our body’s largest organ. In this episode, which is 1 of 3 episodes we’re dedicating to the topic of clean beauty, we chat with the founder of the clean, eco-chic skincare line, Indie Lee. After a successful surgery to remove a brain tumor in 2009, Indie embarked on a new journey to create a clean beauty collection dedicated to inspiring and empowering others to be mindful about what they put on their skin. It’s quite shocking what you might be putting on your skin.

In this episode you’ll hear:

1:00 – How Indie Lee got into clean beauty

7:15 – Harmful skincare ingredients, endocrine disruption and cancer

8:45 – What are people putting on their skin that they’d be surprised to hear about?

10:00 – Cosmetic industry regulation in the US v. EU and clean products certification

12:40 – How to find clean skincare products and understand ingredient lists

20:15 – Some Indie Lee products explained

23:00 – Indie’s morning and night skincare routine

27:45 – Size of clean skincare industry

29:10 – Esther and Indie talk diet, health and being plant-forward

Episode 13 – What Does Whole Food Plant-Based Mean?

Listen to “What Does Whole Food Plant-Based Mean?” on Spreaker.

A vegan or plant-based diet is not necessarily synonymous with a healthy diet. In this episode, plant-based lifestyle coach and cookbook author Kathy Davis discusses how to transition to plant-based eating in a healthy way and what being whole food plant-based is all about. Kathy herself lost 35 pounds on a plant-based diet after setting a goal to eat more plants and less processed foods. As a bonus, Kathy goes into the kitchen and prepares a delicious whole food plant-based salad.

In this episode you’ll hear:

PART 1
Interview with Kathy Davis

1:00 –Kathy’s plant-based eating journey and how she lost weight

4:20 – What is a whole food plant-based diet?

7:20 – Kathy’s answers to “What should I cook?” and “How do I stick to plant-based eating?”

PART 2
In the kitchen with Kathy

10:30 – Ingredients for Broccoli, Chickpea, and Walnut Salad with Maple-Mustard Dressing Recipe

13:15 – Nutritional benefits of the salad

14:30 – Putting the salad together

15:45 – Making the Dressing

Episode 12 – Plant-Based Pantry Essentials

Listen to “Plant-Based Pantry Essentials” on Spreaker.

Let’s help you stock your pantry! In this quick episode about plant-based pantry essentials, registered dietitian Laura Baum discusses useful pantry items for a plant-based diet plus their health benefits.

In this episode you’ll hear:

0:45 – Basic pantry items for a plant-based diet and their health benefits

9:35 – Advanced pantry item suggestions

10:40 – What is nutritional yeast

13:20 – Laura’s top 3 pantry items

Episode 11 – Vegan Athlete Diet with Former NHL Player TJ Galiardi

Listen to “Vegan Athlete Diet with Former NHL Player TJ Galiardi” on Spreaker. Have you ever wondered what pro athletes eat or whether vegan diets are good for athletes? In this episode, former NHL hockey player TJ Galiardi provides a window into what he and his teammates ate before and after games, when and why he became vegan and the changes that resulted. You’ll hear TJ’s sports nutrition insights and even if you’re not a professional athlete, you’ll get some tips on what to eat to achieve optimal results when exercising or engaging in sports.

In this episode you’ll hear:

1:50 – TJ’s story on becoming a vegan while playing professional hockey in the NHLM

6:00 – Plant-based & vegan in the NHL today

7:30 – When and what TJ and his teammates ate before a game or practice

11:20 – TJ’s current favorite recreational sport and what he eats

14:00 – Best ways to hydrate for exercise and sports

15:50 – Recovery foods postgame or after training

19:00 – TJ’s opinion on the need for supplements for vegan athletes

20:20 – Can a teen be vegan and excel at sports