In this episode I speak with Edward Espe Brown, a Zen priest, chef, acclaimed cookbook author and teacher. He’s the author of the best-selling Tassajara Bread Book which was published in 1970, as well as No Recipe: Cooking as a Spiritual Practice, among others. Edward talks about the importance of finding your own way in the kitchen as a cook and as an eater—and how you can develop trust in yourself. Edward teaches us what it means to taste food—to really experience it. We talk about the importance of connection—not just with the foods we eat, but also with our bodies, our senses and the people around us—and how connection requires vulnerability. Edward also discusses the importance of enjoying our food, and how enjoyment differs from excitement or greed. 

There are so many nuggets of wisdom in this episode, as well as plenty of stories and laughter. I hope you’ll give your attention to it, as Edward says, taking the time to absorb his teachings. And I hope that you’ll leave empowered to find your own way, accepting what shows up for you. 

Links and resources mentioned in the show:

*Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

*Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

* Find Edward online: https://peacefulseasangha.org/

* No Recipe: Cooking as a Spiritual Practice: https://amzn.to/3KXSL91

* Tassajara Bread Book: https://amzn.to/3Pc46oz

* The Power of Vulnerability, by Brené Brown: https://amzn.to/3PaNNIK

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/subscribe

Welcome to season two of the podcast!! Today I speak with Liz Carlisle, author of Healing Grounds: Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming (2022). Liz describes how she became passionate about regenerative farming, which she defines as “a way of growing food that gives back to land and community rather than just extracting from land and community.” She discusses how soil is such an important part of that exchange, and how soil directly relates to climate change. She also explains how our current agricultural industry has been built on structures of colonialism and racism, and how these structures not only persist today but also contribute to the current climate crisis. 

Liz and I also talk about the joy and pleasure that goes into feeding ourselves, and how this joy can manifest into something bigger for the betterment of not only our own lives, but also for the earth and our communities.

Links and Resources Mentioned in the Podcast:

*Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

*Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

* Liz’s website: https://www.lizcarlisle.com/

* Healing Grounds: Climate, Justice, and the Deep Roots of Regenerative Farming, by Liz Carlisle (Island Press, 2022): https://amzn.to/45kLJTD

* Tending the Wild: Native American Knowledge and the Management of California’s Natural Resources, by M. Kat Anderson (University of California Press, 2013): https://amzn.to/3KwNSnp

* Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants, by Robin Wall Kimmerer (Milkweed Editions, 2015): https://amzn.to/3s8msO1

* Transformative Farm Bill Campaign: https://www.ucsusa.org/resources/food-and-farm-bill and https://healfoodalliance.org/heal-food-alliance-shows-up-big-dc-for-a-transformative-farm-bill/

* National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC): https://sustainableagriculture.net/publications/2023-farm-bill-platform/

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/subscribe

Today I have a solo episode for you! I’m opening up, sharing more of my journey in the kitchen as well as my intentional eating practice. I’ve talked a lot about intentional eating in the newsletter, but today I go deeper, explaining why I developed the practice and how it can influence our behavior not only in the kitchen, but also in our broader lives.

Links and Resources Mentioned in this Episode

*Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

*Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

* Intentional Eating Overview and BESTT Handout: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/grilled-wedge-steak-salad

* My story (1st podcast): https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/my-history-with-food-its-complicated#details

* How we’re conditioned around food (newsletter): https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/veggie-reubens-how-were-conditioned

* Grace (newsletter): https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/chili-crisp-shrimp-bowls-redefining

* Podcast with Samantha Fulton: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/our-nervous-systems-and-food#details

* Podcast with Jasmine Nnenna: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/human-design-food-and-digestion#details

* No-Recipe: Cooking as a Spiritual Practice, by Edward Espe Brown: https://amzn.to/42OngV3

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/subscribe

Today I speak with Ellie Krieger, who’s a New York Times bestselling and two-time James Beard Foundation award winning author of 7 cookbooks. She’s also well known from her Food Network show “Healthy Appetite” and her Public Television series “Ellie’s Real Good Food.” 

Ellie shares how she developed her love for food growing up in New York City and why she decided to become a registered dietician nutritionist. She opens up about her own struggles with food and body image as a kid and young adult, and how she found balance and freedom around food. 

We discuss the term “healthy” which can be a confusing and even problematic word in many ways, but Ellie offers so much clarity around how what’s healthy is so contextual. She shares what healthy means to her and why she uses the word. 

And finally, we have some fun. Ellie and I share our favorite flavor-packed but low-effort ways that you can use summer produce. We cover tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, corn, herbs and more, and you’re going to leave with easy recipe ideas and tons of inspiration. Pop over to the newsletter to get links to many of the recipes we discuss: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/p/easy-summer-recipe-ideas

LINKS

*Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

*Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

* Ellie’s Website: https://www.elliekrieger.com/

* Ellie’s Newsletter: https://elliekrieger.substack.com/

* Find Ellie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ellie_krieger/

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/subscribe

Today I speak with a spiritual philosopher & the founder of Erah Society. Jas is a practitioner of Human Design, Astrology & the Gene Keys, and she supports creatives, entrepreneurs and renaissance humans in understanding themselves more holistically. She is also the host of the globally celebrated podcast, Counter Culture. 

In today’s episode Jas and I explore human design and how it relates to food and digestion. Jas explains that human design is the study of our unique selves. She believes that through understanding how our bodies and minds best function, we can gain more authority and sovereignty over our lives. 

Jas discusses the determination/digestion variable in human design, which refers to the ways in which we best take in, process and absorb not only food, but also information and energy. She explains how when we feed ourselves—physically, emotionally and spiritually—in a way that best supports our design, we can better access our full potential.

This conversation is so expanding, whether you’re familiar with human design or not.  You’ll leave with a new perspective on how we are all so unique, and how we can gain more authority over our lives by better understanding (and honoring) our unique selves.

*Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/human-design-food-and-digestion

*Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

* Find Jas on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/erahsociety/ , https://www.instagram.com/jasnnenna/

* Erah Society Newsletter: https://erahsociety.substack.com/

* Discover your own human design with a Soul Map: https://erahsociety.com/soulmap

* German New Medicine: https://learninggnm.com/

* Counter Culture podcast: https://www.jasmoon.space/podcast

* Vaness Henry (Human Design): https://www.instagram.com/vanesshenry/

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/subscribe

In this episode I speak with Samantha Seneviratne, James Beard Award–nominated cookbook author and host of the television series Everyday Cooking on Magnolia Network. The topic is all about baking, and if you think baking is just for the cooler months, you are mistaken.

Sam describes how she found her passion for baking as a kid, and how it led her into a flourishing career as a writer, food stylist and television host. Sam shares how she finds inspiration for her recipes, and we talk about her favorite baked goods (spoiler alert: we discuss what makes the best chocolate chip cookie, and take warning—you’re going to be craving a warm cookie after listening!). 

Sam shares easy but mouthwatering ways to incorporate some of her favorite seasonal fruits into baked goods and shares tips for how to become a more experimental baker. We also discuss the emotional aspect of baking, and how baking—and feeding ourselves consciously—can be a delicious form of self care. 

You’re going to leave this conversation inspired to go turn on your oven and bake something for the sheer pleasure of the process.

*Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

*Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

*Find Sam on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/samanthaseneviratne/

*Sam's Website: https://www.samanthaseneviratne.com/

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/subscribe

In this powerful episode I speak with embodied cooking teacher and author Leanne Brown. Leanne’s the author of Good Enough, a cookbook about developing self compassion and authentic connection through the act of cooking, as well as Good and Cheap, a cookbook built around feeding yourself on a budget. She also publishes the newsletter Embodied Cooking with Leanne Brown.

Leanne and I talk about how to nourish ourselves in times of grief and loneliness. Leanne shares her own story and offers a simple but powerful practice for feeding yourself during times of sadness, when perhaps you don’t want to eat but know you should. She shares tips for how we can become our own parent and feed ourselves with compassion. 

We also talk about what it means to be embodied in the kitchen, and how embodiment can not only bring more ease and joy into cooking, but also connect us to our deeper selves. We talk about the pleasure of presence—of being fully engaged with our senses, and how preparing food can teach us about our deeper divinity.

There’s so much magic in this conversation. I think you’ll gain a whole new perspective about how you can best feed yourself both in times of despair and in times of joy. Food can be a beautiful tool to help us remember that we are always supported by our deeper selves.

*Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

*Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

*Find Leanne on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/leanneebrown/

*Good Enough, by Leanne Brown: https://amzn.to/3AwPF6u

*Good and Cheap, by Leanne Brown: https://amzn.to/3Vb6E7M

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/subscribe

In today's episode I speak with Virginia Sole-Smith, author of the new book Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture. We explore anti-fat bias and fat phobia, and how weight, health and beauty have gotten tangled up with notions of morality. Virginia explains how (and why) our culture has become so afraid of fat, and how this fat phobia has resulted in real systems of oppression where humans are valued according to their weight. Virginia explores what it means to be healthy, and the fallacy of linking weight to health. We talk about diet culture and how restriction just doesn’t work, and Virginia offers real tips on how we can start to change the system and gain body autonomy.

We also talk about feeding our kids, and how we can raise children who have body autonomy. She offers tips for teaching our kids that their bodies belong to them and that all bodies are equal. 

This episode is so expanding, whether or not you have children. As always, if it resonates, you can support this work by rating the podcast on your podcast app, leaving comment or sharing it with friends.

*Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

*Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

* Virginia’s Book, Fat Talk: Parenting in the Age of Diet Culture: https://bit.ly/m/virginiasolesmith

* Find Virginia on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/v_solesmith/

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/subscribe

Subscribe to the Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

Hello and welcome to episode 7! This is a really special episode for me, because I speak with my own Spiritual teacher, Natalie Deeb. Natalie is a trained shaman and certified CranioSacral practitioner, and she’s accredited in a number of different modalities to help individuals heal the trinity of body, mind and spirit. 

In today’s episode we talk about the sacredness of our physical bodies and the foods we eat. Natalie shares simple but powerful teachings (when we were recording I kept jotting down notes because there were so many beautiful moments of wisdom - if you’re like me, you might want to have paper and pen handy!). She talks about how our bodies are our sacred homes and how they are always communicating with us and working towards healing. It’s just up to us to listen.

Natalie says that while our bodies will never betray us, we live in an environment and a culture that can disconnect us from both our bodies and the foods we eat. She offers tips to help bring us back into our bodies and better communicate with the foods we consume to bring us more balance. She discusses how she approaches grocery shopping and picking out foods, and how a simple change in perspective can create more harmony in our bodies, no matter what’s on our plates. 

You’re going to walk away from this episode with a new perspective on how special our bodies truly are, and how the act of cooking and eating can help connect us to our deepest, most magical selves. 

*Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

*Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

* Find Natalie on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nataliedeeb68/

* Work with Natalie: https://www.nataliedeeb.com/

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/subscribe

Subscribe to the Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

This episode features such an inspiring human. Calvin Eaton is a scholar, cookbook author, content creator and activist. He’s the publisher of TheGlutenFreeChef blog as well as the founder of the non-profit 540WMain which is rooted in social justice and antiracism.

Calvin shares his personal journey with his body, and how he’s learned to honor his body in “radical grace and kindness,” as he says. He talks about the ways he’s had to de-condition himself around body image, weight and food, and he shares tools that have helped him on his journey.

Calvin also talks about his autoimmune conditions and how he uses food to support his well-being. He describes how, after years of prescribing to specific eating regimens and restrictions that would often result in stress, he’s landed on a flexible style of intuitive eating and cooking.

We also go into systems of oppression, such as racism, ableism, fatphobia and sexism, which not only try to separate us from our own bodies, from also from each other. Calvin reminds us that we are all so interconnected, not only to each other but also to the earth. Only by celebrating and honoring those connections, as well as by working together to dismantle systems of oppression and cultural conditioning, can we find our true sovereignty. 

Finally, we talk about Calvin’s new cookbook, Just Desserts, which I can’t wait to see! The book is available for pre-sale and launches on April 28th. 

I think you will leave this uplifting conversation feeling empowered and inspired, with a deeper compassion for both yourself and for others. While we are all on very unique paths in terms of our wellness journeys, we also are all part of a greater whole. When we support the well-being and sovereignty of others, we also forge the way for a better future for all. 

Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD newsletter: https://mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/

Find Nicki on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nickisizemore/

Find Calvin on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/theglutenfreechefblog/

The Gluten Free Chef Blog: https://theglutenfreechefblog.com/

540WMain, Inc: https://540westmain.org/

Pre-Order Calvin’s Book, Just Desserts: https://hipocampochildrensbooks.com/preorder-calvin-eaton-just-desserts-here-

Virginia Sole Smith’s Burnt Toast Newsletter: https://virginiasolesmith.substack.com/

Your Fat Friend by Aubrey Gordon: https://www.yourfatfriend.com/

This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit mindbodyspiritfood.substack.com/subscribe