Quirky Cooking Chats

On his recent trip to Far North Queensland, Fouad had a chance to hang out with Jo’s family. In this episode, Fouad sits down for a chat with Isaac, Jo’s 14 year old son (who is even MORE quirky than Jo), and discusses how GAPS helped Isaac with his anxiety and what the last year has looked like for this young man on his journey of healing.

The post AQJ 49 : A Quirky Recap with Isaac Whitton appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

It’s time for a bit of a catch up!

Fouad has spent the past week with Jo’s family in Far North Queensland, to begin their next project, and to get a bit of an insight into Jo’s crazy life! Join Jo and Fouad for a friendly chat at Jo’s kitchen table, and hear all the latest news…

Find out about:

– Jo’s Quirky Cooking for Gut Health program – what does it include, what does Fouad think of it (a bit of a review), when will it be ready, who will benefit from it?

– Jo and Fouad’s upcoming cookbook of Paleo and Wholefood Recipes – new title, new ideas, new cover – an exciting project for Quirky Cooking!

– The Mindd Forum “Food is Medicine” seminar, which Fouad, Jo, and Jo’s son Isaac (14) will be speaking and cooking at, May 20–22

– Jo’s life in Far North Queensland – a ‘behind the scenes’ glimpse (see lots of photos here)

– Helping each other out with healthy hospital meals: “Quirky Healthy Hampers”

– Fouad’s big news: why he quit his ‘real’ job as a software engineer; the beginning of his new focus on health, cooking, writing and getting closer to nature; and his two big goals for the year!

– How being in nature helps with healing and reducing stress

– Natural spring water and the difference it makes to drink ‘wild’ water whenever possible (ReWild yourself by Daniel Vitalis); plus recommendations for good water filters for the home

– A bit about our supportive Quirky community – the Quirky Cooking Chat Group!

– Recipes we’re working on for the new cookbook, which we can’t wait to share!

If you have any questions about today’s podcast, or have some recipes you’d like to suggest for our book, please feel free to ask in the Chat Group!

The post AQJ 48 : A Quirky Catch Up – with Jo and Fouad appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Last time Dr Tabrizian was on our podcast, he completely stunned us with an episode that was so packed full of information that we just had to have him back. In this return episode, Dr T gets into the science behind allergies, intolerances, and food reactions – root causes, manifestation and treatment. This is another Listen In

The post AQJ47 : The Science Behind Allergies, Dr Igor Tabrizian appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

When Jo’s blog, Quirky Cooking, turned 7 years old at the end of 2015, Jo had a special giveaway to celebrate! The winner would receive a recipe designed just for them, to be shared on the blog. And since everyone has a story, Jo and Fouad decided to also interview the winner on the podcast, to share their story and to talk about the kinds of foods they eat, and discuss together some recipe ideas.

The winner of the giveaway was Melissa Furmedge, and on this episode, Melissa shares with us her family’s story, and what kinds of foods they love. They discuss:

– Struggling with behavioural and health issues in kids

– The Failsafe Diet, and how it helped

– Being gluten, dairy, corn and soy free

– Reactions to salicylates

– Sugar highs, carb addiction

– Eating to reduce ASD symptoms

– The trepidation parents feel when needing to change kids’ diets

– Their favourite foods, and how to make allergy friendly versions

– And lots more food and recipe talk!

Jo will be sharing the recipe she developed for Melissa on her blog: Crunchy Grain Free Buffalo Wings and a special dessert. So stay tuned!

(As well as links to other low carb/low sugar/gluten/dairy/corn/soy free recipes, and some tips for GF wrap options.)

The post AQJ 46 : Melissa Furmedge, Recipe Development for Special Diets appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Jo and Fouad interview Dr Igor Tabrizian, author of the book “Inflammation: The disease we all have”. In this fascinating conversation, Dr Tabrizian discusses a wide array of topics that are central to the chronic illnesses we now face in the modern world. From environmental toxins, diet and lifestyle, to the kind of tests you should be considering if you’re undergoing a journey of health recovery – this episode is densely full of  information that many of us will find enlightening in our path to wellness. Dr T’s book can be found in Kindle format here: http://www.amazon.com.au/Inflammation-The-disease-all-have-ebook/dp/B018DMNNWS

The post AQJ 45 : Inflammation and Chronic Illness, Igor Tabrizian appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

In episode 23, Rachel Favilla shared her story of growing up with an autoimmune disease, and struggling to find answers. She began the GAPS protocol and quickly saw improvements. However, after about 6 months, she seemed to hit a wall, and was unable to progress beyond stage 4 of GAPS intro.

In this episode, Rachel shares her continuing story – her discovery that she had candida and an infestation of parasites in her gut meant she needed to change her diet again. To fight them, she has had to transition to a ketogenic version of GAPS.

Rachel receives a lot of questions about ketogenic GAPS, enemas, parasites and candida, she answers those questions, explaining why and how it is helping so far.

The post AQJ 44 : Parasites, Candida & Ketogenic GAPS, Rachel Favilla appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Let’s kick off the start of a new year with a Q&A!

In this episode, Jo is joined by her new co-host, Fouad Kassab, and her friend Rachel Favilla (author of Real Soup for the Real Soul, and soon to be podcaster for a healthy teens show), to answer questions posted by readers in the Quirky Cooking Chat Group. They talk about:

– What oils are the best for frying?

– What veggies are important to have organic?

– Are dehydrated bone broths ok if you’re time poor?

– Is it possible to do the GAPS diet if you are fructose intolerant?

– How can I meal plan in a way that really works, so I’m not making dinner at 9pm and buying lunch everyday?

– How can I gain healthy muscle mass on Paleo/GAPS?

– What are some tips for helping little people gain weight?

– Is there a Thermomix version of any Paleo cookbooks coming out soon?

– How much butter does Fouad eat each week?

… and more!

If you’d like to contact any of us directly, you can find us here:

Jo: Quirky Cooking Blog, Quirky Cooking Facebook, Quirky Cooking Chat Group

Fouad: The Food Blog, The Food Blog on Facebook

Rachel: Real Soup for the Real Soul Blog, Real Soup for the Real Soul Facebook

The post AQJ 43 : Q&A with Fouad Kassab & Rachel Favilla appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

Christmas is nearly here, and all around the world, stress levels are rising… So Jo and Fouad are coming to the rescue with tips and recipes to help reduce the Christmas overwhelm, and make this your happiest, healthiest Christmas ever!

‘A healthy Christmas’ isn’t just about the food – it’s also about keeping stress levels low, not getting caught up in the ‘spend heaps of money’ holiday hype, and simply enjoying this special time with family and friends.

This fun episode is full of great ideas, and answers readers’ questions like:

What can I cook that will cater for the special diets in our family and still be enjoyed by all?

What are some delicious and simple GAPS and Paleo dishes for Christmas dinner?

What’s the best way to handle family and friends who don’t like us eating differently to them, and give us a hard time?

What can I make ahead and freeze, so I’m not overwhelmed on Christmas day?

How do I deal with food reactions if I eat something that doesn’t agree with me?

What are some ways to keep Christmas simple, enjoyable, and stress free?

How can I practice gratefulness and contentment at this time of year?

The post AQJ 42 : A Healthy Christmas appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

About a year ago, Christina Matthewson was on life support and not expected to live. Now she is teaching fermenting workshops, studying naturopathy, and coaching people as they journey through GAPS. Her main desire is to help others live fulfilled, healthy lives, as she has been close to death and realises how important it is to make the most of the time you have.

The post AQJ 41: Surviving Percreta – Christina Matthewson appeared first on The Wellness Couch.

• How can you tell if you or your children have parasites?

In this episode, Mary Kelly of Good Mood Food goes into detail about her family’s experience with parasites. After 18 months on GAPS, they felt like they’d ‘hit a brick wall’, and some symptoms just weren’t going away. After some research and testing they realised they all had parasites. Mary explains that parasites multiply in the gut for good reason – and to get rid of them you have to deal with the root cause.

Learn the answers to the above questions, and find out what gut health has to do with parasites. For more information, see Mary’s blog article, Parasites, The Hidden Menace; as well as her Natural Parasite Treatment Plan.

The post AQJ 40: Dealing with Parasites appeared first on The Wellness Couch.