Giveaway!
Enter below to win a copy of Dr. Chutkan’s The Anti-Viral Gut and Microbione Solution!
Deadline to enter is September 5 at 3pm CST.
Last week, we talked about getting back on the healthy habit train. As I mentioned then, less than 3 out of 100 Americans have managed to master the following four habits: (a) eating a healthy diet, (b) maintaining a healthy body composition, (c) avoiding cigarettes, and (d) getting regular exercise. In fact, 1 out of 10 Americans don’t do any of these things at all.
This week, I’d like to introduce you to someone who might be able to help with that: the veritable Queen of Gut, Dr. Robynne Chutkan. Author of four books on the microbiome (including my personal favorite–The Microbiome Solution), Dr. Chutkan was once short-listed as a candidate for the U.S. Surgeon General’s office. A graduate of Yale and Columbia College, with more than three decades as one of the country’s leading gastroenterologists, and a teaching stint at Georgetown University to boot, Dr. Chutkan certainly has the bona fides to right the ship when it comes to our nation’s health.
I first became acquainted with Dr. Chutkan’s work in 2016, shortly after adopting a plant-based diet. As someone who cut out meat largely for health reasons, I was devouring all sorts of literature, podcasts, and YouTube videos on how to protect my body simply by watching what I ate. I listened to Dr. Chutkan’s book, The Microbiome Solution, in tandem with training for my first half marathon. Her advice on challenging physicians who are a little too quick on the draw when it comes to antibiotics; or curbing our compulsions to clean, clean, clean; or adding even more beans to my already legume-filled plate was, in a word, inspiring.
I’ve taken Dr. Chutkan’s advice to heart and though I may bear the brunt of my family’s “you stink” jokes (I stopped showering every day…), since 2018, I’ve only gotten sick once, and that was at the very tail end of the pandemic when I finally capitulated to corona.
So, without further ado, I invite you to put your earphones on and tune into this absolutely captivating discussion with the inimitable Robynne Chutkan.
This Week’s Recipe Inspo.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp EVOO
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 cups chopped leafy greens (I used kale and dandelion)
- 1 tbsp doenjang
- 1 cup cooked beans
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- lemon zest
- black pepper
Method
- Add EVOO to a large, deep pan over medium high heat.
- Add garlic and cook for about 2 minutes, until they start to turn toasty brown.
- Add greens and stir until they begin to wilt, about 2 minutes.
- Add lupini beans (or any other beans you enjoy).
- Add doenjang and mix until veggies are evenly coated.
- Add vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and cook until the liquid has reduced to a sauce and beans are tender (depending on what kind of beans you use, this can take awhile–just keep adding broth until they’re soft).
- Garnish with lemon zest and cracked black pepper before serving over toast.
What I’m…
Watching. I just started watching this K-drama on Hulu and MAN, I am so psyched! Think X-Men meets K-Pop meets Korean food. I’m only 2 episodes in and I’m so enthralled I may end up doing an entire newsletter on this show! Watch –>
Reading. This recommendation comes STRAIGHT from my mother-in-law and I purchased it immediately. A true crime book before true crime was a “thing,” Mr. Grann’s book reads more like a novel than non-fiction (I’m told) and I cannot wait to dive in! Read –>
Using. I know that HexClad is known for their pots and pans (which are AMAZING), but I’ve been really enjoying this Santoku knife. My mom used it when she was over and she LOVED it. Comfortable, sharp, and easy to use, especially for home cooks who are sharpening their knife skills! Shop –>
Book Signing:
Urbana-Champaign, Illinois.
I’ll be headed back to my alma-mater, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign next month on September 21 to do a LIVE cooking demonstration and book signing as part of Pygmalion Think 2023!! Make sure to pick up your tickets and come say hi!
Parting Thoughts.
This year, I was honored to receive my very first Streamy Award. Specifically, Cassey Ho–a phenomenally talented, brilliant, and successful content creator and business mogul (and future guest of the podcast!)–honored me as her pick for one of the three Creator Honors at this year’s Streamys. In order to apprise me of the honor, she literally tricked me into coming over to her house, saying she wanted me to make a video with her and hid the award inside her freezer. You can watch the full video here.
I am a bonafide introvert or, as I sometimes like to put it, I’m shy. So, when I found out that I was going to be honored with a Streamy Award this year, I was at once ELATED but, not gonna lie, a little terrified of going to the award ceremony.
I know on the outside, it looks like I have all my stuff together, but imposter syndrome is undiscriminating. It doesn’t care about all the things I’ve accomplished. Instead, it convinces me that I don’t deserve to be invited to award ceremonies. It whispers to me that I don’t deserve to be in a banquet hall surrounded by people I’ve been watching on my phone for over a decade. It tricks me into believing that I’m too old, I’m too unattractive, I’m too untalented to be their peer.
As I sat at my table and watched two of my friends, Cassey and her husband Sam, who’ve been to many many award ceremonies, who’ve won many many glistening statuettes, it occurred to me that perhaps one of the best ways to combat imposter syndrome is to surround myself with people whose opinions I respect, seek out, whose counsel and advice are invaluable to me.
And remind myself that the best awards will always, always come from them.
-Joanne
