091: How Traditional Cooking Can Transform Your Health with Chef Whitney Aronoff

"We should all eat the colors of the rainbow. It's not about limiting yourself to only a certain food because that's never healthy. Food exists on Earth for us to consume. So it's eating a little bit of everything, but not overindulging in any particular thing. And I think that's the best way to stay healthy." —Dr. Angela Gao Chinese medicine offers a comprehensive framework for understanding how daily symptoms connect to internal organ balance, yet its core concepts often feel mysterious to modern patients. Host Justine Reichman sits down with Dr. Angela Gao to unpack the foundational principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), moving beyond common misconceptions to reveal how energy flow, acupressure points, and seasonal food properties directly influence chronic illness. Whether navigating digestive distress, migraines, or hormonal transitions, this conversation bridges ancient wisdom with modern integrative healthcare. Throughout the discussion, Dr. Gao explains practical acupressure techniques listeners can use at home for instant relief from tension and nausea. The dialogue explores why treating the root cause of an imbalance requires individualized diagnostic approaches rather than grabbing generic herbal supplements off a retail shelf. Justine and Dr. Gao also dive into "The Kitchen Table" segment, outlining the energetic temperatures of common foods and explaining how mindful eating supports true healing from within. Acupressure on the LI4 (Hegu) point between the thumb and index finger targets headaches, toothaches, and digestive blockages. Chinese herbs target underlying systemic disharmonies rather than isolated symptoms, making self-prescribing from retail shelves ineffective and risky. Food properties run on an energetic temperature spectrum from hot to cold independent of cooking heat, meaning cold conditions like diarrhea require warming ingredients like ginger rather than cooling foods. Acupuncture functions as an evidence-based complementary modality that can stabilize chronic conditions and support medically supervised pharmaceutical tapering. Eating seasonal foods such as pears and daikon tonifies lung energy to protect the respiratory system during autumn temperature swings. Sustainable wellness relies on purpose over perfection by paying attention to individual post-meal bodily reactions rather than rigid dietary deprivation. What is the one embarrassing or minor health question you have always wanted to ask a doctor? Send us your questions to be answered on our upcoming listener Q&A episode: https://tinyurl.com/Essential-Ingredients-Podcast Meet Angela: Dr. Angela Gao, DACM, MSTOM, is a licensed acupuncturist in New York and New Jersey, a nationally board-certified NCCAOM Diplomate of Oriental Medicine, and Director of the Acupuncture Holistic Center of New Jersey (AHCNJ). Since joining AHCNJ in 2018, she has continued the center's mission of helping patients achieve lasting wellness through natural, holistic care. Born into a martial arts family in China and raised in New York, Dr. Gao developed an early appreciation for the principles of Traditional Chinese Medicine and holistic living. She earned both her Doctorate and Master's degrees in Acupuncture and Traditional Oriental Medicine from Pacific College of Oriental Medicine and completed extensive clinical training at leading New York healthcare facilities, including NYU Lutheran. Dr. Gao specializes in pain management, women's health, digestive disorders, facial rejuvenation, and hormonal health. Combining acupuncture, herbal medicine, cupping, moxibustion, and Tui-Na therapy, she provides personalized treatments designed to restore balance and activate the body's natural healing abilities. Her unique background in martial arts, education, and fashion design brings a thoughtful, whole-person approach to patient care and wellness. Connect with AHCNJ: Website Instagram Facebook

"There's a place for both medicines (Eastern and Western), and I think the best place is to combine the two and see what's most suitable for the patient's needs." —Dr. Angela Gao

"Kitchens are so powerful because kitchens historically have an accepting nature of people from various backgrounds. You don't need fancy degrees to work in a kitchen. You just need the right mindset and will to to work hard." —Haley Nielsen "Neither food nor human potential should go to waste." —Andie Sobrepeña A culinary job training program that pays every hour is rare, and Farming Hope in San Francisco has spent ten years proving it works. Co-executive directors Haley Nielsen and Andie Sobrepeña explain how a 12-week paid apprenticeship turns a working kitchen into a path back to employment. It serves adults facing homelessness, incarceration, recovery, and other barriers to work. This conversation is for anyone curious about workforce development, food recovery, or what it takes to build an inclusive workplace. Haley and Andie share how the organization grew from a team of four and a budget of around $600,000 to more than $4 million, now training 60 apprentices a year, up from 45. They are also honest about the hard parts: the cost of paying people fairly, the way life gets in the way, and why an 80 percent graduation rate is something they are proud of rather than worried about. You'll hear about an apprentice who walked out after nearly 30 years in prison, graduated, and now serves on the board. You'll also hear what a first real paycheck meant to someone who had earned far less on the inside. Key Takeaways Paying apprentices for every hour of training, instead of a small monthly stipend, gives people a reason to stay and proof that their work has value. People with a history of incarceration are five times more likely to be unemployed, which is why kitchens, where mindset matters more than degrees, make such a powerful entry point. Joblessness is the number one cause of homelessness, so job solutions and housing solutions have to move together. A 100 percent graduation rate would mean a program isn't taking risks on the people who need one most. Apprentices are asked what they actually want to do, sometimes for the first time, and they leave with skills that serve them even outside restaurants. Farming Hope recovers more than 40,000 pounds of food a year, turning surplus produce and vegetable scraps into three-course dinners for families facing housing insecurity. An inclusive workplace means meeting people where they are and treating them like human beings, not just labor. Meet Haley: Haley Nielsen has raised nearly $10M over her decade of experience in nonprofit development, most recently in national environmental organizations. Haley grew up in kitchens and understands the power of food to create and sustain communities, learning from her father who is a chef. She is deeply inspired by Farming Hope's vision of a more sustainable and equitable food system and looks forward to telling Farming Hope's story to inspire more public and private funding. LinkedIn Meet Andie: Prior to joining the Farming Hope team, Andie opened and ran her family's multi-unit restaurant and catering business, Foundation Cafe, starting in 2012. She brings with her a deep understanding of operational management and is passionate about making real change in our broken food systems. Having grown up in San Francisco, she is energized by the impact Farming Hope has on the lives of our vulnerable neighbors and the community that we will build to support them. Linkedin Connect with Farming Hope: Website LinkedIn Instagram Facebook Connect with NextGen Purpose: Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn YouTube Podcast Chapters: 02:05 Meet Haley Nielsen & Andie Sobrepeña: Farming Hope Leaders 03:51 How Farming Hope's Paid Culinary Training Works 05:37 From 29 Years in Prison to Board Member: Adrian's Story 09:17 Inside the 12-Week Cohort: Knife Skills to Soft Skills 12:37 Why Kitchens Hire After Prison: The 5x Unemployment Gap 13:57 Next Five Years: Food Recovery and Inclusive Workplaces 17:10 Paid Training vs. St

"The more complicated something is, the less likely we are to be consistent with it, and consistency is what gets us from where we are to where we want to be. So, what keeps me always coming back to the uncomplicated and the simple is because that's what creates consistency, and it is the consistency that determines our health outcomes." —Jenn Trepeck Simple wellness isn't the beginner version of health. It's the version that lasts, and health and lifestyle coach Jenn Trepeck makes that case with Justine Reichman in a conversation for anyone who has spent years being handed a new diet and told to try harder. Jenn grew up the skinny one in a family of dieters, with a torso photo on the fridge and Nutrisystem snacks in the cupboard. After gaining weight between high school and college, she had to recover from the industry that promised to fix her. What changed things was learning human biology instead of following another plan. Together they unpack epigenetics, why hunger is a whisper worth relearning, and why guidelines beat rules every time. You'll also hear about the 2005 moment, requesting her own vacation days in a work system, that pushed Jenn toward coaching. She built her practice on the side for 12 years before leaving hedge funds. Then the conversation turns to midlife, where the rules shift for women and men alike, and Jenn closes with a plate formula you can use at home or at any restaurant. Two questions filter any health advice: does this make sense with what I know about biology, and does it make sense with what I know about myself? The human genome is 99.9% the same person to person, but that remaining 0.1%, amplified by stress, sleep, hormones, and lived experience, is why someone else's plan can't be yours. Hunger is the body's whisper and pain is the scream, and years of dieting teach us to ignore the whisper. If your plan has you opting out of life, it isn't a plan for life. Guidelines, not gospel. Consistency determines health outcomes, and the more complicated a plan gets, the less likely you are to stick with it. Midlife isn't a personal failure. When what used to work stops working, your biochemistry has changed, and men go through hormone shifts too (andropause). Build a plate anywhere with protein, fiber, and quality fat, and treat grains, starches, and dairy as condiments rather than the main event. Meet Jenn: Jenn Trepeck is a health and lifestyle coach, host of the award-winning podcast, Salad with a Side of Fries, and author of Uncomplicating Wellness. After years of dealing with food issues made worse by the diet industry, Jenn changed direction. Now she helps women feel seen instead of judged in a wellness world that's gone off the rails. Website LinkedIn Instagram Facebook X YouTube Podcast Medium Connect with NextGen Purpose: Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn YouTube Podcast Chapters: 01:17 Meet Jenn Trepeck: Raised in a Family of Dieters 04:44 Epigenetics and Your Personal Health Filter 08:46 Two Questions to Test Any Health Rule 11:37 Dancer's Instincts and Relearning Hunger Cues 15:20 Guidelines, Not Gospel: Eating Out Without Rules 18:41 The Vacation Request That Launched a Coaching Career 22:27 Why Simple Wellness Beats Complicated Plans 31:46 Midlife Hormones: What Women and Men Need to Know 35:33 The Protein, Fiber, Quality Fat Plate Books and Resources: 📖Uncomplicating Wellness: Ditch the Rules. Quiet the Noise. Reclaim Your Life. by Jenn Trepeck

"When a product is produced, you have to think about whether it was made by child labor or was it made by artisans that are being paid a fair wage. That's the first step to thinking about sustainable systems, sustainable product development." —Noelle Bonner Pre-loved luxury isn't a trend anymore — it's a business model, and Noelle Bonner built hers around a pair of six-inch Gucci heels she wore exactly once. This episode was filmed live inside The NOBO, Presidio Heights' award-winning consignment shop, and it traces how a regretted Halloween purchase turned into a swap program that lets clients recover full value on the items they no longer wear. Noelle walks through the mechanics that most resale platforms never explain: why a traditional consignment sale returns roughly 65% of an item's value, and how The NOBO's swap program instead gives sellers 100% in store credit for a flat 6% fee. From there, the conversation moves into what "circularity" actually means in practice — fair labor, real materials, and what happens to a garment after someone's done with it — plus how a resale business authenticates luxury handbags, jewelry, and vintage pieces like a 1991 Chanel suit and rare Hermès and Dior finds. This episode is for anyone who's ever hesitated before consigning a designer piece, wondered whether pre-owned luxury is actually worth it, or wanted a straight answer on how authentication actually works. It's part business breakdown, part sustainability conversation, and part practical guide to getting more out of a closet full of things you no longer wear. Key Takeaways The NOBO's swap program pays sellers full item value in store credit for a 6% fee, compared to keeping roughly 65% through standard consignment. Noelle Bonner's entire swap concept originated from a pair of Gucci heels bought for a single Halloween costume in 2015. Circularity, as defined in the episode, covers three stages: fair-wage production, material quality, and what happens to an item at the end of its life. The NOBO authenticates handbags and jewelry using internal product codes, third-party specialists, and AI-assisted verification tied to serial numbers and materials. Vintage pieces from brands like Chanel and Alaïa often outlast newer releases because of stronger construction and materials used decades ago. Clients most frequently request vintage Dior saddle bags, Hermès Birkins, and seasonal occasion wear like gala and bridal looks. 100% of ticket sales and 10% of items sold during this live event benefited Marin Foster Care. Meet Noelle: Noelle Bonner is the founder of The NOBO, a pre-loved luxury fashion company offering a curated circular shopping experience. After launching online in 2022, she opened The NOBO's first physical store in Presidio Heights in March of this year, where the brand was recognized as "Best Fashion, Second Life" in the Best of the Bay Awards. Drawing on her own experience with single-use luxury purchases, Noelle developed The NOBO's innovative Swap program, enabling clients to retain full resale value as NOBO Cash for a modest fee, alongside competitive consignment and traditional resale options. Committed to sustainability and quality, she champions choosing pre-owned first, emphasizes ethical production and durable materials, and leads rigorous authentication through internal standards, expert partners, and AI-supported verification. Noelle curates inventory to meet seasonal demand—particularly occasion wear—and ongoing requests for coveted pieces, fostering a community-centered, high-trust marketplace for enduring luxury. Website LinkedIn Instagram Facebook Connect with NextGen Purpose: Website Facebook Instagram LinkedIn YouTube Podcast Chapters: 01:21 Meet Noelle Bonner: Founder of The NOBO Pre-Loved Luxury Shop 02:07 The Halloween Heels That Sparked the Swap Idea 03:38 Swap vs. Consignment: Why 6% Beats Losing 35% 05:41 Defining Circularity: From Fair Labor to Landfill 08:02 Vintage