This Is What I Eat: Exploring the Joy of Healthy Eating With Aliza Sokolow

[00:00:00] If you enjoy podcasts like this, you should check out our other shows on Health Podcasts Network.

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[00:00:50] Welcome to Beyond The Paper Gown.

[00:00:51] I'm your host, Dr. Mitzi Krockover.

[00:00:54] I am so glad you're joining us for today's episode.

[00:00:57] We have got a fantastic guest with us, Aliza Sokolow.

[00:01:02] Aliza is a chef, food stylist, and the author of the children's book, This Is What I

[00:01:07] Eat, which came out in January of 2023.

[00:01:11] She's worked with Jamie Oliver on his Food Revolution project and has won an Emmy, two

[00:01:16] Emmy nominations, and a James Speard Media Award.

[00:01:20] Pretty impressive, right?

[00:01:21] Today we're diving into Aliza's journey from studying architecture to becoming a

[00:01:26] successful food stylist, food photographer, and author.

[00:01:30] She's going to share her passion for fruits and vegetables and how she's made

[00:01:34] healthy eating fun and exciting for kids.

[00:01:37] Her book is all about using colors and textures to get kids interested in fresh produce.

[00:01:42] We'll also learn about Aliza's work in underserved communities and her involvement in school

[00:01:47] garden programs.

[00:01:49] She's got some amazing insights on how teaching kids to grow their own food can really

[00:01:54] change their eating habits and make healthy choices more accessible.

[00:01:59] So whether you're a parent trying to get your kids to eat more veggies or just

[00:02:03] someone interested in the intersection of food, art, and education, you are going to

[00:02:07] love this conversation.

[00:02:09] Aliza has so many great tips and stories to share, and I know you'll walk away feeling

[00:02:14] inspired to add a little bit more color and nutrition to your own life.

[00:02:18] And before we get started, please remember that this podcast is for educational and

[00:02:23] informational purposes only and should not be taken as medical advice.

[00:02:28] Now let's get started.

[00:02:37] We have a fabulous guest today, something a little bit different and very interesting.

[00:02:44] But let me go ahead and introduce her.

[00:02:45] Aliza J. Sokolow is a chef, food stylist, author of her debut children's book, This

[00:02:51] Is What I Eat, which launched January 2023.

[00:02:55] So we are just really thrilled to have you here today.

[00:02:59] I mentioned the photography that you do, which is really beautiful, very colorful.

[00:03:05] It's using fruits and vegetables as the main characters, if you will.

[00:03:10] So how does that tie in with the book, which I know you focus a lot on color?

[00:03:15] Aliza J. Well, I have always used color as a method of learning and eating.

[00:03:22] And I studied to be an architect in school and I didn't become an architect.

[00:03:30] I ended up working in food as my, I guess one of my first jobs out of it.

[00:03:36] I had gotten a job doing set design for TV shows.

[00:03:40] And the first show I did was a food show actually.

[00:03:45] And I saw all the food stylists when I had walked on to set and I was like,

[00:03:49] oh, this is what I'm going to do for a living.

[00:03:52] I see this as teeny tiny architecture.

[00:03:57] My project will be done at the end of the day instead of in months and years from now.

[00:04:04] And I found that very exciting.

[00:04:07] I was like, oh, I found my calling.

[00:04:09] My degree will be put to use somehow.

[00:04:13] Still unclear, but it's all a way of thinking.

[00:04:17] Well, you became a food architect.

[00:04:19] I think of the way I assemble food is very architectural.

[00:04:22] Everything has its place.

[00:04:26] Things have a home the way colors are used.

[00:04:29] But I grew up with my grandmother who was an artist and she was really into colors.

[00:04:36] And we would do a lot of art together.

[00:04:40] It was really like a visual art, so where things went.

[00:04:44] So a lot of the art I had created from things I found at the farmer's market,

[00:04:50] which when I started doing that, I wanted to use it as a tool to share different things

[00:04:58] I found at the market in a health way.

[00:05:01] So like the first print I had made was an avocado print and one of my favorite farmers,

[00:05:08] Laura from JJ's Lone Daughter Ranch grows like 20 something different types of avocados.

[00:05:16] And I had taken a few of each home and I organized them in a way that I thought was quite beautiful

[00:05:22] because they all had different shapes and the pits were different shapes and sizes and

[00:05:28] the peels were different and so many people around the world in the country think, oh,

[00:05:33] you just have one type of avocado.

[00:05:36] And that's not that's not how it is, which is also something I talk about in my book.

[00:05:42] But I had made this.

[00:05:44] To me it was a print.

[00:05:45] I don't know.

[00:05:46] I just wanted to share what what I had found in Food and Wine magazine had reposted it

[00:05:52] and I was like, oh, this must be actually very cool like professionally cool that food

[00:05:58] and wine and whoever working there had thought that was exciting.

[00:06:03] And I was just very excited by all of the colors and the shapes and all of these

[00:06:09] things that are very basic concepts that you're taught when you're younger of just

[00:06:13] shapes and colors and sizes.

[00:06:15] And I use that as a method in my book for teaching kids and whoever gave them the

[00:06:22] book, a way of learning about fruits and vegetables and telling someone to eat

[00:06:29] healthy is not a good enough way to get them to try things these days.

[00:06:34] That is true.

[00:06:35] That's what I see a lot of especially kids eat this.

[00:06:39] It's healthy.

[00:06:40] They don't understand what health is.

[00:06:43] That that's not a concept that they can grasp, but seeing if something is big or

[00:06:48] small or green or blue or oval shaped or they can pick out a shadow of an apple

[00:06:59] or whatever it is like these are things that they can really get their heads

[00:07:02] around so and their hands on right their hands on and everything so

[00:07:08] tactile with eating as well.

[00:07:10] I realized the thing kids are most, I guess adults also people texture is a

[00:07:17] thing that people it uses like a preventative thing for why they don't

[00:07:23] like to try something.

[00:07:25] But for the most part, I think it's really cool to discover if something

[00:07:30] is crunchy or if it makes a sound or creamy or smushy or I always go back to

[00:07:40] an avocado of just like the different textures it has and how adding just

[00:07:46] like a little bit of salt to something can change a flavor more than

[00:07:50] anything else or what I'm sitting here next to a whole bunch of fruits

[00:07:55] and vegetables and that's how I live.

[00:07:58] But it's really cool to me all the different things.

[00:08:03] So that is before we leave the color.

[00:08:06] I just want to, you know, underline or mention we talked about health and as

[00:08:13] a physician, one of the easiest ways to tell people how to quote eat healthy is

[00:08:18] really just to start with a plate full of color.

[00:08:21] And I'm not talking about colorful M&Ms.

[00:08:23] I'm talking about obviously fruits and vegetables.

[00:08:25] And so that's a first step, but I would assume that that's the connection

[00:08:30] that you're making with the kids and health.

[00:08:32] Hundred percent.

[00:08:34] And a lot of it within that realm is the way you present things.

[00:08:39] I've learned so much that parents or whoever are taking care of kids.

[00:08:45] If you present something to your kid and you're like, yeah, I don't know

[00:08:49] if you're going to like it.

[00:08:50] Well, they already don't like it.

[00:08:52] You already presented it in a way where they don't like it.

[00:08:56] And every time I make something and I have, I'm surrounded by friends with children.

[00:09:03] I'm always like, this is so good.

[00:09:05] Usually I truly do feel that way.

[00:09:08] And also when you're eating things that come from the market or you're

[00:09:12] eating in season or I eat so many cucumbers all the time and there's

[00:09:18] so many different ways you can eat them or I'm that person that went to the movies

[00:09:23] last week and I pulled out a like clamshell blueberries out of my purse,

[00:09:28] which to others might be very strange to me.

[00:09:31] It's very normal and my friends are used to it at this point.

[00:09:35] Blueberries also just as a side note, they're the only blue fruit.

[00:09:40] Like if you try to find anything else blue, there's plums that are sort of blue,

[00:09:45] but blueberries are usually available and they, I think are the healthiest thing

[00:09:51] that anyone can put in their bodies.

[00:09:54] And they're so delicious.

[00:09:56] But why did I?

[00:09:58] But it's the way you present things to kids.

[00:10:00] And if you go, this is so good or parents often are like, how do I get

[00:10:06] my kids to eat this?

[00:10:08] And I'm like, if they get home from school or whatever it is and you

[00:10:14] put out a plate of chopped vegetables and fruit, that's their option.

[00:10:20] They're going to eat it.

[00:10:23] If they get hungry enough, it's now you're going to have it.

[00:10:27] It's just that's that's what's available.

[00:10:30] Absolutely.

[00:10:32] One of the things that comes up and I'm and I know that you've done

[00:10:35] a lot of work with underserved populations as well, especially when

[00:10:39] you were working with Jamie Oliver.

[00:10:41] What do you do with kids or for kids who live in what's called a food desert

[00:10:48] that they're not of that grocery stores may not be readily available

[00:10:52] or those fresh fruits and vegetables may not be readily available?

[00:10:56] I'm really happy to see that since I worked on that project, which was

[00:11:01] about, I want to say 15 years ago, there have been a lot of changes

[00:11:08] in those underserved communities.

[00:11:11] That project was the I can tell you the moment that my life changed

[00:11:18] when I was working just elbow to elbow next to these kids.

[00:11:22] They were probably like about 10 years old.

[00:11:26] Had never eaten fresh fruit or veg.

[00:11:29] We did a lot of work with them in the classroom, but it was

[00:11:33] we're like making salads together and this girl

[00:11:37] was like, I've never eaten a salad before.

[00:11:40] And I realized, A, what a privileged upbringing I had because we were

[00:11:44] big salad people in my house.

[00:11:46] But the way you feel when you eat things that come from the earth

[00:11:51] is very different.

[00:11:52] And a lot of these kids had so many health issues and type two

[00:11:56] diabetes and recess was being cut in schools.

[00:12:00] And so much about being a kid is if you're not healthy,

[00:12:05] nothing else matters.

[00:12:07] Like you can't focus in school.

[00:12:09] The school lunch program was giving them pancakes with syrup for breakfast.

[00:12:14] And then they would say, everyone has 80 D.

[00:12:17] I'm sure they do if they're just having syrup and pancakes for breakfast.

[00:12:21] You're not setting them up for success.

[00:12:24] But there's been a lot of garden school programs that have

[00:12:29] been going in around the world.

[00:12:31] And there's a few different organizations that have been helping

[00:12:37] public schools get those garden school programs.

[00:12:41] More convenience stores are carrying fruits and vegetables.

[00:12:45] I mean, this this issue is so beyond

[00:12:50] what feels like any of us at this point.

[00:12:53] But I do see progress happening here in Los Angeles.

[00:12:58] And I know it's happening across the country.

[00:13:00] I think it's just very small steps.

[00:13:03] And I really hope that, you know, it's really our lawmakers make this more

[00:13:08] of a priority in these privately funded garden school foundation

[00:13:15] type organizations that are going in and even Lettuce Grow

[00:13:19] has an initiative where they want to put those vertical food towers

[00:13:24] into to more public schools.

[00:13:28] But I see kids having more access to learning about

[00:13:32] gardening and growing their own food.

[00:13:34] And that makes me very hopeful for them.

[00:13:37] And I will get the links to those organizations so that we can post them

[00:13:43] on the website and then talking about, you know, getting your hands on things

[00:13:49] and seeing them grow or understand where they're coming from

[00:13:52] is a big part of your book as well.

[00:13:55] And so talk a little bit about that.

[00:13:58] I so as you know, my dad is a scientist and my sister and I growing up,

[00:14:05] which we are grown ups now, which is unfortunate, but it was bound to happen.

[00:14:09] And we still I still to this day, regrow my avocado pits in the window.

[00:14:17] I find it very exciting.

[00:14:21] Never get sold and just doing those types of small activities.

[00:14:26] I knew that when I put that page of Grow Your Own in my book,

[00:14:30] that it was something that a child with any economic background,

[00:14:36] they can participate in this activity, whether that be regrowing

[00:14:40] a tomato seed or a lemon or.

[00:14:46] All all fruits and veg for the most part have seeds.

[00:14:49] So that is something that they could do.

[00:14:53] And I remember a few years ago being in actually in Israel with my cousins

[00:15:00] and my Hebrew is.

[00:15:05] Not great, but he was showing me that he grew a carrot.

[00:15:09] It's like four years old, so he didn't speak English.

[00:15:13] But he was showing me that he planted a carrot

[00:15:16] and was so excited and we pulled it out of the ground and we ate it.

[00:15:20] And I was like, Oh, see, this is a very universal concept.

[00:15:23] You don't need language in order to do this.

[00:15:27] It's something everyone does all over the world.

[00:15:30] And just planting a seed and growing it is something that also

[00:15:35] makes the kid feel really accomplished and they're more excited to eat it.

[00:15:39] So if you get your kids involved in just growing something,

[00:15:44] they're going to want to eat it because they played a really large part in that process.

[00:15:50] It just seems that we're so divorced from that.

[00:15:53] And so I think it's really I'm thinking about how that would be really cool to do.

[00:15:57] You know, and I don't have grandchildren yet, so I may be doing it by myself.

[00:16:02] By yourself, it's it's so much fun to just grow your own things.

[00:16:06] And somehow it tastes better if you grew it yourself.

[00:16:10] Everything starts from a seed.

[00:16:11] It doesn't start from the grocery store.

[00:16:16] Some things have to go along.

[00:16:18] New slash, they don't.

[00:16:19] They're all all of the produce you eat was once planted in dirt.

[00:16:24] Right now there's hydroponic systems, but for the most part,

[00:16:29] dirt has been the one thing we've been using since the beginning to plant.

[00:16:34] So I find it very cool.

[00:16:37] I do too.

[00:16:38] And I'm thinking it's, you know, the corollaries of that.

[00:16:42] And, you know, I'm here in Arizona, you're in California.

[00:16:45] I'm jealous from a food standpoint or fruit and vegetable standpoint.

[00:16:51] But I think it's good to learn what is in season and what isn't

[00:16:56] and what can be grown in certain places.

[00:16:59] It always bugs me a little bit because I've always looking forward to summer fruit

[00:17:05] and the fact that now you can get summer fruit year round.

[00:17:09] I don't know, it seems a little sad.

[00:17:11] I agree. I think it's bizarre.

[00:17:13] My mother cut a melon the other day and I looked at her like she.

[00:17:20] I was I was confused as to what she was doing.

[00:17:23] I go, Harriet, you cannot eat a melon in the winter.

[00:17:27] It's just not something you do.

[00:17:30] And it's so interesting being Jewish and and cooking

[00:17:35] because all of the holidays are really based upon what's in season.

[00:17:40] Right, yeah.

[00:17:41] And I I love that.

[00:17:43] And I too, I go to the store and I'm like, why are there plums in March?

[00:17:51] I'm not eating it.

[00:17:52] I truly I wait for those like first summer peaches

[00:17:56] and we have early peaches and early girl tomatoes that come.

[00:18:01] I'm currently very excited for summer to come as well.

[00:18:05] I feel like I eat stone fruit until my blood sugar spikes

[00:18:11] to the highest levels.

[00:18:13] I just think it's incredible.

[00:18:16] But by the end, I'm very much ready for fall

[00:18:19] and looking forward to eating plump not plums, eating apples

[00:18:25] and winter citrus.

[00:18:27] I get very excited by I'm very into eating car, car oranges right now.

[00:18:32] And I should really plant my own tree because I am consuming that many of them.

[00:18:38] But it's it's interesting that we can have access to different fruits and vegetables.

[00:18:45] But I think our our bodies, much like in winter, you want to have those.

[00:18:51] Warmer, more like.

[00:18:54] Because, you know, warmer things in your body and during the summer,

[00:19:00] you've got those sugar spikes with all of the different melons and stone fruit.

[00:19:05] Exactly. And then going back to the, you know, from a.

[00:19:10] Ecologic standpoint, those plums that you get in the middle of winter,

[00:19:16] you know, had to travel a long way.

[00:19:18] And so that's the other reason for me to be a little bit more purest.

[00:19:24] But you also talk, you know, and then if you're going to the farmer's market,

[00:19:27] you're going to see what's been growing locally and what's been what is in season.

[00:19:34] Hundred percent.

[00:19:34] And I always see people who come around the big holidays like Thanksgiving or

[00:19:41] I guess Easter and they come with a list to the farmer's market

[00:19:45] and they're looking for things that are not in season.

[00:19:48] And you just want to give them a tap on the shoulder and be like,

[00:19:52] it's you're not eating it.

[00:19:54] It's not in season.

[00:19:56] It's not what's happening.

[00:19:58] There's certain things that do grow year round, but that's

[00:20:02] there. It's not what's available.

[00:20:04] So I just find it very interesting.

[00:20:07] But when you go to the farmer's market, they tell you what you're eating.

[00:20:12] That's right.

[00:20:13] And I'm curious, what is your thought about organic versus non-organic

[00:20:17] fruits and vegetables?

[00:20:19] You know, it's actually changed over the last few years, because when I was

[00:20:23] younger, I was said,

[00:20:26] as long as you're getting fruits and vegetables into your body,

[00:20:30] that's sort of that's great.

[00:20:33] And over the last few years where I've learned so much more and

[00:20:40] a lot of it starts with soil health.

[00:20:42] But I do realize that what they're, I feel like I know too much at this

[00:20:49] point, but it's I really think prioritizing eating organic is really

[00:20:53] important for your body.

[00:20:55] And people are doing us a disservice by spraying fruits and vegetables.

[00:21:02] It goes so much deeper than the actual produce.

[00:21:05] But what sort of permeates into the vegetables and the chemicals and

[00:21:15] that effect of that on your gut?

[00:21:18] Because as we know, gut health isn't just gut instincts, but your microbiome.

[00:21:23] It affects everything.

[00:21:26] And I really wish that we as a country could take health care a little

[00:21:32] bit more seriously, starting with farming practices.

[00:21:36] And I work with a farmer who grows grain, but then I spend a lot of time

[00:21:45] on their farm, they grow heritage grain.

[00:21:49] And I always say to people when I make baked goods, I know that we've sent

[00:21:53] you some of my Pala and cookies and those things.

[00:21:56] Wonderful.

[00:21:57] The best, I mean, but also I feel like I don't really have to do that

[00:22:01] much just because I'm buying fabulous grain and that what provides us those flavors.

[00:22:07] But I say there's this, so many people have gluten sensitivities these days.

[00:22:14] And the grain I buy is the original grain.

[00:22:17] This is the grain when you're eating grain in Europe, which I know

[00:22:20] they're farming practices have also changed in the last few years.

[00:22:24] But the soil, much like with wine has terroir.

[00:22:30] So there's the flavor of the different regions of where you're growing your grain.

[00:22:36] But this is the original grain and in the US, we've taken a lot of the

[00:22:41] proteins out of our grains.

[00:22:43] So it's O.G.

[00:22:46] grain is higher in protein and lower in gluten.

[00:22:50] What they've done in the US to feed the masses is they've taken the protein

[00:22:55] out of our wheat and the gluten content is higher.

[00:22:59] So once we put the grains that have been sprayed, it creates a whole lot of gut issues.

[00:23:11] That's interesting because we were actually just talking about this at

[00:23:14] dinner the other night.

[00:23:16] And I didn't even know this is that the actual milled hand milled flowers,

[00:23:21] especially for example in Europe, are do have less gluten.

[00:23:26] And I had no idea.

[00:23:28] And so my question is where would if someone is interested in finding

[00:23:31] those kinds of grains, where would they find them?

[00:23:34] Especially if they don't live in Los Angeles.

[00:23:36] Right. The one I use is called the Chahachpe grain project.

[00:23:41] I don't think they sell locally.

[00:23:43] It's grain grown 75 miles north of where I live.

[00:23:47] But there's other mills like Griss and Toll is one of them.

[00:23:53] And they ship all over the country.

[00:23:55] But if you look online for a smaller mill, they exist on the internet.

[00:24:02] But when people I'm like, Oh, do you want one of my cookies?

[00:24:07] And they go, I don't eat gluten.

[00:24:09] I go, are you celiac or are you gluten sensitive?

[00:24:15] Because this has become even amongst parents.

[00:24:18] I've seen this so much in the parent feeding their child space.

[00:24:23] My kid doesn't eat gluten.

[00:24:24] I'm like, that's do what's good for you.

[00:24:27] But it's you can eat the cookies I make because I use grain

[00:24:33] that's similar to the one in Europe, which as you see in Paris,

[00:24:37] these kids get out of school and they're eating.

[00:24:41] I forgot the name of it, but there's there's like a name for their

[00:24:44] afterschool snack that's very chic, obviously, and they're eating

[00:24:48] a small baguette with like a piece of cheese in it or some chocolate in it.

[00:24:54] They're not here.

[00:24:56] I feel like I grew up eating like crudité after school.

[00:24:59] And that's what my option was.

[00:25:00] But they parents, they're so comfortable to give their kid a piece of bread.

[00:25:07] Because there it is higher in protein and does have nutritional benefits.

[00:25:13] And even I eat I eat sourdough bread a lot, which is also lower in gluten.

[00:25:19] But it's you know, the fermentation process does a lot for it.

[00:25:24] So it's there's there's so much in this category.

[00:25:29] But if you have the means to be able to buy really great grain

[00:25:35] and make your own, I don't know if people are still in their sourdough

[00:25:40] pandemic state of life.

[00:25:43] But supporting your local bakeries that they usually love

[00:25:48] to experiment with different types of grains.

[00:25:52] You talked a little bit about your cultural background

[00:25:56] and or our cultural background.

[00:25:58] How do you include culture in either in the book or when

[00:26:04] you're out and about doing some of this?

[00:26:10] There's sort of twofold.

[00:26:11] I have one page that I talk about.

[00:26:15] I guess I don't talk.

[00:26:16] There's visuals of foods from all over the world,

[00:26:19] which I was really excited by.

[00:26:21] And you realize that even within this every month's different.

[00:26:25] But we're all very similar.

[00:26:27] There is only so many options of things to eat.

[00:26:31] You know, I've been all over the world.

[00:26:33] And you see that food is is pretty much the same.

[00:26:37] It's just cooked a little bit differently or spices are a little different.

[00:26:42] But we all have the same goal in this.

[00:26:45] Everyone has to eat.

[00:26:47] It's the only way to keep going.

[00:26:49] And it's very similar.

[00:26:52] And I love tapping that page in my book because it showed that,

[00:26:56] you know, things I spent time in Ethiopia right before the pandemic.

[00:27:01] And they it was sort of like things.

[00:27:05] They don't really use utensils.

[00:27:06] We were using in Jira, so like made out of teff,

[00:27:10] which is also naturally gluten free bread.

[00:27:14] And you use that to pick up your vegetables.

[00:27:16] And, you know, the way that they cooked their vegetables,

[00:27:21] I was like, oh, this is some of these things are things that I grew up

[00:27:25] eating and had a lot of lentils and like that's in other cultures.

[00:27:29] And I just realized that food is something that can really bring people together

[00:27:36] more than any other thing because we all have to eat.

[00:27:39] And another thing I was really happy about that whenever I do an in school event,

[00:27:45] I ask the kids, what way do you give back to people who don't have food?

[00:27:51] And the more in school events I did,

[00:27:55] the more I realized like this was my most important page for me.

[00:28:00] And growing up, I went to Jewish school and every week on Friday,

[00:28:05] every kid had to bring what we called sova.

[00:28:08] So a canned food item or some sort of food that went to people who were not as fortunate.

[00:28:15] And there's different items on that page that talk about going to a soup kitchen

[00:28:19] or keeping a packaged food in your car for when you drive by someone who is unhoused

[00:28:28] and eating is so much bigger than you are.

[00:28:32] Everyone has to do it and you need to make sure that, hey, you're fed

[00:28:36] and like you're kept healthy, but that your neighbor, whoever they are,

[00:28:42] we don't have to know anything about them, but they also need to eat.

[00:28:46] We need to think about others besides ourselves and make sure our

[00:28:50] our brothers and sisters are fed.

[00:28:52] So I really liked having that in my book.

[00:28:57] Yes, it's so important.

[00:28:59] Along those lines, it's on again, you're somewhat talking about a ritual

[00:29:04] or some tradition, if you will.

[00:29:06] And I believe you also talk about rituals that you can have around meals.

[00:29:13] I like that when parents ask me, they go, what can I do to get my kid

[00:29:18] involved in eating or at dinner time?

[00:29:22] And there's so much involved growing up.

[00:29:25] I know everyone has a different.

[00:29:29] I guess it truly is a ritual how they have dinner during the week,

[00:29:33] whether one parent is home or both or your caretaker or your grandparent,

[00:29:38] whoever it is is raising you.

[00:29:41] There's something you do every day.

[00:29:43] And for us growing up, even I talked to my mom about this,

[00:29:47] my mom's job growing up, she was the youngest of three.

[00:29:51] And she made the salad every day.

[00:29:54] And every night they had salad and she was in charge of it.

[00:29:58] So if you can give your kid one thing to do,

[00:30:02] even if you're someone who doesn't cook or someone else is cooking

[00:30:07] or whatever it is to give your kid the one thing that they can do to help.

[00:30:13] That's something that they know that they can do in the food space

[00:30:17] in feeding themselves every day.

[00:30:21] You had said something earlier about before we were recording

[00:30:25] about the health benefits or skin benefits of fruits and vegetables.

[00:30:31] So I think for our audience, that might be very salient.

[00:30:34] I agree that every 30 days your skin regenerates based upon what you eat.

[00:30:40] So not only is drinking a lot of water great for you to keep everything going.

[00:30:48] But I would say to women for a while, because this is mostly women,

[00:30:53] I go, do you want your skin to look like Fritos or a chopped salad?

[00:30:59] It's up to you.

[00:31:01] I'm really into an 80-20 rule of just eat healthy 80% of the time

[00:31:07] and eat the cookie, eat whatever it is.

[00:31:11] Like you're alive when you eat things with joy.

[00:31:14] I genuinely feel like your body reacts to that.

[00:31:20] At this point in my life, I have no regret about things that I eat.

[00:31:24] If I want to do it, I do it and I love it and I enjoy it.

[00:31:27] And I won't eat a cookie that looks awful to me, but I will eat the great one.

[00:31:33] But you really are what you eat.

[00:31:34] This is your skin.

[00:31:36] That's your skin health.

[00:31:38] Everything is connected no matter how hard we try to separate a lot of things.

[00:31:43] But your skin on your face, like Aliza, your skin is so glowy.

[00:31:49] I go, I eat really well.

[00:31:52] Nothing is complicated that I eat.

[00:31:54] It's just very straightforward food.

[00:31:56] Most of what I eat does not have a nutrition label on it, which is also

[00:32:04] something when I tell, when people look at nutrition labels, they're like,

[00:32:08] I don't know what this is.

[00:32:09] And they're like, if you don't know what it is, maybe don't eat it or

[00:32:13] look it up, but when you're eating fruits and vegetables, there are no nutrition

[00:32:18] facts or seeds or nuts.

[00:32:20] There it doesn't exist because that's what it is.

[00:32:24] But speaking to that, what are your thoughts about cooked versus raw?

[00:32:30] I think it depends upon what it is.

[00:32:35] I also love a blanche, which is somewhere in the middle of just like

[00:32:39] explain that for people like me who don't cook.

[00:32:42] Okay, for blanching, if it's something like a sugar snap pea, which I love,

[00:32:49] which it's spring.

[00:32:50] So snap peas and peas and everything from that category are in season.

[00:32:57] And you boil water and you put your snap peas in it and you wait until

[00:33:02] they change color to a brighter green.

[00:33:06] And then you take them out and you do what's called shocking and you put

[00:33:12] them in ice water or if you're kind of lazy, not lazy.

[00:33:17] If you just want it done in a different way and you don't have any ice,

[00:33:21] you just put it under cold water and it stops the cooking.

[00:33:24] And it turns it into a crispier, crunchier sugar snap pea.

[00:33:29] So I do have a page in the book about the different ways to what you

[00:33:34] like and you check off if you like things raw or cooked or steamed.

[00:33:41] It depends upon what it is, but I think most vegetables, if they're in season,

[00:33:47] tastes pretty delicious.

[00:33:49] So I personally, I love like a raw orange pepper.

[00:33:55] I don't like green or red, but I do like a yellow or an orange

[00:33:58] and I don't like them cooked, but I love them raw.

[00:34:01] So dealer's choice for that one.

[00:34:06] But you've got options.

[00:34:09] Some people only like them cooked, so it's whatever you like

[00:34:14] so that you'll actually eat it, especially for kids.

[00:34:17] So where can we get your book?

[00:34:19] My book is available at most local indie bookstores or it's on Amazon.

[00:34:27] I believe it's on sale on Amazon as well.

[00:34:29] So that's a great spot to find it.

[00:34:34] It's a great book.

[00:34:35] And again, I'm just I have one for myself for when I either can find another

[00:34:40] child or have a grandchild, but I've also given them as gifts

[00:34:45] and they have been very well received.

[00:34:47] So and they're just fun to look at and even do yourself.

[00:34:51] I think if you thought about doing an adult version.

[00:34:55] You know, everyone keeps asking me if I will do this is what

[00:34:59] I drink book for adults.

[00:35:01] And I don't think that book is happening anytime soon.

[00:35:06] But it gets a part.

[00:35:08] The Eid, I really think that this book is for the grown up as well.

[00:35:14] I think that these really basic concepts and using colors

[00:35:19] and shapes and sizes that as a tool is something we can all relate to.

[00:35:24] I love doing the activities.

[00:35:27] I love to color and do the crossword puzzle and these very simple

[00:35:33] activities, which really make you feel really young and use your brain in a way.

[00:35:41] We don't always use it.

[00:35:42] I remember when I did the crossword puzzle after I'd gotten my first copy

[00:35:47] and I couldn't find one of the words and I was like, there are kids

[00:35:52] that are going to be able to do this much faster than I am.

[00:35:54] But it's I don't know if I'll do an adult book anytime soon.

[00:36:00] I will keep sharing my recipes on my newsletter, though, which I think

[00:36:04] fabulous. The grown ups are excited about because they're always very easy

[00:36:09] but very delicious.

[00:36:12] I love that and I will be one of your subscribers.

[00:36:17] Well, Aliza Sokolow, thank you very much for being with me today.

[00:36:20] And I learned a lot and I'm going to go back to that book

[00:36:24] and go through it myself.

[00:36:26] Well, thank you for having me.

[00:36:28] This is a lot of fun.

[00:36:35] Well, that brings us to the end of this episode of Beyond the Paper Gown.

[00:36:39] I hope you enjoyed our conversation with Aliza Sokolow as much as I did.

[00:36:43] From her incredible journey in the food world to her innovative approaches

[00:36:47] to making healthy, eating fun and accessible.

[00:36:50] Aliza has shared so many valuable insights and ideas today,

[00:36:54] whether it's incorporating more colorful fruits and vegetables in our diets,

[00:36:58] getting involved in community garden programs or simply taking a moment

[00:37:02] to appreciate the art and joy of cooking.

[00:37:05] There are countless ways we can all benefit from Aliza's wisdom.

[00:37:09] What I took away from this episode is the reminder that healthy eating

[00:37:13] doesn't have to be complicated or boring.

[00:37:16] It can be as simple as enjoying the vibrant colors on your plate,

[00:37:19] taking time to appreciate the texture of different foods

[00:37:23] or trying out a new recipe with your kids.

[00:37:26] And who knows, maybe even starting a little garden of your own.

[00:37:30] If you love today's episode, don't forget to subscribe, rate and leave us

[00:37:33] a review on your favorite podcast platform.

[00:37:36] And of course, share it with your friends and family.

[00:37:39] You can find Aliza's book, This Is What I Eat at your local bookstore or online.

[00:37:44] And I highly recommend picking up a copy.

[00:37:46] It's not only fun for kids, but I enjoyed going through it myself.

[00:37:50] And if you want a sample of Aliza's recipes and other healthy recommendations,

[00:37:55] subscribe to our newsletter at BeyondThePaperGown.com.

[00:37:58] You'll also stay up to date on future podcasts, articles, events and activities.

[00:38:04] Thanks for joining me and take good care.

[00:38:18] This episode was produced by Patrick Shambayati and myself

[00:38:22] and our associate producer is Kyla McNeilian.

[00:38:45] Focuses on the power of stress management and how it's foundational

[00:38:49] to being your best, doing your best and giving your best.

[00:38:52] There's a wonderful episode that you should check out called Letting Go,

[00:38:56] where Wendy Garvin Mayo shares six strategies

[00:38:59] to release control and manage stress effectively.

[00:39:03] Check out Nurse Wellness Podcast on your favorite podcast platform

[00:39:07] or visit healthpodcastnetwork.com.