Feel like “healthy foods” have little flavor? Have you ever considered the energy your food carries and how it impacts your overall well-being? These are both a function of the quality of the ingredients and even the way you prepare your meals. Whether you consider yourself a home chef or someone who’s better off leaving the kitchen to others, this episode is for youIn this episode of Salad with a Side of Fries, Jenn Trepeck sits down with Chef Whitney Aronoff, founder of High Vibration Foods, to explore how the food we choose influences our physical health and our emotional and spiritual balance. From selecting fresh, in-season ingredients to understanding the power of ancestral diets, Chef Aronoff shares her journey of holistic healing through understanding food. This conversation dives deep into the concept of high-vibration food—what it is, why it matters, and how you can incorporate it into your daily life. Jenn and Whitney discuss everything from food industry pitfalls and shopping for healthy ingredients to the benefits of soaking grains and investing in quality kitchen tools. Plus, Chef Aronoff reveals how simple changes in food preparation can enhance digestion and nutrient absorption. The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast is hosted by Jenn Trepeck, discussing wellness and weight loss for real life, clearing up the myths, misinformation, bad science & marketing surrounding our nutrition knowledge and the food industry. Let’s dive into wellness and weight loss for real life, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store. IN THIS EPISODE: [5:24] Whitney Aronoff shares how she discovered holistic healing[9:48] Laying the foundation for high-vibration food[15:07] Understanding the food industry[23:07] How to shop for quality food[29:50] Discussion of sprouting grains and buying food out of season[31:38] Seasonal foods and investing in quality kitchen equipment[38:14] Spices and herbs and how they affect traditional food preparation[39:10] Organic vs. non-organic: it’s not just about how it’s grown.KEY TAKEAWAYS: Food is sustenance and energy influencing our physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Eating high-vibration, fresh, and in-season foods can enhance overall health and balance.Modern food processing and eating habits can contribute to health issues. Studying ancestral diets and eating warm, whole foods can heal digestive problems and improve overall well-being.Soaking grains, nuts, and certain foods before consumption can improve digestion, reduce allergens, and enhance nutrient absorption. This simple preparation step can make foods easier on the body and maximize their health benefits.Investing in high-quality kitchen equipment and fresh, organic ingredients enhances the cooking experience and improves food quality, taste, and overall health.QUOTES:         “When you eat more fresh and seasonal food, you feel lighter, you feel fresher, you need less of it because it's transferring more energy to you.” Whitney Aronoff[6:48] “I wanted to learn how my ancestors ate traditionally. Because that fueled them and allowed them to live long, healthy lives and for their offspring to prosper.” Whitney Aronoff[12:54] “Eating is a transfer of energy. What we consume impacts our physical, mental, emotional, spiritual health, like every aspect of health.” - Jenn Trepeck[32:52] “You can Google, I live [here], what fruits and vegetables are in season right now.” - Jenn Trepeck[ 34:56] ”Blanching and roasting are my go-to's when I feel like I'm making food versus cooking because cooking is a ton of pots and pans and a ton of ingredients.” - Jenn Trepeck[37:57] “I think spices are one of those ingredients similar to oil where people don't understand that it should be one ingredient; you expect it to be one ingredient, so we don't read the label.” Jenn Trepeck[43:01] “The quality of the ingredients creates the quality of the food experience in eating it and tasting it; the quality of our energy and our lives.” Jenn TrepeckRESOURCES:Become A Member of Salad with a Side of FriesJenn’s Free Menu PlanA Salad With a Side of FriesA Salad With A Side Of Fries MerchA Salad With a Side of Fries InstagramFats, Plants and UsSheMD WebsiteSheMD on SpotifySheMD on YouTubeGUEST RESOURCES: Whitney Aronoff - InstagramStarseed Kitchen - WebsiteHigh Vibration Living - PodcastHigh Vibration FoodsGUEST BIOGRAPHY: Chef Whitney is a personal chef who crafts custom meal plans for clients, guiding them toward their best lives and is the founder of High Vibration Foods. Whitney healed herself of an auto-immune disease and chronic digestive issues with food by attending culinary school at The Natural Gourmet Institute in New York City. By studying Eastern and Western healing philosophies with food, she uncovered the root causes of her suffering. Her blog, Starseed Kitchen, shares seasonal high-vibration recipes and her line of organic spice blends, High Vibration Foods, which she launched in 2020 and is now available at Erewhon Market. Whitney firmly believes that the healthiest meal one can eat is the one prepared at home. Chef Whitney’s goal is to share her culinary knowledge to empower people to cook nourishing meals in their kitchens.