Episode 229 — SUPERCHARGE Holiday Meals
Guest: Asher Cowan • Date: November 7, 2024
Episode Overview
This week, Asher Cowan, CEO of Dr. Cowan’s Garden, shares simple ways to boost the nutrition of your holiday meals. Learn how small changes can make a big impact on family health.
About Asher Cowan
Asher Cowan is the Co-Founder/CEO of Dr. Cowan's Garden, a line of nutritionally powerful vegetable powders: perennial greens, kale, Swiss chard, leek, squash, blends, and salts. The powders' nutritional power derives from how they're grown, processed, and stored. Dr. Cowan's Garden is a family-run business; his wife and two sons have significant roles within the company. Dr. Cowan is a well-known alternative medicine doctor, author, and speaker with a common-sense, holistic approach to health and wellness. Over the last three decades, helping people heal through diet and natural medicines, Dr. Cowan has witnessed firsthand the healing power of a diet rich in vegetable diversity, nourishing fats, and wholesome grains and legumes.
You’ll Discover
Two Keys To Better Food Choices (3:37)
Easy Ways To Add More Nutrition (11:43)
An Easy Way To Add A Very Nutrient-Dense Food (14:38)
Why And How Plants Can Be Toxic (24:35)
Key Considerations When Evaluating Supplements (30:13)
An Approach With Food That’s Doable (33:13)
Referenced in This Episode
Dr. Cowan’s Garden, Use Code APS for 20% off all vegetable powders
Full Transcript
Asher Cowan | 00:00
I'm lucky that my kids eat a lot of different food. And I guess I am because they've grown up with a wide variety of food from the very beginning. And they've gone through their stages of being very picky. But I was able to sort of get through that using these techniques and products to be able to feel good at the end of the day saying, well, you know, they didn't eat all of this, but I was able to get some beets into them and some burdock and some tail into them with these other things. And so that's really what it's about. And I think we can beat ourselves up for, they didn't need all of this or they didn't need that. But If we can get just a few bites of some really nutrient-dense food, our bodies are very resilient and they can do a lot better.
Cass Arcuri | 00:49
Want to truly be the best parent you can be and help your child thrive after their autism diagnosis? This podcast is for all in parents like you who know more is possible for your child.
Len Arcuri | 01:00
With each episode, we reveal a secret that empowers you to be the parent your child needs now, saving you time, energy, and money, and helping you focus on what truly matters most, your child.
Cass Arcuri | 01:11
I'm to Autism Parenting Secrets.
Len Arcuri | 01:11
Cass. And I'm Len. Welcome.
Hello and welcome to Autism Parenting Secrets. It's Len. And today, the topic is food and basically how to work more nourishment into not only your diet, but your child's diet. And with me as a return guest, Asher Cowan is with us, and he was last on this podcast, episode 91. And the intriguing title for that episode was that you can fast track more veggies. And now with holiday season approaching, Asher's back on to talk more about really creative, simple ways that you can upgrade the nutrients that you serve your child.
So the secret this week is... Supercharge Holiday Meals Welcome back, Asher.
Asher Cowan | 02:13
Thanks for having me. Glad to be.
Len Arcuri | 02:15
Back. Super.
Well, I'm a big fan of what you and your company do in terms of really focusing on how parents who are already stressed and cooking, nourishing food can be a challenge, especially depending on what's going on with your child. But I think your company has such really creative, interesting ways that it doesn't have to be overly complicated for what a parent can work in the kitchen for the benefit of their family.
So I'll leave it to you to explain more about what your company does and your mission and the ways that you help parents.
Asher Cowan | 02:52
Yeah. Well, thank you.
So, We're speaking of Dr. Cowan's Garden, which I consider us a health food company. We have several different lines of products. Our main line of products is a line of vegetable powders. A good way to think of them is like a seasoning or a spice. And you use it in cooking or flavoring your food. And it's a great way to get extra vegetables and nutrition into just about anything you're eating. And the vegetable powders, like with all of our other products, we use some basic principles in terms of you know, what we're willing to do and what we're not willing to do. And I'm talking in terms of the sourcing and the process.
So we use the best possible sources for the vegetables and any other product that we're producing. So we're using small, what we call beyond organic farms. These are farms that are going above and beyond the Typical USDA organic standards, and some of them may even be certified biodynamic. And those are farms that are going way above and beyond the typical organic standards.
So we start off with the best sourcing that we can find. And then we move on to the processing of the ingredients. And it's important there to process the ingredients properly. And what I mean by that is If you're making a product using kale, you need to actually cook the kale first because there's anti-nutrients and oxalates present in raw form that need to be cooked off before consumed. And it's the same way if we're talking about nuts or seeds or grains or something like that. Those need to be soaked or sprouted first so that the phytic acid can be released and it makes the nutrients in the those foods more absorbable, meaning you're better able to absorb and use the nutrients in that food. And that's basically the main principle.
So I guess... Starting off with those in mind, you know, so we're talking about a holiday meal or meals in general, We want to start off with the best sources and process them properly.
So, you know, and this goes, you know, this we're not even talking about our products. Now we're talking about what you're eating in your home. Just regularly.
So if we're talking about grains, you want to be soaking your grains before you're cooking them so that you're releasing the phytic acid and making the nutrients more absorbable. So we're just getting the most bang for our buck when it comes to nutrition. Because, you know, it's... As anything that you're eating, you know, a pasture raised animal, you know, whether it's a cow or a turkey or a chicken or something like that is going to pack much more nutrition in it than your regular feedlot animal product, whether it's a turkey cow or chicken or whatever it is. And so we want to be starting with the best sources possible.
Yeah. I understand that this can be tricky for people on a budget.
You know, someone asked me an investing advice, and I'm no investor really, you know, I, pretend to be. But the answer to that question is it depends.
You know, if you're saying, well, I have an extra $5,000 to, you know, where do I invest? Well, maybe the best investment there is a chest freezer so that you can buy, you can stock up, you could go directly to the farmer and so that you can buy your meat in bulk, so that now you're saving money on every meat purchase into perpetuity. And so it's doing things like that can really upgrade your nutrition By being able to you know, go directly to the farms, find the best sources for your food, and then Feed that to your family. Number one, I would say, you know, no matter who you're, you know, Buy from us, don't buy from us. If you're sourcing the best possible ingredients for whatever you're eating, whether it's vegetables, fruits, grains, meat, whatever it is, you want to look for the best sources. And you want to go directly to the farmers, whatever possible.
So that's number one. I would say the best thing that you can do is focus on the sourcing and where you're getting your food from, regardless of whose products you're buying.
Len Arcuri | 08:04
I'm trying to be a devil's advocate here in terms of what Asher is saying may sound a little bit elitist, like get the best that you can. But I think he very eloquently talked about if you're, If you have a picky eater who's only eating a couple bites, right?
Like you do want to maximize the impact of what your child is eating. So if they're a picky eater, then they're not, eating as much. And that's why this is so important. The idea of higher quality, and it's going to be more expensive, maybe not much more, but it's going to be more expensive. But I think that's where I think, Asher, you're shedding light on the fact that The nutrients and what's in that food truly is different. Compared to conventional. In addition to the fact that If you're buying from a source, a reputable source who has great practices, the chance of it, of that food, whatever you're serving, having toxins of some kind, in addition, you know, like on top of what that food is, it's kind of a, those two considerations. You want something that's healthier and something that doesn't have toxins that are on sprayed on the food or the way it's grown.
So you look at both of those things. And yes, it is important to really focus on quality, to the extent that you can, you know, invest extra in higher quality.
So it's not just like an elitist thing. I mean, it really is You're getting a different product.
Asher Cowan | 09:33
Yeah, absolutely. And yeah, I mean, you know, I understand how food prices have risen. Dramatically in the last couple of years and But it's really important that, you know, for me, this has been the area in my life where I've said, you know what? I'm going to sort of bite the bullet here and pay for it and do as best I can on the food. On the food realm because it has so many other implications in our life. The amount you invest in good health and good food now will come back and save you time, money, pain, you know, The aggravation of going through a sickness later on. And so for me in my life, that's just one of the things that I've chosen to invest my money in is good quality, healthy, nutritious food. I happen to grow as much of it as I can myself. And so, you know, for those who have the ability, I highly recommend that. Not only is it you know, healthier and cheaper, but it's a fun activity that you can maybe involve your children. And that's what I've done in my life as well. I have a nine, seven tomorrow, and four year old, and I involve them in my garden. And so that's a lot of On top of, you know, so we talked about the best possible sourcing and proper processing, you know, if it's a grain or legume, soak it, sprout it before eating that breaks down the phytic acid makes the nutrients more. Absorbable to really get the most bang out of your buck.
And then there are some things that you can do in addition to that. That have significant health benefits as well. And these are things that you can sort of add to your food, add to the foods that your children will eat, And, And to make them more nutrient dense, make them more, you know, flavorful in some respects, but I think what we're, Trying to focus here is on nutrition.
You know, so a big one that I try to add to all my foods or all my children's foods is butter. Butter has really good fats. My favorite brand is Kerrygold. Those are available at every store. Every, you know, major supermarket, I think. And, you know, I tried to add a lot of butter to just about anything My kids eat, they love it. They, you know, kind of enriches the flavor and it makes it into a more flavorful thing.
And then we have a number of products that you can add to foods as well. A lot of our vegetable powders are great additions to pretty much anything you eat. I mentioned that they are kind of like a seasoning or a spice.
So depending on what you can get your children to eat, we can add those to things. We're starting from a baseline. And what we're trying to do as parents is get to the next level up from that. And so I mentioned if you're starting from a pre-made or pre-mixed baking mix from a supermarket, maybe you can buy those ingredients and make the mix yourself or make the baked good yourself.
And then you can improve on the ingredients there. You might be able to buy organic. You might be able to buy it from a local grower or a local producer or something like that. And so it's just about making a small improvement to the sourcing and to the quality of what you're eating. In addition to that, we have a bunch of vegetable powders that are great additions to pretty much anything that you're eating.
You know, we talked about this on the last podcast, but, you know, my kids will eat They'll eat pancakes. Go figure. And so in my pancakes, I put beet powder and burdock root powder. And so, you know, I could go into the health benefits of those two things, but they're very healthy foods, beets and burdock root. It's something that kids don't typically eat. But I'm able to sneak it in. To sneak it into their pancakes. And they do know because they see me do it, but you could, if you wanted to, you know, sneak it into their food without them knowing.
And then you're getting them to eat additional vegetables and different colors of vegetables and you know, upgrading their nutrition. And, you know, it's especially important if you have a picky eater, you know, like we talked about earlier, you know, you try to make the most of every bite that you can. And so you know, a big one that, we recommend, that It's basically a food or foods that are one of the highest, most nutrient-dense types of foods are organ meats. And even for me, organ meats are sometimes not the easiest to eat.
Sometimes they might be hard to come by. And even me, I don't particularly like the flavor of beef liver. If you're lucky like I am, you can...
You know, buy your beef wholesale and get the butcher to blend the organ meats into the ground beef. But if you're not, then, you know, we sell an organ meat based powder. That is very flavorful and you can add that to pretty much anything that you're eating add it to rice add it to some type of vegetable dish add it to potatoes you know a lot of kids will eat potatoes you know they're sort of this you know, bland food, They have some flavor, but it's more or less a bland food that you can do pretty much anything to. And, you know, adding some organ meats to that in a seasoning form. It goes a long way to pack that nutritional punch that we're looking for. And again, if we're only getting a few bites of food into our kids, which I know a lot of people struggle with, that's one of the best ways to really pack that punch into everybody.
Len Arcuri | 16:18
Yeah, that's great. Yeah. No, I, as you're talking, I'm thinking about the ethicality of sneaking stuff into a child's diet, but I know all of us parents, we do that with the best of intent. And I've talked to many parents who their child is so tuned in, they'll notice any subtle change in the food that's, you know, that's being presented.
So that's where I think The powders... From dr cowan's garden they are they're easier to work in and to maybe go unnoticed but even if you know you're above board with your child and you and they see that you're adding something you know you could kind of make it a game where you give them like three colors to choose from. Hey, one of these is going and which one's it going to be? And you let them have agency and kind of make it fun. I think some kids would probably like to eat a bright red version of something, right, with the beet powder or, you know, so there's maybe even ways of involving your child with some of these very creative products. Which again, make it easier to work in. And again, I know a lot of parents are trying to work higher quality ingredients or nutritious items in and they just get hit with a lot of resistance.
That's why I love about the products that you have is it makes it much easier. Depending on what your diet is, I know Asher mentioned butter. I know some parents might be dairy-free. I think butter has a lot going for it.
Something to consider, especially if you're getting a clean, wholesome source. And I know your company, I think you sell ghee as well, which would be at least a butter without the case. And if that's what you're avoiding, but I love with your powders. One of your powders is a low oxalate powder, which I know for a lot of parents. And I just found out from my own diet and my son's, you know, that the oxalates are really something to avoid.
So the idea of being able to get green vegetables through your low oxalate powder that aren't high in oxalates is quite a.
Asher Cowan | 18:24
Gift. Oxalates can be very troublesome, especially for people who have had kidney stones or yeah, kidney stones is a, it's a big one, that they can contribute to. And so, you know, that leaves a lot of people without, you know, not the ability, but with the recommendation to avoid leafy green vegetables. And leafy green vegetables are very good under the right circumstances. We don't want to be eating these raw kale salads that became all the rage a number of years ago because those have the oxalates present in raw form.
So what we've done is we've taken grains that are naturally lower in oxalates. They're not free of oxalates, but they're lower in oxalates.
And then we do the cooking process to reduce the oxalate load. So we blanch them I basically boil them for a short amount of time in boiling water, take those out, put them into the dehydrator and then preserve that state. And so it gives you the ability to have the nutrients from the leafy green vegetables, which we all know have, you know, they're very nutrient dense. Without the trouble, you know, the troubling oxalates, which some people struggle with. Yeah, that one is very versatile. It can be put in a lot of different dishes and a lot of different things that children might eat. Maybe it's spaghetti sauce or something like that. Maybe it's a soup. You know, I... I guess. I was talking to someone today saying, I'm lucky that my kids eat a lot of different food. And I guess I am because.
You know, they've grown up with a wide variety of food from the very beginning. Beginning and they've gone through their stages of being very picky and But, you know, I was able to sort of get through that using these techniques and products to be able to feel good at the end of the day saying, well, you know, they didn't eat all of this, but I was able to get some beets into them and some burdock and some kale into them with these other things. And so that's really what it's about. And I think we. We can beat ourselves up for not you know, for, they didn't eat all of this or they didn't eat that. If we can get a few bites, you know, just a few bites of some really nutrient dense food, our bodies are very resilient and they can do a lot. And so I wouldn't... I wouldn't beat ourselves up too much because of these eating challenges.
Len Arcuri | 21:12
Yeah, it's easy to strive for perfection and to have some, you know, target of what you're wanting and then being disappointed if your child doesn't go for it. But yeah, it's all about just better.
You know, how can you go from where you are to more nourishment, to more diversity and again, to choose better. Wisely of like what foods, what nutrients are a real fit for what your child most needs. And that's where it's going to be different for, you know, every child in terms of where they are. And again, I think parents can determine for themselves what it is that their child's preferences are, what they love, what they don't love. And again, once you know that, it's easy to then make slight changes in terms of just upgrading what's going into their system. And I love that saying where the body is really good at making use of whatever comes in.
So yeah, just get something over the goal line, you know, and creatively, or again, even, you See, this is such a challenge. Picky eating, you see the veins popping in someone's neck when they talk about it. But again, you can Try to gamify it and make it somewhat fun and to involve your child in creative ways. And again, you'll find out what they go for, what they like, what they don't like. But yeah, just about better and increasing nourishment as best you can little by little every day.
Asher Cowan | 22:44
Yeah, absolutely. And I like how you mentioned gamifying it, making it fun. Figuring out, you know your child better than anyone else.
You know what you might be able to get them to eat. And pick the things that they like to start with and then work on those. Get, you know, upgrade, make small changes to the things that you know you can get them to eat.
And then you've upgraded their diet. And so, you know, maybe it's popcorn. Maybe it's, you know, maybe it's pancakes. Maybe it's spaghetti. Maybe it's ketchup. If you can add a tiny bit of beet powder to a ketchup, Well, you've, you know, you've upgraded a little bit.
And then, you know, are we buying organic potatoes? Well, that's another upgrade that you can make. Are you know, maybe there's, you know, instead of Deep frying, you can air fry, you know, there's different things that you can upgrade. You can remove the toxins, you can upgrade it in little ways to add more nutrition. And our bodies, again, they're resilient and they can make use of Even a small bit of nutrition. And so it's really about taking a small step. Take a small step every day and before you know it, that small step will turn into something much larger.
Len Arcuri | 24:06
Yeah, no, fantastic. You started with a concept that I think would be useful for us just to revisit. Which is You think about plants and whether it's greens or just vegetables, And there may be a presumption like I had that many parents have that, okay, All vegetables are good and any way you can get that in, great. But there is a prevailing thought, and you touched on it, that some plants, if eaten in a certain way without adequate preparation, can actually be toxic. And that goes to kind of Dr. Stephen Gundry's plant paradox where he makes a big case for the fact that plants Don't want us to eat them. And basically, there's a lot of plants that we could eat that are actually contrary to health or at least aren't as healthful as we'd like to think.
So can you talk a little bit about that where seemingly innocent, healthy vegetables or plants, if not prepared correctly, can actually not only not help, but actually may be contrary to.
Asher Cowan | 25:14
Health. Yeah.
Well, if you think about the sort of, it's not the mentality, but it's the Bye for now. Plan of a plant is their, their goal as a plant is to reproduce.
Len Arcuri | 25:28
Yep. They want to survive.
Asher Cowan | 25:29
Yeah. They're trying to reproduce. And in order to do that, they need to fight off predators and they need to fight off, you know, things that might, stop their reproduction process. And so what that is for a plant is to be able to flower and then make seeds that will then propagate and then start new plants.
So for a kale, for example, they're creating these oxalates and other phytochemicals that are harmful, you know, in small ways to... To living organisms. They don't want to be eaten by the bugs. They want to fulfill their life, make their leaves, grow the flower, and eventually seeds grow out of the flower, fall on the ground, and then make more kale plants. And so with what we're doing, with how we're processing our vegetables is cooking them down, cooking off those anti-nutrients and toxins to be able to get rid of them so we're not eating them, but then to maintain the nutrition. And so what we're doing is we're cooking them for a short amount of time and then preserving it on a low heat dehydration.
So we're preserving the nutrients after we've cooked off the anti-nutrients and the toxins. And so, I mean, it's the life cycle of a plant is to sort of fight off these bacteria. Insects and other predators to plants. And in, You know, in a big body like a human, it might not be so much. To do that in little increments. But when these little increments of toxins continue to build, and if we're not detoxing regularly, then they can add up to something that is harmful. It's not like you go out and eat a kale salad and the next day you're passing kidney stones. But it is another toxin that we're constantly being bombarded with that we need to detoxify. And so, you know, a have your detox pathways open, meaning that you're sweating, you're, you know, you're, bowel movements are regular. You have regular, Detoxification stuff going on in your normal life like, you know, do something that sweats out that makes you sweat every day That's a great way to detox. And so eating all these toxins, being bombarded with, you know, toxins from the air pollution, from a whole bunch of other things. We don't want to add to that with the food that we're.
Len Arcuri | 28:19
Yeah, it's that daily cumulative load, right? Something that's even a tiny bit toxic, but every day that would build and build.
Asher Cowan | 28:27
Yeah, and it's compounding with other toxins that we're consuming. Bombarded with every day. It's the exhaust from a car. They're everywhere around us. It's the spraying of the fields if we live near farms. It's everywhere, you know, and so we need to not add to that whenever we can. And if it's by choosing the best sourcing for our food and processing it correctly, at least in that way we can take some ownership and reduce it as much as possible in our own lives.
Len Arcuri | 29:06
Yeah. And the idea that the raw form is the best form isn't necessarily always true, right? In terms of for certain plants. And that's where, you know, again, I think you're right. Your products take the guesswork out of it because you've thought through and have something that's ready to go. And my guess is that if parents are buying, let's say, supplements or something out there that might sound like it's very healthy, like a broccoli extract, something of that nature, my guess is a lot of the supplements that might be out there are the raw form or haven't thought through what's the most bio, like the best form of this substance that's compatible with the human body, right?
So I'm guessing that's where even a lot of supplements that seem like they could be a good idea may miss the mark.
Asher Cowan | 29:55
Right, exactly. And I mean, you could. From the nutritional standpoint, I'm sure people are well aware that the just the food that we eat, that we're eating now. Are less nutritious than they were 50 years ago. And that's going to be the same. That's going to be true for our quote supplements that we're taking.
You know, if the food in our, Food is less nutritious than the food that goes into the supplements are less nutritious. And they're just going by the sort of the standardized nutritional metrics that are set forth by the FDA. They might not necessarily be analyzing the exact thing in that product. And so you want to, you know, and this goes back to the sourcing, you want to make sure that the farms that you're sourcing from are using, you know, the best possible practice.
You know, we've heard this, the term regenerative agriculture. It's, you know, it's basically when you're, you know, when you're working with the land to be able to, Build soil and build fertility into the soil without using outside chemicals and outside, you know, synthetic fertilizers and those types of things.
So this is, you know, they're using spent plant material and composting and composted manure and those types of things to put nutrients back into the soil, which then goes into the food that we're So. Bye. There's a lot to it, but it's simple when it comes down to it. It's just, it's going with the farms and farmers that are doing things the right way.
Len Arcuri | 31:39
So, Asher, as you're talking, I totally appreciate that perspective. And I think you're giving listeners a lot of things to think about as we fast forward to the holiday season. Right. I can just totally envision if parents are sitting there thinking about holiday meals, the types of foods that their child eats, right. It's endless the number of ways that you can work more nutrition in.
So if your child's only eating macaroni and cheese, you can throw some of the powders in there in what you're serving. They only eat chicken nuggets, right? Okay. Yes. Maybe it means that maybe you're making it yourself and it's not impossible, but in the coating of those chicken nuggets, lots of your powders can work in.
So again, here think of, and you mentioned potatoes, mashed potatoes. I mean, it's really endless. And I think, you know, as a parent, if you're just trying to get a W, get a V, you know, get a win, get a victory. It's not a small thing to work some of these powders into the foods your child's eating. It's not, that's not a small thing.
So if going with a full special diet and cooking everything from scratch, if that's too intimidating, again, you don't have to go from zero to a hundred right away. You can just start making the minor changes that Asher mentioned here and there. Again, something that's going to be in line with what your child might go for. And you can just day after day move in that right direction of just working more nourishment. And again, this is how collectively You can supercharge not only holiday meals, but all the meals that you're serving your child.
Asher Cowan | 33:14
Yeah, absolutely. And I think the incremental progress is very key, whether you're, you know, training for a marathon or you know doing any challenging feat in life just doing a little bit every day make yourself a little bit better every day even if you added a half a teaspoon of beet powder to ketchup for your chicken nuggets you know you've added a little thing that can be healthy for your child and if you take that approach and you take that mindset you The creativity that you can unlock is like, well, I noticed that they're always eating this food and I can get them to eat this food. How can I make this one little thing just a little bit better? And when you start to approach it like that creativity will unlock and you'll be able to think of different ways based on your individual child and your individual circumstance to be able to do better and continue to do better. And so that's what I'd like to encourage people is to have that mindset and then you'll unlock your creativity.
Len Arcuri | 34:19
Yeah, that's super exciting. It makes the impossible doable.
So I think those are absolutely wise words to end our discussion with. So yeah, so tell people where they can find Dr. Cowan's Garden and to learn more about your products.
Asher Cowan | 34:37
Yeah, just drcowansgarden.com. And yeah, You can sign up for our newsletter and we give recipes and tips and instructions on how to use our products. There's a recipe that comes out every week. And we'd love to have you. We really believe in our products and it comes down to the sourcing process. And the processing and take that same approach into your mind, into your home, into, you know, whether you're using our products or not, take that. Message of, you know, is this the best source that I can have for this particular thing that my child will eat?
And then how can I make that a little bit better by doing it by cooking it, processing it correctly. And so I would encourage people to adopt that mindset. And that you can make small improvements every day. And before you know it, you'll have made a large And you'll be alive.
Len Arcuri | 35:39
Well, again, thank you for what you and your company do. I don't know of no company that cares more about what they do, their mission and the quality of what they put out there.
So thanks for sharing these perspectives, Asher. I'm wishing you a happy holiday season. And thanks so much for sharing your voice.
Asher Cowan | 35:57
Thanks. Same to you. And I appreciate your comments.
Len Arcuri | 36:01
Your child wants you to transform now. And the fastest way to do that is with personalized support. To learn more, go to allinparentcoaching.com/intensive.
