Anita: 0:00

Hey there, sunshine, welcome to the Power On Plants podcast. We're your host, Jarrod and Anita Roussel, and we're absolutely head over heels for whole plant foods and helping you navigate plant-based incredible journey. That's because our lives have been completely changed by plant based goodness. We used to struggle every day with excess pounds and low energy, vascular disease, joint pain and lack of sleep, just to name a few, and even though we're medical professionals, we still weren't getting practical answers that actually worked. So we dug into the research, we started living what we learned, and now we both have our lives back, and that's what we want for you, too. The truth is, you can do this, and it's not hard. You just need a way that will bring real and lasting change, and that path it has to be simple and enjoyable, and it's got to be delicious too. So are you ready to live your life to the fullest? Then you're in the right place because living without limits that's what Power On Plants is all about. So pull up your chair, grab a matcha latte and let's get started.

Anita: 1:05

Well, hello, sunshine, we are so glad to have you back with us today, and if this is your first time joining us, welcome to the Power On Plants family, sister. What we're talking about today is proof that big things come in tiny packages and even the smallest of things can make the greatest of impacts. Today, we're talking about a tiny little seed. I mean, really, it's so tiny. If there's just one or two of them laying around, you probably wouldn't even notice it. That's how small this seed is, and that is the black cumin seed. This is not cumin. This isn't like the Mexican spice.

Jarrod: 1:42

It's in a different family. It's called black cumin.

Anita: 1:44

And another name of black cumin seed is Nigella Sativa. It's a very simple little thing that is going to make a big difference in your health. We're going to be talking about what are some of the differences, what are easy ways to get this thing into your life? And, just like with all whole plant foods, it's not going to make just one change in your life. Now, this little seed is even mentioned in the Old Testament, in Isaiah 28 and Matthew 23.

Anita: 2:10

Now the translators translate it cumin, but again, it's cumin. When you look up the word in Hebrew, it actually is the black cumin seed, and it's been known to have strong nutritional benefits for years. So why haven't we heard of it? Well, it's not usually used in the standard American diet, like a lot of other things that are the best foods for us on the planet, and so it shouldn't surprise us, right? But this is something new that can add great flavor to your food.

Anita: 2:39

It's not hard to get into your life, but what you really need to understand is why do you need to be eating it? I mean, we can sit here and tell you yeah, it's good for you get it, but sometimes it's nice to know what does it actually do, and Jarrod even had his mind blown when we started looking into all the different things that it does. We knew some of the health benefits. We even have it in our pantry and use it in our own dishes, but when you start looking at all the benefits that have been proven by research, it just never gets old. It's so mind boggling how God puts all these phytonutrients, all these amazing nutrients that are only found in plants, and he packs them all into something as tiny as this little seed.

Anita: 3:18

Another interesting fact is that it was found in King Tut's tomb. That's how long it's been used, right? So what does it taste like? It's smoky, it's slightly peppery and it's just a different flavor. It doesn't taste exactly like anything else. That's why it's fun to get it on your food, because you're going to get a new flavor that you're not typically getting in your meals.

Jarrod: 3:38

Really it tastes like a mild black peppercorn with a little bit of smokiness, not real strong, but if you, the closest thing I could compare it to is just the black peppercorn, but it's a great flavor.

Anita: 3:50

So what are the benefits? Okay, hang on to your hat. You've got to get this into your life. It's just so easy to do. We're going to show you how.

Jarrod: 3:58

We're just going to cut this short. Everything All right episode over Everything.

Anita: 4:05

Just eat it. No, seriously, I mean, you're not going to believe this. Listen to this. It fights bacteria, it fights viruses and it's antifungal too. Now, I don't know about you, but Jarrod and I, as health practitioners, we understand that antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral medicines kill off good stuff in your body and leave you with a bunch of bad side effects. Now, if you really need them absolutely you need to take them.

Anita: 4:31

Yeah, but most of the time we take them and we don't need them. Why would you want to take those and do that to your body when you could avoid it altogether? Right, and this is how you do that. Because God has put these antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal properties into whole plant foods, even the tiniest of whole plant foods.

Jarrod: 4:50

And in some of the studies they found that it had properties equal in effectiveness to antibiotics that are found in medicine and it even helped against resistance strains. So some of the strains that are resistant to some of the antibiotics, they respond to this.

Anita: 5:05

Isn't that amazing? It's amazing. It is amazing. And it's been found to lower blood pressure, lowering cholesterol and triglycerides significantly. I got to go back to the cholesterol. It significantly lowers cholesterol Just a quarter teaspoon per day. Studies show similar results to statin drugs, without the nasty painful side effects. If you have ever taken statins at one point in my life I took when my cholesterol was creeping up. I took a natural statin, red yeast rice extract and let me tell you I still got the same nasty side effects and it was crippling, it was painful. I don't wish that on my worst enemy.

Jarrod: 5:44

And if you think you're going to try that and go natural, it actually is a natural source of lovestatin, which the brain name is Mevacor, which is a statin. It's the same thing. It's the same thing. It's just from a natural source. Regardless of where it comes from, it's still going to affect you the same way.

Anita: 6:00

You're still getting those same side effects that you could avoid by doing some of these things. You know, this is just. You got to think about this for a minute. I want you to wrap your mind around this. This is just one tiny little seed that packs a huge punch on your health, and keep this in mind as we talk about all these different benefits. This is one change you can make. What's going to happen if you make another, then another, then another and you've got all these mighty powerful plant foods that God has put on this earth to heal your body naturally to not only keep it strong to prevent disease, but to reverse the most common diseases of our time.

Anita: 6:40

It's a known fact. It's shown in research time and time again, and this is exactly why it works that way. Okay, so next, it's protective against atherosclerosis. What is that? Hardening of your arteries, building up of the plaques in your arteries. Okay, it will spice up your foods and make them taste great. It's anti-inflammatory. If you're fighting inflammation and you're hurting and you don't know why, this is something you need to add to your life. It lowers blood pressure. It decreases triglycerides. I think I already said that, but it's worth mentioning again. This is a mighty little seed. It's been shown to play a significant role in the treating of gastric ulcers. It helps to control blood sugar. So if you or anyone you know has type 2 diabetes, get this into your life on a regular basis, along with all other plant foods. Okay, it decreases brain cell death and strengthens the brain's ability to store information. What would that mean for you? It's going to improve your memory.

Jarrod: 7:43

Your memory.

Anita: 7:44

Exactly what could you do with?

Jarrod: 7:45

that Everything.

Anita: 7:47

Right. How would that change your life? It has been shown to fight various types of cancer, not just in one way, in multiple ways. God gives us these amazing foods that are like weapons. All right, you know, people say food is medicine. I would venture to say food is not medicine. It's better than medicine. Food is a disease fighter, food is a health promoter. Food is so much more. It's tasty, it's delicious, it's life-giving.

Jarrod: 8:16

It's almost like it's artillery, artillery.

Anita: 8:18

Food is artillery. I love that In your fight against disease.

Jarrod: 8:22

Absolutely, absolutely, for better health.

Anita: 8:25

And if you have menopause symptoms, ladies, get your black cumin seeds. Okay, there's a lot of things you can do. Hot flashes, menopause symptoms, do not have to be something that you go through, and we're going to be talking more about that down the road, but I want you to understand there's a whole lot that you can do and they can stop. We have members stop them all the time. Mine completely went away. I do not have them anymore. I did have them, but once I started learning what to do, they left and I'm telling you that's a day you'll want to do a happy dance, okay. So these fight menopause symptoms too, and they're so inexpensive I mean, when you look at drugs versus eating healthy foods, this is one of the cheapest, simplest ways to fuel your body, and you're not just fueling it, you're literally fueling your body well. So let's talk about the side effects, okay, because these things do come with side effects, and we've just talked about some of them. Right there, that was your list of side effects. Plus, they decrease your appetite and lead to weight loss. What the world? Okay, that's what plant foods do. They're high in fiber. They're high in so many other things that we just haven't even discovered yet. And then what we do know is that all of a sudden, you do research and you find, hey, these things cause weight loss naturally. Hey, they decrease appetite naturally. But we're not getting any of these things on a regular basis when we eat the standard American diet. So should it really come as a surprise to us that we have weight issues when we aren't getting the foods that are filled with the nutrients our bodies require and when we are getting the things that sabotage our health on a regular basis?

Anita: 10:03

Bottom line if you want a tiny little seed that packs a nutritional punch, helps you fight off disease and helps you to gain energy and feel great and lose weight at the same time, you got to get this little seed into your life. It is a game changer. Okay, there's not just one single benefit. All these things pack, layer upon layer benefit, benefit, benefit, benefit. I mean you just can't go wrong. So there's not just one thing, and then you're going to add another and another and before long you're in a whole different place. You're not having those same struggles, you're living the life that you were created to live. So how do you use this little seed? It is so easy to get it into your routine. You can just fill a pepper mill with it, put it on your table, set it on the smallest grind setting, because these are really tiny little seeds.

Jarrod: 10:55

They're less than a millimeter. I mean they're very, very tiny About like a pinhead.

Anita: 10:59

Right, and so what you want to do is just get that spice mill onto your table and fill it with the black cumin seeds and you can grind it right there at the table onto your food. Add it to your nourish bowls, your salad, your soups, your curries, your baked potato, find your new favorite way to enjoy black cumin seeds and get it onto your meal. What about if you have a spice grinder? Could you use that? If you don't want to have another pepper mill, absolutely buy a spice grinder and keep some pre-ground in a little container that you can just set out on your table. It's not hard to get more of this mighty seed into your life, and it is so beneficial. Maybe you're thinking where can I find this little seed? I've never seen it. I've never noticed it in my store. I didn't even know this existed before I heard this podcast.

Anita: 11:48

Go to the show notes. We are going to put a link for you so you'll know exactly where to find it. You won't have to hunt all over the internet to try to locate it. We'll give you a good brand that you can get to your house, probably within a couple of days. Then I want you to snap a little picture and tag us on Instagram at poweronplantsofficial and let us know it arrived. It's here or I'm putting it on this food or that food. Let us know how you're using it and how you like it. If you know of someone who could benefit from this episode, would you share it with them? Let's keep spreading the message of plant-based joy together. Have a great week, sister, and we'll look forward to hanging out with you again soon.