The Toxic Truth About Restaurants, Plastics & Food with Chef Johanna Hellrigl

I didn’t know too much about the impressive Johanna Hellrigl before this conversation — a friend suggested I interview her and I intuitively said yes on the spot. And I’m so glad I did! Johanna is the chef and founder behind Ama, an award-winning Northern Italian restaurant in Washington, D.C., and a board member of the Environmental Working Group who is revolutionizing what it means to nourish people — from the way she sources whole ingredients to how she cares for her team to the deeper intention behind every decision she makes. She is building a model of hospitality where indulgence, vitality, sustainability, and community coexist — proving restaurants can drive cultural and systemic change. This woman is doing the work, and you can feel it. Johanna’s personal story also really moved me. As a chef, entrepreneur and mother, Johanna shares parts of her life that shaped the way she sees health, intuition, and what it means to truly take care of yourself in a world that can feel overwhelming and confusing. It’s a powerful reminder of how much we’re capable of when we start to question, listen, and trust ourselves more deeply. Many of us are aware of how to avoid toxins in and around our food at home, but I’ll admit eating out was more of a blind spot for me. We get into the hidden plastic crisis lurking in restaurant kitchens, the truth about what's really in your pasta and why it hits so differently in Europe, the seed oil conversation with actual nuance, food waste, and so. much. more. Johanna shares practical swaps you can make today in your own kitchen to reduce your toxic load — no overwhelm, just empowered steps forward. We really covered it all! I left this conversation feeling inspired, grounded, and confident that our bodies are incredibly intelligent — and when we start to listen, everything begins to shift. Key Moments You'll Love ✨ : 🍝 [0:00] Growing Up Organic in Italy Before It Was a Movement 👶 [11:53] Covid at 36 Weeks Pregnant and a 92 Hour Birth 🏥 [14:12] Neglected After a C-Section and Nobody Would Listen 🧬 [16:43] Her Son's Compromised Immune System and What Doctors Missed 💊 [19:20] Antibiotics Before 12 Months and a Kawasaki Disease Diagnosis at Five 🌾 [23:00] 90 to 95% of Cancer Is Lifestyle — Not Genetics 🍳 [32:00] The Cookware Swap That Protects Your Family From Toxins 🥡 [36:40] Ditch the Tupperware — The Storage Containers Worth Switching To 🌍 [40:20] 12 Minutes From a Food Desert — How Alma Gives Back 🍽️ [43:29] Why Health Shouldn't Be a Luxury and What a Real Neighborhood Restaurant Looks Like   LINKS Ama Restaurant’s website: https://www.amarestaurant.bar/press Johanna on Instagram @chefjohannahellrigl EWG website: https://www.ewg.org/ SPONSORS TIMELINE: Mitopure now starts at just $79. Go to ⁠timeline.com/healwithkelly to get 20% off Mitopure supplements and Skincare with code HEALwithKelly. BON CHARGE: Go to boncharge.com and use code HEALWITHKELLY to save 15%. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices