3 Ingredients You Should Rethink (S5 E18)

Last Updated on March 2, 2026 by Michelle

In this episode with Karen Slusher, CXO of Azure Standard, we dig deep into the truth about 3 ingredients you make need to rethink.

After you listen in or join in our conversation on youtube, you’ll want to go here to see if Azure Standard delivers near you.

Where to Listen or Watch

Listen on Apple Podcasts here: 3 Ingredients You Should Rethink, with CXO of Azure Standard, Season 5 Episode 18 of the Simple Doesn’t Mean Easy Podcast

Or listen here:

And watch here:

3 Ingredients You Should Rethink, with Azure Standard CXO

In this episode:

The unique model of Azure Standard, as a unique grocery distributor, organic farm, company incubator, and more.
Do you need to buy organic maple syrup?
Does it matter if your refined cane sugar is “organic”?
What sugar might be the best one to have regularly in your diet?
Why cane sugar is treated with desiccants and glyphosates & how that impacts our health
How insecticides are ingrained into a plant’s DNA
Why I choose avocado oil, daily
A great reason to use grapeseed oil
The lax food standards on avocado oil
How to choose refined vs. cold pressed avocado oil (at 21:00)
Why it’s extra helpful that avocados are resistant to oxidation
Where to store avocado oil
Why we should go organic when it comes to chocolate
The difference between cacao nibs, carob chips, and organic chocolate chips
What chocolate is inflammatory, adding to inflammation
Chocolate inhibits absorption of calcium
Why carob is the best choice for someone with an autoimmune disorder
Why carob is the best choice for someone in menopause
Why carob is a great choice when trying to loose weight and have a healthy gut
What carob is (35:00)
The one source in the U.S. for organic pure carob (without cocoa butter)
Encouragement and tips for folks who are starting to eat healthier

More about Carob

I enjoy adding in part carob chips when a recipe calls for chocolate chips. Carob is a legume that’s high in manganese and fiber and good for gut health. It’s a bean pod from a tree grown in the Mediterranean (but they grow a bitter cultivar there). The pod is a byproduct that gets ground up, but it’s naturally bitter so most carob is made by adding cocoa butter.

To find the best carob, source organic carob (which can be very hard to find) and find carbo that is sourced from Australia, where carob is grown just for the pod (instead of as a byproduct), so their cultivar is naturally sweet, so much so that companies that use this cultivar don’t have to add sugar!

Carob naturally helps with satiety, so you feel full and less tempted to eat more. I’ll even just enjoy a snack of a handful of carob chips and I find that just a small bit can take care of my chocolate cravings.