Creative juices

*CALLING ALL SWEET TOOTHS*
We now sell certified organic, sustainably sourced coconut palm sugar!! Made from the nectar of coconut palm tree blossoms (different from palm oil trees) and has a delectable caramel taste.

Super low GI of only 35 which is nearly half that of cane sugar (GI 68) and lower than honey (GI 55) and even agave (42).

Packed with minerals and amino acids, it's vegan and gluten-free. Only $10.95 for 500g.

Try it on your porridge or in your chai today!

*TRAVEL ESSENTIALS*

On my recent trip to Bali there were a few essential supplements that I wouldn’t leave the country without:

1. BioCeuticals UltraBiotic IBS: Gotta love a probiotic that doesn’t need refrigeration! 80% of your immune system resides in your gut so by increasing your good gut flora you will be improving the breakdown of your food as well as keeping the nasties at bay.

2. BioCeuticals Lactoferrin plus SB: Once again, another goodie for both the immune system and a happy tummy. Basically it weeds out the bad bugs, promotes the growth of the good guys and boosts the immune system by improving the integrity of the gut lining.

3. BioCeuticals Pharma Mag Forte: Magnesium is a great all-rounder for recharging the adrenal glands, energy production and relaxing my hard working muscles after hours and hours of yoga each day. Massages and fresh coconut water worked a treat too ;) I normally take magnesium powder but taking white powder into a foreign country, well, y’know…

I did also pack Heel Traumeel tabs which are a great little homeopathic blend just in case my shoulder played up (which it didn’t!!). The main ingredient is arnica which is invaluable for soft tissue inflammation.

*I love that both 1 & 2 can be taken daily as a preventative or acutely if Bali Belly strikes.

When going to a foreign country it is so handy to have your own little first aid kit of natural supplements. Of course it totally depends on where you’re going and your own personal health needs. So have a chat to a naturopath first about what is right for YOU.

Keep those creative juices flowing!

Top 5 Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Living next-door to a family day care centre. I was lying down on my yoga mat in my courtyard trying to meditate this week and all I could hear was a whole bunch of little kiddies yelling out “I AM A ROBOT, I AM A ROBOT”! in mechanical voices.

2. Cooking my first “real” chicken soup. A whole free range chicken, vegies and 3hrs of bubbling.

3. Winter morning surfs then going out to brekkie with my husband.

4. Watch ‘Yoga Woman’ last night at Soul Cinema. So inspiring. It made my heart flutter.

5. The Oldfields and the Raes xxx

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. After returning from the serenity Unanimously deciding to only watch one hour of TV a night and to turn the laptop off by 9pm. Goodbye reality cooking shows, reality renovation shows… Hello actual reality! Not enough hours in the day? Not sleeping as well as you could be? Might be time to switch off.

A recent investigation by consumer watch dog Choice have released a list of products tested on animals (Jurlique is now shamefully added to the list):

Avon

Biotherm

Bobbi Brown

Chanel

Chapstick

Clairol

Clean and Clear

Clinique

Clearasil

Dove

Donna Karan

Elizabeth Arden

Estee Lauder

Garnier

Giorgio Armani

Head & Shoulders

Herbal Essences

Jurlique

Kerastase

Kiehl's

La Mer

L'Oreal

L'Occitane

Lancome

M.A.C

Max Factor

Maybelline

Michael Kors

Missoni

Nair

Neutrogena

Olay

Old Spice

Pantene

Ponds

Redken

Revlon

Shiseido

SK-II

Sunsilk

Vidal Sassoon

Please purchase your beauty products based on ethics, not just how seductive their advertising is. Next week I’ll let you know about all the awesome natural products out there that are cruelty-free!

I’m sure you were all pretty shocked at the list of brands that funded animal testing on their products. Rest assured, I’ve put together a list of fantastic natural products that are guaranteed not to be tested on animals! I encourage you to add to the list and share this post to spread the love!

Ok here goes!

Alba Botanica

A’kin

Alchemy

Bambeco baby wipes

Billie Goat Soap

Botani

Burts Bees

Butter London

Crystal Essence deodorant

D’Entrecasteaux soaps

Dr Bronners

Dr Organic

EcoKid

EcoStore

Eco Sunscreen

Gaia

Giovanni

Grants toothpaste

Herbon

Herb Valley

Hurraw lipbalms

KORA Organics by Miranda Kerr

Kosmea

Inika

LaMav

Lavera

Lemon Myrtle Fragrances

Mayvers deodorant

Melrose

MooGoo

Mukti

Neem Rich

Om Veda

Perfect Potion

Richmond Nature

Riddells Creek

Sanctum

Sukin

Suvana paw paw lipbalm

Thursday Plantation

Tints of Nature hair colour

Trilogy

Vegesorb

Vrindavan

Vicco

Warbotanicals

WotNot

We are all on our own unique journeys.

Chin up!

Emma the Naturopath xx

Head over to Facebook and show that like button some love on our Essential Health Coffs page!

Balinese dreams

Can you identify all the ingredients in your moisturiser? 

I'm a huge fan of using 100% cold pressed oils on my body in winter with a couple of drops of essential oils popped in. The fewer ingredients in your beauty products and food the better!

My fave is almond oil, but coconut, apricot kernel, macadamia, black sesame and avocado are all great! It’s really economical too! About $7.95 for a 250ml bottle of almond oil and a ten cent piece amount will do both arms and legs and a bit in between.  

If you're in the shop we can give you our Dry Skin handout that has a bunch of different diet and lifestyle tips to make your winter skin silky smooth.

Top 5 Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Buying a world map and sticking it up on my bathroom wall so I can lie in the bath and dream up big adventures.

2. After rushing about and using my analytical mind all day planning, expecting and preparing, I finally sat down at my herbalist appointment and saw a little quote that said “The most beautiful experience we can have is the mysterious” by Albert Einstein.

3. When you’re driving home after a massive day at work and the last thing you want to do is buy groceries and cook dinner. Then your husband calls and says dinner’s on the table.

4. Finally joining a private health fund. I know this doesn’t sound like a big deal but we’ve been “discussing” it for over 12 months now.

5. The fact that today I’m wearing jeans, ugg boots, a long sleeved top and a hoodie and tomorrow I’ll be in tropical Bali at a yoga retreat in the mountains!!! Ticking off another of my New Year’s Resolutions.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. This post mark’s our 49^th Top 5. When I return in 10 days I’m going to be bringing you an extra special 50^th Top 5 post –Balinese style. Now please excuse me while I bask in 30 degree heat, eat organic fruit, meditate then fall asleep in a hammock ;)

Smile brightly this week. It makes you look even more beautiful!!

Top 5 Things I LOVED This Wk:

So I’ve been off in the hills of Northern Bali in a tiny village called Tejakula doing a Hatha retreat my yoga teacher from Bello organised. I thought I was just going for a bit of yoga and R ‘n’ R. Turns out; it was hugely transformative for me. My heart now feels like it glows again and I’m inspired right to the very seed of my soul xx

Being my 50^th Top 5, I’m bringing you a very special....

Top 10 Things I LOVED –Balinese style!

1. The empowerment of travelling solo.

2. Bathing under my outdoor shower while thunder and lightning lit up the sky.

3. Pastel pink lotuses the size of iceberg lettuces.

4. The coolness of the polished cement floor while practising yoga in the steamy 30 degree heat (pictured).

5. Not knowing what day it was for ten days, but more importantly, not caring.

6. Mango, papaya, coconut milk, lime, clove, ginger, cinnamon and cardamom smoothies. Like a mango lassi and a chai made love.

7. Being doused in holy water by a Balinese priest at the beach. Apparently I needed a good cleansing.

8. Chatting over the dinner table with fellow yogis about what we did that day. Answers were along the lines of “Well I read a book for 4 hours, then I had lunch, then I read for another 3 hours”. Or “I went to the day spa for 3 and a half hours, then I had a two hour nap”.

9. Whizzing up the mountain on the back of a motor bike with a cute Balinese boy. Dodging cars, roosters and stray dogs, often on the wrong side of the road around narrow bends. Don’t worry Mum, I had travel insurance.

10. Asking a pair of Balinese guys which way to Bingin Beach. One points left, the other points right. Bali in a nut shell!

Namaste.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. Head over to Facebook and like 'Essential Health Coffs'!

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