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

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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

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P: 0266 514 533

E: carrots_and_apples@hotmail.com

A: Shop 24 Boulevard Arcade, Harbour Drive, Coffs Harbour, NSW 2450 Australia

Bending over backwards for Kora

*NEWS FLASH*

Our Kora Organics delivery has just arrived in store!! Vanessa and I practically pounced on the courier guy when we saw the box. Our first order sold like gluten-free hot cakes so we’ve expanded the range which now includes the daily hand cream, purifying clay mask, eye gel, luxurious rosehip body oil and more! We were literally selling products straight out of the box before we even had a chance to unpack it! Oh yeah, and we can guarantee that our prices are cheaper than online ;)

For every Kora customer we are giving you a *FREE* full sized rejuvenating foot balm valued at $35!!!

We also have a MASSIVE bag of sample sachets so come in and take a lucky dip!

Today is the perfect opportunity to create some adventure and memories. You only live once!

It's official! I am so stoked to now be writing for Coffs for Kids which is a wonderful business that spreads the word on great activities/events on the Coffs Coast for families and kidlets!

Click HERE to read my first intro post that explains who the flipping heck Emma Caller actually is.

Top 5 Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Continually yelling out “I used to LOVE this song” while listening to the Hottest 100 on the way down to Crescent Head with my husband.

2. Driving through the beautiful countryside and seeing trees laden with citrus. Welcome to winter!

3. A blissful one hour walk along the beach in the sunshine.

4. The magical healing hands of Jon Ross!

5. The shower you have after you’ve been camping and you’ve never felt so clean in your whole life.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. I was reading a chapter on simplicity today “Every time you bring something new into your house, get rid of something. Touch every piece of mail only once. If you haven’t used it in a year, pass it on”. Love that. x

Did you know... that 80% of your immune system lives in your gut?! 

So enhance your digestive function by sipping on apple cider vinegar or lemon juice in water 10 mins before a meal, avoid the foods you know don't sit well with you and take a probiotic to prevent nasty bugs this Winter!

Emma the Naturopath xx

Pop over and 'like' us on Facebook at Essential Health Coffs!

Best $9.84 I've spent in a while

We have an awesome black board apple at the shop which I write a weekly tip on. 

I'm going to start sharing our Tip of the Week with you guys on here :)

High five to Big W for providing me with a pair of banging pink leopard print tights 

from the little girls section for $9.84. Hello new yoga tights!!

There’s something special that I wanted to share with you guys.... 

Today is actually Essential Health’s birthday!!! 8 years –can you believe it!?

It all started back in 2005 when mama and papa bear got sick of customers asking if they sold vitamin C and lavender oil in their gourmet ingredients shop. In 2009 I finished my last uni exam and three days later I was behind the counter. Did I mention that I used to wag my business subjects at uni? “I’ll never need that”! Ahhh, ignorance is bliss!

So a massive massive masssssssive thankyou beyond measure to all our gorgeous customers and clients!!  Thanks for all the gardening, cooking and life advice you’ve so kindly shared. Thanks for inspiring me and challenging me. Thanks to those who chose to spend their hand earned dollars at our sole trading shop over a discount day at a franchise store so that I can continue doing what I love.

So much love guys,

Emma the Naturopath xx

“Whenever you see a successful business, someone once made a courageous decision” -Peter F. Drucker

 Top 5 Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Gardening binges. When you go outside just to give the garden a water... Then you start repotting plant, pulling out a mountain of weeds and pruning trees.

2. Seeing a double rainbow while sitting on the beach drinking homemade blueberry kombucha tea with a friend of mine who’s a yoga teacher. (Yep, even I just re-read that and couldn’t believe how hippie I sounded).

3. Going for a walk along the jetty and glancing down to see two wild dolphins flocking below! They stayed for over 20mins playing between the pylons and rolling onto their belly looking up at me! 

4. Our first Japanese lesson over hot miso. Watashi no namae wa Emma desu!

5. Five dollar flanno’s from Coles.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. I have to be honest… The past couple of weeks I kind of lost my food mojo. Which is seriously out of character for me. My husband calls me the “Midnight Chef” because I spent most evenings experimenting with new creations. The change of seasons just didn’t inspire me. But I’m back baby!! I finally bought Gwenyth Paltrow’s stunning hardcover cookbook It’s All Good which I’d been lusting over since I bought it for a girlfriend a month ago. It’s such a practical book for anyone who’s keen on preparing simple and delicious wholefood based recipes.

So my tip for you this week is to rekindle the food flame inside yourself. Visit farmers markets and check out the fresh seasonal produce or even grow your own. Swap a recipe book with one of your friends. Keep the food inspiration alive –your family will taste it in your cooking!

20% off all stainless steel water bottles for the month of June!!!

Come and say hello to use over on Facebook at 'Essential Health Coffs'!!!

You are my sunshine

The ocean was so crystal clear and refreshing over the weekend! Every swim I go for lately I wonder if it'll be my last before the winter chill sets in... But I manage to keep sneaking one more in!

"Being powerful is like being a lady. If you have to tell people you are, you're not."

-Margaret Thatcher

Do three things today that you love!!

Top 5 Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Scoring two pairs of rad leopard print tights from the kids section of Big W for $9.84 each. Hello new yoga pants and no shortening of the legs needed!

2. My yoga teacher’s new banging playlist in class this wk. Particularly liked doing sun salutations to Electric Feel by MGMT.

3. Buying a journal each to start learning another language. Him: Japanese. Me: Spanish (again).

4. Staying in my pj’s til 2pm on the rainiest, coldest day ever. So cozy.

5. The best facial everrrrr. Honestly my face was so dry and rough and nothing seemed to help. I got tucked into Trista’s massage table (with the electric blanket turned on) and she worked her magic on me with her beautiful Ayurvedic lotions and potions. All brand new now!

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. I’m going to leave you with this little passage I read on the beach today.

“Why do we struggle with relaxation? Because we wear exhaustion as a badge of honour. We look at the idea of taking regular short bursts of recovery and think that is for weak people who can’t handle the pressure, or that having these regular moments of stillness is self-indulgent and selfish. We found with most people that unless they were feeling exhausted and stressed they didn’t think they were pushing themselves hard enough. In my experience, to prevent burnout and improve wellbeing we need short, regular and frequent moments of stillness”.

Dr Adam Fraser, The Third Space.

This week I want you to mindfully allow moments of stillness to trickle into your days. 

Just let go

Go with the flow....

Top 5 Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. The sweetest little apron a friend made just for me. A vintage doily front pocket and cream buttons, a little frill along the bottom and even ‘Little Em’ embroided across the straps with red thread. Love you Rena Rae xx My vintage apron fetish continues to flourish.

2. The flock of black butterflies that followed me on my beach walk today.

3. The satisfaction of cleaning a super dirty car.

4. Gushing over the cakes and slices the little old lady makes at the Thursday morning farmers market with my herbalist at my appointment this week. Hang on, aren’t we meant to be health professionals?! Oh but that’s right, we’re humans too ;)

5. My long raspberry red yoga tights making a comeback now that Autumn has truly set it.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. Try and be aware this week of letting go of things that you cannot control with a big exhaaaaale. You’ll feel lighter. I promise.

So me right now. 

Is anyone else starting to follow their heart more instead of just doing what you think will make other happy?

Top 5 Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Witnessing two “Chiko roll girls”. They followed a group of guys down the beach with straightened hair and wearing what seemed to be denim undies. When the guys came in from the surf the Chiko roll girls handed them their towel, a box of bbq Shapes and a bottle of lemon squash. I thought this was just a Puberty Blues myth!

2. About ten seconds of sheer panic when I thought my feet had dramatically shrunk!! “How could this have happened?!”  I soon realised that my husband has identical blue Bonds socks like mine. Crisis averted.

3. A fancy midweek double date with beautiful friends.

4. A pair of suede fringed ankle boots for $29 from the markets. One pair + my size = score!!

5. Having a chat with the friendly owner at our fave Thai restaurant about hot curries. He disappeared then returned 5 mins later with some chillies he’d picked from his own plant which he wrapped in a serviette and gave to us.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. For various reasons we have gone out for dinner SO MUCH this week. So we’re really looking forward to eating some delicious home cooked meals next week. This week really savour dinnertime with your partner/family/own company and cook something wonderful made with love xx

FOOD AS MEDICINE: Lowering cholesterol

1. OATS: Porridge weather is creeping up on us! I cook mine with water on the stove at a low heat then add a splash of milk (or sometimes coconut cream) at the end to make it creamy! Choose rolled oats over “quick oats” and add in some cinnamon, a piece of fresh fruit and some LSA.

Throw a handful of oats in your smoothie or make up my awesome little oat slice below to have for morning tea.

2. FISH: Eat 2 serves of fish per week. No not fish and chips. Go for mackerel, trout, herring, sardines, tuna, salmon or halibut. Preferably locally caught.

3. NUTS: Snack a on a handful (42.5 grams if you’d like to be pedantic) of nuts each day. Choose from almonds, hazelnuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachio nuts and walnuts.  Make sure the nuts you eat are raw (not roasted) and aren't salted or coated with sugar. Keep a jar on your desk or a little zip lock bag in your purse (or man bag).

4. COCONUT OIL: What’s not to love about coconut oil?! Use for cooking like you would any other oil, use as a dressing, in smoothies, bliss balls, add to porridge, spread on toast, off the spoon… 2 tablespoons is the goal.

5. HIGH FIBRE FOODS: chia seeds, psyllium, oat bran, brown rice, LSA.

Here's a great cholesterol lowering recipe!!

BANANA BLUEBERRY OAT SLICE

THE GOODS:
3 cups of organic oats
3 Tbsp coconut oil
2 bananas
2 eggs
2 Granny Smith apples
2 Tbsp chia seeds
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 cup organic frozen berries

TO DO:
1. In a large bowl mash the bananas with a fork then whisk in the eggs and coconut oil.
2. Throw in the oats, cinnamon and chia seeds.
3. Grate the apples and add to the bowl along with the berries.
4. Line a baking tray with grease proof paper and smoosh mixture down with a wooden spoon.
5. Bake for 30mins in a 180C oven. Boom! That's it!

Such a great lunch box snack or yummy for brekkie with yoghurt on top. Try it! Substitute oats for quinoa flakes to make it GF.

Enjoy!

Emma the Naturopath xx

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Butter me up buttercup

*RECHARGE*

As a naturopath it's one of my top priorities to invest time in giving back to myself so that I can continue to give good quality energy to my clients and customers. I'm very mindful of maintaining this balance to prevent burning out.

There are lots of things that help me to convalesce:

-fairy light baths

-sunshine on my skin

-being submerged in salt water

-cooking

-cuddles

-beach walking

-reflexology with Trista

-pottering around in my garden

-chit chatting with friends

-meditating

But above all else, nothing brings me home to myself more than yoga. 

I went to Jasmine List's lunch time yoga class today. It's a beautiful heart centered vinyasa flow class that's gentle and nourishing. I encourage anyone who needs to take some time out to focus on their breath and melt tension in their body to come along and recharge your batteries. Check out her Facebook page One Conscious Breath Yoga. 

When was the last time you invested some energy in *YOURSELF*?

*SUGAR FREE ANZACS*

I’m off to B Bay this wkend for my husband’s graduation ceremony for his Masters in Clinical Exercise Physiology. Not just a pretty face that husband of mine!

 So I whipped up a batch of Anzac bickies based on Sarah Wilson’s ‘I Quit Sugar’ recipe.

WHAT YOU NEED:

3/4 cup wholemeal spelt flour

1/3 cup Xylitol

3/4 cup shredded coconut

3/4 cup rolled oats

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

100g salted butter

2 Tbsp rice malt syrup (I bought an organic one from the health food section of the supermarket

1/2 tsp bicarb soda dissolved in 1 tbls boiling water

WHAT TO DO:

Preheat oven to 180C. Mix the flour, xylitol, coconut, vanilla, cinnamon and oats in a bowl. Melt the butter and rice malt syrup together in a small saucepan on the stove. When it starts to bubble gently, stir through the bicarb soda. Add the lot to the bowl and stir to combine. Roll heaped teaspoons of the mixture into balls and flatten on a tray lined with baking paper or greased with coconut oil. Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.

For gluten-free version: replace the flour with a combo of quinoa and rice flour and replace the oats with 1/2 cup almond meal.

Too easy. Now I need to make sure we don’t eat them all by the time we get to Grafton.

Top 5 Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. A convoy of vintage Kombi’s as we were driving through Bangalow. Honestly there were over 20 vans!

2. Trying not to cry when they called my husband’s name at his graduation from his Master’s degree.

3. Raw vegan choc mint cheesecake and super food smoothies from Naked Treaties. I ordered the’ I Follow My Bliss’ smoothie (and it was delicious!).

4. Eating organic dried figs while sitting at the Pass knitting my red scarf. Hands down my favourite place to watch the sunset.

5. Salted caramel peanut gelato from Bella Rosa.

PS. Spoil YOURSELF this wk!  Take yourself out to breakfast with a new magazine then order an extra pot of tea, buy a gorgeous bouquet of flowers and put them in a vase on your bedside, get your eyelashes tinted, eat good quality dark chocolate in the bath, get your hair done (not because it needs a cut, just because it’s nice to be pampered). Guilt is an unnecessary feeling! Savour it! Be indulgent!  

*THE ESSENTIALS*

A grandma bought herself a bottle of Butter London in Jaffa today (hot neon orange). Made my day. 

Guess how many Butter London nail polish shades we have in store at the moment. THIRTY!!! I kid you not! We also stock their acetone-free removers, base coats, top coats, nail fertilisers and cuticle oils.

There’s a little something for everyone. We’ve got some demure, more classy shades like Tea With The Queen and Kerfuffle. But if you’re after a bit more wildness in your life try Disco Biscuit, Cake Hole or Tart With A Heart.

Butter London is the only nail polish brand that I will happily stock in my shop.  Guaranteed the best price in town. $16.95 instead of $24.95. Boom.

The perfect Mothers Day treat!!

*FLASH BACK*

I was reminded today of this post I did last November... Exactly 6 months ago today actually!

I was just out playing in my vegie patch. Watering my baby zucchinis, admiring my abundance of mint and picking chamomile flowers to dry and make into tea. 

As I was pruning back my lavender bush to its bare bones, I thought to myself how amazing it is that you can cut off parts of a plant that are no longer flourishing, knowing too well that it will grow back stronger and healthier than before.

I always tell my clients that our bodies are like plants. If you break your bone, it will grow back stronger. If you have a broken heart or spirit, you will learn the lesson and move forward in life to become a better version of yourself.

So treat yourself like a plant today. Give yourself fresh water, liquid nourishment (fresh juices and smoothies), plenty of sunshine (vitamin D) and shelter (a loving home). And rest assured that if there is a particular part of your personality that no longer serves you in a positive way, it's never too late to change.

Have a gorgeous day!

Emma the Naturopath xx

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