Trust yourself

Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. John Butler’s cover of Pharrell’s Happy on Triple J’s ‘Like a Version’. What a way to start the weekend! Did you hear it? Check it out on YouTube.
2. Super cruisy mornings at Joel and Chrystal’s at Lennox: fruit salad, topping up cups of tea, laughs and the four of us stretching on the lounge room floor. Followed by surf checks and car park chats.
3. The little kid walking up the lighthouse behind me loudly singing his timetables.
4. Rose and strawberry raw vegan cheesecake.
5. Fun surfs with friends at Wategos involving board swapping, party waves, water camera shots and chicken dances.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. Prior to performing for Like a Version, John Butler was asked if he was still enjoying being a musician after all these years…

“I’m enjoying it more… I think I’m finally getting the hang of it. For a lot of it actually, the first ten years was a little bit frustrating. I was always scared. I was always just frightened about what the hell I was doing.

I still get frightened but I think I trust myself a bit more. I think it all comes down to trust and I love what I do and I’m just so thankful to do it. So I enjoy every millisecond of it.”
I reckon most people who have taken a leap and experienced a big transition could relate to this. Starting a uni degree, first time parents, going on a big overseas trip or for me, buying a business at 24. For the first 12 months I was living on any drop of adrenaline my poor little adrenal glands would secrete! Then once in a while I still have a panicked moment! Why did I wag most of my business subjects at uni?!

I’m 29 now and I feel like I’ve ironed out most of the bumps and its full steam ahead. I am so grateful for the forever bubbly Vanessa and my gorgeous customers, clients and Facebook peeps that make my world so joyful and allow me to go to work each day with such purpose.

POST-EASTER COME DOWN
We rustled together a few goodies here at Essential Health to help you ease off the sweet stuff

PUKKA LOVE TEA
A delicious blend of organic herbs including chamomile, lavender, licorice and lime flowers which not only curbs the urge for something sweet after a meal, it’s a great digestive blend.

COCONUT OIL
This brand ticks all the boxes: extra virgin, certified organic, cold pressed and in a GLASS jar. My dad claims to have conquered his sweet tooth by having a spoonful of oil when he feels the need.

I QUIT SUGAR FOR LIFE by Sarah Wilson
Practical and yummy recipes. Includes a four week wellness plan in the back.

BAMBOO TOOTHBRUSH
To keep your dentist happy.

CACAO LIP BALM
Raw, vegan, certified organic and smells like Mars Bars!

BIOCEUTICALS GLUCOFACTORS
If your blood glucose issues are a little more serious, have a chat to your naturopath about supplements to assist pancreatic function and increasing glucose receptor sensitivity.

STEVIA POWDER
Derived from the naturally sweet stevia plant, this powder is a smart low GI option to add a little sweetness into your life.

Emma the Naturopath xx

Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Opening a box from my parent’s storage shed labelled ‘Emma’ to find a dusty assortment of hand written letter and cards, photos, posters, mixed cassette tapes and journals. Heart warming and cringe-worthy.
2. A chilled afternoon bbq in the garden involving besties, babies and brownies.
3. Walking outside after my bath to get my book I’d left in the car and pausing to take in the stillness of the crisp Autumn night, the brightness of the moon, the stars that were twinkling away and chirping of a few crickets. Mindfulness is such a beautiful gift when we stop and give ourselves the time.
4. Peanut butter Lindt balls.
5. That pause at the top of your breath before a big exhaaaale while meditating.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. Something crazy happened two weeks ago that totally shifted the perspective I had on my life.

A friend of a friend popped in to say hey as she was on her way down the coast. When she asked me how I was, I told her how I’d been feeling stuck and frustrated with a situation that’d been going on for at least 12 months now.

She shared with me a similar situation she’d been in and that was causing her to experience those same anxious feelings and then she goes “and I realised that all those time frames and restrictions that were causing me so much stress and worry were put there by ME… SO. I. JUST. TOOK. THEM. ALL. AWAY”.

As soon as she said those words I could physically feel my shoulders feel lighter and my heart had room to move again. I just let it all go. All the expectations, impatience, criticism and pressure I’d placed upon myself. I’d put them there in the first place, so I was the one that had the power to take them all away. Too much effort without enough grace... I just let them all go.

I’d been told “Just let it go” a thousand times by my loved ones, but it wasn’t til the way my friend put it that I realised what I had to let go of. I had reached a point where I was ready to hear it.

Since choosing this shift, I’ve been aware of people, quotes and signs that are popping up in my life that are helping me along my way which is reassuring. I was so happy when I came across this quote during the week:

“Follow your bliss.
If you do follow your bliss,
you put yourself on a kind of track
that has been there all the while waiting for you,
and the life you ought to be living
is the one you are living.

When you can see that,
you begin to meet people
who are in the field of your bliss,
and they open the doors to you.

I say, follow your bliss and don't be afraid,
and doors will open
where you didn't know they were going to be.
If you follow your bliss,
doors will open for you that wouldn't have opened for anyone else.”

-Joseph Campbell

It goes to show what a significant impact a seemingly simple anecdote can have on another person.

Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Mixing a giant bowl of sauerkraut with my hands at a fermenting workshop this afternoon. (Can’t wait to tell you more about it this week)!
2. The beautiful rustic design of Mothers Milk -the new café in Sawtell. Makes me feel like Coffs is moving up in the world. Slowly.
3. Being handed a cold coconut as I walk in the door after another sweaty hot yoga class.
4. A friend of ours who is such a passionate seamstress made my husband a gorgeous patchwork bean bag and sprinkled it with patchouli oil. There was a story behind each piece of fabric (curtains that used to hang in her children’s bedroom, calico flour bags, parts of shorts, etc). The definition of “made with love”.
5. Those pieces of clothing (aka my tattered denim shorts) that keep creeping their way out of the op shop pile and back into my wardrobe.

“The most important decision we make is whether we believe we live in a friendly or a hostile universe”.
–Albert Einstein

Wake up each morning and decide to be happy. Invite optimism into your day because the universe is on your side. Trust me, it’s good for your health.

Essential Health

0266 514 533

Boulevard Arcade (opp. Blush), Coffs Mall

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The present moment

My dad's copy of The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle has been sitting on my bookshelf for many years now. I love that he's highlighted and underlined paragraphs and written little notes in the margins (just like I do). But I. just. can't. bloody. read. it!

However I read this quote the other week and it really hit home for me.

"If you are depressed, 

you are living in the past.
If you are anxious, 

you are living in the future.
If you are at peace, 

you are living in the present."
-Lao Tzu

There is a lot going on in my world right now so I have been implementing this quote in my everyday life as a reminder to just put one foot in front of the other, rather than getting overwhelmed by the entire journey. I am reveling in the simplicity of it.

So each day (depending on the date) I say: All that exists right now is Wednesday the 26th of March. Then tomorrow will be Thursday the 27th of March, but all that matters right now is that it’s Wednesday the 26th of March. All I have control over is what happens today.

How do you go at living in the present moment?
How does that quote sit with you?

“Life is available only in the present moment”.
-Thich Nhat Hahn, Vietnamese Zen Monk

Every Thursday night I write an *EMMA THE NATUROPATH’S WEEKLY TIP* Facebook post for the kind folk at Coffs for Kids who are a huge support to families in the Coffs community. This week I posted a recipe for a yummy after school smoothie!

Choc peanut butter thickshake

Throw in a blender:
1 frozen banana
1 Tbsp 100% peanut butter
1 Tbsp raw cacao powder
1 Tbsp vanilla pea protein powder
¼ cup rolled oats (or 1 Tbsp LSA if avoiding gluten)
1 Tbsp flaxseed oil
1 handful of baby spinach
Milk of your choice

I LOVE smoothies for kiddies! You can sneak so much goodness in without them even knowing! The flaxseed oil and baby spinach totally disappear once blended and the raw cacao powder is packed with magnesium while satisfying their sweet tooth. Also healthy enough for brekkie!

Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Another flash back of one of my fave long lost songs: So Fresh, So Clean by Outkast.
2. The fact that my husband gave his mum a card and present on his 30th birthday this week.
3. My incredible alkalising green juice that I make each morning (which I look forward to as I go to sleep each night)! Green apple, mint, lime, celery and cucumber. I ran out of lime during the week so I juiced lemon myrtle leaves from my tree.
4. A good cry. Followed by a long hot shower, pyjamas and an eleven hour sleep.
5. Listening to frogs singing power ballads outside while I had a candle lit bath during Earth Hour last night.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. When I first read this poem earlier on in the week it had such a profound effect on me. And every time I have read it since, it sends little shivers down my spine and makes my heart flutter. I hope it resonates on some level with you too.

“She let go. Without a thought or a word, she let go.

She let go of the fear. She let go of the judgments. She let go of the confluence of opinions swarming around her head. She let go of the committee of indecision within her. She let go of all the ‘right’ reasons. Wholly and completely, without hesitation or worry, she just let go.

She didn’t ask anyone for advice. She didn’t read a book on how to let go. She didn’t search the scriptures. She just let go. She let go of all of the memories that held her back. She let go of all of the anxiety that kept her from moving forward. She let go of the planning and all of the calculations about how to do it just right.

She didn’t promise to let go. She didn’t journal about it. She didn’t write the projected date in her Day-Timer. She made no public announcement and put no ad in the paper. She didn’t check the weather report or read her daily horoscope. She just let go.

She didn’t analyse whether she should let go. She didn’t call her friends to discuss the matter. She didn’t do a five-step Spiritual Mind Treatment. She didn’t call the prayer line. She didn’t utter one word. She just let go.

No one was around when it happened. There was no applause or congratulations. No one thanked her or praised her. No one noticed a thing. Like a leaf falling from a tree, she just let go.

There was no effort. There was no struggle. It wasn’t good and it wasn’t bad. It was what it was, and it is just that.

In the space of letting go, she let it all be. A small smile came over her face. A light breeze blew through her. And the sun and the moon shone forevermore”.

-Rev. Saphire Rose/Ernest Holmes

This morning's GREEN JUICE:

1 granny smith apple
1 celery stalk
1 cucumber
1/2 a lime
handful of parsley
2 handfuls green grapes
leftover iceberg lettuce from the delicious san choy bow my husband made last night!

What was in YOUR juice or smoothie this morning?

BROCCOLI AND FETA FRITTERS (gluten-free)

I made these little pups last night for the first time and they're all I've thought about all day!!

Ingredients (makes 8-10 fritters)

1 medium sized broccoli
4 eggs, free range and organic
½ bunch shallots, chopped
1 large handful of basil leaves (or parsley), chopped
1 cup gluten free flour (or buckwheat or brown rice flour, or spelt if not gluten free)
1 tsp baking powder
80 grams of feta cheese (or parmesan or haloumi)
1 lemon
Pink Himalayan salt and cracked pepper
Olive oil

Method

1. Chop up the broccoli finely and steam for 5 minutes.
2. Beat the eggs in a bowl and add the flour, shallots, salt and pepper and basil.
3. Crumble feta and place into the mixture.
4. Roughly chop broccoli and add to the mixture.
5. Add extra flour to the mixture if it is too wet.
6. Heat a large frying pan over moderate heat and add oil.
7. Ladle amounts of mixture into the frying pan and cook the fritters for 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden.
8. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice with a fresh garden salad!

Recipe adapted fromhttp://juliaandlibby.com/2014/01/06/broccoli-feta-and-pine-nut-fritters/

There are a lot of aspects to being healthy. It’s all about BALANCE.

There tends to be a general understanding that “being healthy” means eating your fruit and vegies, doing some exercise and taking a multivitamin. Sure these things contribute to a wholesome lifestyle but as a naturopath I assess optimal wellbeing on a physical, mental, emotional and spiritual level.

I drew a WELLBEING WHEEL on our shop wall yesterday. It’s a handy way of visualising all aspects of your health holistically. It’s easy to get out of balance and neglect an area of your health.

For example, someone might be sweating it out at cross fit (exercise) and eating nutritious foods (diet and nutrition) but not spending enough down time walking on the beach (rest and relaxation). Or perhaps we become so busy running around looking after the kids and working full time (intellect) that our love for playing the guitar gets pushed to the side (self-expression) and we are too exhausted to catch up with friends on the weekend (social interaction).

So here are a few questions you can ask yourself to better understand yourself HOLISTICALLY…

Social interaction: When was the last time you called a friend who has a similar sense of humour and had a good belly laugh?
Self-expression: What is your creative outlet?
Intellectual conversation: What interesting piece of information have you learnt recently?
Spiritual connection: When was the last time you prayed/meditated/took a few moments to reflect?
Exercise: How often do you get huffy and puffy?
Diet and nutrition: Do you go to the farmers markets and try fruit and vegies that you haven’t eaten before?
Rest and relaxation: How do you give back to yourself?

Don’t stress yourself out striving for perfection by trying to keep all the balls in the air. Adopt an EFFORT WITH GRACE approach and just check in with yourself every once in a while to make sure you’re feeling balanced.

What area do you feel you could improve on at this current moment? I'm working on exercise at the moment and am off to a 'Groove Restore' hot yoga class tonight!

Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk: (our 90th! Oh my!!)

1. Realising that the Matron on Love Child is actually Rhonda (Ketut’s lover) from the AAMI ads!! Shut up!
2. A caring friend who recommended I go and get a facial after all that's been going on lately. And the wonderful Trista who gives the most delicious treatments!!
3. The balmy ocean breeze on Tuesday night as I walked to my car after the sweatiest hot yoga class. My two loves: yoga + sauna =happiness.
4. Going for a bike ride early this morning in the drizzly weather. No one else was around… Were you all at church or in bed eating hot cross buns perhaps?
5. Waking up in the middle of the night to find my husband and I holding hands in our sleep.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. I found another beautiful quote this week which speaks magnitudes to me. Live loudly everyone!!

“For what it’s worth: it’s never too late or, in my case, too early to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit, stop whenever you want. You can change or stay the same, there are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it.

And I hope you see things that startle you. I hope you feel things you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life you’re proud of.

If you find that you’re not, I hope you have the courage to start all over again.”

-F. Scott Fitzgerald/Eric Roth

The change of seasons has set in and it has brought with it an influx of colds and flu into Essential Health!

We are all out of muddy puppies this week... But come have a chat to Vanessa or myself about diet, lifestyle and supplements that will give your immune system a fighting chance this winter!


Emma the Naturopath xx

Essential Health

0266 514 533

Boulevard Arcade (opp. Blush), Coffs Mall

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Raise your words

Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Listening to two friends speak so passionately about lawn mowing! I feel like I must be missing out on something.
2. The word ‘tempestuous’.
3. Another weekend to myself largely involving Frank coffee scrub and watching Sex in the City on my laptop in the bath. Oh and more star-fishing.
4. Spontaneous sleepovers from friends on their way down the coast. A beautiful way to brighten an otherwise monotonous Monday night. There’s nothing like that mad cleaning spree when you get home from work! Maybe I should clean like this more often…?
5. Restraining myself at Bunnings from buying an apple shaped bird feeder and zebra print gardening gloves. Although a couple of extra seedlings may have snuck into my basket. 

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. 
“There is nothing more rare, nor more beautiful, 
than a woman being unapologetically herself; 
comfortable in her perfect imperfection. 
To me, 
that is the true essence of beauty.”

-Steve Maraboli

"Raise your words,

not your voice.

It is rain that grows flowers,

not thunder"

-Rumi

*FREE KORA ORGANICS TINTED DAY CREAM WITH EVERY KORA PURCHASE*

Seriously!! Every customer who buys any Kora Organics product in the next two weeks will receive a FREE full sized Tinted Day Cream valued at $59.95!!

KORA Organics Tinted Day Cream is a healthy alternative to foundation that leaves the complexion radiant with an even skin tone. It has an SPF rating of 15+, is certified organic, not tested on animals and Australian made and owned.

Now let me tell you something about Emma the Naturopath...

I have always had a TERRIBLE morning routine that consisted of waking as late as possible, sitting in front of the computer cramming in book work or scrolling through Insta as I drank a smoothie or vegie juice then rushed out the door to work going "Is that the time!"

Since returning from a very nourishing trip to Hawaii a few weeks ago, I've found myself in a nice little morning ritual. I wake at 7, get a pot of dandelion chai simmering on the stove then wander outside to check on my little garden. When I come back inside, I light my Drishti 'Uplifter' candle (lemongrass and lime) which is like my "coffee" that sends a message to my brain to wake up.

I sit at our wooden dining table with my chai and choose an affirmation card from the deck. I ponder it for a while, maybe write about it in my journal, eat some red papaya (obsessed right now!) then start getting ready. My husband gets up at 5 each morning to surf and watch the sun rise so the house is deliciously silent.

It's taken me 29 years to get my morning routine sorted! I knew all along that I should make the effort but I was full of excuses like "I'm just not a morning person". Now I'm reaping the benefits.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. Here is my affirmation card from this morning that literally jumped out of the deck as I was shuffling!

"GIFT: Within every struggle resides the tremendous potential for growth. Look for the treasure. All is well".

"Risk it, go for it. Life always gives you another chance, another go at it. 

It's very important to take enormous risks"

-Mary Gaunt

Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. That Seattle has banned the sale of bottled water!!
2. A perfectly juicy white peach.
3. The inspiring energy of Janine Allis –founder of Boost Juice. She gave a beautifully stirring and practical talk at a business seminar I attended this week.
4. Telling my husband about all the delicious recipes I can’t wait to create in my I Quit Sugar for Life cookbook. He then pointed out the fact that I was eating a Tim Tam.
5. How quickly Vanessa and I jumped back on our paddle boards when she felt something slimy brush against her leg.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. “Let go and your world will open up”
-Eileen Hall

Release your grip on jobs you don’t love, ended relationships and belief patterns that do not serve your life in a positive way. Let go of safety nets you have constructed around yourself and put your faith in the possibilities of the future. You’ll never know what opportunities are waiting to meet you!

Oh yeah, and please be mindful that it takes 450 to 1000 years for a single plastic bottle to biodegrade.

“I have come to accept the feeling of not knowing where I am going. And I have trained myself to love it. Because it is only when we are suspended in mid-air with no landing in sight, that we force our wings to unravel and alas begin our flight.

And as we fly, we still may not know where we are going to. But the miracle is in the unfolding of the wings.

You may not know where you're going, but you know that so long as you spread your wings, the winds will carry you.”
-C. Joybell C.

Have trust and and live in the present moment. 

You are stronger than you realise.

Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Sliced banana and shredded coconut on top of Monday night’s yellow curry. My husband knows his way around the kitchen!
2. Mango smoothies on a sunny beach day. Cheers Mac
3. Seeing two beautiful friends become Mr and Mrs Pomroy. Because true love is a big f*%king deal.
4. High five to the person (no doubt a woman) who invented stick on nipple covers. A backless dress’s best friend.
5. Watching people sheepishly snavel our council pick up. So many slow driving cars and neighbours going for walks as the sun sets.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. “You never know what’s around the corner. It could be everything. Or it could be nothing. You keep putting one step in front of the other, and then one day you look back and you’ve climbed a mountain” –Tom Hiddlestone

On a drizzly overcast morning I poured myself a mug of dandelion chai and snipped up a pile of my Frankie mags and Lorna Jane catalogues and made myself a pretty little vision board *pictured*.

I don’t physically write specific goals on a piece of paper anymore as I try to adopt a more “effort with grace” approach towards the future. Sometimes the more you chase things, the further they go away. So for me, this is the perfect way to set intentions without getting too caught up in the details. Are you a fellow vision boarder?

Essential Health Coffs

0266 514 533

Boulevard Arcade (opp. Blush), Coffs Mall

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Let them have cake

Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk: *Hawaiian Style* (It’s Sunday over here!)

1. Chomping down a massive acai bowl while watching Kelly Slater dominate Pipe.

2. The underwater language you speak to each other while snorkelling. Lots of nasal squealing accompanied by enthusiastic pointing and arm tugging. And then me clinging to my husband like a cat when it gets a bit deep for my liking.

3. When my yoga teacher asked us to dedicate our practice to somebody, I chose a beautiful friend of mine who was due to give birth that day. After a very sweaty power yoga class and an amazing refuel at The Beet Box Café, I came home and saw the good news that her beautiful son had entered the world!! Welcome little Otis!

4. The sunset on Wednesday afternoon at Sunset Beach. It turned the sky, sand and ocean the most insane electric pink.

5. Hiking to the summit of Diamond Head then tandem surfing with my husband off the Waikiki reef. I’ve never seen such turquoise water!!

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. We stood in front of the Duke statue in Waikiki yesterday as the sun was going down. Quite a humbling experience for my surf rat of a husband. I saw a little bronze plaque on the side of the state which was really touching:

“In Hawaii we greet friends, loved ones or strangers with ALOHA, which means with love. ALOHA is the key word to the universal spirit of real hospitality, which makes Hawaii renowned as the world’s center of understanding and fellowship. Try meeting or leaving people with ALOHA. You’ll be surprised by their reaction. I believe it and it is my creed. ALOHA to you”.

-Duke Paoa Kahanamoku

Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk: (I’m home!!)

1. At the top of my “must do” list for Hawaii was to swim with turtles. On our second last day I was snorkeling at Hanauma Bay and swam right up to the most gorgeous sea turtle who was just chewing on the reef and gliding around peacefully! Tick!

2. My yoga teacher’s top “I’m just here for the savasana”.

3. The day I flew back to Coffs, I went for a walk without my iPod around the rainy marina and empty beaches. Just the grounding experience I needed.

4. My super amazing parents who dropped us off and picked us up from the airport, did my banking, collected my mail, even worked in the shop when we were a girl down, watered my plants, filled our freezer with mangos from their tree, stocked up our fridge with our fave foods and cooked us vegie patties for dinner the night we arrived home! Such legends!!

5. Digging out my old favourite story books from my childhood to read with my little niece and nephew when they came to visit.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. And so our time in Hawaii has come to an end. It was so nourishing on every level. Physically, we were living on granola, green smoothies, pineapple, papaya, salads, vego stifrys, coconut kefir, spirulina kombucha and acai bowls. Oh, and the odd Reece’s Peanut Butter Cups! We were riding around on our bikes, hiking, swimming and surfing in the ocean, soaking up the sunshine and sweating it out at yoga.

On a spiritual/mental/emotional level, having that time away allowed me to reflect on my life/goals/priorities/values which was so essential. That’s one of the elements of travelling which I love the most. I always gain a new perspective by seeing my world with clearer eyes. You can’t help but live mindfully in the present moment.

It’s left me feeling so inspired and excited about life again. And I can’t wait to share it with you all!!

“You have to leave the city of your comfort zone and go into the wilderness of your intuition. 

What you discover will be wonderful. 

What you discover will be yourself”

-Alan Alda

*SPECIAL OFFER* 

Essential Health is offering 10% off when you purchase a box of 12 WotNot or Bambeco bamboo baby wipes! Pop in or give us a call at the shop and we’ll sort you out!! 

In the first year of life, bub’s skin is paper-thin and SUPER sensitive. It requires extra TLC so it doesn’t dry out and lead to infections and rashes.

*It’s not necessary to wash your baby EVERY daily. But when you do, go for products that are as simple and natural as possible like Moogoo
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*Moisturise baby’s body with almond, apricot or coconut oil. Every time you massage your bub, you stimulate production of their “feel good hormone” oxytocin which boosts the bonding

Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. When your fave long lost song comes on the radio and you sit in the car in the driveway singing away til it’s over.

2. When your mate convinces you to bring your board “just in case”. I’m so grateful he did! We all surfed the funnest little peelers at the Pass while dark ominous clouds loomed overhead.

3. Salted caramel cupcakes at the Bangalow markets.

4. Leaving the oil on your body and through your hair for as long as possible after a massage. Stoked to find my new fave masseuse in Coffs!

5. The mini red capsicum I grew. It made a cameo appearance in tonight’s tofu rice paper rolls.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. “Forget yesterday
It has already forgotten you.
Don’t sweat tomorrow.
You haven’t even met.
Instead, open your eyes,
and your hearts to a
truly precious gift;
today”

-Steve Maraboli

*CHOC ZUCCHINI BROWNIES*

These are the most deliciously dense little morsels. They only rise a few inches and are really rich and moist so cut them into small squares for the perfect accompaniment to a peppermint tea as an after dinner treat or lunchbox snack!

1 ¼ cups almond meal
¼ cup cacao powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 eggs
¼ cup coconut sugar
2 tablespoons coconut oil
¾ cup zucchini, grated (one small-medium zucchini)

1. Throw all the ingredients in a food processor and blitz til smooth.
2. Grease 6.5 x 4 inch loaf pan with coconut oil or line with baking powder.
3. Bake at 180 degrees in a preheated oven for 35-40 minutes.

Dairy free
Wheat and gluten free
Paleo friendly
High protein

Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Cellulite and stretch marks. Insta and the net can be so bombarded with super skinny flawless models with thigh gaps and “fit-spo” pages. Clearly I’m all about being physically fit and living a healthy lifestyle but it’s so refreshing to go down to the beach and see “real” girls.

2. A packet of apple sticky notes that one of my besties sent in a birthday parcel. I’ve written affirmations and stuck them in my diary, mirror and on anything else that doesn’t move.

3. Sunny windy weekdays where you only have to share the beach with a few school kids jetty jumping and a flock of seagulls.

4. Having an impromptu sleep over at mum and dad’s farm. I woke up to roosters crowing, birds in the trees, gentle rain on the tin roof and the smell of very strong Italian coffee.

5. A weekend to myself =sleeping starfish at night.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS.
“Be here.
Be present.
Wherever you are, be there”

-Willie Nelson

Being a naturopath, has really taught me to LISTEN to people.


To hear WHAT they are saying.

To hear WHY they are saying it.

To hear HOW they are saying.

And sometimes, what they are really TRYING to say.


It’s about being totally present and feeling empathy towards the person in front of me.

How do you go listening to others? Do you dominate 90% of the conversation? Do you read their body language? Do you make eye contact and give them signs that you are interested in what they have to say? Or are you waiting for them to stop talking so you can give your opinion? Are you mentally committed to the conversation or are you thinking about what you need to buy for dinner?

Listening and being present with someone is such a simple yet meaningful gift you can give someone. Let’s focus on that this week.

It's hard to leave old habits behind. 

But when you want a new result (be it a pain-free back, clearer skin, a few less kilos or a better nights sleep) some improvements need to be implemented. There are no magic pills or quick fixes for change, just effort, determination and releasing the old. 

And if you need some guidance with that, 

I'm here waiting for you 

Emma the Naturopath xx

Essential Health
0266 514 533
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Collect moments

“While you are alive
collect moments not things,
earn respect not money
and enjoy love not luxuries”

― Aarti Khurana

Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. The word “smattering”. I believe it was Winnie the Pooh who I first remember saying it (no doubt in relation to honey), but it delighted me when one of my reps said it this week!

2. The giddy delirium that coincides with knowing you’ll be overseas next week. This involves spontaneous bouts of “We’re-going-to-Hawaii” dances.

3. Loudly yelling “OH MY GOD” with a shop full of customers when I picked up this month’s edition of Focus magazine and there was myself (in a bikini mind you!) and my husband on the cover!

4. Meeting people with the same name as you. It’s so awesome. Does this go for everyone or is it just an ‘Emma’ thing?

5. Walking up to the 6 packs of hot cross buns every time I go to Coles, burying my face in them and taking a deep inhaaaaale. A gluten-free girl can dream right? ;)

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. This quote was on the front of an early birthday card from my parents. I’ve always thoroughly believed in running your own race. Must be the Aquarian coming out in me…

“I dreamed a thousand paths, I woke and walked my own” –Chinese proverb

If you see a plane flying overhead on Tuesday, it may very well be me on my way to Hawaii!! My husband and I always go overseas this time of year to spend a bit of time together celebrating our wedding anniversary and my birthday (same day).

So pop into the shop and hang out with the endearing Vanessa who is incredibly knowledgeable and so much fun to be around.

I’m very excited to bring you a Top 5 Hawaiian-style!! Bon voyage! xx

Don't panic! It's organic!

Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk:

1. Reading this review when deciding on an airport hotel: “The noise is like being in a tumble drier on high speed with the Tinman as your companion”. Hmmm, tempting…

2. Sparkly pedicures with 7 year old Blossom.

3. Sitting on the floor with Chrystal watching her lovingly create the most stunning dream

catchers out of treasures she’s found at the beach. (Instagram: dawnwolfdreamer)

4. A little jar of coconut sugar accompanied by a mussel shell filled with sea salt on our café table in Byron today.

5. Planting an epic succulent wonderland in my front garden with Father Bear.

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. “All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy;
For what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves;
We must die to one life before we can enter another.”
-Anatole France

Top Five Things I LOVED This Wk: *Hawaiian Style* (It’s Sunday over here!)

1. The Jetstar check-in chick who gave us a whole row to ourselves on the 10 hour overnight flight to Honolulu! May good karma be bestowed upon her!

2. Riding around the North Shore on our cruisers admiring tropical flowers, shark-shaped letter boxes, giant waves and chickens darting out of our way.

3. Receiving friendly shakas and big smiles when letting the car in front in.

4. Attending a very energising Yoga for Surfers class at Noelani’s in Haleiwa.

5. For my birthday and our wedding anniversary today, my husband took us on a helicopter ride (that of course had a little hula girl on the dash) that circled the island of Oahu! It was honestly one of the best experiences of my life… When the pilot spotted a whale we would zoom over to it to say hello. We cruised over the most breathtaking mountains where a lot of Jurassic Park was filmed. I thought a giant T Rex was going to jump out from behind one of the incredible waterfalls! We saw the sunken remains in Pearl Harbour, miles and miles of pineapple, banana and coffee plantations, the glitz of Waikiki, magnificent volcanos and craters and endless coral reefs bathed in turquoise water. Followed by a relaxing snorkel at Turtle Beach…

Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. “Actually, the best gift you could have given her was a lifetime of adventures…”

–Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland


When I was really little, I had a jewellery box with a silver latch. Inside it was lined with pink velvet, there was a shiny mirror and it was filled with all my pretty treasures. When I wound it up and opened the lid, the little ballerina would pop up and start twirling to the music. Do you know the ones I mean? Did you have one too?

This is actually how I relate to travelling. For me, it’s easy to get caught up making a living, following the 7 day routine, cruising along in my bubble. What’s happening in the jungles of Central America or in the Alps in Switzerland is the last thing on my mind. I’m thinking about what invoice needs to be paid next, if yoga is on tonight and what to cook for dinner. The latch is tightly closed on that jewellery box.

But for me, going traveling throws open that dormant lid to reveal a whole wide world out there buzzing with different cultures. The real gems of life.

Travelling inspires me ‘to the nth degree’. All I have to do in explore and invite adventure in. Travel is one of the things that makes me feel alive by rekindling the passion in my soul.

Mahalo and pineapples,

Emma –just Emma xx

I took the above pic when hiking up Makapu’u Point on Saturday.

A massive shout out to my darling husband who I have been married to for two epic years today! You are the honey in my chai, you make my life sweet xx

"Good things are coming down the road. 

Just don't stop walking".

-Robert Warren Painter Jr

Essential Health

0266 514 533

Boulevard Arcade (opp. Blush), Coffs Mall

Facebook: Essential Health Coffs

Instagram: emma_the_naturopath

My mummy is a mermaid

I've been on the North Shore of Oahu, Hawaii for a week now and am loving every minute of it!! This is definitely a place I could live permanently. I came across the cutest yoga studio in Haleiwa called Noelani Studios that is brimming with all sorts of gorgeousness! I am feeling incredibly inspired to bring a few ideas back to my own lovely little health food shop in Coffs!

Noelani Studios opened mid last year and offers a variety of yoga classes (Kundalini, Power, Hatha, Vinyasa, candle lit flow, etc) to everyone (prenatal, beginners, seniors, surfers, etc) as well as belly dancing, capoeira and pilates. 

On Thursday night my husband and I went to a Yoga For Surfers class taught by the wonderful Sheila and man were we sweating up a storm!!

I'm loving Noelani Studios blog on their website http://www.noelanistudios.com/ and they also have a beautiful Instagram account: noelanistudio  filled with yoga inspiration and the latest creations in their gift shop.

Here are a handful of pics I took while grabbing a few special items 

to take home with me to Australia xx

  

Change room selfie!!

Emma the Naturopath xx

Essential Health 

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