Did you have a coffee this morning?

Guess what I found out today! 2.7 MILLION TAKEAWAY COFFEE CUPS ARE THROWN OUT EVERY DAY! And that's only IN AUSTRALIA! Holy moly... Hello landfill, not to mention the toxic petroleum based plastic lining :(

So what can we do about it?

*Take your own mug to the cafe

*Encourage your local cafe to use eco friendly BioCups and support the ones that do eg. the Top Shop in B Bay

*Buy yourself a reusable Cheeki stainless steel mug

*Give a coffee drinking friend a Keep Cup as a gift

*Take your own flask of coffee/tea to work with you




Stay mindful. Emma the Naturopath xx

Surf health & dry skin!

First up, I'm now a health blogger for ST Surf Images!! I'll be banging on about surf health every fortnight. So head over there and have a read and check out all the stunning images that Tom and Sherrin Woods take of our beautiful Coffs Coast! http://www.stsurfimages.com/featured/introducing-little-emm/

On a different note...

One day my nutrition lecturer bluntly pointed out that DRY SKIN is an essential fatty acid deficiency, not a Sorbolene deficiency. How good is that!


Our cell membranes are made of fat/oil so if we’re low in essential fatty acids, the wate...r inside the cell will leak out. And if we’re dehydrated, our vital organs steal the water from our skin to carry out our more important bodily functions like liver detoxification. That leaves the poor old skin looking as scaly as a snake!
There’s a whole lot of dry skin going on in Coffs. Crowds of customers are coming in asking for a heavy moisturiser, which is all very well and good, but I always ask them what they are doing INTERNALLY.

I’m a bit of a broken record. It goes like this...

*How much WATER have you had to drink today? Or have you just been having English breakfast tea intravenously?

*Have you taken your fish OIL/flaxseed oil/coconut oil/sea buckthorn oil today?

*Have you eaten many OILY FOODS like olive oil on your salad, avo’s and fish?

*Have you been EXERCISING for thirty minutes a day, having massages and dry body brushing to stimulate your circulation and LYMPHATIC SYSTEM?
My fave winter moisturiser is using a pure oil like cold-pressed apricot kernel, almond, black sesame or coconut! How many ingredients are in your moisturiser?



Emma the Naturopath xx

PS. Have you guys LIKED the Essential Health Coffs page yet? http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Essential-Health-Coffs/134478949931993

Winter Wonderland

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.”  John Steinbeck.

Well when you put it THAT way :)

Here's a little something I created yesterday morning before clinic... And it actually worked!!


Spiced Banana and Yoghurt Cake


250g organic wholemeal spelt flour

80 g organic brown rice flour...

2 tsp gluten-free baking soda

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 Tbsp extra virgin cold pressed coconut oil

200g plain Greek yoghurt

2 free range eggs

1 ripe banana, mashed

200g raw organic sugar

Sliced peaches





Preheat the oven to 170 degrees and grease a square cake tin with coconut oil. Sift flours, baking powder and cinnamon into a large bowl.
In another bowl add the banana, oil, yoghurt, sugar, and eggs then pour into the dry ingredients bowl. Mix for 3 mins with electric beaters.
Pour into cake tin and add the peach slices on top. Bake for about 45 mins or until golden then leave to stand for 10 mins before you slice and DEVOUR it!

Enjoy! xx Emma the Naturopath



PS. Head over to Facebook, type in Essential Health Coffs and give that 'Like' button some love!

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Essential-Health-Coffs/134478949931993

LIKE us because we like you :)

Hey healthy cats!

I'm doing weekly posts on the 'Essential Health Coffs' Facebook page. So find us and give that 'Like' button some love.

Lots of love and spirulina,

Emma the Naturopath xx

*Alphabet Tuesdays*

‘C’ stands for ~Coconut Chai Popcorn~ I was standing in line at the video shop the other day and picked up a packet of microwave popcorn. After turning it over and reading the ingredients, I quickly put it back on the shelf.
When I got home I grabbed a medium sized saucepan, turned the hot plate to a low heat, added 1 tablespoon of coconut oil, 1/2 cup of Lotus organic popping corn kernels and put the lid on.

After a couple of minutes there was a party in the saucepan and everyone was invited. In a separate saucepan I melted a couple of teaspoons each of organic butter and raw organic honey, then drizzled it over the popcorn. To top it off I sprinkled it with Hari Har chai spice mix (organic cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cardamon).

The coconut oil is the best choice because it can be heated to a super high temp without oxidising and turning rancid. Plus the subtle coconutty flavour is divine.

Perfect for lunchboxes, afternoon snacks and rainy day movie marathons. xx

The Essential Health Bliss Balls

                                                             *Alphabet Tuesdays*


                                                        ~B~ is for BLISS BALLS!

There are soooo many bliss ball recipes out there. The part that I’m not keen on is that the majority are based on dates and other dried fruit which are super high GI.

About 8pm the other night I was staring into the pantry looking for something sweet. Let’s face it; it was a complete waste of time because my shelves look just like the ones in my health food shop. So basically I started throwing things in the food processor!

It seriously took less than ten minutes from start to finish and there’s only one thing to wash up!


1 Tbsp peanut butter (the 100% freshly ground stuff from the health food shop. None of this Kraft business)

1 Tbsp extra virgin coconut oil

1 Tbsp organic cacao powder

1 Tbsp vanilla protein powder (I use pea protein)

A handful of pecans

A handful of almonds

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 banana

½ cup sesame seeds or LSA or desiccated coconut or chia seeds to coat the balls in



Whizz together in your food processor then roll into balls and coat with sesame seeds and store in an airtight container in the fridge.



Makes 12.



Dairy free

Wheat and gluten free

Vegan

Raw

High in protein

Rich in antioxidants

Great source of fibre



Go crazy on the variations:

Tahini –for extra calcium

Molasses –for extra iron

Spirulina –for a super nutrient hit

Maca –for lots of minerals

Slippery elm –for happy gut health

Psyllium husks –to cleanse your bowel

Flaxseed oil –increases essential fatty acids

xx.

Work-home-work-home.

There’s nothing quite like being told “You look tired today” to make you feel wonderful about yourself.


Full-time work fascinates me. Not so much the work itself, but the lifestyle that comes with it.


What works for me:

*Drinking over two litres of water throughout the day gives my brain clarity

*Eating raw and fresh foods like fruit and veg and saying “NO” to leftovers!!

*“Sensible” inserts in my shoes to support my flat feet

*Grazing on small meals

*Making a “power smoothie” and putting it in a stainless steel drink bottle to sip mid-morning

*Packing a whole bag of food to take with me so I don’t end up spending a fortune on sushi, gluten-free muffins, juices, etc

*Six spirulina tablets in the afternoon to get me through the 3pm energy slump

*A hell of a lot of New Zealand reggae music!

*Going to yoga, pilates and gyrokinesis 4 nights a week makes me feel empowered about my health and allows a break in the home-work-home routine

*As soon as I get home from work I’ll get out of my work clothes

*Aim to be in bed by 9:30pm to keep me in a good mood all day

*Having something exciting to look forward to eases the blow too. Like a reflexology appointment or massage, meeting up with a friend or even just a steaming hot bath with some essential oils and candles

But most of all the most important thing is having a rewarding job in a field that you are passionate about is the key.

Please share any tips that work for you! xx.