Why self care is the most powerful form of health care

Self care is the most powerful form of health care because it begins with acknowledging that you hold all the power to transform your health and happiness. 

One of the most empowering things you can do for your health is to learn how to become more independent in your health care. When we learn how to truly look after ourselves and to build strong immunity and resilience naturally we understand that whatever is in our external environment we can respond to it -  not from a place of fear - but from a place of confidence that our wise biology with its ancient DNA knows exactly what to do to defend, protect and heal. 

The key to vibrant health and to building strong immunity and resilience naturally is to increase the nourishment in all areas of your life and to reduce the toxicity in all your life so that your internal ecosystem can operate optimally. My mission on this planet is to inspire and empower you to do this by providing you with all the tools and resources you need for vibrant and robust health. I am here to remind you that your health and happiness had less to do with your hard coded genes and more to do with epigenetics (aka lifestyle choices) that switch our hard coded genes on and off… for better or for worse, depending on the lifestyle choices we make. 

The primary lifestyle choices that determine our health are:

- what we eat and drink
- how we move, sleep, breath, think, and love
- the toxicity of the environments in which we spend most of our time
- how connected we feel to ourselves and to a like-minded tribe. 

These foundations or pillars of health are all choices that are within our control! We are in the driver’s seat! How empowering is that?! Self care isn’t about bubble baths and manicures - it’s about engaging in lifestyle choices that nourish our body at a cellular level so that we can function more optimally, perform our best and reach our true potential. Vibrant health and happiness is our birth right and I’m here to remind you how to achieve it. 

Learn more in my FOOD AS MEDICINE DIGITAL PACKAGE which is the culmination of over 2 decades of my learnings, research and practical experience consolidated into a comprehensive yet concise online package. This package contains over 6 hours of talks on the fundamentals of robust nutrition, robust gut health and how to create a healthier home co presented with Marieke Rodenstein who is Austrlaia’s pre-eminent  gut health expert, holistic dietitian, GAPs practitioner and Kresser Institute functional medicine practitioner. The package also includes a 60 page How To manual that sets you up for life plus all 5 of my online cooking classes (bone broth, slow cook, organ meat, gluten free baked cakes and chocolate). Lifetime access is provided plus access to me for any Q&A.  

Testimonials

“The Food as Medicine program is life changing. So much information and easy to implement. Loved it - 2021, where people focus on revolutionising their health. I know I am…”

— Michelle

“I loved your Food as Medicine talk the other week and am so grateful to have received all your online cooking workshops as reference guides. It was so refreshing to hear from another like-minded person whom is so passionate about spreading awareness and cooking with real wholefoods. It re-affirmed all that I’m doing in the kitchen for my family’s nourishment. I also picked up some extra tips so I can perfect my bone broth and make it a gelatinous as yours and cooking at lower temperatures to achieve delicious dishes and reduce inflammation”

— Lee-Anne

“Thank you so much for the most amazingly inspirational workshop yesterday. You have done so much work over the years in this area and you are so incredibly generous to share it all. I found your workshop to be the best one I have ever attended of all wellness workshops, you are so passionate, knowledgeable and a natural educator. I would do this workshop again - I loved it that much!”

— Rachael

“I’ve been meaning to write to you to say how amazing I thought the food is medicine talk was. It was so informative, and so incredibly presented, the information is invaluable.I was so close to tears at times, I wish I had adopted this philosophy years ago. They should be teaching it in schools!

I’ve always been was I thought was healthy I just didn’t have the knowledge of the impact of food could have on my health (both positive and negative) until couldn’t conceive a child.
After years of trying at age 38 I commenced a fairly brutal round of IVF, 3 transfers all of which were unsuccessful.

Not once did any of the specialists I saw suggest diet/toxins could be a factor, even after I was diagnosed with an auto immune disorder and under lying thyroid issues.

I was referred to Angela Hywood who has tailored a supplement programme specific to my needs based on scientific results. She then put me on to you and the rest is history.
It started with the essential oils workshop and subsequent healthy home swapping, then on to eating a nourishing wholefoods diet.

I embraced everything with absolute passion and determination, reading everything I can find. I’ve received a fair bit flak at times, but yesterday found out I’m pregnant! Early days but unbelievable all the same, the proof is certainly in the pudding so to speak.
I wanted to thank you for your wisdom, knowledge and passion and for sharing it with others the way you do.

I didn’t know if I would ever have the privilege of being a mother and now I know I can give my baby the best start possible”

— Alexandra

“You’re an energetic, dynamic and articulate presenter and it is clear that you love what you do. It shines out of your face like sunlight when you talk. It was lovely to receive the warmth you offered us”

— Kendall

7 sneaky ways to incorporate bone broth into your diet

Health is never about one thing but I must say that bone broth had a profound impact on my health. In fact I would go so far as to say that it radically changed my life. It wasn’t until I started drinking 1 cup of bone broth every day in 2007 (when my naturopath first introduced me to ancestral diets) that all my osteo-skeletal issues vanished and I (finally) stopped breaking bones. My skin started glowing (hence why I later coined the phrase “bone is my Botox”), my period returned, and I started feeling more vital, robust and resilient from colds and other illnesses. 

What’s so good about bone broth? 

As the age-old elixir of health consumed in traditional societies the world over, bone broth (aka stock) has a myriad of health benefits which I detail at length in my online bone broth workshop which is included in my Food as Medicine digital package. Bone broth from wild or pastured animals is a rich source of:

A) collagen (the primary structural element of our hair, skin, nails, and osteo skeletal system),
B) gelatin (for robust digestion, gut healing & sealing, and promotes regularity), and
C) glycine (balancer of muscle meat, powerful detoxifier, and emotional stabilizer). 

7 sneaky ways…

Most people (young and old) absolutely love the delicious flavour that a warming cup of bone broth imparts (especially when infused with a squeeze of lemon juice!). In fact, when you introduce broth to babies (from around 8 months of age) the feedback I get from mums is how their children absolutely love it. Children instinctively know what is good for them. However, if you have young kids who fuss about broth or even if you just want to find more ways to include broth into your and your family’s diet for a powerful nutritional and flavoursome boost, here are my 7 favourite ways:

1. Use broth as a base to soups instead of water. All of our artisan soups made at Broth Bar & Larder (sold via our online store) are broth-based.

2. Use broth as a base to casseroles/ stews instead of water. Learn how to make your own casseroles in my online slow cook workshop (sold individually or included in my Food as Medicine digital package).

3. Add cold/frozen beef broth into smoothies. Frozen broth is tasteless - meaning you get all of the goodness without any change in flavour. We freeze our beef broth into silicon ice-cube trays for you to keep in your freezer to conveniently add into smoothies. We have 3 frozen beef broth cubes options on our online store that are perfect for smoothies:
> our original beef broth cubes
> our beef broth & spinach cubes (we add 2 of these cubes into our smoothies at Broth Bar & Larder)
> our beef broth & liver cubes (we add 1 of these cubes into our smoothies at Broth Bar & Larder)

4. Use broth to cook rice instead of water (soak 1 cup rice in water overnight, strain, rinse and cook in saucepan with 2 cups of broth until broth is absorbed). You might like to try my veggie packed fried rice recipe (it’s such a winner with kids!).

5. Add a splash of broth to the bottom of a saucepan instead of water when reheating leftover food to prevent food from sticking to the pot. As a traditional wholefoodie I always prefer stovetop cooking over microwave ovens to reheat food.

6. Add a splash of bone broth when sautéing veggies (such as silverbeet or rainbow chard) to prevent them from drying out and to keep them moist. I love adding it to my “green medley” (sauté diced garlic in butter until tender then add silverbeet, peas, broccoli florets and matchstick zucchini, a splash of bone broth and sautee on low heat, stirring occasionally, until tender. Season and serve as a side).

7. use broth to poach eggs instead of water. Pour bone broth into a small saucepan and heat gently, crack in eggs and when the whites turn from translucent to opaque they are ready! Do not let the broth boil. Pour the eggs and broth mixture into a bowl and add flavour bombs as desired eg tamari, nori seaweed flakes, chili, minced ginger, minced garlic, Red Board fish sauce, Yuzu Japanese sesame sprinkles and coriander leaves for an Asian Broth Breakfast Bowl. For a more complete meal, cook leafy greens, broccolini or thinly sliced mushrooms in the bone broth until just tender before adding in the eggs to poach.

NOTE!!! Not all broth is created equal!!!

Like all food, not all bone broth is created equal!! The source of the bones and other ingredients, the quality of the water used, and the way it’s made, and how it is packaged all profoundly impact its nutritional value, our health and the planet’s health. Here’s what makes our broth unique in the Australian marketplace:

How to purchase

Purchase our chicken, beef, wild fish and vegan broth from Broth Bar & Larder in Bronte or via our online store.

Learn how to make your own!

In my online bone broth workshop you can learn how to make your own gelatinous bone broth, broth based soups and contains answers to my most asked broth FAQs. It is sold individually or it is included with ALL 5 of my online cooking classes in my Food as Medicine digital package (which is by far the best value).  All my 5 cooking workshops come with lifetime access to a video and workshop booklet containing comprehensive nutritional theory, recipes and practical how to. 

Love Soulla xx

The easiest and most profound way to offset the toxicity in our modern world

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Our bodies have not evolved to deal with the unprecedented level of toxicity that we are exposed to day to day. And when combined with suboptimal nutrition, lack of sleep, blue light at night, chronic stress, sedentary lifestyle, EMFs and nature divorcement – well, that’s a recipe for a health crisis and an epidemic of chronic illness and degenerative disease. 

The need to take care of our bodies - physically, emotionally and spiritually - is greater than ever before in human history. While there are a lot of things outside of our control, nourishing our body in all the ways it can be nourished and decreasing the toxicity in our homes (with our food, personal care products and household cleaning products) are things that are still very much within our control.

Eating a nutrient dense, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant rich diet goes a long way to offset and mop up the toxicity in our cells. Addressing our diet is, I believe, crucial in order to survive and thrive in this modern world. Your diet is what I call the low hanging fruit- the first and most obvious thing to address. Alongside this, we can start kicking the harsh chemicals in our personal care products and household cleaning products one by one as they start to run low, and healthy swap to toxic free, natural, and cost effective versions. 

Don’t know where to start? 

Learn how to radically transform your life in my FOOD AS MEDICINE DIGITAL PACKAGE which is the culmination of over 2 decades of my learnings, research and practical experience consolidated into a comprehensive yet concise package for you. This ultimate health and wellness package contains:

• over 6 hours of nutritional talks on the fundamentals of robust nutrition, gut health and creating a less toxic home

• a 60 page “How To” manual that sets you up for life with everything from simple meal formulas to shopping lists to the questions to ask whne buying food to recommended practitioners to water filters and everything in between

• all 5 of my online cooking classes (bone broth, slow cooks, organ meats, baked cakes and chocolate) which arm you with the practical skills to put the theory into practice.
  

Co presented with Marieke Rodenstein (Australia’s leading holistic dietician and Kresser Institute functional medicine practitioner) this ultimate package provides you with all the tools, information and resources to optimise your health through diet and other lifestyle choices. 

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Some testimonials:

“The Food as Medicine program is life-changing. So much information and easy to implement. I loved it- 2021 should be the year where people focus on revolutionising their health!! I know I am”

— Michelle

“ Thank you so much Soulla. I have been really inspired by you and what you teach. Not only am I on your YL team but since doing your Food as Medicine course I have see Marieke and started getting my gut on track and am also working with Sylvia to keep focused on my health goals. You have surrounded yourself with such awesome practitioners and I am truly grateful”

— Charmaine

“I wanted to thank you  for today’s  empowering food and medicine talk. I can’t tell you how much I took away from the day, it was absolutely amazing.  I’m in awe of your passion for what you do and it really shone through in your presentation. You truly are a wealth of invaluable knowledge and thank you for sharing this. Once again thank you for today! I look forward to nourishing and detoxifying myself and my little family! ”

— Stephanie

“There was so much great information in the ‘Food As Medicine’ workshop. One way to speed up the path to good health is to take the advice of those who have already done the research and the hard work! Thanks ladies, for helping accelerate my family’s journey to better health”

— Melanie