Entertainment – Additive Free Lifestyle: Recent Episodes
We are always on the lookout for additive-free products and brands and love to support these companies who are striving to make the food and products industry better. We especially love to support Australian companies who are doing great things in this space. Thanks to these companies we have accumulated some handy discount codes just for you to make your additive-free shopping just that little bit easier. And hey, who doesn’t love a cheeky little discount thrown in 😉.
So, here they all are in one handy place, be sure to bookmark this page so you can come back to it again and again as we will keep this updated with any new ones that come along too.
Happy Shopping!
Disclaimer: Some of these are affiliate links whereby we get a small commission, but rest assured we would never recommend a company or product to you that we did not believe in and use ourselves. We are endeavouring to get discount codes for the companies where a discount code isn’t detailed. So stay tuned as we will update it periodically.
Part & ParcelPart & Parcel is a great Aussie online grocery store that stocks really good quality products. They even have pets covered with additive-free treats! Consider redirecting your grocery budget to Part & Parcel, which in turn supports a growing small Melbourne-based business.
Discount Code: ADDITIVE-FREE
Discount Amount: 10% off
SHOP HEREEco CheeksAn Australian-owned company producing unbleached and 100% bamboo toilet paper, tissues and paper towel. There is nothing, yes nothing, in the loo paper or paper towel that can damage your immune system or interfere with your endocrine system! Other ‘safe’ brands whiten their loo paper with a method called ECF (elemental chlorine free) but the pulp is still bleached with chlorine dioxide (a derivative of chlorine).
Discount Code: AFL10
Discount Amount: 10% off first order only
SHOP HEREDr Planet SoapAustralian-owned company producing quality vegan and palm oil free castile soap. Dr Planet Soap is a natural, effective liquid soap that can be used on the body, and all areas of the home.
Discount Code: ADDITIVEFREE
Discount Amount: 10% off
SHOP HEREEveryOrganicsEveryMite, the flagship product of EveryOrganics, was born out of a need for a little boy with food intolerances to have a Vegemite-like spread he could happily eat without the nasties. Staying true to its values, EveryOrganics uses a percentage of its profits to give back to the community.
Discount Code: AFL01
Discount Amount: 20% off
SHOP HEREFound-SpaceOh, how we love our saunas! We get in them every chance we get. Found-Space is an Australian-owned company that produces top-quality infrared saunas. They are a health technology company that recreates home spaces to better serve health and well-being by providing items for the home and education that helps you to live a long and healthy life.
Discount Code: JOANDTRACEY10
Discount Amount: 10% off
SHOP HEREVitaliaAustralia’s leading sustainable shop for all your health, DIY and aromatherapy supplies. This is a lovely family-owned business providing not only all your DIY supplies but so much more.
Discount Code: SISTERS
Discount Amount: up to 10% off
SHOP HERENatural Good LifeAn Australian-owned online store that is your one-stop online shop for a healthier family and life. Stocking DIY cleaning products, raw ingredients, resources, and everything you need to create your very own non-toxic eco-friendly home.
Discount Code: ADDITIVEFREE10
Discount Amount: 10% off
SHOP HERETrainadeHydration is a TGA listed product that supports rehydration for those who have experienced the loss of body fluid through sweating, vomiting, or diarrhoea. An additive-free electrolyte that tastes amazing!
Discount Code: ADDITIVEFREELIFE
Discount Amount: 10% off
SHOP HEREUlu HyeBased out of Sydney’s Northern Beaches, Ulu Hye is one of the first companies to create their very own nut milk bases. The Mylk Bases come in a recyclable, reusable glass jar and when added to water and blended, they create up to 10 litres of fresh, creamy plant-based milk.
Discount Code: ADDITIVEFREE15
Discount Amount: 15% off
SHOP HEREChanging HabitsAn Australian company owned by Cyndi O’Meara which produces quality additive-free pantry supplies with a commitment to leading with health over profit.
Discount Code: additivefreelifestyle
Discount Amount: 10% off
SHOP HEREQuantum CacaoQuantum Cacao’s chocolatey elixirs are packed full of nutritious ingredients, enhancing the flavours and maximising the goodness in each cup… Not too sweet, not too bitter, just right. Support a small Tassie business when looking for your next delicious cacao powder.
Discount Code: ADDITIVEFREE
Discount Amount: 10% off
SHOP HERE{SIMPLE as that}{SIMPLE as that} is all about skin health and promoting natural beauty, simply. They are an Australian-owned and manufactured brand that makes products from scratch using as few ingredients as possible. For all your skin and sunscreen needs.
Discount Code: ADDITIVEFREE20
Discount Amount: 20% off
SHOP HEREWaters Co AustraliaWaters Co Australia produce high-quality water filtration systems that remove fluoride, chlorine, and all sorts of other nasties found in tap water.
Discount Code: ADDFREELIFE7
Discount Amount: 7% off
SHOP HERESorry we don’t have a code for the below brands, however, we love them (and we’re on the hunt for a code) so wanted to share them with you x
Roar CordialRoar Living is an Australian company, manufacturing 100% Natural Cordials. They support Australian farmers, the environment, the community and a natural way of living. These cordials are so delicious and completely additive-free.
SHOP HERE123 Nourish MeAn Australian-owned company making organic and natural products tested on real kids with no dodgy, hidden ingredients.
SHOP HERESolidteknicsSolidteknics was founded in 2014 by mechanical engineer and keen cook Mark J. Henry. Tired of the disposable, synthetic-coated pans piling up in our landfills, Mark envisioned a whole new era in cookware. One that was better for our health, and our planet. Mark has created a line of cookware that is a seamless one-piece pan, wrought from a single sheet of iron. Free from toxins, heavy metals, and synthetic coatings, and durable enough to last for centuries. It’s no secret we love our Solidteknics pans and have lots of them. These will be the best investment you can do in your kitchen that will last for lifetimes.
SHOP HEREJuJuJuJu reusable period care products are manufactured by Freedom Products. Freedom Products is a privately owned, socially responsible, and environmentally conscious company based in Sydney, Australia. Through each of their products, they aim to provide individuals with a healthier, more sustainable, and cost-effective alternative to disposable period products.
SHOP HERESinchiesAn Australian-owned company creating reusable food pouches and ziplock bags which are all free from BPA, phthalates, and PVC. The perfect addition to school lunchboxes.
SHOP HEREWe hope that helps you shop a little more additive-free and save you some money.
If you think of any other companies to support that you think we should approach, then feel free to drop your suggestions in the comments section.
Happy Shopping!
Much love,
Jo and Tracey x
The post Discount Codes & Affiliate Links appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
We have created a Winter Wellness Guide eBook to help you do all you can to stay in good health during the colder months.
We don’t know about you but it sure gets freezing cold where we live in Tasmania. So, we’ve incorporated all our hints, tips, and tricks that we use during winter to stay well.
This free guide is jam-packed with 25 pages of:
✔️ 18 food recipes
✔️ Info about what additives to avoid and a few brand recommendations
✔️ DIY recipes
✔️ 18 diffuser blend recipes
✔️ PLUS hints, tips, and lots more
All designed to compliment an additive-free lifestyle.
You can grab your copy via the button below.
Much love,
Jo & Tracey x
DOWNLOAD HEREThe post Winter Wellness Guide appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
Need some additive-free Easter recipe inspiration? Here’s 15 of our fave recipes we love to cook when we all get together over the Easter weekend.
Hot Cross Buns It can’t be Easter without hot cross buns right? A quick glance at the ingredient’s list of supermarket bought hot cross buns and you will find a whole heap of additives. They’re really not hard to make and they will taste so much better when you know exactly what’s in them.
MAKE THIS RECIPEIndian Pumpkin Soup A simple winter warming recipe that is great for lunches and dinners alike with no MSG or flavours like store-bought and it’s on the table in under half an hour.
MAKE THIS RECIPEEasy Quiche This is one of our go-to recipes that we make all the time and it is a great entertaining recipe too. You can literally put whatever you want into a quiche, it’s so versatile. Plus it’s tasty no matter the weather.
MAKE THIS RECIPEHerb Crusted Salmon Wait until you try this herb crusted salmon, seriously, just wait!!! A blender or thermomix is all you need to make the crumb and then a frying pan or BBQ and you’re good to go.
MAKE THIS RECIPESalmon Patties with Homemade Tartare Salmon patties are a classic family fave and a great way to get good omega fatty acids into our bodies. They’re also a quick Good Friday dinner for those who abstain from red meat on this day.
MAKE THIS RECIPELemon and Garlic Roasted Drumsticks These chicken drumsticks are full of flavour and super easy to make. Serve with the pumpkin and halloumi salad for a mouth-watering meal.
MAKE THIS RECIPESlow-Cooked Mexican Pulled Pork This can be easily prepared the day before it’s needed and kept in the fridge until the next day and served either hot or cold.
MAKE THIS RECIPESeasoned Lamb Cutlets with Mashed Potato and Veg You can cook these either in a frying pan or on the BBQ, whatever cooking station you have free on the day.
MAKE THIS RECIPECottage Pie Another easy recipe that can be made the day before if needed.
MAKE THIS RECIPESweet Potato Chips These make the perfect side dish to any of the mains in this recipe round-up.
MAKE THIS RECIPEPumpkin and Halloumi Salad A crowd favourite as a side dish or on its own. It is super easy to make, and you can make up a batch in advance, then enjoy with your Easter feast.
MAKE THIS RECIPECitrus Chicken Salad This salad is a little different in it’s flavour combination, however, the flavours actually work well together, we don’t know how but they just do!
MAKE THIS RECIPEPotato Salad It is so easy to make, you can double the recipe if needed (in fact you can make as much as you like really). Perfect for family gatherings. Add some shredded chicken instead of diced bacon for a twist.
MAKE THIS RECIPEApple Crumble This is a true family favourite. It also freezes really well, so you could make it in advance if needed. You could also easily double this recipe making it perfect for an Easter Feast for feeding a crowd.
MAKE THIS RECIPELemon Tarts This is actually a combination of two of our favourite recipes – Lemon Butter and Sweet Vanilla Pastry. You can make mini tarts as shown in the photo, or one large tart for a dinner party, either way, this recipe will be a show stopper.
MAKE THIS RECIPEWe hope you have a wonderful Easter, no matter what that looks like for you.
For more recipe ideas, then feel free to browse around our website or check out our everyday additive-free cookbooks for sale here.
If you give these recipes a try, let us know. Leave a comment below or take a pic and tag us in it over on Facebook or Instagram. We love to see all your cooking posts.
Enjoy!
Much love,
Jo and Tracey x
The post Easter Feast Recipe Round-Up appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
Whilst all the recipes on our website and in our cookbooks are additive-free, we wanted to do a round-up of our top 10 most popular additive-free recipes. If you haven’t given some of these a try, then jump on the bandwagon and join thousands of other families who have and keep coming back to these recipes over and over again.
Spinach Wraps Did you know that store-bought spinach wraps only have spinach seasoning in them? So how are green? From the artificial blue and yellow food dyes (colours 133 and 102) that are added in the ingredients. Not to mention there are multiple preservatives in there too. It really is easy to make your own and they’re completely additive-free.
MAKE THIS RECIPEEveryMite and Cheese Scrolls You know that famous black, salty, breakfast spread? Well you might be surprised to know that it contains types glutamate yeast and barley malt extracts as well as nasty caramel colour 150C. We prefer EveryMite instead which, whilst it doesn’t taste exactly the same, is a much healthier additive-free option and makes these scrolls taste delicious.
MAKE THIS RECIPEBanana Bread Ain’t no preservatives, artificial or natural flavours in this baby! Just 7 real food ingredients and it tastes delicious. It’s also a beautiful way to use old over ripe bananas too.
MAKE THIS RECIPEVegetable Stock Paste This will replace your veggie stock cubes or veggie stock which can be laden with MSG. Instead this recipes uses up old wilting veggies and also all the bits you would normally discard like carrot tops, broccoli and cauliflower leaves and stalks, etc. You can even dehydrate the paste and turn it into a stock powder.
MAKE THIS RECIPEBBQ Spice Mix This additive-free spice mix is so yummy and versatile on so many things and it’s free from glutamates and artificial flavours.
MAKE THIS RECIPESlow-Cooked Lamb Curry A hearty winter warming recipe that is economical using lamb shoulder, and is far less complicated than a lot of other curry recipes.
MAKE THIS RECIPEThai Beef Salad This is a must have whenever we go out for dinner. But why not have it at home when you know for sure what is in it. You could also turn this into a simple vegetarian dish by leaving out the meat.
MAKE THIS RECIPEZucchini Fritters These are a great way to get some good veg into you and your family. They’re perfect for breakfast, lunch or dinner and can be mixed up with whatever veg you have lying around.
MAKE THIS RECIPECauli Waffles This is another versatile recipe that can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner. Our kids love them and we’re sure you will too.
MAKE THIS RECIPESweet Potato Lentil Boats This recipe was created purely from a need to use up leftovers, being lentil bolognese and we stumbled upon a winner winner vegetarian dinner!
MAKE THIS RECIPESlow-Cooked Curried Sausages A curried sausage recipe is a staple if everyone’s household right? This one doesn’t disappoint because it is made with preservative-free sausages and tastes delish.
MAKE THIS RECIPEOven Fried Chicken This has been one of the most popular recipes on our website for years now. The flour with it’s not-so-secret herbs and spices is very reminiscent of a fast food chain that we all know but without all the additives. So give it a try, we’re sure you will love it!
MAKE THIS RECIPETandoori Lamb Kebabs Kebabs can be so versatile. You could have these for lunch, dinner or a snack, take them to an outing or just at home for no occasion other than they are amazing! They can be totally adapted to include whatever meat or veg your fussy eaters may want.
MAKE THIS RECIPESlow-Cooked Roast Chicken Have you ever looked at the ingredients on those supermarket rotisserie hot chickens? There’s over 50 ingredients with a multitude of additives including MSG, flavours, colours and more. We know these can be convenient to buy, however, when this recipe is so simple, it literally takes a minute or two to put it all in the slow cooker, there’s really no need to buy the additive laden version.
MAKE THIS RECIPEPeppermint Bliss Balls Using 100% pure food-grade peppermint essential oil and preservative-free desiccated coconut, these make the perfect school lunchbox treat or for that afternoon pick-me-up.
MAKE THIS RECIPEANZAC Biscuits We used to have a packet of the supermarket version of these for masterclasses to show people the additives in them. The packet we had didn’t go mouldy until about 3 years after we bought them. They still looked fresh as a daisy in their packaging for years! Do we really want to be eating something that takes that long to go bad? Give this additive-free recipe a try which is quick and simple to make.
MAKE THIS RECIPEAunty Betty Plain Biscuits These are the ultimate easy biscuit recipe. They make 5 dozen biscuits! That’s enough for now and enough to have in the freezer when you need them. They can also easily be turned into chocolate, choc-chip or jam drop biscuits. Very yummy and very versatile.
MAKE THIS RECIPEEasy Lemon Slice This Lemon Slice is super tasty! There are only a few simple steps to create it and it will freeze really well (iced and all) – do it, you will love it! It’s great for school lunches being nut free, but it’s perfect to take for a morning tea, playgroup or just with a nice cuppa relaxing with a good book!
MAKE THIS RECIPECoconut Cake We LOVE cake and this coconut cake we believe is one of the best. It’s perfect with a cuppa for afternoon tea, it freezes well and is great for school lunches. Just be sure to get preservative-free coconut. You can easily source this from the supermarket these days.
MAKE THIS RECIPEChocolate Ice-Cream Have you always been hesitant to make your own ice-cream? We can assure there’s no need to be, it is actually really easy. Store-bought ice-cream can be laden with really nasty additives like preservatives, annatto 160b, caramel colours, artificial colours, flavours, carrageenan and more.
MAKE THIS RECIPEFor more information on additives, have a look around our website as you will find plenty blog posts and podcast episodes about them as well as checking out our signature eCourse, Additive-Free Made Easy where we teach you all about additives, what they do to our bodies, how to avoid them and simple supermarket swaps.
If you give these recipes a try, let us know. Leave a comment below or take a pic and tag us in it over on Facebook or Instagram. We love to see all your cooking posts.
Enjoy!
Much love,
Jo and Tracey x
The post Top 20 Additive-Free Recipes appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
There are so many sunscreens out there on the market it’s hard to know which ones to choose and with some popular sunscreen brands recently (late 2021) being recalled due to benzene being detected in them, it’s important now more than ever to choose ones that are good for your body and not containing carcinogenic ingredients such as benzene, like the ones recalled.
When purchasing sunscreen, be wary of products that don’t list their full ingredients or only list the ‘active’ ingredients (unless you know and trust that they’re a natural/no synthetics brand). There will be plenty of other ingredients in there that they haven’t listed, but they simply aren’t required by our slack labelling laws to list them.
Some we found only list the preservatives in the ingredients and nothing else.
Our advice… steer clear of these! Unless we know and trust that it is a natural brand that wouldn’t put synthetics into their formula, or we know exactly what is in it, we don’t let it get anywhere near our skin where it will be absorbed into our blood stream.
In commercial branded sunscreens you are likely to find ingredients that can cause a whole array of health and environmental issues, such as:
❌ Endocrine/Hormone disruptors
❌ Delays puberty in males
❌ Skin and eye irritant
❌ Hives
❌ Dermatitis
❌ Headaches
❌ Tremors
❌ Allergic reactions
❌ Asthma
❌ Toxic to marine life with long lasting effects
The thing to consider with sunscreen is that it’s not just the side effects to you, the consumer, but also what effects it is going to have on our marine life given that we wear these sunscreens on our bodies in water sources that we share with marine life. We certainly don’t want to be harming our precious environment.
So here’s some natural options that you can get online, health food stores and even some chemists.
We get that it’s not as easy as buying them from the supermarket, but it is definitely worth it for your body and the environment.
Which natural sunscreen brand do you like? Tell us in the comments so we can spread the natural sunscreen word this summer
INGREDIENTS TO LOOK OUT FOR Butyl Methoxydibenzoylmethane (Avobenzone)
This ingredient is the most commonly ultraviolet filter ingredient in sunscreen.
It has been listed on PubChem as: ‘May cause long lasting harmful effects to aquatic life’. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) list it as cancer concerning due to ‘Damage to DNA due to Parasol 1789 with exposure to UVA light.
4-Methylbenzylidene CamphorThis ingredient is used in sunscreen for its ability to protect the skin against UVB radiation.
The EWG lists this as:
👉🏻 a human endocrine disruptor
👉🏻 affects development of male reproductive functions and organs
👉🏻 impaired reproductive development in males and females, via a study conducted on rats.
OctocryleneThis ingredient is used in sunscreen as a photosensitiser.
According to PubMed this chemical appears to be a strong allergen leading to contact dermatitis in children. Scientists in the US have petitioned the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to have products for sale containing this ingredient due to it having the potential to contain benzophenone which is a suspected carcinogen that can also interfere with key hormones and reproductive organs.
Phenoxyethanol
This ingredient is used in sunscreen as a preservative.
The EWG lists this ingredient as:
👉🏻 having the potential to cause adverse effects on the central and peripheral nervous systems
👉🏻 being linked to allergic contact urticaria and dermatitis
👉🏻 being classified as toxic or harmful.
Hydroxybenzoates (aka parabens)
This class of ingredients are used in sunscreen as preservatives.
According to the EWG: ‘Parabens can act like the hormone estrogen in the body and disrupt the normal function of hormone systems affecting male and female reproductive system functioning, reproductive development, fertility and birth outcomes. Parabens can also interfere with the production of hormones.’
Homosalate
This ingredient is used in sunscreen as a chemical UV filter.
The EWG lists this ingredient as:
👉🏻 expected to be toxic or harmful to non-reproductive organs
👉🏻 suspected to be an environmental toxin and be persistent or bioaccumulative.
SUNSCREENS WE RECOMMEND
Simple As That
Ingredients
This is our fave brand of sunscreen not only are the ingredients good, but it glides on smoothly, isn’t thick and greasy and is non-toxic to the environment. They have many different versions of their sunscreen as well as other skin health and natural beauty products. They are also Australian made and owned, organic, fair trade and vegan. They simply tick all the boxes for us. You can purchase some for yourself via the button below and if you use our code additivefree20 you’ll get 20% off.
SHOP HERESunButter Skincare SunButter stock a range of reef safe products that are safe for the skin and environment. They are also Australian made and owned. The company has a strong ethos grounded in a need to protect the environment not just from harsh UV filtering chemicals but also reducing waste by not using plastic that ends up in landfill. They are also a part of a carbon offset program through Greenfleet where they are reducing their carbon footprint with trees planted in Australia and New Zealand. Whilst SunButter products are not certified organic, all the ingredients are sustainably sourced and palm oil free. We should note that we have not personally tried SunButter as yet, however we have had many people recommend this product to us.
SHOP HERE123 Nourish Me 123 Nourish Me’s Hello Sunshine sunscreen has been a long time staple in our households. It is Australian made and owned, totally natural and safe for the whole family to use. The only downside to this sunscreen is that it is quite thick to apply and absorb into the skin and can tend to be just a little greasy. However, it works well in terms of protection and a product we definitely recommend, along with many other 123 Nourish Me products.
SHOP HEREMooGoo Clear Zinc Sunscreen This is not a bad sunscreen, but it’s not the best as there are quite a few emulsifiers in there, however it is by far a better option than what you are likely to get with commercial products. So if this is all you can get your hands on, then this is a good option. MooGoo are Australian made and have a 100% money back guarantee.
SHOP HEREEcoTan Natural Sunscreen EcoTan are known for using organic and/or natural ingredients and this product in their range is no exception. It is reef and water friendly as well as environmentally friendly and made in sugar cane packaging. It’s simple and effect and rubs in clear! They are another company who has also partnered with Greenfleet to reduce/offset their carbon footprint.
SHOP HEREAvocado Zinc Sunscreen This is Australian made in Perth and preservative free, fragrance free, chemical actives free, vegan, cruelty free, reef friendly and packaged in recyclable tubes made from recycled materials. It is non thick or greasy, easily absorbed and rubs on clear.
SHOP HEREWotnot Natural Sunscreen This is a popular Australian made brand that are not tested on animals, organic ingredients and vegan friendly, reef friendly, packed from recyclable materials and 100% recyclable. It is also preservative free, fragrance free, chemical actives free, vegan, cruelty free, reef friendly and packaged in recyclable tubes made from recycled materials. It is non thick or greasy, easily absorbed, rubs on clear and doesn’t stain clothes.
SHOP HEREIf you have any other natural brands that you have come across and would like us to review them, then comment below and we will see if they are up to our additive-free standards and can be added to this list.
Much love,
Jo & Tracey x
The post Our Top Clean Sunscreens appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
We get asked all the time what are our best tips to incorporate living additive-free into your everyday lifestyle.
Living additive-free doesn’t have to be hard or time consuming… really!
Just a few simple steps, like these, and you will be well on your way.
1. Turn packets over and read ingredient labels Never trust the fronts of packets. Marketing is an art form and companies have become very, very good at tricky and deceptive labelling… it’s even got a name – green washing.
As an example, you might see words like ‘no added MSG’ or ‘no artificial colours’ on the front of food packets.
Or when looking at skin or haircare the bottles might be ‘earthy and natural’ tones, giving the impression they are trustworthy and safe.
But when you flip the box and start reading, it tells a different story.
The food may not have artificial colours but it’s probably filled with preservatives, and the ‘earthy and natural’ items are likely filled with artificial fragrances, colours and more.
It’s always worth checking!
2. Join a like-minded community Finding your tribe is such an empowering thing.
When we started living this way we were told we were crazy, crackpot, hippy-dippy weirdos… we still get told this from time to time 🤣.
But when we found our people (people like you) it changed everything. Knowing you are not alone and having somewhere to ask questions without fear of being judged or ridiculed, well, it’s pretty darn amazing!
We have an open Facebook group that anyone is welcome to join, but if we are not your people (which is totally ok by the way) then find someone who will respect your choices to remove additives, preservatives and chemicals from your home and won’t judge you for the choices that you make.
Love and kindness all the way!
3. Start out slow, one thing at a time Take one day, one week, one bottle, one packet at a time.
Maybe you start with food, then after a bit, you add in some DIY, or maybe it’s the other way around.
When one thing runs out search for a better option, make that simple swap you have seen in a previous post of ours, or even better DIY it yourself.
Start with one thing and progress from there.
We have dozens of free recipes right here on our website, we also have a podcast show, heaps of blog posts, our cookbooks, and of course, our various paid courses:
- Additive-Free Made Easy
- Gluten-Free Made Easy
- DIY Made Easy
4. Don’t expect to know it all right away Don’t rush into it, you will not know everything, nor should you put that pressure on yourself.
It has taken years for the both of us to gain the knowledge that we have.
This has involved many, many hours reading medical jargon, listening to wellness experts, attending seminars, doing online courses and basically absorbing as much information as we can about the topic.
It wasn’t an easy path to learn all the information we did, and we are still learning, every day.
It takes a lot of time and energy to stay current. So give yourself a break, no one is expecting you to be an expert overnight.
5. Get cooking and/or DIY your own We know, we know….not everyone wants to cook it all from scratch or DIY everything… and we can promise you, neither do we.
You do not need to do it all, but you do kinda need to do some cooking and some DIY (hate to tell ya).
But don’t let this overwhelm you, remember step number three, start out slow!!!
DIY is very, very easy, the easiest, and probably quickest, thing you will do to create massive change. Most cleaning recipes take literally 30 seconds to make and we can promise that they work, it is all we use.
Pop on over and check out our DIY course – DIY Made Easy, or search in our recipes for all our free recipes, including all our food ones.
Let us know in the comments box what have been the biggest challenges you have had to overcome to create your very own additive-free lifestyle? Did you find it easy? What was the best tip you put into action to transition over to additive-free?
Now that you’ve read this blog, why not have a browse around our website here as there’s lots of information to get you started as well as some yummy recipes too.
Much love,
Jo & Tracey x
The post Top 5 Tips To Living Additive-Free appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
Chocolate is good for any time of the year (are we right, or are we right?!) but what we don’t love with our chocolate is a whole bunch of additives.
So, with valentine’s day coming up let’s do a chocolate review so that you can give the best options this year.
We’ve highlighted in bold the additives we try (try being the operative word) to avoid wherever possible.
BEST TO AVOID
Cadbury Favourites
Ingredients
Sugar, Cocoa butter, Milk Solids, Cocoa Mass, Full Cream Milk, Glucose Syrup, Invert Sugar, Sweetened Condensed Milk (Milk, Sugar), Vegetable Fat, Wheat Flour, Popping Candy (Contains Milk), Golden Syrup, Emulsifiers (Sunflower Lecithin, Soy Lecithin, 492, 476, 471), Cocoa Powder, Thickener ((1401) From Wheat), Pineapple, Acidity Regulators (330, 331), Strawberries, Apples, Colours (100, 141, 160a, 163, 171), Salt, Flavours, Vegetable Gum (414), Glazing Agent (Vegetable Oil, 901, 903), Raising Agent (500), Enzyme (Invertase), Cornstarch.
Ferrero Collection
Ingredients
Ferrero Rocher
Milk Chocolate (30%) (Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Mass, Skim Milk Powder, Anhydrous Milkfat, Emulsifier: Lecithins (Soy), Flavouring: Vanillin), Hazelnuts (28.5%), Sugar, Vegetable Oil (Palm*), Wheat Flour, Whey Powder, Fat-Reduced Cocoa Powder, Emulsifier (Lecithins) (Soy), Raising Agent (Sodium Bicarbonate), Salt, Flavouring (Vanillin).
Confetteria Raffaello
Vegetable Fats (Palm, Shea), Desiccated Coconut (23.5%), Sugar, Whole Almond (8%), Skim Milk Powder, Whey Powder, Wheat Flour, Tapioca Starch, Flavourings*, Emulsifier (Lecithins) (Soy), Salt, Raising Agent (Sodium Bicarbonate).
Ferrero Rondnoir
Dark Chocolate (40.5%) (Sugar, Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter, Emulsifier: Lecithins (Soy), Flavouring: Vanillin), Sugar, Vegetable Fat (Palm*), Wheat Flour, Fat Reduced Cocoa Powder, Whey Powder, Skim Milk Powder, Milk Chocolate (Sugar, Cocoa Butter, Milk Powder, Cocoa Mass, Emulsifier: Lecithins (Soy), Flavouring: Vanillin), Wheat Starch, Vegetable Oil (Sunflower), Cocoa Butter, Emulsifier: Lecithins (Soy), Glazing Agent (Gum Arabic), Whey Proteins, Cocoa Mass, Raising Agents (Sodium Bicarbonate, Ammonium Bicarbonate), Salt, Flavouring: Vanillin.
*Sustainable and segregated certified palm oil.
Cadbury Roses
Ingredients
Sugar, Milk Solids, Glucose Syrup, Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter, Vegetable Fat, Sweetened Condensed Milk, Invert Sugar, Cocoa Powder, Malt Extract (From Barley), Humectant (422), Caramelised Hazelnuts (Contains Dextrose (From Wheat)), Golden Syrup, Rice Crisps, Emulsifiers (Soy Lecithin, 471, 476, 492, Sunflower Lecithin), Hazelnuts, Salt, Hydrolysed Milk Protein, Maltodextrin, Freeze-Dried Raspberries, Flavours, Vegetable Gum (440), Acidity Regulators (331, 330, 341), Raising Agents (500), Colours (141, 160c, 150d), Mineral Salt (450), Vegetable Oil, Glazing Agents (904, 901), Peanuts.
Lindt Lindor Milk Chocolate
Ingredients
Sugar, Vegetable Fats, Cocoa Butter, Cocoa Mass, Whole Milk Powder, Skim Milk Powder, Lactose, Milk Fat, Emulsifier (Soy Lecithin), Barley Malt Extract, Flavourings.
BETTER OPTIONS
Pana Organic Truffles
Ingredients
Mylk Truffles
Coconut Sugar, Cacao (Min 26%; Cacao Butter, Cacao Mass, Cacao Powder), Prebiotic Tapioca Fibre, Coconut Oil, Coconut Milk Powder, Sunflower Lecithin, Carob, Natural Vanilla Flavour.
Mylk Caramel Truffles
Coconut Sugar, Cacao (Min 20%; Cacao Butter, Cacao Mass, Cacao Powder), Prebiotic Tapioca Fibre, Coconut Oil, Coconut Milk Powder, Sunflower Lecithin, Carob, Salt, Natural Vanilla Flavour, Natural Caramel Flavour.
*Ingredients certified organic.
Organic Times Boxed Chocolates
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate HazelnutsDark Chocolate (67%) (Rapadura Whole Cane Sugar, Cristallino Cane Sugar, Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter, Soya Lecithin), Hazelnuts (33%), Glazing Agent.
Dark Chocolate MacadamiasDark Chocolate (65%) (Rapadura Whole Cane Sugar, Cristallino Cane Sugar, Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter, Soya Lecithin), Macadamia Nuts (35%), Glazing Agent.
Dark Chocolate Almonds
Dark Chocolate (65%) (Rapadura Whole Cane Sugar, Cristallino Cane Sugar, Cocoa Mass, Cocoa Butter, Soya Lecithin), Almonds (35%), Glazing Agent.
*Ingredients certified organic. No use of GMOs.
As you can see the Pana Organic and Organic Times are far better options with less additives and more real ingredients.
Of course, you can always skip the chocolates and opt for something different, such as:
❤️ A lovely picnic at the park or beach
❤️ A day trip out in nature
❤️ A cozy movie night
The choices are endless.
Did you know we teach you all about additives and preservatives in our signature course, Additive-Free Made Easy?
You will learn what additives can do to your body, how to avoid them, simple supermarket swaps and so much more. Join the waitlist for our next round so that you don’t miss out.
💕 Happy Valentines Day 💕
Much love,
Jo & Tracey x
The post Best Chocolates To Give For Valentine’s Day appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
Let’s face it, when it’s hot who really wants to spend hours in the kitchen cooking? Not us, that’s for sure. So we’re all about quick and easy recipes that are light and summer fresh. That’s why we’ve put together this recipe edit of 20 quick summer recipes to take the stress out of what to cook when all you want to be doing is spending more time outside enjoying that glorious sunshine!
Dips & Drinks Pine Orange Slushie There are so many additives found in slushies and slurpees… We’re talking flavours, artificial colours, preservatives and more. This is a super quick slushie recipe with only 4 ingredients, but packed full of flavour from natural sources such as fruit.
MAKE THIS RECIPECreamy Roast Capsicum Dip This dip is perfect for all your summer entertaining needs. It makes a lot, is super yummy and you could spice it up by adding some chilli into the mix if you wanted to. Oh, and it makes the perfect spread addition to any additive-free sandwich.
MAKE THIS RECIPERoasted Carrot Dip This is a lighter style creamy dip due to the substitution of yoghurt instead of cream cheese. Coupled together with a hint of spice, this really is a moreish dip you’ll want to make over and over.
MAKE THIS RECIPECheese Ball Dip We love this recipe because it is so simple, yet it will fancy up any gathering you’re catering for and make it look like you’ve gone to way more effort than you actually have!
MAKE THIS RECIPEBreakfast Açaí Bowl Having had plenty of these from local cafe’s, we knew we had to come up with our own recipe and we think we have mastered it with this. The perfect breakkie on those warm summer mornings.
MAKE THIS RECIPEToasted Muesli Have you ever checked the amount of additives and sugar in store bought cereals and muesli’s? They are jam packed! This recipe is refined sugar free and uses real ingredients you’re likely to already have in your additive-free cupboard.
MAKE THIS RECIPESalads Thai Beef Salad This is a must have whenever we go out for dinner. But why not have it at home when it is so easy to make?! You could also turn this into a simple vegetarian dish by leaving out the meat.
MAKE THIS RECIPEPumpkin and Halloumi Salad This is super easy to make, and you can make up a batch in advance, then enjoy for lunch for the next few days. Perfect for the busy person who just wants to grab lunch on the run.
MAKE THIS RECIPECitrus Chicken Salad Whilst the ingredients in this salad may sound a little strange, we encourage you to give it a go because they all totally work together. The textures are divine and with a citrus and zesty tang, it’s got everything a good summer salad should have.
MAKE THIS RECIPECaesar Salad This is one of our favourite salad recipes, it is delish served plain to accompany the main dish, or for a lunch or dinner. You can boost it up by adding some shredded chicken and it will take it to a whole new level.
MAKE THIS RECIPEMains Tandoori Lamb Kebabs Kebabs can be so versatile. You could have these for lunch, dinner or a snack, take them to an outing or just at home for no occasion other than they are amazing! They can be totally adapted to include whatever meat or veg your fussy eaters may want.
MAKE THIS RECIPELemon Pepper Fish Tacos Taco Tuesday anyone? Who doesn’t love tacos?! Tacos in some form are always on high rotation in our house, and this variation is light, fresh and perfect for an easy summer dinner.
MAKE THIS RECIPESan Choy Bau If you’re after a nice healthy meal that can be cooked in minutes then this San Choy Bau is just for you. It’s a great meal to make for a dinner party as it’s cheap and you can make the mince and salad ingredients ahead of time.
MAKE THIS RECIPELemon and Garlic Roasted Drumsticks These chicken drumsticks are full of flavour and super easy to make. Serve with a simple salad for a mouth-watering midweek meal.
MAKE THIS RECIPESeafood Pizza With a pesto base sauce for this pizza, it’s a little different and out of the ordinary, but it is oh-so-yummy!
MAKE THIS RECIPEZucchini Fritters This is a great way to get some good veg into you and your family. Accompany them with a side salad and your fave additive-free sauce and you’re good to go. They are even perfect for lunches and taste delicious cold.
MAKE THIS RECIPESweet Treats Easy Lemon Slice This Lemon Slice is very easy and super tasty! There are only a few simple steps to create it and it will freeze really well (iced and all) – do it, you will love it! It’s great for school lunches being nut free, but it’s perfect to take for a morning tea, playgroup or just with a nice cuppa relaxing with a good book!
MAKE THIS RECIPECoconut Cake We LOVE cake and this coconut cake we believe is one of the best. It’s perfect with a cuppa for afternoon tea, it freezes well and is great for school lunches.
MAKE THIS RECIPEPeaches and Cream Ice-Cream Homemade ice-cream is such a great way to control how much sugar, colours and flavours are consumed so when you find a good easy home-made one, stick with it. We love this version, because it’s a little twist on a classic flavour combo.
MAKE THIS RECIPEStrawberry Whip Dairy-Free Ice-Cream This is dairy-free, sugar-free but certainly not taste free! It only contains 3 ingredients and is packed full of real strawberries. There ain’t no artificial colours or flavours in this real ingredients ice-cream.
MAKE THIS RECIPEIf you give these recipes a try, let us know. Leave a comment below or take a pic and tag us in it over on Facebook or Instagram. We love to see all your cooking posts.
Enjoy!
Much love,
Jo and Tracey x
The post 20 Quick Summer Recipes appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
EMAIL ME THE LETTERZooper Doopers or Quelch’s are firm favourites when it comes to school class celebrations. Now, probably not for you since you’re reading this blog… but for the majority of schools around the country, these are what’s encouraged to be handed out if you want your child to host a class celebration, for let’s say, their birthday.
We also know they’re handed out for fundraising, sports days, hot weather days and even ‘clean out the canteen’ days.
So with 30+ students in a classroom, plus all the other days these are handed out, that’s a lot of consumption!!
If you’d like to make a difference and help your school choose a healthier alternative, download this letter, edit it to suit you and your family, then send it in to your school principal or relevant person in charge.
It might seem scary, but in reality, it’s not as bad as you think. Just think about the number of lives you can change!
Most tuckshops have ‘party buckets’ which parents can buy. Normally this consists of a bucket of Zooper Doopers or Quelch’s and the tuckshop staff take it up to the classroom. Parents purchase it online via their tuckshop App and all is good to go.
Nothing for the parent to do but to buy it, so easy.
Most parents (we assume) would know that these aren’t a health food and say to themselves “one won’t matter”. But once you know the potential side effects of the ingredients in Zooper Doopers and Quelch’s such as them being heavily linked to behavioural issues, respiratory issues (asthma attacks) and even some colours being carcinogenic (having the potential to cause cancer) you quickly change your mind.
Plus, then you realise that it’s not just one when you start to add up everyone’s birthdays and fundraising days listed above. One every now and then, turns into one every week (or even more!).
We have covered all the nasty info about Zooper Doopers and Quelch in separate blog posts which you can check out here:
?? Zooper Doopers
?? Quelch
So we’re on a mission to ditch these toxic foods from classrooms and tuckshops and we know you are too because you write in and ask how to make a difference all the time!
This is why we’ve put together this letter, to help you make a difference within your school community.
It might seem a bit scary, but seriously, what’s the worse that can happen? They say no? At least you’ve tried!
Please feel free to make it personal and reword what you like. We’ve tried to keep it as generic as we can, but of course please add your own personal touch.
Good luck! Write in and let us know how you go.
All the love,
Jo & Tracey x
EMAIL ME THE LETTER The post Ditching the Zooper Doopers or Quelch’s – letter for you to send into your school appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
Is it just me, or do Hot Cross Buns and Easter Eggs start to hit the shelves earlier and earlier every single year?? I’m sure I saw Easter Bunnies on the shelves New Years Day. Crazy!!
So which eggs are the best when you live an additive-free lifestyle? We’ve been on the hunt, let us share our favs.
But first…
As with anything DIY is the best, that way you’ll know exactly what you’re eating… #dontstressit though, we have store-bought options below.
Grab a big chunk of organic chocolate from the health food store and melt it down. Super simple.
Pick up a cute little easter box from the $2 store, some pretty serviettes and you’re done. I know that my kids are happy with a box full of DIY chocolates, a new set of PJ’s, a sticker book and a toy sitting at the end of their bed Easter Sunday morning.
Easter Bunny may also put in a block of Loving Earth, or Alter Ego Chocolate in the basket – or leave a trail of it along the floor with his footprints…
But, what if you don’t want to make your own?
Ingredients to look out for:
160b – We have a whole module on 160b in our eCourse Additive-Free Made Easy. It’s a ‘natural’ additive, but one linked to all sorts of behavioural issues, headaches, headbanging and more.
150/caramel – This additive is also classed as ‘natural’ because it’s derived from cane sugar. However, it’s heavily processed and anyone with allergies should avoid it as it’s not likely you’ll ever know what they put into it.
Vegetable oil/Palm oil – Heavily processed and inflammatory to the body.
Artificial colours – Linked to behavioural issues, learning difficulties, insomnia and asthmatics should avoid.
Flavours and/or Natural Flavours – Who knows what’s in these two ingredients. Sometimes it’s a chemical cocktail to create that ‘flavour’, but then sometimes it could be a vanilla bean. You just won’t know and if you contact the company to ask, they’ll probably tell you it’s a copyrighted ingredient.
Our favourite brands as of Feb 2021… (remember, ingredients do change so still always check!!)
Organic Times have pretty clean ingredients and use rapadura sugar as their sweetener. They have a range of bunnies, eggs and a mix between white, milk and dark chocolate.
Loving Earth Boobook Chocolate Eggs are dairy-free and filled with a soft caramel centre. Super clean ingredients but not great if you’re allergic to nuts as these do contain nuts.
Banjo The Carob Bunny have pretty clean ingredients. The ‘natural vanilla flavour’ is questionable but geez, these are still far better than anything you’ll find in the supermarket.
Moo Free are dairy-free and although probably not as many clean ingredients as the Loving Earth brand, they’re still pretty clean and contain no nuts.
Easter cookies by Gingerbread Folk. Another option is these really yummy ginger cookies. Mix up some additive-free icing and let the kids decorate them as a special Easter treat.
Make sure you look around for your local chocolatier to see what they have. We all know how important it is to support local.
And it wouldn’t be an Easter blog without hot cross buns. This is our recipe which you can find here.
So as you can see, you can have your chocolate and eat it too, but you can’t leave it until the last minute.
You’ll need to get in soon and order some online, or call your local organic store and see if they’re stocking any this year.
These might be a little more expensive than you’re used too, so give less. Still spend the same amount of money, but lower the quantity of sugar. Fill the basket with pencils, colouring-in books, craft or a puzzle. Does it all need to be chocolate?
Trust me, it’s harder to deal with behavioural issues, tummy upsets and emotional meltdowns than it is to get a little prepared, and shop a little earlier.
But if your family do overindulge, run an Epsom salt bath, pop on all the calming essential oils and ride the wave until it’s out of everyone’s system.
Hoppy Easter!
Jo (& Tracey) x
The post Best Additive-Free Easter Eggs of 2021 appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
When it comes to meal prepping and bulk cooking it can get confusing as to how to freeze cooked food safely and conveniently. Let’s take you through what simple little things we do to freeze our food that is best for the food, with as little as possible impact on the environment.
Reduce, reuse, recycle * We scrounge up every container and pre-loved bag we can find lying around our kitchens. We quite often have leftover bags from when we’ve bought bread from places like Baker’s Delight. Don’t throw these bags out because you can clean them out and reuse them to freeze and store your homemade bread, scrolls, pinwheels muffins etc. in. Keep reading on how to freeze these so they don’t stick together.
- When storing things in plastic, always choose containers that are freezer approved and BPA (Bisphenol A) free. BPA can be very toxic to your health.
Portion everything out The secret to maximising your freezing potential is portioning everything out into ready-made meals or snacks so you can just grab them at a moment’s notice and shove them straight into a school box or heat and serve.
- Slice up cakes/slices etc and freeze in portion sizes. You’ll be able to pop a frozen slice into a lunchbox that morning and they’ll be defrosted by lunch.
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Double batch cook meals the freeze them in individual portion-sized containers.
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Freeze things like sauces, lemon juice, stock, egg whites, egg yolks (not whole eggs), baby food in individual portions in an ice cube tray and then store in a Sinchies reusable pouch or reusable/biodegradable ziplock bag or container once frozen.
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Freeze meat in containers. Take your container into the butchers and reduce the plastic, makes life so easy when you get home too.
Reduce the air Freezer burn usually occurs when the food has been sitting in the freezer surrounded by air. Therefore, you need to minimise the exposure the food has to air.
- When freezing in containers add a sheet of baking paper between each layer of food to reduce the amount of air exposure and ensuring you use all area of the container.
- When freezing in a Sinchies reusable pouch or reusable/biodegradable ziplock bags, lay them flat and press out all the air before you seal the bag.
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Wherever possible do your best to remove as much air as you can from the bag or container before popping in the freezer.
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Let’s say you slice up a cake and at the beginning the container is full. But as you eat piece by piece the container gets emptier and emptier, this can cause freezer burn quicker (as there is more air in the container) so decant the containers into smaller ones as you go.
Layer and protect As stated above, when using your containers to store your food, make sure you use every last square inch you can. But doing this means you have more likely the food will stick together. So to stop this…
- Place each item of food out in a layer on the bottom, then lay a sheet of baking paper over the top of the food and then stack another layer of food on top of the baking paper and so on and so forth depending on how many layers you can fit in your container. Don’t worry, your food won’t stick to the baking paper. This will make it much easier to just grab a portion and pop it into a lunchbox.
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Keep the baking paper when the container is empty because it can be reused. We often reuse sheets of baking paper over and over again when freezing food. Obviously, you need to be extra careful of cross-contamination so we don’t reuse a sheet of baking paper that has been sandwiched between meat and then reuse it again to be sandwiched between cake slices (for example). Make sure you reuse them for like-for-like products and if you are unsure what you have used it for, then best to wash it up in a sink of warm soapy water (yes, baking paper can be washed).
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When freezing ice-creams made in a mould (like the Magnum ones we sell), once they are frozen pop them out of the mould then place them into a container and layer them flat between sheets of baking paper to ensure they don’t stick to each other. Oh and side note… once you’ve eaten the ice-cream don’t throw the Additive-Free Lifestyle stick out because they can be washed and reused over and over again!
Store everything flat When freezer space is at a premium, you have to get your Tetris game face on… seriously! ? It can become quite the fine art learning how to physically store everything in your freezer to get maximum storage space as well as ensuring your foods are frozen properly.
- Wherever possible store your frozen items as flatly as possible. This is why we have stated above when freezing in reusable bags or pouches, lay them flat and compress the air out. This allows you to be able to stack the flat bags on top of each other or standing up side-by-side, giving you more space.
- Store similar sized containers on top of each other so that they all slot in together like a lego stack.
- Make sure that you leave enough room in your freezer to allow the air to flow freely without blocking the air vents.
And one last thing – make sure you wash up any plastic bags you use. Keep using them over and over and contribute towards making this planet a cleaner, less poluted place.
There you have it, once you get your head around it all, you’ll be freezing food with ease.
Much love,
Jo and Tracey x
The post Top 5 Tips for Freezing Food appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
What is BOGO? BOGO is an acronym that stands for ‘Buy One, Get One’.
Roughly 3 or 4 times a year doTERRA runs a BOGO week, wherein if you buy a specific oil, they will give you another oil or related product for free. It’s doTERRA’s way of helping you get more of the essential oil products you love.
BOGO weeks are incredibly popular for a few different reasons:
- It can give you the opportunity to stock up on your most valued and used oils. For example, it’s not unusual to see a BOGO consisting of Buy On Guard and Get Easy Air for Free – 2 of the most used oils throughout winter! This kind of deal most commonly has a limit of 5 per account which means you have the opportunity to by enough stock to see you through many many months!
- doTERRA will also throw deals into the mix of oils you may not have tried giving you the opportunity to try new oils and expand your collection, whilst still being economical because you’re getting a free oil to go with it #winning
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to have a doTERRA account to participate in BOGO?Definitely not. In fact, BOGO week can be a great way to open your doTERRA account and start your essential oil journey in an incredibly economical way. Who doesn’t love freebies, right?! BOGO is open to new and existing doTERRA customers. If you’re new to doTERRA and you want to participate in BOGO week we recommend you contact us asap so that we can set up your account and get you that daily deal so you don’t miss out!
**How long does BOGO last?
**BOGO week usually lasts for 5 days from Monday through to Friday. doTERRA changes it up every now and then but predominantly this is how it runs. They release a new deal at approximately 9 am each day via their social media channels and email.
Can I save a BOGO to process with a scheduled loyalty order?
No. BOGOs do not save to Loyalty Rewards Program (LRP) templates. If you save the BOGO to your scheduled loyalty order to process at a later date, the free item will not be included in that order. You must process your loyalty order on the day of the BOGO to receive the free item.
Note: Only add the item to purchase to your cart and the free item will automatically be sent to you. For example, if the daily deal is Buy Easy Air and Get On Guard free then only add Easy Air to your cart. doTERRA will automatically send you On Guard.
Can I use my loyalty points to buy BOGOs?
No. Points cannot be used for BOGO promotions.
How do I know if my order has been placed and processed correctly?
An order confirmation email will be sent to the email address listed on your doTERRA account.
I missed the BOGO. Can I get an exception?
No. These special offers are available for the specified time period only.
Do the BOGOs qualify to earn Loyalty Rewards Program (LRP) and Shipping Reward Program (SRP) points?
Yes, normal rules apply. To receive LRP points, loyalty orders must be 50+ PV. However, free items do not contribute to PV. All orders qualify for shipping rewards based on the relevant qualifications for loyalty rewards or standard one-time orders.
I’m having trouble placing my order. What should I do?
If you are having trouble placing your order for whatever reason, we always suggest you contact doTERRA Members Services direct either via the live chat feature in your online account or via telephone (02) 8015 5080.
How to Purchase – Existing Customers Purchasing on a Standard Order
- Sign in to your back office and select the “Shop” tab.
- Select the appropriate category for the special that day. For example, if the BOGO is “Buy Easy Air, Get On Guard for Free,” you would select “Single Oils,” search for Easy Air, and click “Add to Cart.” Once you have finished shopping, click “Proceed to Checkout.” The free On Guard will automatically be added to your cart.
- Standard orders will not receive Loyalty Rewards Program points; however, standard order Shipping Reward Program points still apply.
Purchasing on a Loyalty Rewards Order
- Sign in to your back office and click on your LRP template.
- Go to the “Quick Add to Cart” bar and search for the special that day. For example, if the BOGO is “Buy Easy Air, Get On Guard for Free,” search for Easy Air and select it when it pops up in the dropdown menu.
- You no longer need to add an additional item for your LRP order to process, but if you wish to earn LRP points, then your order must reach at least 50 PV. (This is necessary in order for doTERRA to continue offering these amazing deals.)
- Once you’ve finished shopping, click “Ship Now,” and then continue to the Review Order page. The free On Guard will automatically be added to your cart.
- Select “Process Order Now.”
- Make sure you adjust your template after for future processing.
How to Purchase – New Customers
- Click on this link to join our team and then follow the nine steps (remember by using this link you are becoming a member of Additive Free Lifestyle Oily Tribe and will be joining our team). Use our ID number – 2103440
- Select your language and country of residence (yes we know, pretty self-explanatory).
- Choose which warehouse your order will come from – if you’re Australian choose – ‘Local (OTG) Order: Select this option if you wish to order your items from an Australian Warehouse in Australian Dollars’. If you are outside of Australia select the country which best suits you.
- Choose between a Wholesale Customer or Wellness Advocate. Both of these entitle you to a 25% discount on all products but will NOT obligate you in any way to sell or start a business however if you do want to start a business select Wellness Advocate. If you do not want to start a doTERRA business select Wellness Customer, you can always switch over later if you change your mind.
- Fill out the ‘about you’ section of the application with your personal information. If the form asks you to enter a Sponsor ID ours is 2103440. It is important you use this ID to join our team. Continue down the form to ‘create a password’. This is your private password for your Virtual Office, where you will be able to place future orders and track past orders. Please keep this password safe.
- Read the Online Terms and Conditions and tick the box to agree.
- Now for the fun part – add the Introductory Packet ($35) this is your doTERRA 12-month wholesale membership (it is $25 annually thereafter and comes with a free bottle of peppermint worth $25) to your cart, then add the BOGO ‘buy’ oil to your cart. At this point, you can also add whatever else you like to the cart such as Fractionated Coconut Oil (great for diluting the oils when applying topically to your skin) or a starter kit, or nothing… it’s up to you!
- Once you have finished shopping, click “Proceed to Checkout.” The free oil will automatically be added to your cart.
- Yahoo, your order is complete and you’re now in our team! You will now receive ongoing support from us, so check your emails. Over the next few days, you’ll start receiving a 14-day email series running you through everything you need to know.
- We cover:
– How to shop again using your wholesale account
– The amazing Loyalty Rewards Program (LRP)
– How to use your back office
– Safety Guidelines
– How to use your oils effectively
– Plus so much more!
IF that sounds all too overwhelming then contact us asap and we’ll help you set it all up for you so that you don’t miss out on BOGO!
Tracey & Jo x
The post How to BOGO – All you need to know! appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
In this special episode of The Additive-Free Lifestyle Podcast Show, we delve into the topic of saunas and hopefully answer all your questions we have received recently about them.
We have received so many questions about our saunas from you guys, so we thought what better way to answer them than to go straight to the source himself, Alex from iHealth Saunas.
Why did we want a sauna?
For a few different reasons. They are really great for:
- Detoxing
- Muscle repair and recovery after workouts
- Relaxation
- Weight loss
- Stress management
And not to mention they are really warm, and you know we live in freezing cold Tassie, right?! Haha
Where can you put the sauna?
Because they are infrared saunas and not traditional steam saunas, they can go anywhere indoors and on any surface. They come flat-packed which means they can go upstairs too.
The most common place they instal them is in spare rooms. They can be placed outdoors so long as they are undercover with no chance of any rain getting onto the roof of the sauna as that’s where the electrics are housed.
However, they do stock an outdoor unit called the outdoor barrel if you are looking for a sauna that is specifically meant for outdoors.
How did iHealth Saunas start?
Sauna has always been important to Alex’s family – not just as a way to improve their wellbeing but as a way to make a living.
Established in 2008, his parents Miriam and Peter Tyson created iHealth Saunas to bring European quality to the Australian market. After working for other sauna companies, they recognised a need for a sauna company in Australia that delivered a high-quality product and service.
Since Alex has taken over the family business, he and his team have worked hard to create a complete digital support system and wellbeing information hub for iHealth Sauna clients.
iHealth Saunas is now Australia’s longest-running infrared sauna company, renowned for the quality of their saunas and accessories, helpful service and a tight-knit community. This ongoing passion for excellence is the bedrock of everything iHealth Saunas offers.
Today, tomorrow and forever, their mission remains the same.
Which is to help Australians optimise their health and happiness and that of their families. Whether you want to work on something specific or your reason for looking into the infrared sauna is ‘I’ve just always liked sauna’, they know that an interest in sauna stems from a fundamental desire to be healthier.
They’re an Aussie run family business focusing on wellness as a whole which we love too!
What’s the EMF rating of the iHealth Saunas?
When we were looking into getting saunas the one thing that was really at the top of our list to watch out for was EMF rating. We wanted to keep it as low as possible.
The iHealth Saunas EMF rating is less than <3 milligauss (mG) which is low. The less EMF we are exposed to the better given we are exposed to it regularly on a daily basis with Bluetooth, wifi, our phones etc.
If you’re looking at getting a sauna, make sure you look into if it truly is infrared, and ask what is the EMF rating because <5mG is ok but <3mG is the most preferable. And be careful what you buy because you can get a cheap $2k sauna but you get what you pay for so do your research and make sure you are getting the best quality you can afford.
Also make sure when companies test the EMF ratings that they test the sauna whilst they are fully going, with all panels and lights on which is what iHealth Saunas does. Not all companies do this so make sure you ask the question.
What does the colour therapy do in the saunas?
Colour has been used for healing since ancient times to balance and harmonise the mind, body and spirit. Use the iHealth Saunas LED Colour Module to flood your sauna in the colour of your choice. Green and Blue are wonderful if you use your iHealth Sauna at night and would like to relax. Red and Yellow are energising colours and best to use if you are using your iHealth Sauna in the mornings. Marry up the colours with the appropriate aromatherapy essential oil(s) to maximise the benefits on your entire being.
The Third Space
Years ago, we listened to this talk whereby it focused on those who work from home and how hard it can be to stop work and then be present with your family. Especially for those who may work at the dining table or in the lounge room, it can be hard to switch off from work mode and then switch into family mode.
This is where the third space comes in. For those that work outside the home, their third space can be the time it takes for them to go from work to home, whether that’s the drive home or the train ride home or the bus ride home. That time allows you to process your workday and get your brain ready for home time.
What we like to do because we work from home and don’t get that, is to incorporate our third space time either in the sauna when we finish work or go for a walk or do a workout when we finish work and then now add a sauna session after that too before we go to family time and cook dinner or whatever it is we need to do at the end of the day. This allows our brains to switch from one space to the next with better ease and allows our brains to function better.
The sauna is the place where you can address multiple health modalities in the one space. You’re sweating, thereby reducing the toxic burden on your body, then you’re hydrating, your body is also going into a parasympathetic state which means you’re getting out of flight or fight and getting into a calm state where you could meditate in the sauna if you wanted to or listen to a podcast and learn. It gives you that all-important ‘me time’ which is so incredibly important these days which we don’t get.
Are saunas safe for children to use?
There are a few things you need to remember when it comes to saunas and kids. Our adult bodies are designed to sweat. When we get too hot, we sweat to draw liquid onto our skin to cool us down. Children from 5 to 14 or so don’t have that ability to sweat like that so instead they will go red in the face and can overheat more easily.
Having said that, children as young as 5 can go in the sauna but you would have them in the sauna for a shorter amount of time and at a lower temperature. For example, optimal sauna session times for adults are around 30-45 minutes at around 45 to 55 degrees. For children, you would do no more than 20 minutes at 40-45 degrees. Obviously, the younger the child the shorter the time and lower the temperature. Alex doesn’t see the need for children under 5 to go in the sauna as their bodies simply don’t have the toxic burden that our adult bodies do. You also need to make sure that your kids stay well hydrated whilst they are in the sauna and afterwards. Also, make sure your kids don’t play around with the controls in the sauna because the last thing you want is for them to turn it up to 70 degrees. For more information about this definitely speak to the company you are looking to purchase your sauna through.
Are saunas safe for pets to be inside?
Pets are really good at following their intuition, more so than we are. But you need to exercise the same caution with animals in the sauna as you would children. Pets often seek out warm spots which is why they like saunas so much, but you wouldn’t have them sitting in there for 50 minutes at 60 degrees with you without hydration because it is simply too much for them, so exercise caution.
How does the sauna help you detox?
Our bodies take on toxins everywhere, every day from what we eat, to what we breathe into what we put on our bodies.
Our bodies have a mechanism to deal with the influx of toxins in our bodies to a certain degree through our detox pathways being sweating, peeing, pooing, breathing and through mucous but then our body gets to a point where it’s overloaded and it can’t deal with any more toxins.
So, with the toxins that remain our body, being the smart workhorse that it is, stores those remaining toxins in the fat stores in the subcutaneous layer of our skin. Because the infrared in the saunas penetrate down 4-5cm down into the skin it gets down into that subcutaneous layer where those toxins are stored and draws them out via sweating in the sauna.
How much do saunas cost?
The costs of the saunas vary, depending on your needs, from $4,500 to $7,500. You can pay for them outright or pay them off at around $70-$80 interest-free a fortnight to make them more affordable.
We get these are a big investment and the best advice we can give is to look at where you can potentially redistribute funds in your budget to be able to afford something like this. It really is an investment in your health. Maybe it’s not buying takeaway coffees anymore or buying lunch every day. For Tracey, she realised that if she cut down on her family’s meat intake, she was easily saving $70 a fortnight.
If you want it badly enough, you will find a way.
Having said that we understand this is not an affordable option for everyone.
How much water should you drink whilst in the sauna?
A litre per sauna session is a good place to start and it’s a good idea to drink half a litre of water before having a sauna too. This is on top of what we should all be drinking per day to stay hydrated. A good guide is for every 22kgs of weight you should be drinking 1 litre of water.
Using essential oils in the sauna
The model of saunas that Jo and Tracey have come with a dish in them where you can put essential oils. Jo has found that she can’t smell them as much as she would like so she is going to apply the oils topically to her skin first whereas Tracey dry body brushes with essential oils first before going into the sauna. Tracey has done a post all about this which you can read here.
How can you get a sauna?
Head on over to HERE to check them all out. Give them a call and discuss your needs with them and they will work out the best sauna package for you. Don’t forget to mention Additive-Free Lifestyle so you can get a discount.
There’s so much info over on their website as well as plenty of videos and blog posts so check it out.
Jo and Tracey x
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The post Podcast 184 – The Benefits of Infrared Saunas with Alex from iHealth Saunas appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
In this week’s episode, we’re coming at you raw and unplugged. Literally! To let you know that it’s time to say goodbye.
We’ve got no fancy intro’s or outro’s, it’s just us and nothing else.
After much thought and soul searching, we have decided to no longer continue on with the show. It’s been 4 years, yep we started in May 2016, and one heck of a ride!
We honestly can’t believe it’s been that long. But if the last few years have taught us anything, it’s that we have stretched ourselves way too thin and running ourselves into the ground is something we simply cannot do.
We have so many new ventures in the pipeline that we’re excited to bring you and we need to make room in our schedules for those. So it’s not something to be sad about, it’s simply a pivot to new directions.
We’re sure we’ll interview great people along the way in the future and when we do we may just release a new episode here and there, who knows, we’ll never say never!
Regardless, there are over 180 episodes to revisit and sink your teeth into either via iTunes, Stitcher or listen on our website, including this final episode 183. Don’t forget that each episode has its own show notes on our website which are like their own little informative blog posts too.
Thank you so very much for listening along, we really appreciate it. Don’t worry we aren’t going anywhere, you will still see us all the time here on our socials.
One chapter closes and many more new chapters open so stay tuned!
Much love,
Tracey & Jo
xx
The post Podcast 183 – It’s Been A Blast appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
Bet we have your attention now, don’t we?!
One of the first things we both did when we started living additive-free was to suss out ways to stick to our very strict, family budgets. We both have two children, a mortgage, school fees, bills and expenses, just like everyone else… at times things have been super tight financially, so we get it… it can be hard to stick to living additive-free when things seem so expensive all the time.
These are our top ten tips for living additive-free:
1. DIY
Making our own cleaning products saved us a fortune and still does. It also saves the environment and your health from the impacts of some pretty nasty ingredients. We both DIY all our own cleaning items, from toilet cleaner, bench spray, shower scrubs… right down to dishwashing liquid. As it stands right now, companies don’t have to list the ingredients on cleaning products. Sometimes, if you are lucky, you may see the active ingredients listed on the bottle, but not a full list of ingredients. This means we have no way of knowing what harsh chemicals lurk inside. We do know for a lot of them they come with a whole bunch of warnings on the label. Take for example the warnings on this popular brand of mould household spray cleaner:
Do not mix with acids, ammonia or other household products, especially toilet cleaners. Ensure adequate ventilation when using vapour may be harmful. Corrosive. May produce severe burns. Attacks skin and eyes. Avoid contact with skin and eyes. Do not spray product towards eyes or face. Wear protective gloves and eye protection when using. Wash bonds immediately after contact with this product. Do not mix with hot water.
So, in a nutshell, this is telling you to wear not just gloves, but a proper ventilation face mask and adequate eye protection… how many people are doing this?? My guess is zero! Why risk it? It is so easy, quick, and cheap to make your own. Check out this post and video where I made 10 DIY products in 10 minutes.
2. Meal Plan
Write out your meals for the week/fortnight or even month. From this, write out your shopping list… and stick to it! Try to not impulse buy when shopping and choose meals that you can bulk cook and then freeze. We know a great cookbook if you need a recommendation!
3. Meat Free Nights
Try and plan a few vegetarian nights each week. Reducing your meat intake will reduce your overall grocery bill. It is also great for your body to have a few days rest from trying to digest meat. Our Lentil Bolognese is ah-mazing!
4. Farmers Market
Buying in bulk is something we have always done and will continue to do. Shop in bulk via a co-op, farmers market, or your local wholefoods store. Shopping in bulk generally saves you money, and it also saves you time. The less time you spend at the supermarket the less money you will spend on impulse buying.
5. Pack Your Own Lunch
Yes, you! Pack your lunch when you pack the kids. Buying your lunch is mega expensive, so make yourself some salads, soups, savoury muffins, or whatever it is you like to eat, and pack your lunch the night before like you do the kids.
6. Make Your Own
Give it a try, it is easier than it looks. Sauces, jams, chutneys, and relishes are all very easy to make. Making these when the fruits or berries are in season is the perfect time to do it. Also, jam can be made from frozen berries, so there are really no excuses.
7. Freeze It There isn’t much that we have found that doesn’t freeze ok. Peeled garlic, diced onions, old bananas, crusts from stale bread, yoghurt that is almost out of date, cream, butter, sauces… and so much more. Not everything will look amazing once defrosted, but they are generally ok to use in cooking once defrosted. I use plain yoghurt and cream in my curries. Butter freezes and then defrosts totally ok to use as normal. Turn frozen bread crusts into breadcrumbs. Homemade sauces all defrost perfectly. Chopped garlic and onions are perfect for cooking with, just throw them into your recipe while frozen, they’ll defrost quickly. Bananas are great for adding to smoothies or making some nice-cream. Just peel and dice them up, then freeze in an airtight container.
We also freeze cakes and biscuits that are already iced. We freeze leftovers all the time. We freeze excess cooked rice or pasta. We figure there is no harm in freezing it first, before tossing it into the bin. Most of the time we have success.
8. Grow Your Own
It really is easier than you think to grow a few things at home. Rosemary, parsley, mint, thyme and most other herbs are super easy and take up hardly any room at all. Lettuce, spring onions, tomatoes, brown or red onions and garlic all pretty much grow themselves. Also, give zucchini and pumpkins a try. These have been amazing in our house. You will need a little extra room for these, but if you have it, plant some next year, it is worth it.
A great page to follow for understanding what to plant at what time of year is Gardening Australia. Also, try and source your seeds or seedlings from a reputable source. If possible, try and get heirloom seeds.
9. Be Prepared This is about having things ready to eat, eg – peel and cut up enough potatoes or carrots for a few nights. Store the uncooked ones, covered in water, in the fridge (this also works for sweet potato and carrots). Something I love to do is cook a few trays of sweet potato and pumpkins each week. All you have to do is peel and dice them, drizzle over some olive oil, then bake in the oven until golden (approx. 170ºC). Allow them to cool down, then store in an airtight container, in the fridge. When ready to eat, add some to a bit of baby spinach, a small handful of cashews and some pre-cooked chicken. This is a super-fast, yet filling lunch. Or cook a double batch of biscuits, or two cakes at once. The more prepared you are the less likely you’ll be to stop and grab something impulsive on the way home.
10. Use a Great Resource
Of course, I am going to plug our cookbook, Everday Additive-Free here, but in all seriousness, having access to a resource like that is priceless. It will help you meal plan, you’ll learn about additives, there are hints and tips to freezing or cooking double… PLUS there are so many recipe options, you’ll never get bored.
I hope that gives you some inspiration to help you save money and helps you to realise that living additive-free really isn’t more expensive, in fact with a little prep it can save you $$$.
Much love Tracey x The post Save Money Living Additive-Free appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
When this essential oil and capsule system first came out at doTERRA® global convention in 2019 we were so excited to get our hands on it and we have not been disappointed. This blend has been our go-to for our emotional and mental well-being on so many occasions that it is now a staple in our households.
Fast forward to May 2020 and these oils are now available to purchase via the Australian warehouse! Well, all except the capsules. Unfortunately, at this stage, for the capsules to be sold in Australia, it would require that doTERRA reformulate the ingredients and this is something they are not prepared to do.
Here’s why – the amazing success of the clinical trials doTERRA has conducted as well as the thousands of positive reactions from all over the world, would be irrelevant if the formula were not the same. We, personally don’t want them to reformulate the capsules as they are perfect just the way they are, and given we are able to buy them from the US warehouse, it doesn’t phase us too much, we will just continue to do that.
We’re going to detail why this system is such a GAME CHANGER for us and why we love it so much! So, stick with us right to the end, it’s worth it!
First, check out this video doTERRA has put together all about the Adaptiv™ system.
Let’s get some more info straight from the horse’s mouth:
After years of research and formulation, the Adaptiv™ System was released during the 2019 Together Global Convention. This system is designed to support you in moments of tension and stress by harnessing the powerful benefits of several essential oils and botanicals.
The system includes the Adaptiv Calming Blend, Adaptiv Touch, and Adaptiv Capsules. Each of these products complements one another and gives you access to aromatic, topical, and internal benefits. So, what’s the difference between the products and how do you use them?
Adaptiv 15ml The Adaptiv oil blend includes Wild Orange, Lavender, Copaiba, Spearmint, Magnolia, Rosemary, Neroli, and Sweetgum. It has a sweet citrus scent that is calming and relaxing, making it perfect for diffusing. When applied topically, Adaptiv can also soothe, uplift, and increase feelings of tranquility.
Adaptiv Touch 10ml Adaptiv Touch takes all the benefits of the calming blend and makes it even more convenient. It comes in a 10 mL roller bottle, so you can easily take it with you to work, school, or wherever you find yourself in a difficult situation. The blend is also diluted in doTERRA Fractionated Coconut Oil, which helps with absorption and allows for quick and easy application whenever you need it.
Adaptiv Capsules (not available in Australia) The Adaptiv oil blend isn’t formulated for internal use, which is why we made Adaptiv Capsules. It has the mood-boosting effects of Lavender, Coriander, and Fennel essential oils and uses the clinically studied Sceletium and GABA to support healthy emotional responses to everyday stressors. The capsules can promote positive feelings, encourage relaxation, support emotional balance, and help you adapt to stressful situations.
- Take one capsile daily to combat stress, tension, and occasional anxious feelings.*
Stress in life is unavoidable, but the Adaptiv System can help you face change and tension with peace and calm confidence.
- These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration or Therapeutic Goods Association. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
Let’s get all SCIENCE-Y…
Who better to tell us about the science stuff than doTERRA themselves:
The Adaptiv™ Calming Blend is the result of years of research and formulation. The final product is supported by clinical research conducted by doTERRA’s very own team of research scientists. The Adaptiv essential oil blend trial was a landmark case for doTERRA’s clinical research team; it involved a larger number of doTERRA scientists (over 10) than any previous in-house trial, it was the first involving psychological elements (stress), it included the youngest study participants in any doTERRA trial (as young as 12), and it investigated something we all face: STRESS.
We Will, We Will…STRESS YOU Participants in the Adaptiv trial were only told that they would be testing a new doTERRA product and that they had to first qualify to be a product tester by taking two assessments. Participants were randomized and put into two separate rooms, one where Adaptiv was being diffused and the other where a placebo was being diffused. To the horror of the participants, the assessments were a combination of math and word problems that progressively increased in difficulty. There were 15 questions in total with a time limit of 12 minutes. Furthermore, a countdown clock was projected onto the wall in each room. After completion of one assessment, participants would cross over, go into the opposite room and take the other assessment. Throughout the course of both assessments, each person wore a pulse oximeter to monitor their heart rate and a temperature strip on the forehead to measure autonomic response to the stress-inducing environment. Following the assessments, all participants answered a series of questions regarding how they felt throughout the test.
What Did We Find? The results surprised even those who were involved in formulation of the Adaptiv blend. Although final statistical analysis is currently under way, some trends were clear from the initial data. Nicole Stevens noted one such trend during her 2019 Together Convention presentation. In reference to the test scores, none of which was very high considering the level of difficulty of the test, many participants still scored higher when undertaking the test in the Adaptiv room. Also, with Adaptiv diffusing, average heart rates were lower and more consistent.
Most interesting were the subjective assessments. There are objective physiological markers of stress (i.e. heart rate, blood pressure, etc.), but stress is also psychological; if you feel less stressed…well, you are less stressed. Participants self-reported having lower levels of stress and anxious feelings when taking the assessment in the Adaptiv room, even though they had no idea what room they were in or what was being diffused. There was also a small subset of participants who were taking part in an extended clinical trial involving the Adaptiv™ Calming Blend Capsules. Those specific participants reported the lowest stress levels of all. Considering the products were formulated to be used together, that possible synergy between the oil blend and supplement was exactly what we were expecting (and hoping) to see.
But, the Smell? Don’t forget, the study participants volunteered because they were told they were going to be product testers, and we weren’t about to let them down. Following the testing portion, participants were presented with three separate blends and asked how they liked each blend and how it influenced how they felt. The real Adaptiv was the clear winner, with most participants rating it 8 or 9 (on a 1–9 scale). To complete the product test, participants were asked to come up with a description of how smelling all three essential oil blends made them feel. Remember, they had not been told what the name of the product was, which of the three was Adaptiv, or what Adaptiv’s intended benefit was. The words calm, content, positive, and happy came up repeatedly.
What Comes Next? The evaluation of the Adaptiv product line didn’t end with this stress-inducing clinical trial. doTERRA scientists were also busy investigating how effective the oil blend was in an institutional environment, conducting an 80-participant clinical trial on the supplement, and working with our research partners on a proteomic evaluation of how the capsules affected brain cells on the molecular level. All the data is currently undergoing final statistical analysis and will hopefully be published in a scientific journal for general public consumption in the near future. Don’t forget to follow doTERRA science on social media for updates on publication.
The Adaptiv Calming Blend is the precise solution to help you deal with the stressors of everyday life. Whether it’s a difficult test or just normal life, put a few drops of Adaptiv in the diffuser to induce feelings of calm and relaxation, and help the body and mind stay balanced.
How do we love to use Adaptiv™️?
These oils are always with us. We have bottles EVERYWHERE. At work, in the office, and in the household. We have the Touch bottles in our bags and sitting on our bedside tables. We don’t go far without a bottle of Adaptiv close by.
Tracey uses it nightly as part of her sleep routine. Both her teenage daughters use it during their monthly cycles. Her hubby has a bottle on his desk at work that he uses in the diffuser. It is often found diffusing in Tracey’s office with Citrus Bliss, Clementine or Passion. The capsules are a staple for those times when life gets just a bit out of control and your mind just can’t calm down, or you are super anxious about something. Recently Tracey found them amazing before undergoing some intense dental work.
Jo uses it nightly or when the kids are acting feral. It is perfect to use each morning while getting organised for school and even more amazing diffused during the nighttime rush of dinner, homework, and bathing routines.
Here are some other ways we like to use these products. You can also download this handy guide to print and keep if you need ?.
DOWNLOAD PDF HERE We hope you now have a better understanding of just how beneficial Adaptiv™️ really is. We can honestly say we will never be without it given how much of an asset it has been to our mental health and emotional well-being.
If you want to add these oils into your collection, simply order via your doTERRA account.
If you don’t have a doTERRA account then head HERE to set one up or email us at info@additivefreelifestyle.com and we will help set you up with oils to suit your needs.
Jo and Tracey x
The post Adaptiv™️ System appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
Processed meats, like ham and bacon, are a hot topic for us, cause … well, it’s yum! But these types of meats predominantly use nitrates/nitrites as their main preservative.
This is an incredibly harsh preservative that once in your bloodstream, has the potential to be highly carcinogenic. You can also add to the potential list of side effects shortness of breath, asthma, lack of energy, dizziness, headaches, rapid pulse, nausea, vomiting, hyperactivity, behavioural issues and is prohibited in foods for infants and young children. Sounds nasty huh?!
Let’s be clear though, nitrates/nitrites can naturally occur in fruits and vegetables, this is not what we are talking about here. We are talking about the synthetically created version that is added to processed meats to extend shelf life and to make them look vibrant in colour.
So, is there an alternative you can buy so you don’t have to give it up altogether?
These days smallgood manufacturers are starting to get on board with our needs and provide products that are low, or sometimes totally free, from nitrates/nitrites, but as always, we still need to be super careful and not rely on what’s written on the front of the packet.
WATCH OUT FOR…
On the front of the packet it says:
✅ 100% natural ingredients
✅ no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives
✅ no added nitrites
✅ gluten free
✅ 97% fat free
All the right buzz words you want to see on the front of a packet, yeah? But then you turn it over and have a read of the ingredients. shows 2 x Yeast Extracts and Flavour!
Yeast Extract
This is a form of glutamate and those who are sensitive to MSG react in the same way to yeast extract as they do to MSG.
FlavourWhat is flavour? You don’t go to the supermarket and purchase ‘flavour’. The problem with flavour is that it’s a proprietary term companies use to bundle ingredients together without having to disclose them to us. This means that we never know what we are really eating. Yep, it’s sneaky! There could be any number of additives in there or it could be completely fine, we just don’t know and that’s what bothers us, there’s no transparency.
So, from what was seemingly great on the front of the packet reveals a very different story once the packet is turned over.
A BETTER CHOICE
IngredientsPork (90%), Water, Salt, Potato Starch, Cane Sugar, Vegetable Extract, Vegetable Fibre, Fruit Extract Naturally Wood Smoked.
You can source this from your local Woolworths supermarket and buying it in a leg ham portion like this instead of the sliced ham packet version means there are fewer ingredients which is a good thing, plus it is a lot more economical as well.
The only things we are a little wary of in the ingredients lists are the extracts and vegetable fibre as it’s not totally transparent as to how these are extracted/processed. Having said that, it is a far better choice than the one above, in our opinion anyway. We often slice this up and freeze it in portions so that you have ham on hand whenever you need it.
THE BEST CHOICE
Talk to your local butcher or go to your local farmer’s market and see if they make nitrate/nitrite-free ham and bacon. This is what we have done here in Hobart and we have been able to source beautiful, top quality produce. Now that we have found our preferred butchers we go to them regularly and they supply us with additive and preservative free ham, sausages, silverside and bacon. And the best part is we are supporting local businesses and farmers, right here in Tassie.
We’re not going to lie, it is a little more expensive, but this is a trade-off we are willing to make. We have shifted our mindset for these types of foods to be every-now-and-then, treat foods, not all-the-time foods. At the end of the day, our health is not worth the risk.
Jo & Tracey x
The post The Secret Ingredients in Ham and Bacon appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
In this week’s episode we’re coming at you raw and unplugged. Literally! To let you know that we’re taking a break and why.
We’ve got no fancy intro’s or outro’s, it’s just us and nothing else.
After over 180 episodes jam-packed with juicy info covering everything from additives and preservatives, health and wellbeing and everything in between we need to take a bit of a break.
We’ve got quite a few things in the pipeline this year, with one of them being re-branding our podcast show so that it fits more in line with Additive-Free Lifestyle. We need some time to get this all done, plus we’ve got some amazing guests lined up to interview so when we come back you’re going to be blown away with amazing content.
Excited is kind of an understatement of how we feel.
So, bear with us whilst we get it all sorted.
In the meantime, feel free to revisit any or all of the 181 episodes that are waiting to be listened to again and again.
We’ll be back in the coming months bigger and better than ever!
Stay tuned!
Much love,
Jo & Tracey xx
The post Podcast 182 – We’re Taking A Break appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
In this week’s episode of The Whole Circle Podcast we delve into the topic of nitrates and nitrites and the link between processed meats and cancer.
Sausages in bread, ham and cheese toasties, bacon and eggs on a Sunday morning … they’re all staples in a household these days. Unfortunately, deli meats are likely to have nitrates or nitrites in them.
What are Nitrates and Nitrites?
They’re commonly known as the same thing, but that’s really not true. They are actually made up of different molecules of nitrogen and oxygen. The chemical difference between nitrites and nitrates is how many oxygen atoms each compound contains. Nitrites have two oxygen atoms and one nitrogen, whereas nitrates have three oxygen atoms. It is possible for nitrates to turn into nitrites by losing an oxygen atom, and the reverse can happen as well.
Today we will most likely talk about nitrates as they’re a lot more commonly used.
Where are they found?
Nitrates naturally occur in a lot of fruit and vegetables such as celery, beetroot and tomatoes which our bodies actually need. Our bodies break them down and process them correctly because they are in wholefood form. So, if you can tolerate eating whole foods such as celery, beetroot and tomatoes then your body can process and break down naturally occurring nitrates.
However, the preservative nitrate is chemically made to mimic the natural version of it. But when things are synthetically made our bodies can’t recognise them in the same way, process them in the same way or break them down in the same way. It’s chemically added to our foods to stop bacteria growing so that foods have a longer shelf-life. It’s also added in to give meats their pink colour, making it more pleasing to the eye.
It’s found in processed meats such as ham, salami, bacon, sausages, lunch meats, hot dogs etc. Most of which you will find in the delicatessen or in the chilled packaged food section of your supermarket. Here’s a tip though, you can ask to see the ingredients list for products in the deli as they’re written on the back of the price tag. So, don’t be scared to ask for them, because by law they’re required to give them to you.
What’s so bad about them?
Once this preservative is in your bloodstream it can be highly carcinogenic. It can be known to cause major problems with your liver and pancreas (amongst other organs).
They’re also linked to shortness of breath, lack of energy, dizziness, headaches, nausea, vomiting and sometimes tingling to the hand’s, mouth and feet.
Pretty nasty huh?!
Let’s get sciency…
Nitrites have been known as a toxic ingredient since the 1970s. The US Department of Agriculture tried to ban it, but it was vetoed because food manufacturers complained there was no alternative they could use instead. Therefore, even as far back as the 1970s, it’s been known that Nitrites are not great for us to be consuming. Totally scary and disappointing!
It wasn’t until 2007 that the science world started to take notice when the World Cancer Research Fund conducted a study and found that eating just one sausage a day increased your risk of bowel cancer. This equates to roughly one sausage or three pieces of bacon (with the preservatives in it) increasing your risk of cancer by 20%!
In 2010 there was a lot of media hype around bacon and whether it was cancer causing due to the ingredients in it. The World Health Organisation’s International Agency for Research on Cancer declared that ingested nitrites and nitrates are probable human carcinogens. Not only that, but they are just as bad as smoking to our health. Just think about that for a moment!
The Harvard School of Public Health found that eating processed meats increased the risk of heart disease by a whopping 42% and the risk of type 2 diabetes by 19%!
Even after all these scary revelations, nitrates and nitrites are still widely and commonly used! ? The government and industries have not deemed our health important enough to eradicate these hideous preservatives.
Is there any good news?
Yes!! As we have said, we don’t go without. We love bacon, we just choose nitrate/nitrite/preservative-free bacon. Our local butcher makes preservative and gluten-free sausages, all we had to do was ask him. Usually, butchers will make preservative sausages into 5kg lots. So, if your butcher won’t separate them into 1kg lots and sell them to others and they want you to purchase the whole 5kgs, which in all honesty is not as much as you think it would be, then you can simply freeze them. Or what Jo does is cook a large batch of them and freeze the cooked sausages. Her kids will quite often take a frozen sausage in their lunchbox to school and by lunchtime, it’s defrosted, and they love eating them cold.
The things we struggle to buy are salami and those types of processed meats. But we don’t go without completely, we will still eat them every now and then, just not on a regular basis.
If you can’t find low or no nitrate-free devon, ham, salami, chicken loaf etc. (have a hunt around because they can be found) then you could have shredded chicken or cold nitrate-free sausages instead. Or as Tracey’s kids like, simply a salad sandwich without meat.
Let us know
If you have some great alternatives to deli meats that you love to eat in salads, sandwiches or lunches then hit us up. Comment below or comment in our Facebook Chat Group. Let’s all share so we can inspire each other.
Want to know more?
Then you need to come and join us in our signature e-course Additive-Free Made Easy which is now open for early-bird purchase. Our next round starts soon on 16 March. It will also never be at this low price again so register before early bird ends on 8 March to secure your spot.
You will learn information like this and soooo much more. What additives to avoid and why, scientific studies behind it, what they’re linked to, then how you can easily start living an additive-free lifestyle.
Register here: https://additivefreelifestyle.com/afme
Jo and Tracey x
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The post Podcast 181 – Can Ham Really Cause Cancer? appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
In this week’s episode of The Whole Circle Podcast we give you the low-down on all our best water-saving tips.
We’re coming at you this week with a short and snappy episode!
When we recorded this podcast it was hot, dry and in some parts of our state of Tasmania we’re in Stage 3 water restrictions. The irony is when this podcast is released (14 February 2020), the northern states of Australia, especially Queensland and New South Wales, are experiencing horrendous flooding. Having just come off the back of unprecedented bushfires which took a massive toll on lives, wildlife and properties. We really are a country is severe extremes!
Even with all this excess water around at the moment, it is still incredibly important to be water conscious and to conserve as much water as we can, because our country needs it!
Here are our best water-saving tips:
Bucket in your shower or under taps
Ok, this might seem weird but think about all that water that goes down the drain whilst you’re waiting for the water to heat up whether it’s in the shower or in your sinks. You could collect so much water just from this alone, which you could repurpose to water your plants, fill your pet’s bowl, fill the kettle, diffusers, wash your car, wash windows etc…, so many options to reuse it.
Switch your water-using appliances over to eco-friendly mode
Yes, on some appliances (think dishwashers and washing machines) this can make the cycle run a lot longer, it certainly does on Jo’s appliances, but it saves a heap of water in the long run, so it’s well worth it.
Turn the tap off when brushing your teeth
It’s simply not necessary. It’s just water being wasted down the drain. Even Jo is guilty of doing this! But no more!!!
Put a timer in your shower
Tracey has a diffuser in her shower which is timed to run for 8 minutes. Yes, 8 minutes is a long time and it can take her 8 minutes sometimes when you factor in washing hair, giving it a clean, shaving legs etc but as a general rule her shower if well and truly over, once that diffuser has finished. Otherwise, simply have a timer in the bathroom and set it to 4 minutes so you’re conscious of not being too long in the shower.
Reuse water leftover in water bottles
When the kids (or yourself) come home from school and they’ve still got water in their water bottles, reuse it to fill the diffuser, the kettle, the dog’s bowl, to water plants etc
Repair any and all leaks around the house
Not only are you saving water, but you’re also saving money.
Clean your outdoor areas with a broom instead
You don’t need to hose your driveway down or wash your outdoor areas with water. Simply use a broom.
Turn your evaporative cooler off (aircon)
We know this is not possible in all areas, depending on where you live. But if possible, turn your cooler off because they use water too. We’re talking about the ones you have to pour water into.
For air-conditioners that have a conditioner drip, pop a bucket under it, then repurpose this water to reuse elsewhere ie. to water your plants, etc.
Air purifier and condensing dryer
These appliances usually have a well where the water pools. Instead of tipping this water down the drain, you can repurpose it to water your plants, gardens and so much more, etc.
Manually water the lawns
Instead of using a sprinkler system which you can forget about or which can over water the lawns and waste water, manually water the lawns with a hose. This ensures the lawns are getting just the right amount of water they need. Or purchase a timer system from the local hardware store. They are easy to install and work really well.
Wash your car on the lawn
This will ensure that your lawn gets a good soaking at the same time, instead of it just washing down the drain. And turn the hose off between washing parts of the car. It is easy to just leave it running but this is a massive waste of water.
Install flow restrictors and aerators
Make sure all your taps have flow restrictors and aerators to ensure excess water isn’t wasted.
Limit the number of baths you have
Don’t have baths as often and if your kids have baths then don’t fill the bath all the way to the top, they don’t need as much water. Try to transition them to showers sooner if you can. These days you can get taps and pumps to send your bath water to the garden outside via the bathroom window so consider that as an option too.
Don’t flush the toilet as often
Yes, it sounds gross, but when you consider that a full flush uses approximately 6 litres of water per flush, a LOT of water literally gets flushed down the drain on a daily basis. Are you making sure you use the half flush No. 1’s? and a full flush for No. 2’s? Have you taught your kids the same thing? Have you got a water-efficient toilet? Is it time for a toilet upgrade? Some old toilets can use up to a whopping 20 litres of water per flush!
Our Aunt used to have this sign up in her toilet that has always stuck in our heads and this is what it said:
‘If it’s yellow let it mellow, if it’s brown flush it down’.
Something to consider guys….
On that note, we’ll leave this short and snappy episode there. Don’t forget to hit the subscribe button and feel free to share this episode, along with these show notes, to anyone and everyone, cause we all need to be a bit more water-wise to help protect this beautiful planet of ours.
Jo and Tracey x
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The post Podcast 180 – Our Best Water Saving Tips! appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
It’s come to our attention of late that a lot of schools are stocking the Berri Quelch brand of ice pops now and, honestly, you’d be forgiven for thinking they are a better alternative to Zooper Doopers. Check out what’s written on the front of the packet:
- images of fruit
- 99% real fruit juice
- no artificial flavours
- 5-star health rating
- no added sugar
It’s got all the right buzz words you want to see on the front of a packet, yeah?
SPOILER ALERT: Sorry to say, but in our opinion, these are not a better choice over Zooper Doopers (blog post HERE).
When you turn the packet over here’s what you’ll find in the ingredients:
Reconstituted Fruit Juices (Apple (93.2%), Grape (3.2%), Pear (1%), Orange (0.5%), Pineapple (0.5%), Passionfruit (0.3%), Mango(0.2%), Blackcurrant (0.1%), Colours (102, 110, 150d, 163), Flavours, Thickener (466), Preservatives (202, 211, 223), Food Acid (Citirc Acid).
So, what does all that mean? Let’s break it down: Reconstituted Fruit Juices
In order to get reconstituted fruit juice:
- The juice is squeezed from fruit via the usual juicing process.
- This juice then has as much water as possible removed from it under high heat.
- The juice concentrate is what remains (which is basically the fruit sugar syrup).
- This makes it shelf-stable to be transported to suppliers.
- When ready to be used, water is then added back to the juice concentrate and voila… you have reconstituted fruit juice!
Companies often do it this way because it is cheaper given that it makes the juice shelf-stable for transportation.
Unfortunately, and I’m sure it comes as no surprise, that reconstituted fruit juice does not contain the same nutritional benefit as freshly squeezed fruit juice. The heating and reconstitution process destroys the beneficial enzymes in the juice for sufficient food metabolism and our immune systems. The beneficial vitamin C found in fresh fruit is also significantly depleted.
Flavours
Hmmm, what exactly is this? According to the EWG ‘how a food tastes is largely determined by the volatile chemicals in the food. Chemicals that give food a specific smell are extremely important because smell makes up 80 to 90 percent of the sense of taste. In processed food, this mixture of chemicals is called “flavour.”’ (2)
What are these ‘chemicals’? We simply don’t know, and companies aren’t bound to reveal that to us either!
We contacted Berri Quelch to find out what ingredients ‘Flavours’ were made up from and here was their response:
Our flavours are formulated to give a food product a unique flavour and to maintain flavour consistency between different product batches or after recipe changes. Flavours are regulated under the Australian New Zealand Food Standards Code – Standard 1.2.4 – Labelling of Ingredients. This standard requires the presence of flavours to be included in the ingredient list as ‘flavouring’ or ‘flavour’. They are not likely to be allergen causing and they are usually present in very tiny quantities, legally we are not required to specify the type of flavour other than their presence as “flavours”, flavours are usually ‘commercial-in-confidence’ as they form part of the recipe and stop our competitors copying our product recipe.
Wherever possible we use natural flavours. If product ingredients state they containing flavour or natural flavour, they would be not halal suitable as we use alcohol as a carrier for the flavours and our finished product contains less than 0.05% alcohol. We hope this information helps.
So, just to make it very clear – you have no idea (other than a teeny bit of alcohol) of what you are eating in these ice-pops!
Colours 102, 110, 150d and 163
Artificial colours are often tested on animals and are made by combining various aromatic hydrocarbons like toluene, xylene and benzene, which are obtained from the distillation of bituminous coal. Coal tars are also made from petroleum distillates.
To put it simply – artificial food colours are chemically produced and derived from petroleum, a crude oil product. Think gasoline, diesel fuel, asphalt and tar.
(“sounds tasty…NOT!”)
The Southampton University conducted a study on six artificial food colourings 102, 104, 110, 122, 124 and 129. It was concluded that when these colours are mixed with sodium benzoate (210-2180), a common preservative and one which is found in these ice-pops, it caused direct behavioural changes in children.
As a result of this, it has become mandatory in Europe for a warning label to be included on the packaging of all food that contains these artificial food colourings. The warning label states that the consumption of the product “may have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children”. No such warning label applies in Australia or New Zealand.
But let’s break this down further:
Colour 102 (Tartrazine – Yellow)
Potential effects when in food:
- Hyperactivity
- Thyroid issues
- Aggression
- Headache/migraine
- Asthmatics should avoid
- Insomnia
- Itching/rash
- Hay fever like symptoms
Colour 110 (Sunset Yellow)
Potential effects when in food:
- Suspected carcinogen
- Allergies
- Hyperactivity
- Digestive issues
- Skin rashes
Colour 150d (Caramel IV – Dark Brown to Black)
Potential effects when in food:
- Asthmatics should avoid
- Digestive issues
- Prohibited in foods for infants
- Corn allergy sufferers should avoid
Colour 163 (Sodium Carboxymethylcellulose)
Whilst this colour’s risk level is generally rated as safe for most people. It is prepared from wood pulp or cotton linters and chemically modified.
It is used as a stabiliser/thickener. However, the potential effects when in food are:
- Excess consumption can cause bloating, constipation and diarrhoea
- Prohibited in foods for infants
Preservatives 201, 211 and 223
Preservatives are used in food to extend the shelf life of a product. But at what cost to our health? We spoke earlier about the reaction preservative 211 (sodium benzoate) has with artificial colours but what about just on their own. Let’s take a look:
Potassium Sorbate – 201
Sorbates occur naturally in some fruits – true, so why are we worried about it? Well, it is the fact that it is synthesised and no longer in its natural form that concerns us. When food is 100% natural it contains a range of things – fibre, proteins, vitamins etc and our bodies can distinguish the difference between fake and real. The human body is good at processing real food, it is not so great at processing fake ingredients.
Potassium sorbate is a widely used preservative. It is added to food to inhibit the growth of moulds and yeasts that can cause foods to spoil. It is highly soluble, very cheap and easily produced making it a popular choice for many food companies.
Potential effects when in food:
- Allergic reactions
- Hay fever like symptoms
- Asthmatics should avoid
- Headache
- Hyperactivity
- Prohibited in food for infants
- Skin irritation
- Digestive issues
Sodium Benzoate – 211
Benzoates occur naturally in lots of berries, vegetables, pepper, herbs, spices, peppermint and honey, but just like above, it is the synthetic versions that are of concern to us.
Sodium benzoate is a synthetic chemical produced when benzoic acid is combined with sodium hydroxide.
Potential effects when in food:
- May damage DNA cells
- Asthmatics should avoid
- Headache
- Hyperactivity
- Prohibited in food for infants
- Skin irritation
- Digestive issues
What is even more horrifying is that when sodium benzoate is mixed with citric acid, as it is in the ingredients for this product, it has the potential to create the chemical compound benzene, which is a known carcinogen. In our opinion, these two ingredients need to stop being put together just to make sure this doesn’t happen.
Sodium Metabisulphite – 223
Sodium Metabisulphite is used as a food preservative and disinfectant. When it is dissolved in cold water it forms sulphur dioxide gas, which is why it should be avoided by asthmatics or anyone with respiratory issues. It is used to inhibit the growth of mould and bacteria on all surfaces it comes into contact with.
Potential effects when in food:
- Asthmatics should avoid
- Hay fever like symptoms
- Harmful to aquatic organisms
- Prohibited for food in infants
- Damage to the immune system
- Skin irritation
- Digestive issues
Citric Acid
For the most part, this is fine. The Environmental Working Group (EWG) classifies this as ‘not expected to be potentially toxic or harmful’ and a ‘low human health priority’ (1).
How can you avoid this?
There are other brands on the market which are derived from natural sources (such as Proud & Punch). But we advise to always keep an eye out for the ingredient’s panels because companies can change their ingredients without us knowing.
Better still, make your own. It’s so easy to buy ice-pop moulds or ice-cream moulds and blend up some fruit with water and freeze them. Treat foods don’t have to be hard at all!
Want to know more?
If you want to know more about all sorts of additives and preservatives and what they all mean, check out our signature e-program Additive-Free Made Easy and register for our next round. So far, we have helped thousands of families to switch to an additive-free lifestyle simply and easily. We cannot stress enough how important it is to learn the information you need to know to become your own ingredient inspector. This knowledge is so empowering and will set you up for a lifetime of better choices that your health and the health of your loved ones will thank you for.
Don’t shoot the messenger
Sorry guys, I’m sure you were hoping for a better outcome with the Quelch brand.
Jo & Tracey x
The post Time to Quash the Quelch! appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
In this week’s episode of The Whole Circle Podcast we talk with Dr Mariza Snyder all about how to balance your hormones the natural way.
Oh boy, this is one of our all-time fave episodes. We could have talked to Dr Mariza for hours upon hours upon hours and just soaked up all her knowledge and wisdom. It still blows our minds that at our ages we are still learning so much about our bodies that we had no idea about. This really is a MUST LISTEN for all women!
Who is Dr Mariza Snyder?
Dr Mariza [mah-REE-suh] is a women’s hormone doctor, functional practitioner, educator, Amazon best-selling author, wife, and Wellness Advocate. She is passionate about helping people to become more empowered with simple healthy habits. She loves to empower women and their families to feel and live their best lives through plant-based, whole-food nutrition, essential oils, easy-to-follow habits, and mood-boosting remedies.
Dr Mariza’s story in a nutshell
In her own words:
Eleven years ago, I was chronically sick, feeling wired and tired, and experiencing a sensation of constant overwhelming from the combination of both work and going to graduate school to become a practitioner. I never seemed to have enough energy to get through the day. I was juggling too many responsibilities and suffering from some major consequences. One day, I looked up and didn’t recognize the tired stranger in the mirror. I didn’t feel like myself anymore.
Like many women I know, I was being held captive by crazy unbalanced hormones and overwhelmed with life. I come from a lineage of hormone imbalance and grew up watching my mom suffer from mood swings, lack of energy, and sleepless nights. During my mid-twenties, I was chronically tired, 35-pounds overweight, constantly cranky, and oftentimes feeling super unsexy. I felt like I had lost control of my body while doing all of the things that I thought were “right” for me at the time. Caffeine became the key to surviving each day.
I realized that I needed to change my lifestyle if I wanted to feel like my old self again. I started with simple changes. I began eating more plants and cooking at home. Leafy green vegetables became a staple in my diet. Green smoothies provided a simple daily habit that produced the necessary energy to start my day without caffeine. Then, I focused on yoga, dance, and fun exercises that I enjoyed. My stress level decreased and my energy increased, the excess weight started to melt off, and I began to feel like myself again. Over time, I explored more healthy habits: positive journaling, hiking on nice days, and using essentials oils and whole food supplements to keep me and my family healthy.
I reclaimed my life and my body! On my journey, I learned that 80% of what we do on a daily basis dictates the life that we live later. I want that life to be rich, healthy and filled with amazing experiences. In my 10 years educating on healthy lifestyle habits, I have helped thousands of women to lose weight, sleep better, lower cortisol levels, and reclaim their lost energy. I have seen women transformed both emotionally and physically…and get the body that they have always longed for.
What do hormones do in our bodies?
Hormones are chemical messengers in our bodies. They release chemicals through our endocrine glands all day every day. These chemicals really run our bodies from reproduction, growth, cognitive function, mood support, insulin regulation, metabolism, breath rate, body temperature, immune system, metabolic system, stress response system, survival system and so much more.
When it comes to understanding our hormones, it’s important to realise that our hormones are intentionally trying to sabotage us. They’re not choosing to become imbalanced, there is a driving force or root cause behind the imbalance that we need to figure out.
What are some common reasons for our hormones to become imbalanced?
Dr Mariza has identified roughly 7 main root causes of hormone imbalance:
- Environmental toxins such as the persistent pollutants in our food, water, air, what we put on our bodies, especially women with beauty products which are endocrine-disrupting (eg. lotions, creams, perfumes, shampoo and conditioner etc.). One of the biggest reasons your thyroid can become hyperactive or inactive is due to toxins.
- Heavy metals found in food, water or topically. There can be exposure to heavy metals in a lot of places and whilst each exposure can be minuscule, it accumulates over time to become a big problem in the body. Heavy metals disrupt our metabolism, brain function especially when it comes to mood and gut permeability issues that can lead to autoimmune deficiencies.
- Nutrient deficiencies. For healthy function, our bodies require essential amino acids, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants. So, if there are deficiencies, especially in women, of zinc, magnesium, activated b vitamins, omegas and vitamin d then it generally shows hormonal imbalance in women.
- Gut dysbiosis and gut permeabilities which is an inflamed gut or inflamed bowel or a very permeable epithelial layer in the stomach and in the small intestine where particles are going into the bloodstream, the immune system is hyperactive and reacting to that and potentially accidentally targeting the wrong tissues. A perfect example of this would be Hashimoto’s Disease where the immune system accidentally targets healthy thyroid tissue because it has mistaken it for something else. The gut is so often one of the root causes. It is very rare that Dr Mariza sees someone who doesn’t have gut health issues as being a root cause.
- Trauma. Whether it’s severe childhood or adult trauma such as PTSD or micro-traumas that can add up over time, traumas can manifest into disease inside the body.
- Chronic perceived stress. This is the most common cause that we can control, but which we are the most unaware of which is where the body goes into a state of perceived stress 30-50 times a day and we are completely unaware of it. This is where our bodies are constantly in survival mode.
- Pathogens, known as opportunists, they are bacteria, viruses, candida, mould, parasites etc. can trigger gut dysbiosis, inflammation, unhealthy immune response, nutrient deficiencies.
From all the options listed above, a person could be dealing with 1, 3 or all 7. Dr Mariza would prioritise what would need to be dealt with first and go from there.
Essential oils for hormones
Dr Mariza is an expert in the field of using essential oils to re-balance and keep your hormones balanced. What better way to do it than the natural way. Not a pill in sight, nothing toxic or synthetic just nature. It’s music to our ears!
In Dr Mariza’s opinion, the best way to use essential oils is via topical application (applying them to the area of concern) or aromatic use (breathing them in). Essential oils can help with menstrual regulation, reducing inflammation, reducing stress levels, etc. You can also use essential oils to make your own no-tox cleaning products which are amazing for your health as well as amazing for the health of the environment.
Then there’s plenty of essential oil options for sleep support, mood support, cravings, trauma, gut support, endocrine system support and when it comes to the umbrella of hormone support, essential oils can tackle so many of the areas.
Essential oils for menstruation
Heavy Flow
Dr Mariza recommends using Lavender or Clary Sage, as Clary Sage is phenomenal for slowing down the heavy flow and menstrual cramps. She also recommends using Yarrow | Pom. Specifically, with women who are perimenopausal or women who are dealing with a heavy flow, Yarrow | Pom can really slow that down. Clary Sage and Yarrow | Pom are progesterone boosters which means that they ease out the seesaw between oestrogen and progesterone. You can apply these topically (diluted with fractionated coconut oil) to the uterus and ovaries. Dr Mariza’s Superwoman Blend is perfect for this which you can find here. This blend is best to use about 6 days prior to getting your period as well as after ovulation to ensure your progesterone levels stay increased.
Cramps
The 5 essential oils Dr Mariza recommends for menstrual cramps are Clary Sage, Lavender, Peppermint, Frankincense and Copaiba. You can make up a little roller bottle with 5 drops of each. You can also play around with the ratios if you want more cooling then add extra peppermint. It’s very versatile to suit the individual. Apply it to your lower back, ovaries, uterus, lower abdomen. This blend is also really for any general type of pain you have in your body too, as well as ovulatory or endometrial pain.
Are essential oils still useful if you’re taking the pill?
The pill suppresses your reproductive system. If you’re experiencing certain symptoms such as mood swings, bloating, funky menstrual cycle etc. these are all side effects of taking the pill. Whilst essential oils can help manage the acute symptoms of the side effects of taking the pill, they won’t be getting to the root cause. Dr Mariza says it’s not even worth testing your hormone levels whilst on the pill because you’re being pumped with fake hormones so you won’t be getting a true indication of where your hormone levels are at because it’s not really your system at work, it’s synthetic hormones at work.
How can aromatic use of essential oils help our hormones?
It seems weird to think that just breathing in essential oils can actually help our hormones … something deep inside our body… how does it work?
Essential oils are plant-based chemical constituents which means that our own biochemistry is highly responsive to them. When you breathe them in they go to multiple olfactory receptors in our bodies. The first port of call is our limbic brain and limbic system which controls our nervous system which is responsible for our survival/fight or flight mode. Our sense of smell is a powerful tool, if something doesn’t smell right, we don’t even think about it, we react on it straight away. The same goes for essential oils, the power of smell means that we can use essential oils for emotional support, stress support, cognitive function, alertness, energy, sleep all of which are overarching issues that a lot of people are dealing with that are related to our hormones.
Our bodies are so intelligent that we can take a compound from an essential oil and make another compound out of it to really benefit our cellular system. It is really complex in the way our bodies leverage these chemical constituents from essential oils. When we breathe them through the olfactory receptors of our lungs, they go straight into the bloodstream. From there, our bodies make intelligent decisions about what to do with that specific chemical constituent. What we know is that we metabolise them within about 3 hours, so we get all that benefit from the essential oils.
Can you diffuse hormone supporting oils around children?
Whilst Dr Mariza doesn’t know the answer with 100% certainty, what she does know is that essential oils are adaptogenic and our bodies are going to make decisions based on these adaptogenic qualities. So, for example, if you are diffusing Clary Sage for its hormone benefits to you and you have little children also breathing it in, Clary Sage is also an amazing oil for sleep, stress and mood-boosting so by breathing it is usually you are going to benefit from it via mood support and neurological than specifically impacting the ovaries. Especially given that it is being used in a diffuser where it is more heavily dispersed than if it was applied topically.
The Essential Oils Hormone Solution Book
We cannot recommend this book highly enough. We have read it and absolutely love it. It is a MUST resource for all essential oil lovers, especially women.
The Essential Oils Hormone Solution offers a step-by-step program to reset your body through focused and deliberate changes in daily self-care rituals, aided every step of the way by high-quality essential oils.
With over 100 targeted essential oil recipes and lifestyles recommendations, you will be able to easily implement solutions for your specific needs, allowing you to not only balance your hormones, but also reduce cravings, get deep, restful sleep, manage and mitigate stress, improve mood and irritability, banish the worst symptoms of PMS, improve focus and concentration, boost libido, and increase energy and vitality.
Where else can you find Dr Mariza and her amazing books?
Books: https://www.drmariza.com/books/
Website: https://www.drmariza.com/
Podcast: https://www.drmariza.com/podcast/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/drmarizasnyder/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drmariza/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/drmarizasnyder
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Jo and Tracey x
The post Podcast 179 – Balancing Your Hormones the Natural Way with Dr Mariza Snyder appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
In this week’s episode of The Whole Circle Podcast we talk the amazing Liz Chick about the incredible benefits of having essential oils in classrooms.
As you are about to hear, Liz is a wealth of knowledge when it comes to kids in classrooms and how to support the child as a whole. We were totally blown away and could have listened to her for hours. We know that parents, as well as educators, are going to get so much out of this episode.
Who is Liz Chick?
With over 25 years’ experience in Early Childhood, Liz has filled most positions within it. After moving from Tasmania to the Northern Territory in 2012, Liz founded the Top End Early Year’s Research Network and continues to incorporate her experience as a Trainer and Lecturer to support Educators both in the Northern Territory and around the country.
Liz sits on a number of committees that advocate for the rights of young children. Liz’ area of interest lies within the Neuroscience behind wellness and identity; links between Aboriginal pedagogy and the key principles and practices of the Educational Project of Reggio Emilia.
Liz is passionate about supporting those who work and learn alongside children and empowering them to challenge their old ways of being and knowing within our education system.
How did the pedagogy of smell enquiry-based project come to be?
Through her own experiences with her daughter and essential oils, she learned the benefits they had on their emotional wellbeing. It didn’t take long before Liz started to incorporate essential oils into the work she was doing with children and not long after that before she started to see how positively the children were reacting to them.
One little boy, in particular, went to Liz to ask her to smell the bottle of oil again that ‘helped his brain’. From there, Liz knew that there was more to this and really wanted to delve deep into the neuroscience of essential oils.
From there the Pedagogy of Smell and enquiry-based project was born.
Since then Liz has seen the power essential oils have had when used with children. She has countless stories and first-hand positive experiences, not to mention she is a wealth of knowledge.
Using essential oils safely with children
Like anything you put on a child for the first time, patch testing is always important.
In the case of using essential oils in the home, Liz recommends diluting the essential oil with a carrier oil, such as fractionated coconut oil, based on the dilution ratios in this graphic, then apply it to somewhere like the inside or outside of the child’s elbow, then wait 10 minutes to see how the skin/body reacts to it. If the child has no adverse reaction, then it’s safe to continue.
But bear in mind that topical application is not the only way oils can be used. Aromatic application via diffusing the oils into the air is also a powerful way for children to reap the benefits. This doesn’t mean you diffuse them all day every day in bulk to the masses. Be mindful of the environment, allow the children to have time without them. Find the right balance. It could be having oils available for each child to select the oil that’s right for them to smell or if a classroom has a calm down area, having calming oils available for them to smell so that they can help themselves to emotionally regulate. There are so many options eliminating the need for it having to be a one-size-fits-all scenario.
The other important way to ensure the safety of children around essential oils is to ensure they cannot open the bottles of oils. You can do this by locking them away in a cabinet or you can also purchase child-proof bottle tops for essential oil bottles now so that you don’t need to worry about your little ones getting into them and accidentally ingesting them.
Incorporating essential oils into classrooms
This aligns with the safety aspect too, but Liz believes it’s vitally important to get the permission from families to allow the oils to be incorporated into the classroom, and not just via a tick-a-box form sent home either. You know those types of forms where it will state for example, ‘We are wanting to incorporate essential oils into your children’s classroom, do you consent for this to occur. Tick Yes or No and sign here’.
Liz is talking about educating the parents about why they are wanting to be used, what benefits they are going to have for the children and their learning, how they are going to be used. Parents are the first educators of children and continue to be so throughout their life, so it is incredibly important that they are included and comfortable with this process as well.
As a parent, instead of just approaching your child’s teacher to talk about essential oils in classrooms, Liz suggests it’s better to go to the main decision-maker for the school, whether that’s the Principal, Assistant Principal or Student Welfare Co-ordinator. Whoever would be in charge of student wellbeing and supporting the whole child is the person to speak to. It would be a much better idea to have the oils in all classrooms than in just one or two classrooms. That way you know your child will benefit each year they progress through each grade.
Where to start?
If you’re thinking you want to have the conversation with your school about incorporating essential oils into classrooms but have no idea even how to start that conversation, then head on over to Liz’s website and check out her guide Unlocking the Potential where you will learn all you need to, to support you and educators through the process.
Where else can you find Liz?
Website: https://www.lizchick.com/
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/lizchickessentiallyconnected/
Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Essentiallyconnectedchildren/
Jo and Tracey x
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In this week’s episode of The Whole Circle Podcast we talk all the basics about manifesting and how you can incorporate it into your life with Gemma Benad from The Manifesting Mum.
Who is Gemma?
Who better to hear from, than directly from Gemma herself:
At the age of 10, I lost my own Mother to Breast Cancer and I stopped dreaming there and then. For the next 2 decades, I battled with myself and my mind and stayed stuck in a life that felt like punishment. I continued to create a reality that I didn’t want to be in but had no idea that I was the one creating it. It was a vicious cycle. Since the age of 14, when I first came across Tony Robbins, I craved learning all I could about the power of my thoughts to create my reality. You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay still stands strong as the most pivotal life-changing book of my life.
I became deeply passionate about feeling better and experiencing a more fulfilling life. I read all I could, watched every video I came across and started putting a more supportive mindset into practice. It wasn’t perfect. I stumbled often and I struggled to believe I had it within me to be who I want, do what I wanted and have what I dreamed. Those struggles resulted in an unfulfilling, loveless and desperate life.
But in the summer of 2011, at the lowest of lows, I started to dream big for something different.
A life filled with love, a nurturing, compassionate partner and the pitter-patter of little feet filling our home.
Every Sunday morning, I would lie in bed in my old, dingy granny flat all alone and visualise this life. I would see it in my mind’s eye, feel it in my heart and allow the love, gratitude and fulfilment to wash over me.
I created a vision board which I displayed prominently in my bedroom so I could wake up every morning focused on the life I was heading towards, not my current reality. I had stuck pictures of happy couples, loving words, pictures of children, a cruise ship for the holiday we would take, and even had the words ‘husband’ and ‘family’ stuck on it.
After advice from a good friend, I also went through the exercise of writing a letter to the Universe stating all the personality traits and characteristics I desired in my future husband. I listed every detail of what mattered to me. Tall and handsome most certainly featured as did trustworthy, athletic and fit, a good relationship with family, loving, compassionate and affectionate amongst other things.
Only a matter of months after I began this regular practice of dreaming and focusing my attention on my future, life changed in a monumental way. The short version is, I met the man I had dreamt of, moved in with him only a couple of months later and within 16 months we were married and pregnant with our first child together.
Every tiny detail of what I dreamt, came true. The way he looked, the characteristics I imagined, the home we live in and the way I felt. We even went on the cruise I had pinned on my board that same year.
I didn’t realise it at the time, but I had manifested my husband and had actively used the Law of Attraction along with the 11 other Universal Laws of Manifestation to my benefit.
Many years later, upon reflection, and as I learned more about manifesting, I realised I had done everything required to deliberately create the reality I had decided I was going to have
It felt like magic. It was incredibly serendipitous and we both put it down to fate at times. Perhaps there were elements of that, but I was so intentional with my dream and so emotionally and energetically connected to what I wanted, that I know it was not random chance.
During our relationship, I dabbled more in the law of attraction, and I know with certainty that I manifested my daughter, a 6-figure business in the health and wellness space and the subsequent sale of that business two weeks after my twins were born.
But this time was also full of struggles. I fell often. I failed miserably in business and I stopped dreaming.
I had created a life full of love, but I also created lots of things I didn’t want. A business that drained and exhausted me. A busy life that often left me feeling overwhelmed and a pain in my heart that lay unhealed from when I was 10 years old.
It took the death of my Father in 2017 to propel me on the path I am now on. I began healing the deepest pains in my heart, letting go of that which no longer served me, and, most importantly, I started to dream the biggest most audacious dreams of my life.
Now, I am intent on learning absolutely everything I can about the Law of Attraction and Manifesting and putting it all to work for me, to create my dream life. And the bonus in my current experience is that I have immediately shifted my energy from one of overwhelm, chaos, worry and depression, to feeling joy and abundance that has always felt so elusive to me.
I have learnt so much in my 37+ years on this planet and my passion is now helping other busy and ambitious Mum’s to create whatever they want in life through the power of dreaming, emotional freedom, taking inspired and imperfect action and surrendering to allow their dreams to become their reality.
Let’s get to the basics… what is manifesting?
Simply put, it is the conscious and intentional creation of your life. It is also the journey of becoming who you are meant to be.
It can be a big shift for a lot of people. Because we can quite often fall into the trap of letting life happen to us without realising that we are the ones creating it.
Let’s break it down further…
Not everyone IS manifesting, everyone CAN manifest, but everyone IS creating their own life. The question is whether it is intentional and whether you are conscious and aware to it or are you just letting it happen.
Gemma’s sole purpose is to awaken people to realise that they have the power to create the life they want.
Opening their minds up to the possibility that this is the case and become curious about this notion that you can create the life you want instead of letting life just happen to you. Be the curator of your own life.
If you’re in a bad place in your life, how do you reconcile that you may have created that?
It’s not about laying blame or making yourself feel worse for it. It’s about recognising where you’re at and being open to what you can do to manifest yourself into a better place.
According to Gemma, when you manifest, you’ll have two possible outcomes:
- You’ll be blessed with the outcome that you are choosing to manifest; or
- You’ll be blessed with the lesson you need to help you to grow and evolve to become the person you need to be to live that outcome that you desire.
So even if you are in a bad space right now, consider the possibility that there may be a lesson in it for you to grow and evolve from to become the person you desire to be.
What can you do to start manifesting?
For anyone that is interested in manifesting and wants to take some power back into their life and create what it is they truly want is:
- Get really present with exactly where you are at in your life right now and accept where that is. Explore how you got to your current stage of life, whether good or bad.
- Work out what you want in your life and what you don’t want in your life. It’s important to note that life is not linear, it’s a journey. Gemma teaches people to decide what they want for their life, not ask, hope or pray for what they want, but to actually decide for what they want.
- Step into that version of you and becoming that person. This is not an easy step. It takes courage, confidence and belief. Energy work that Gemma teaches people. To become energetically aligned with the future version of themselves.
- Take inspired action. Listen to the synchronicities and be open and aware of them.
- Surrender and allowing life to happen. Connect with who you need to be and allow your life to evolve and happen.
Vision Boards
Vision boards have worked really well for Gemma in the past but they don’t always work well for everyone.
How do you know what to put on them? Should they be short term goals? Long term goals? Or both?
There’s no hard and fast rule. Gemma has two vision boards in her house. One in her office and one in her bedroom. One board has shorter-term goals for what she wants to achieve for the year and the other board has goals she wants to achieve in 5 years.
The question to ask yourself when you’re trying to work out what to put on your vision board is what can you get your faith behind? What can you believe in? For some people, they will put their faith, heart and soul into big visions that will take 5 years or more to achieve. Whereas for other people 5 years down the road is just too far to think and too big a plan to visualise so what might work better for them is planning a vision board that centres around being happy in the moment. It’s all about what works for you.
Limiting Fear
Our internal dialogue can produce the fear that stops us from manifesting or reaching out and grabbing what we want in life. It’s totally natural. New things can be really scary, breaking out of your comfort zone can be really scary. But if you let that fear take control of you, then no amount of manifesting will get you to where you want to be because the fear will stop you from taking the actions you need to take.
When we change the contextual framework of our subconscious programming the fear won’t take hold. It will still be there, but we can be present with it and still take the action anyway and not be paralysed by it.
You can do it
Reprogramming your brain is possible. With work and repetition, you can overcome limiting fears that have been holding you back. It takes conscious thought and being more aware, but you can reprogram your brain into a can-do attitude. You can live your best life!
Where else can you find Gemma?
Website: https://www.themanifestingmums.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/themanifestingmums/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/themanifestingmums/
Podcast: https://www.themanifestingmums.com/podcast
Jo and Tracey x
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The post Podcast 177 – Manifesting for Newbies with The Manifesting Mum appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
2019 was by far the toughest year of my life – Jo here.
It started off with some of the toughest news any person can here – Cancer. Mum was diagnosed with leukaemia just before Christmas 2018 and spent the first six weeks of 2019 in the hospital, where her treatments continued for six + months. It all happened so fast, one minute we were packing the car with camping gear due to head off on a family trip. We were actually leaving right after Mum’s doctor’s appointment. But that idea ended pretty fast as Mum went from the doctor’s office directly to the hospital and that’s where she stayed for about 6 weeks.
That very day the cars got unpacked and 2019 looked so different.
I kept it tough. I didn’t cry in front of anyone much, I kept on working and didn’t have any downtime. I tried to keep up a strong front but the truth is I was suffocating. At times I felt like I couldn’t breathe and so I started to see a life coach. I initially saw her to help me lose weight, which didn’t happen, but what did happen was, she kept me sane.
I started journaling, something I’d never done before in my life! I’d just write down things I was grateful for.
“Shane for being my husband”
“The sun today”
“My essential oils”
“The car I drive which gets me to the hospital”
“My business which allows me to work from home”
The whole time I mostly cried by myself, mainly when in the car driving. But I just kept telling myself that Mum would get through it, I kept telling the kids she would be ok, and most of all I kept telling Mum to just keep fighting. Even when she was diagnosed terminal, when she had a bleed on the brain, when she said “I can’t do it anymore” I said “FIGHT! You’re going to be ok”.
We used oils, I researched every holistic thing I could find along with Tracey and Dad, even when people judged and when Mum doubted it would help, we did it anyway. We diffused oils, Dad rubbed oils on her legs and spine, Dad even bought a juicer and started juicing! No stone was going unturned.
During that time we started to write our book, Everyday Additive-Free. When sitting in the oncology ward we’d take our laptops and write. It kept us going I think, and Mum wanted it that way. I remember only a couple of days after she was diagnosed I was sitting in her hospital room and she said: “are you going to make Presidential Diamond yet?”. For those that don’t know, Presidential Diamond is the highest rank in the doTERRA business. We were way off that, but I made her a promise. I promised her that if we made it she needed to be alive to see it. We shook hands on it, but as yet we haven’t help up our end of the bargain. A fact of which Mum reminds me of, haha!
In February, Tracey and I placed second in the doTERRA incentive trip. We had won a trip to Vietnam, mostly all paid for. We had an opportunity to hang out with 100+ other Wellness Advocates, two who were in our direct team. We toyed up going but Mum pushed us onto the plane, so off we went. The trip was awesome but of course, my mind wandered back to home most of the time. We were also launching another round of Additive-Free Made Easy while we were there and was busy with that. Looking back now, I wish we could have just stopped and been in the moment.
Shane, the kids and I had a cruise booked for March which we had already booked and paid for before Mum got sick, so we questioned going on this too. We did end up going and we met some lifelong friends on the cruise, we loved the islands but to be honest, we didn’t like cruising and will never do another one again ?. I really just couldn’t wait to get home.
Our cookbook was, by now, in full swing. We worked hard on this, my gosh was it a lot of work! We really underestimated just how much work it would be.
In May we cooked on stage at the doTERRA 2019 convention. I shared my additive-free story with over 5,000 people and then, with Trace, we whipped up a range of dishes using the oils. It was awesome and a highlight for sure! Just before we flew out to Sydney Mum got the great news she was officially in remission! Everyone’s prayers were answered!
In June we closed down our retail store.
In July we attended the doTERRA leadership retreat.
August was full-blown all about the book, nothing but the book, cooking, and more cooking, we needed to meet a deadline and we were struggling!
In September we attended the AusMumpreneur awards and won first place in the ‘Making a Difference’ category and 2nd place in the ‘Influencer” category. We were also nominated for AusMum of the Year and made it all the way to the finals. Which we were super excited about!
October we held our first-ever Lifestyle Wellness Event in Hobart. People flew in from all over the country for it!
November we went to Guatemala and Mexico City with doTERRA’s Co-Impact Sourcing Team.
December had the normal rush of school concerts, carols, dance concerts, gymnastic displays etc.
And I lost my mind…
As I scrolled through my photos of 2019 I just cried. I have so much to be bloody grateful for, yet here I am having a mini-mental breakdown! I couldn’t move, I didn’t want to get out of bed, I watched Netflix for two days, nobody was allowed to talk to me. I’m heavier than I’ve been in a long time (even though I’ve ‘dieted’ all year) and I seriously even started to wonder if I wanted to do this job anymore. This broke my heart the most, a business Tracey and I have put our whole heart and soul into, and here I was questioning if I wanted to do it anymore. A business that helps thousands of people every year, and I was thinking about quitting?
Was this really the life I wanted to create?
After a lot of soul searching and digging deep I did a couple of things…
I remembered a Podcast I recently recorded with Gemma from The Manifesting Mum (airing January 2020) and she said something along the lines of ‘we have the power to get ourselves out of any situation’. So I started thinking of ways I could get out of this mess I’d put myself in.
- First thing I did was I listened to that voice inside my head. The one that keeps telling me “put down your phone Jo, you are just scrolling”. So I deleted the Facebook and Facebook pages Apps and told myself that it’s ok to respond to notifications on my computer only.
- I am going to set my working hours in January around the kids and take a bit of a breather, but, more importantly, NOT feel guilty about it! For years I’ve felt guilty for being at work, but then also felt guilty for being with the kids and not at work. Fark the guilt!
- I’m going to breathe in and out more. In 2020 I’m going to learn how to meditate properly and do it regularly. I’m going to try and meditate every day with the help of the Calm App I’ve just purchased.
- In 2020 I promise myself to lower my cortisol levels and when I feel stressed, figure out why and then do something to alleviate it.
- I’m also going to get myself into a healthy BMI. I can hand on heart say I love my body, but it’s about how I FEEL. And right now I feel slow, bloated, uncomfortable and I don’t want to live like this anymore. This WILL change in 2020 and by my 40th in November 2020 I’ll be the healthiest I’ve ever been.
Why am I telling you all of this?
I don’t know really? Maybe to make you realise that you too have hope. That maybe by me sharing my struggles you’ll realise that you’re not alone and that no matter what, we all have the power to get ourselves out of it. This isn’t going to be easy, but it’ll be worth it.
In 2020 I cannot wait to hit Presidential Diamond along with our cracking team. I can’t wait to make an even bigger impact on the nation by sharing this additive-free message. I’m looking forward to inspiring schools to ditch the Zooper Doopers and Quelches and I’m looking forward to being more present in each moment and taking the time to smell the roses.
So bring on 2020, I cannot wait! That fire inside my belly is back and it feels soooooo good!
Blessings to you.
Jo x
The post Here’s to New Beginnings After A Roller-Coaster 2019 appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
In this week’s episode of The Whole Circle Podcast we take a look back and reminisce on the year that was.
We thought we would take a look back on the year that was. We have had a pretty full-on year this year especially with our mum battling cancer and it has given us a perspective we perhaps may not have had before.
There was a time where we have wished away certain things in our lives such as wishing the kids were older so we could shower in peace or not have to wipe backsides anymore or drive the kids here, there and everywhere. But you know what? That’s the juicy stuff! Now that Tracey has older daughters who don’t need her for those things anymore, she realises how precious those years were. So, don’t ever take that stuff for granted because before you know it, it’s all gone.
Our Mum
On 21 December 2018, our beautiful Mum was diagnosed with Leukaemia and our whole lives were devastated. For the next 6 months, we were right there with mum as she battled this wretched disease that was waging war on her body. There were times throughout this year that we thought we were going to lose her it was that touch and go, but she fought it so bravely and thankfully she is in remission. Thank you so much to all of you who have reached out to us asking how our Mum is, the outpouring of support we have received during this awful time has really touched our hearts and overwhelmed us with all the love that we are so grateful for.
Our book, Everyday Additive-Free
During Mum’s cancer battle we were writing our book, Everyday Additive-Free. Yeah ok, we don’t do things in halves, we get it! We honestly wrote this book whilst sitting beside mum in her hospital bed on the cancer ward. This is exactly what mum wanted us to do. This was the deal we had with mum, we would get this book released and she had to still be with us when it was released! It was tough, so much blood, sweat and tears went into this book, but we are so incredibly proud of it and know that it will help so many families live additive-free.
So, let’s throw a few stats your way….
We have grown to over 20,000 followers now over on the gram. This blows our mind given we haven’t been on Instagram all that long so thank you to each and every one of you who follow us over there. We do have lots of fun, especially with our stories where we’re always mucking around and sharing all sorts of juicy info.
We have over 65,000 followers which is just nuts! Facebook is where it all started for us and we have such a loyal following and we love you guys. You have stuck with us through thick and thin and especially when we lost our whole website which was so incredibly traumatic. Thank you, thank you, thank you, for being our backbone of support.
Oils with Additive-Free Lifestyle Facebook Group
We now have over 20,000 oily peeps in this group who are upping their knowledge game and learning and sharing how they use their oils. It’s an open group so if you want up your game too then feel free to join, we’d love to have you in there –> Oils with Additive-Free Lifestyle
Additive-Free Lifestyle Chat Group
We now have over 10,000 people in this group. This is also an open group that’s set up for people to come together as a like-minded community to take and learn all things additive-free. Whether you’re new or well versed in the additive-free lifestyle, this is the group that we share lots of additive-free info in as well as a great community where you can ask all sorts of info to help you with this lifestyle. If you want in, then feel free to join –> Additive-Free Lifestyle Chat Group.
Additive-Free Made Easy
We had over 530 new members go through our signature e-course Additive-Free Made Easy this year! We are so proud and thrilled that many people’s and family’s lives are now changed having learnt information that has changed their lives for the rest of their lives. The ripple effect it has on those around them is amazing! It gives us goosebumps just thinking about it. We’ve got another round coming up in March 2020 so if you want to get on the waitlist for that then, register –> Additive-Free Made Easy.
Additive-Free Lifestyle Website
We have had over 1 million page views on our website! WHAT THE?!?!?!?! That’s just in 1 year. It’s actually over 1.1 million views. Ok, mind blown! But so incredibly humbling to think that our little website created by little old us has been viewed that many times. We can’t even believe how this is even possible. We are so truly grateful.
To break that down further, 182,000 of those views are from new visitors which means that nearly 1 million views are from returning followers who are revisiting our website. This lights us up knowing that we are creating content that keeps you coming back because this is what we want to do. Make sure we are giving you what you want and more.
Additive-Free Lifestyle Shop
Yes, on a sadder note we closed our online store in June this year and we know so many of you loved it. On the flip side of this, it freed us up to bring more education to all of you, freed our headspaces up so we can create even more exciting content for you all about education about additives and preservatives.
It also allows us to be able to get more hands-on with our education and get into schools and provide education programs face to face which is what we have been wanting to do for so long now.
Most Viewed Blog Post for 2019
Drumroll please …. Zooper Doopers … more like Zooper Bloopers! Was our most viewed blog post for 2019, with over 10,000 views.
This blog post resonated and shocked so many of you. It has been one of our goals for a long time now to have Zooper Doopers removed from schools as a go-to ice block during summertime. There are other options that could be used instead that won’t have the potential to detrimentally affect our children.
Basic Icing Recipe
With over 12,000 views, our Basic Icing recipe was our most viewed recipe on our website which really surprised us.
The Whole Circle Podcast Show
Our most clicked on podcast episode to our website this year was Episode 170 – Progesterone Deficiency with Naomi Judge.
However, our most downloaded episode of all time was also with Naomi Judge which was Episode 3 – Let’s Talk Zinc and Magnesium with Naomi Judge.
It sure seems the topics our Naturopath Naomi Judge talks about are popular!
It also tells us that you guys want to learn more about your body which we’re happy to accommodate that going forward.
Another really popular episode this year was Episode 162 – The Impact of Wheat on our Health with Cyndi O’Meara. Cyndi talked a lot about glyphosate and how it is impacting our bodies as well as a lot of other awesome info and some practical tips on how you can get involved in taking a stand against the use of glyphosate in your local area. All the details are in our show notes –> here.
Lifestyle Wellness Event
We held our very first wellness event this year in Hobart which we were so excited about. We had been wanting to host something like this for years but had just never had a chance to organise it and to be honest we were a little daunted by it. But this year we just did it! It was amazing and we even had people fly in from around Australia to attend which amazed us. It was a really wonderful day and everyone who attended learnt heaps and left feeling inspired.
We will be doing it again next year so make sure you save the date when we share it early next year, we’d love to see as many people there as possible. Hobart’s a great place to come over for a weekend away. It’s such a beautiful city so you won’t be disappointed to make a trip of it.
The Lifestyle Wellness Event is an all-day event which is fully catered for on top of the awesome education that you get as well.
#notbragging
Ok, guys, this is not a bragging episode at all! It’s about reflecting back on the year that was and something we would love for you to do as well. We all get so caught up in moments that we forget to take stock of what we have achieved or the moments that we have experienced, whether good or bad over a 12-month period and this is what we are doing with this episode. We invite you to do the same. Reflect, take stock and bring in a new year with fresh eyes and curious nature of what you can create for yourself in 2020. Tag us in #additivefreelifestlye on social media all your memories or moments of reflection for 2019. We’d love to see them and share them on our own social media.
Stay Tuned for 2020
We have got so much coming up in 2020 that we are so excited about. We are kicking off with a tour in February so check out all our events and grab your tickets –> here. Just to give you a little idea, here are some of the places we are travelling to in a month:
➕Townsville
➕Mackay
➕Rockhampton
➕Burnie
➕Strahan
➕Ballarat
➕Minlaton
➕Golden Grove
➕Maroona Region
➕Adelaide
➕Mildura
➕Woolgoolga
➕Grafton
➕Sunshine Coast
➕Hobart
➕Wynnum
➕Brisbane
Sorry guys, there’s no Western Australia this time because Jo was there last year and there’s only so many places we can make in a month. Hopefully next time we can make it there. We are splitting up and doing these events separately because there’s just no way we could make it to that many places together. We can’t wait to meet you face to face.
Tracey’s Big Personal and Business Goal for 2020
She would love for her hubby to quit his job and come to work with her in their business with them. It’s been a dream of hers for a long time now and next year is the year to make it happen.
Jo’s Big Personal Goal for 2020
She would love to learn photography. She has no idea how she is going to fit it in, but it’s been something she has wanted to do for a while now.
Jo’s Big Business Goals for 2020
She wants to continue to inspire people, especially to live an additive-free lifestyle and she also wants to achieve the doTERRA rank of Presidential Diamond.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
We hope you have a wonderful festive season and a happy, safe and prosperous New Year. Feel free to tag us in your reflections or dreams over on social media as we would love to see them #additivefreelifestyle
Go and live your best life! We can’t wait to connect with you again in 2020
Much love
Jo and Tracey x
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The post Podcast 176 – The Year That Was appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
In this week’s episode of The Whole Circle Podcast we talk all about food, mindset and movement with Luke Hines.
We were so excited to interview Luke for this episode. He has inspired thousands of people with his healthy food lifestyle, mainly centring around Paleo and Keto diets and Jo just loves his cookbooks.
He was so lovely and down to earth, it really was a pleasure to chat with him and we got so much out of this episode and we think you will too.
Who is Luke Hines?
Luke is a Nutrition Coach, Motivator, Personal Trainer and Cookbook Author with 9 best-selling cookbooks.
Here is how Luke describes himself:
Having spent over 15 years in the wellness industry, I am here to help you achieve your health and happiness goals.
In my teenage years I always struggled with my weight, earning myself the nickname, buddha! I knew I wasn’t taking the best care of myself and one day I woke up and I realised I needed to make some positive changes if I was to live to my true potential and have a happy and healthy life. So I began eating well, moving my body, reading and researching, and most importantly I started thinking more positively about myself and where I was heading, and after 12 months of these positive changes I found myself feeling incredible. I was at my ideal healthy weight, I felt more energised every day, and for the first time I truly started to believe in myself that I could achieve anything if I put my heart into it.
With this incredible new lease on life my passion turned to wanting to help others achieve the same, so I become a personal trainer whilst continuing my research. For several years I trained clients in various gyms and private studios, I then moved into private one on one consulting which brought so many highlights, perhaps the best and most exciting of all included working alongside Angelina Jolie on the set of one of her films managing nutrition and training.
Early on I realised that true health and fitness didn’t just revolve around the ‘moving’ or exercise part and so I developed a huge passion for healthy food, which landed me on Australia’s number 1 cooking show, My Kitchen Rules, where I got the chance to show Australia that healthy food can not only be easy but delicious too! Making it to the finals, it truly was an incredible experience and upon the completion of filming I moved into publishing healthy recipes in cookbooks to showcase to the world that heathy food doesn’t have to be bland or boring diet food.
Nine best selling cookbooks later and my nutritional therapy qualifications under my belt, I have developed this program to combine my passion, expertise and love for nutrient dense delicious meals, realistic mindset motivation, and the moves that will keep you well for life, because my number one goal is to help you positively change your life to be the best, healthiest and happiest version of you.
Mindset is vital
Luke realised that the key component missing for a lot of people when they are wanting to transform their life into a healthy lifestyle is mindset. Making the right food choices and exercising can only go so far if you are coming at it with a negative mindset.
Luke learned through his own journey that mindset and mindfulness were key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Mindfulness seems to be the buzz word of the last few years. Not many people really knew much about it or in fact how to practice it on a daily basis.
Even meditation is fairly common practice these days whereas a few years ago, it wasn’t so.
Once people realised that meditation didn’t have to mean sitting with your legs crossed on the ground chanting ‘Om’ and that it could simply mean disconnecting yourself from technology and sitting in a quiet place and being comfortable within your own thoughts, it became more mainstream.
So, where do you start?
The most important thing to remember is to not look for perfection. You don’t have to practice meditation or mindfulness perfectly. Everyone is different and it’s about discovering what works for you.
The same goes for exercise and food, it is an ever-evolving process and something that as individuals we need to work on each and every day without putting pressure on ourselves for perfection.
It’s not about success or failure, it’s simply about doing it each day as you will find you get better and better at it and the good habits become ingrained.
For Luke, he lives by his motto of ‘Meals, Mindset, Moves’ which is that each and every day you try to each nutrient-dense meals, cultivating and supporting a positive mindset and moving your body in a way that works for you.
Cultivating and supporting a positive mindset is a continuous journey. There’s no end goal, it’s actually not about that, as cliché as it sounds, it’s all about the journey.
So, if you are in a headspace where you are stressed, overwhelmed, anxious, uneasy in your thoughts or feelings then turn off your device, find yourself a quiet place to sit down and just sit in your thoughts. Be present in the moment and allow the thoughts to come in and out of your mind without controlling them.
It’s not complicated and some days you will do better at it than others and that’s totally ok! Some days you will love it more than others, but it doesn’t mean you should stop. Keep going.
Luke’s eating lifestyle
Luke is a self-confessed ‘low-carber’ who cycles in out of a strict ketogenic diet.
Strict keto for most people is 50 grams or less of carbs in a day. For some people depending on their body types, less than 50 grams of carbs a day is better. But when you break it down and look at all the wonderful above-ground vegetables and fruits with carbs, it is really easy to get to 50 grams a day and actually hard to limit it to just 50 grams a day.
So low-carbs are a really great and sustainable way to live which is around 100 grams of carbs per day.
If you have goals to achieve whether they be to kickstart a weight loss goal then you can adhere to a strict 50 grams of carbs a day for 2-4 weeks, but for the most part Luke believes a low-carb approach is more enjoyable and sustainable because you don’t feel like your missing out nor are you worried about a bowl of broccoli.
Cookbooks
Luke has a bunch of cookbooks on the market and he is constantly evolving as an author. At the front of all of Luke’s books he always says that even though his books are gluten, dairy and refined sugar-free, not everyone has to be like that. The books are about helping to reset your health with tools, tips and recipes that he thinks reduce inflammation and increase energy and manage hormonal imbalance and cravings.
You can find all Luke’s cookbooks at all good bookstores and online.
Keto and Paleo diets
A lot of people can tend to focus on what they can’t have on these diets instead of what they can have. There actually isn’t a lot that’s stripped from your diet, but it opens up an abundance of nutrient-dense foods that you can eat which are amazing for your body.
Yes, Paleo and Keto came in very quickly and they’ve been labelled as fad diets, but according to Luke, when you look at the science behind these diets, for him, it’s a no brainer to eat this way.
It’s about filling your plate with nutrient-dense foods that are going to benefit your body and not harm it.
How does Luke maintain his eating lifestyle whilst travelling?
He makes sure that he is prepared in advance. Especially with domestic travel in Australia, we don’t need to eat plane food because the flights aren’t that long. For example, have a wholesome breakfast and then eat another wholesome meal once you’ve arrived at your destination.
If you haven’t prepared snacks for the plane, then some enforced intermittent fasting isn’t a bad thing.
It’s all about the choices we make. You can choose to eat the plane food which you know is not a great choice, or you can get up ½ hour earlier and eat good food before you go or get up ½ hour earlier and pack nutrient-dense snacks for the plane. It’s all about the choices you are choosing to make.
Intermittent fasting
Through guidance from Tracey’s Naturopath after having done a series of tests to see where her body is at, she has been undergoing intermittent fasting. Her Naturopath is recommending she fast 5 out of 7 days. Tracey has guidelines around this in that if she is not feeling well then not to fast as much etc. basically a whole plan has been set up for her.
Whereas after having undergone the same tests with the same Naturopath, Jo is only recommended to fast 2 out of 7 days.
Intermittent fasting has two major approaches. One is where you choose an entire day or period of time to fast or periods of time that you can implement across 7 days.
To break it down further, if there was a type of fasting that you implement over a 7-day period, this may be called an eating window or time-restricted fasting whereby you can eat whatever you want (within reason) within a designated eating window. For example, one of the most popular approaches is 16:8. That is where you fast for 16 hours and you have an 8-hour eating window. You can implement that from anywhere from 1 to 7 days a week because you’re eating every day. The thing to note about this type of fasting is that during those 16 hours you are allowed to have black coffee, tea and also plenty of water because those things don’t spike your blood sugars.
During the 8-hour eating window, it’s not about reducing calories, it’s about eating nutrient-dense foods that you can eat in abundance (again, within reason).
The other approach is the 5:2 which is 5 days a week you eat what you want within reason and then on the 2 days you have restricted calories of around 500 calories or less. This can be tough for people given the heavy restriction of calories.
Luke believes that a really great way to start is a 12:12 approach. 12 hours of fasting and 12 hours of eating. Most of us already do this anyway. Once you’ve mastered that then you can go to 16:8 or even 18:6.
Is breakfast good or bad?
For so long it has been drummed into us that we have to start the day off with a good breakfast. Yet with fasting we don’t have breakfast, well certainly not on the 16:8 approach.
It was widely believed that the more we ate the faster our metabolism would go and yes there is science that does point towards that, but it’s not a one size fits all scenario. It’s an individual approach.
So, when people ask Luke is breakfast the most important meal of the day, he puts this back on them asking is it the most important meal for them? If they’re not hungry at breakfast time then don’t eat, if they are hungry then eat. The more you listen to your body and become attuned to it, the better.
Luke Hines 10
This is a program created by Luke. Here is how he describes it:
Each week you’ll receive a structured meal plan, shopping list, mindset coaching and daily 10-minute workouts to have you looking and feeling your absolute best.
MEALS: My program exclusive recipes are all 100% gluten-free, dairy-free, and refined sugar-free with Meal Plan options for Paleo, Low Carb (keto-friendly), Nut Free, and Egg Free to suit any lifestyle (all options are Paleo). You’ll heal your gut, reduce cravings and become an intuitive eater with these quick, easy and affordable meals. Your kitchen will be ruling in no time!
MINDSET: To be truly healthy, you need to be happy, which is why we put a great deal of focus on mindset coaching, setting and achieving realistic goals, and being in the right headspace to be your best self. You’ll receive a complete 10-week mindfulness and wellbeing program delivered by our in-house Psychologist Michael. You can eat the healthiest food in the world and train your heart out, but unless you’ve got your mindset right, you can’t make long term sustainable change.
MOVES: Train along with me, anywhere, anytime, with my daily functional fitness sessions. These results-based workouts are designed to burn body fat, increase lean muscle mass, and get you moving, for life. If you’re more advanced, I challenge you to repeat the workouts up to 4 times consecutively with a minute break in between. For those who may be injured, have restricted movement or unable to exercise like you used to, don’t worry because the food and food alone will transform your health, the functional fitness is optional but I also provide simple movement guidance for those needing to take it easier.
Luke Hines 10 gets you the results you’ve been looking for because it’s a holistic approach, finding synergy between delicious nutrient dense food, realistic mindset motivation and the moves that keep you well for life.
My team and I will offer accountability, structure and support, backed by passion, expertise and a genuine love for what we do. Luke Hines 10 is more than an online program, it’s a culmination of what I do every day, to help you be the best version of yourself and change your life for good.
You can find out all about his program at https://lukehines10.com/page/about-our-program
Where else can you find Luke?
Website: https://lukehines10.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LukeHinesOnline/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lukehinesonline/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/bondipt
Jo and Tracey x
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The post Podcast 175 – Food, Mindset and Movement with Luke Hines appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
Store-bought hand wash and hand sanitisers are quite frankly a chemical sh*t storm!
We’re talking serious nasties like:
TriclosanFound in some toothpaste and anti-bacterial hand washes, this chemical was first registered as a pesticide in the 60’s! It’s found to be behind a lot of antibiotic resistance and superbugs. After it reached the headlines on the news last year, many companies started to take this chemical out of their toothpaste and liquid hand soap ranges.
SLS and SLESSodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS) and Sodium Laureth Sulfate (SLES) is what makes bubbles, usually in shampoos, dish liquid and liquid soaps. You’ll find these two nasties in up to 90% of personal care items. There is a high risk that in the manufacturing process, these two chemicals are contaminated with other chemicals known to be human carcinogens (cancerous).
ParabensThese are synthetic preservatives that come in different forms and are found absolutely everywhere. Many companies are recognizing ongoing consumer concerns, and are now reformulating their product as a paraben-free range. While this is a fantastic industry shift, you need to be careful that they’re not replacing parabens with another harmful preservative such as phenoxyethanol. Current studies show that phenoxyethanol is irritating to the skin, hormone-disrupting and cell-mutating.
Parabens are also known to disrupt hormones, especially in younger aged people and lead to cancer when used over a long period of time. Look out for the word paraben on the ingredients list, and if in doubt, bring out your phone and Google any ingredient you don’t recognize while at the store.
Fragrance | Parfum | Perfume
These words are collective terms that can be made up of hundreds of chemicals in products. Manufacturers are under no obligation to tell their consumers, exactly what those chemicals are. It’s their little trade secret. Instead choose scented products that you know are naturally sourced, including pure essential oils.
AlcoholIt is added as a preservative in hand sanitisers as well as being a chemical compound that allows the liquid to dissolve and evaporate quickly. The problem with alcohol, in our opinion, is that it is damaging to our gut microbiome as well as being incredibly dehydrating to our skin. The last thing we want when we are trying to protect our health and our gut health from whatever nasty pathogens are going around is to damage our microbiome with alcohol, it’s counterproductive.
So, here’s how you can easily avoid all this ⬆️ and make your own non-toxic hand wash and hand sanitiser, in minutes, that actually works and is good for you AND the environment.
Hand Wash
Ingredients
2 tbsp. liquid castile soap
1 tbsp. fractionated coconut oil
20 drops essential oils
Filtered or distilled water
Foaming pump bottle (dark glass or amber PET1 or 2 plastic)
Method
- Pour castile soap and fractionated coconut oil into bottle.
- Add essential oils and give it a swish around to emulsify the oils and soap.
- Top up the bottle with water, making sure to not fill all the way to the top so that the pump/lid can fit back in the bottle without spilling over.
- Screw the pump/lid back into place.
- Shake to emulsify all ingredients.
- Now it’s ready to use. Just make sure to give it a shake every so often to re-emulsify the contents.
Essential oil options:
On Guard and Litsea
Wild Orange and Peppermint
Wild Orange and Lemon
On Guard
Lavender and Wild Orange
Patchouli and Lime
Balance and Citrus Bliss
Hand Sanitiser
Liquid Spray Version
Ingredients
30ml empty spritzer bottle (dark glass or amber PET1 or 2 plastic)
Witch hazel (organic alcohol-free)
20 drops doTERRA On Guard essential oil
Method
- Add ingredients to bottle.
- Shake before each use.
Tips:You could add 1/2 witch hazel and 1/2 filtered or distilled water to the bottle but witch hazel works well and evaporates the liquid quicker.
You could also add a little squirt of fractionated coconut oil to the bottle which will help emulsify the essential oils with the liquid a bit better and nourish your hands at the same time.
This recipe is for adult usage. If you are wanting young children to use it ie. grade 1, 2 or 3 school-aged kids then you may want to halve the number of essential oil drops. Work within the ratio guidelines as shown in this image.
Gel Version
Ingredients
3/4 fill bottle with aloe vera gel
1 tbsp witch hazel extract
10-20 drops On Guard essential oil
30ml squirt/pump bottle (dark glass or amber PET1 or PET2 plastic)
Method
- Combine the aloe vera gel and witch hazel together, in the bottle.
- Add On Guard essential oil.
- Shake until well combined.
Things To Note
You can source castile soap, aloe vera gel and vitamin E oil from your local health food store or online from Oils for Life Australia
As for the foaming pump bottle and travel-sized squirt/pump bottle, see if you already have some lying around at home that you can empty, clean out and repurpose. Every little bit of plastic we save from going into landfill is a really good thing. Just make sure with plastic that it states either PET1 or PET2 on the bottom of the bottle as this will mean it is safe to use with essential oils.
As for the essential oils, we only use and recommend doTERRA Essential Oils because we know they are of the purest quality. If you want to get some for yourself, then you can head to our website for all the details and to order.
DIY is a personal choice and one we feel very confident in. It is, however, important for you to do your own research when it comes to the effectiveness of the hand sanitiser. We are confident and trust that the ingredients we use will fulfil their duties, and we would rather use this over a commercial product any day of the week.
DIY doesn’t have to be hard, a few minutes of effort can save you and your family a lifetime of exposure to nasty chemicals.
Much love,
Jo and Tracey x
The post How to Make Non-Toxic Foaming Hand Wash and Hand Sanitiser appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
In this week’s episode of The Whole Circle Podcast we talk all about our upcoming trip to Guatemala.
We not going to lie, we’re nervous about what this trip has in store for us. But having spent a portion of our childhoods living in Papua New Guinea, we are hoping that we will have some, even if minor, experience with travelling to, and staying in, a third world country.
Why are we going to Guatemala?
We are going there as part of a doTERRA humanitarian trip through doTERRA’s Healing Hands Foundation. When you are building a business with doTERRA and have achieved certain leadership ranks, you are entitled to a few little perks. One of them is that we were able to put our names down to participate in a humanitarian trip. This year we were lucky enough to be able to go to Guatemala.
We are going over there to see where doTERRA source’s cardamom from. We are also going to be helping build a trade centre so that the locals can gain employment through that facility. We’ve been told to bring along work boots, gloves and all the Ice Blue we can carry! Haha
Our husbands are also coming with us which is so exciting!
doTERRA’s humanitarian efforts
This is one of the sides of doTERRA that drew us into the company almost more than the actual products.
doTERRA is constantly giving back whether it’s to our own community here in Hobart after devastating bushfires or many third world impoverished countries they source their produce from such as Nepal, Kenya, Haiti, Guatemala to name a few.
They give black on a global scale.
Long haul travelling additive-free
Whenever we go on long haul flights, we always want to take our own food because we want to get over the jetlag quickly and arrive feeling good and unfortunately, aeroplane food just won’t do this for us given it can be additive-laden.
Having said that though, this is a massive trip to get to Guatemala that will take around 40 hours from the time we leave Hobart to the time we eventually arrive in Sika’abe which is a little village in Guatemala.
On the plane, we will take lots of fruit and veggies which have a high-water content. Flying is incredibly dehydrating to our bodies so taking fruit with a high-water content gets extra hydration into us. We’re talking things like:
Carrot, snow peas, capsicum, watermelon, berries, oranges, apples etc.
Packaged food wise we will also be taking additive-free food bars such as the Berry Choc Chunk and Collagen bars from Nutra Organics.
We have been told that the village we’re staying in has clean water so we will be able to eat lots of fruit and veggies and not have to worry about our food whilst we are there.
We’re also taking probiotics to boost our gut health as well as grabbing some bone broth powder sachets from Nutra Organics so that we can make up bone broth drinks on the plane as well as whilst in the village in case we’re eating food that doesn’t agree with us.
We’ll also be taking protein powder sachets with us too so that we can get some much-needed protein into us after days of hard manual labour.
Because we’re taking food onto the plane with us, we will freeze a bottle of water as this will act as an ice-cooler to keep the food nice and cool in the carry-on luggage. However, double-check with the airline on the size you need though because you may be restricted for anything over 100ml.
Taking food on planes
The other thing to note is that you can take any food you like onto an aeroplane, it’s just that you cannot take it off the plane with you. So, if you’re prepared to leave some food behind or you know you will eat it all, then take what you want on the plane because it’s only at your destination that whatever leftover food you have needs to be left onboard.
Exercise
Tracey has been increasing her exercising in the lead up to their trip away to build her fitness up. Long haul travelling can be quite sedentary sitting on planes for long periods of time. So, the fittest they can be is a good thing because it will not only help with travelling but will also help when they reach their destination and start building the trade centre.
Bus Trip
So, that 40 hours of travelling also includes a 10-hour bus trip to take us from Guatemala City to Sika’abe. We don’t imagine this will be a lovely air-conditioned coach with a toilet haha. doTERRA even suggested we pack as much Ginger essential oil as possible to help us with queasy tummies. Oh boy!
What essential oils are we taking?
Tea Tree
For all those cuts, scrapes and bites we are likely to get.
Ice Blue
For all the sore muscles! There will be lots we’re sure.
Copaiba
For all the sleep support we can get.
Travel diffuser
Yes, we will have power so we can plug the diffuser in and get it cranking all day with Lemon Eucalyptus and Citronella to keep all the nasties and bugs at bay in our room.
TerraArmour and Arborvitae
For all the bug bites.
Helichrysum
For all the first aid support we need.
OnGuard
To keep our health supported and all those nasty germs away. Ah, aeroplane toilets…. need we say more?!
How are we going to manage jetlag?
When we both went to America last year, neither we nor our families suffered jetlag which was fabulous.
Jo’s strategy last year was to make herself stay awake until about 8.30 pm local time before going to sleep. She also spent time with her shoes off, grounding herself to the earth and being in the sun, especially when it was setting to help her body acclimatise to the new time zone she was in.
After doing all this, when she woke up the next day, she was absolutely fine and fully acclimatised.
When Tracey went to America they didn’t get into LAX until 6.30 am so they had a long time to try and stay awake. They didn’t get much sleep on the plane, so they were exhausted.
The biggest tip Tracey received to get your circadian rhythm back in sync was to not wear your sunglasses for the first day and do some exercise as soon as possible as this helps to produce melatonin in your body which you will need for good sleep later on.
So, when they got off the plane at 6.30 am they just got straight into the day. Of course, by the end of the day they were exhausted, but they stayed awake all day and went to sleep at the normal time that night so by the next day their bodies were in sync with the time zone they were in.
Airport food
If you’ve run out of food, especially for your travel home, then, of course, you have to eat what’s available to you and if that’s airport food, then so be it. We have done this many times. All we do is try and make the best food choice we can with what’s available to us. Go for less packaged foods, foods that look like they have been made fresh. Packaged foods with fewer ingredients. Fresh fruit if you can get it.
Noise-cancelling headphones
These have been game-changers for us! We love our Bose noise-cancelling headphones. They sure weren’t cheap (you can get them for around $400), but they have honestly been the best investment.
Jo has a fear of flying but she doesn’t want to let that stop her from doing anything so she takes her headphones on the plane with he, turns up whatever she is listening to and it cancels out all the plane noise that would normally make her fearful.
For Tracey, they are great to help her fall asleep. She will often put a podcast show or meditation on and this will help her fall asleep because it drowns out all the plane noise.
Oh, and this is not sponsored by Bose at all, we just love their headphones! Haha
Accessory tips
We also like to take neck pillows, a large scarf to use as a blanket, eye mask, our oils… pretty much everything you can think of and we are set to fly! haha
Hopefully, those little hints and tips have helped you for any long haul travelling you may have coming up.
We’re excited to share with you all that we get up to in Guatemala. We will then be staying 3 nights in Mexico City on the way home as a little mini-break and time to process all that we have participated in on doTERRA’s Co-Impact Sourcing trip.
See you on the flip side!
Jo and Tracey x
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Don’t forget that our book is available for purchase. Check it out and grab a copy HERE. The post Podcast 173 – Guatemala – Part 1 appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
In this week’s episode of The Whole Circle Podcast we talk about all things healthy living with Pete Evans.
Way back when in the early days of this podcast show we dreamed of how we would have loved to get Pete Evans on the show. We thought it was never going to be possible and yet here we are!
We’re big fans of Pete’s. We understand that not everyone agrees with his views and that’s ok. It would be a pretty boring world if we all agreed with each other. We’re all entitled to our opinions, but we believe he does do a lot of good in the world, especially when it comes to clean, wholefood, additive and preservative-free living. We believe it’s important to hear all the information so that we can then make our own informed choices.
How did Pete come to live this very clean lifestyle?
His life was very much shaped by his parents and the way they lived their lives and their beliefs. However, through all that he still had to find his own way in life and his own journey, and it took him time to evolve into the person he is today.
He basically lives in a way that is a homage to our evolutionary history of the hunter and gatherer. In fact, 99.5% of our evolutionary history is made up of hunting and gathering and this is what his lifestyle is. Going back to basics and living in a way that takes all the additives and extras out that modern society has added in.
For example, water supplies were sourced and drunk directly from flowing streams. They weren’t consumed with chlorine or fluoride, so why are they now? Who is it benefiting? Pete likes to ask questions such as these instead of just accepting the status quo.
Curious by nature
Pete is a very existential thinker, a very deep thinker and one who challenges the norm. Not because he wants to be difficult, but because he wants to broaden his mind and because life and all its nuances and eccentricities are truly fascinating to him. He seems to be at his most animated and happiest when he’s getting people to really think about who they are or who they want to be, not just what society has driven them to be or their parents have imprinted them to be, but to truly understand what makes each and every one of us tick.
For us (Jo and Tracey), his brain and way of thinking is truly thought-provoking and fascinating.
Pete’s new book Heal is such a departure from his cookbooks. What made him write Heal?
Pete’s been a Chef for 30 years now, but he’s always been curious about how we think and who we are as individuals and as a collective for the last 30 years as well. Over that time, he has had probably 1000 therapy sessions of some type or another, whether it’s spiritual, physical, emotional or energetic just to broaden his understanding of who we are as humans.
Over those years he has delved into many different modalities and philosophies of thought, so Heal is a very basic introduction into some of those ideas.
Pete has noticed that unless you are a speed reader it can be very time consuming to finish a book, which a lot of people simply don’t have the time to do in today’s fast-paced world.
So, he wanted to create a book that would plant the seeds of curiosity with bite-sized pieces of information which are easily digestible and without being too deep and meaningful. The intention is to give enough of a viewpoint on the topics so that if anything resonates with someone at least the seed is planted so if they want to water that seed more, they can research it further.
The book is broken into chapters, being:
- Nourish.
- Move.
- Play.
- Rest.
- Create.
- Reflect.
- Connect.
The book is a way to be able to present something outside of just cooking and recipes that have the potential to spark curiosity and the thirst for more in someone.
Cannabis
It’s a hot topic that Pete has copped a lot of flak over in the media. Let’s be honest, Pete has copped a lot of flak over a number of things in the media and been taken out of context over a whole bunch of things.
But let’s talk something that Pete is very passionate about and for very good reason as we’re about to learn … Cannabis.
Cannabis has been around for centuries and had been used for all sorts of things, one of them being as a medicinal herb. In fact, not many people know that prior to its prohibition 80 years ago Doctor’s in America prescribed cannabis as one of their tools for good health.
It’s one of the most, if not the most, controversial plants in the world.
It is becoming legalised in certain places around the world. In Canada, it is fully legal for recreational use. You can go into a store and buy cannabis, take it home and either smoke it, eat it, rub it onto your skin in a balm, take it via a suppository or pessary or via an oil inserted either anally or vaginally where it is used for people that have Irritable Bowel Syndrome, Crohn’s Disease or other similar conditions.
Because cannabis is an enhancer it does come down to the different cannabis strains you use, of which there are 100s and 1000s. In each of those, there are hybridised versions, grown to have certain characteristics. Some are very high in THC which is what gives you the high, but then there are some that are high in CBD which has no THC (no high).
Cannabis is an extraordinary plant which has so many different strains which all do something different. Unfortunately, we know so little about it because we haven’t been able to research it given it has been illegal for the last 80 years. Thankfully this is all starting to change, we are seeing some amazing research coming out of Israel which is leading the world in cannabis research, on how these strains are reacting with our bodies.
They’ve discovered that we have an endocannabinoid system within our bodies and within that system, they have discovered that a lot of people have deficiencies. So that is why people are experiencing amazing results when they are using cannabis because it is boosting their endocannabinoid systems.
Our bodies are intelligent enough to know what to do with the cannabinoids and to get the benefits from them.
Your bodies reaction to cannabis all depends on the strain you have used. Some strains can make you lethargic and give the feeling of hunger, whereas other strains can enhance whatever you are doing ie. watching a movie and enhancing sounds, colours and being more present in the moment.
It’s particularly important to note that cannabis is not the same for everyone. Two people could smoke the same strain but react very differently to it.
It’s a very interesting topic and there is no one answer to what it will do for each and every one of us. But from a medicinal perspective, we’re seeing a lot of benefit for people. Dr Charlie Teo is currently conducting a clinical study which 84 people are participating in and which Pete is going to be covering in his cannabis documentary. They’re seeing wonderful results for use of cannabis with children with severe Epilepsy, cannabis assisted psychotherapy is having wonderful results for people with PTSD, Depression, Anxiety and Mental Illness. Juicing cannabis is working wonders for people with gut disorders. It’s also being trialled and working well for people with ASD, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Dementia.
At the same time, all the medical professionals that Pete interviews in the documentary say the same thing and that’s cannabis is a very powerful plant that needs to be respected and you need to form a relationship with it because it’s not for everyone.
As we already know, there are certain people who shouldn’t drink alcohol because it can exacerbate major problems for that person. There are people out there who shouldn’t be eating sugar because they have an addictive nature to it, we also know there are people out there who shouldn’t be taking cannabis because they have an underlying issue that needs resolving before they even consider taking it, and maybe they should never take cannabis because it’s not the right thing for them.
Again, it needs to be treated with the utmost respect. It’s not something that you just light up a joint and go for it, even though a lot of people do that and take pleasure from it.
Pete always says get to know what you’re getting involved in, whether it’s alcohol, bad diet or relationship etc.
Why is cannabis demonised?
It should be noted that anyone over 18 can go down to their local liquor store and buy a bottle or multiple bottles of alcohol and take that/them home, drink them all and it can have the potential to kill them. You could get a prescription for sleeping pills, take them all and overdose. You can buy over the counter paracetamol and overdose on them, yet to Pete’s knowledge, no one has ever overdosed on cannabis.
Can you say that no one has ever died from an overdose of sleeping pills or pharmaceutical prescription opiates or alcohol or food?
But with cannabis, why are we demonising something that you cannot overdose on?
Sure, there are people out there who can abuse any of those things, including cannabis but does that mean we don’t have our own personal responsibility to look after our own health? Pete firmly believes that we should all have the right to grow cannabis in our homes and to use it either as food or medicine or don’t use it at all, just grow it and enjoy it as a plant. It has wonderful aromatherapy benefits simply being grown in the garden as a plant.
Pete is all for the complete legalisation of cannabis and he is all for personal responsibility for it too, just like we have with alcohol.
Legalisation of Cannabis
Pete wouldn’t be surprised if cannabis becomes legalised in Australia within the next 12 months. There are currently 2000 (approximately) registered users of cannabis who have prescriptions to use it medicinally, but it is so expensive for those people, with it costing upwards of $50,000 – $100,000 per year. Most of these people who need it most can’t afford. Whereas on the black market they can get it for a fraction of the cost and if they grew at home it would be even cheaper.
Pete has heard estimates that there are 100,000 to 1 million people using black market cannabis just for medicinal purpose. At the moment the government and the pharmaceutical companies have got a stranglehold on this. What are they going to do? Are they going to arrest 100,000 – 1 million people who are accessing their cannabis for personal medicinal use from the black market?
That’s where Pete thinks we need to be able to grow and harvest it ourselves for personal use at home or wherever we can get it from so that it is a lot cheaper than what it is now so that it is affordable. It also needs to be regulated so that people know where it comes from and they know the quality of it because a lot of what is available now is synthetic and just plain terrible.
Because the black market supplies a lot of it now, we do not know where it comes from, whether it’s organic, we don’t even know what’s been sprayed on it.
Going forward when it’s legalised Pete wants to see that the plants/products have full traceability as they do in other countries which will detail:
- Where it was grown
- How it was grown
- Whether any pesticides, herbicides or fungicides were sprayed on it
- What strain it is
- What you can expect from that experience based on the THC, CBD and terpene profile of it
- What is the best way for your body to absorb it ie. eating, juicing, inhaling, smoking, balm, suppository, pessary
All of these factors need to be researched before an individual uses cannabis, given that we all react differently to cannabis.
It’s about what works for you which involves, trial and error, research and speaking to people. There are also some wonderful forums out there which you can go on and look into such as Leafly which details different strains with lots of community engagement and personal experience with different strains.
Where can you find Pete?
Website: https://peteevans.com/
Books: All good book stores such as Kmart, Big W, Amazon, Booktopia, Book Depository
The Paleo Way: https://thepaleoway.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/paleochefpeteevans/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chefpeteevans/
We got so much out of this episode. Pete was very kind, down to earth and generous with his time and information, we were super impressed and loved every minute of it.
Podcast Review
We would love for you to leave a review of this podcast >>> here
Don’t forget that our book is available for purchase. Check it out and grab a copy HERE. The post Podcast 172 – Live Your Healthiest Life With Pete Evans appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
In this week’s episode of The Whole Circle Podcast we give you the inside scoop about what’s in our long-anticipated book, Everyday Additive-Free as well as a chapter sneak peek.
This book has been in the making for years!
You guys have been asking us to bring out a cookbook and well this year, we decided the time was right.
Little did we know how MASSIVE writing a cookbook would be. We thought we had an idea, but being on the other side now, we realise we HAD NO CLUE! Haha
Not your average cookbook!
Yes, this book is a cookbook, but we’ve added a twist which we think you’re going to love.
We don’t just have over 150 recipes plus variations; we also give you heaps of information about additives and preservatives which is going to set you up to live additive-free.
There is also stats and personal stories to give you a broad spectrum of why it’s beneficial to live an additive-free lifestyle.
Let’s break it down…
In the book, you’re going to get
✅ Over 150 recipes plus heaps of variations
✅ Beautiful colour photos of every single recipe
✅ Both thermal cooking appliance and traditional methods
✅ Family friend recipes
✅ Allergy-friendly options
✅ Simple recipes that are tasty and budget-conscious
✅ Exclusive scientific information and statistics about additives and preservatives and their effect on your health
✅ Personal stories of how we came to live an additive-free lifestyle
So, do you want to see a sneak peek of page 1 from the book? Ok, you twisted our arm! haha
Chapter Sneak Peek of Page 1
Hidden Dangers
Consider this statistic: 1 in 20 Australian children have ADHD and it is more common in boys than girls. (1)
We’d like you to take your mind back to when you were a child growing up. Think about your primary school years, think about the social settings and the classrooms, family events and bbq’s. Now think about how many children you remember displayed signs of major behavioural issues or hyperactivity tendencies, allergies or breathing issues? What about defiance disorders or depression?
How many children can YOU recall having issues like we see in children regularly today? If you are like us, the answer is hardly any.
Sure, there were some behaviourally challenged kids, or kids who went under the radar. We also agree that testing and awareness of a range of illnesses has improved, so we see and hear more people diagnosed. We are not trying to say that these issues didn’t exist back then… but the data is there. These illnesses and behavioural issues were not as prevalent as they are today.
So enough is enough! We need to question why!
When we think back to our school days, we can remember maybe two or three children in the entire school who suffered from allergies or showed tendencies of hyperactivity and/or behavioural issues. Fast forward 30 years to today and it is not uncommon to find 3 (or more) kids in classrooms who deal with such issues.
In the past few decades, research has shown a considerable increase in a plethora of health and behavioural conditions. It’s becoming clearer that multiple environmental and biological factors contribute to our health, but for some reason so many people have chosen to ignore this.
As of publication of this book there is zero mention of diet or lifestyle on the Royal Children’s Hospital webpage within the suggested treatments for ADHD. They mention building social skills and sticking to routines (which are all fantastic suggestions and things we practice on a daily basis in our own homes). Counselling is mentioned alongside working with your child’s learning environment, but the main treatment suggested, in big bold letters, is Stimulant Medication.
When did the system let us down so badly that we are offered such harsh medications, with some very serious side effects, before it’s even suggested to look at diet and/or gut health? Shouldn’t we be advised to try everything before such drastic actions? We aren’t against modern medicine, not in the slightest, but what we’d love to see are less scripts being handed out with a more holistic approach being tried first. Looking to see if there is a root cause or underlying issue. Just like was the case for Jo’s family (along with many others who have completed Additive-Free Made Easy).
For our own health, and for the well-being of our children, we must consider the connection between food and gut health, if for no other reason than because what we eat is one aspect of life that we can control. Beyond that, we’ve seen for ourselves the dramatic difference being aware of what we’re eating has made in our own lives and in the lives of our families.
(1) https://www.rch.org.au/kidsinfo/fact_sheets/Attention_deficit_hyperactivity_disorder_ADHD/
This is just the tip of the iceberg. There is sooooooo much more!
Hints and Tips
All throughout the recipes, you will see little notes with a whole heap of hints and tips around what ingredients to look out for or what might be found in the supermarket, all designed to help you to eat as additive-free as possible.
Thank you
We know you guys have been following along on our journey for such a long time now and if it wasn’t for you, we would never have impacted as many lives as we have.
We cannot thank you enough for all your love and support. You have inspired us to continue even when we felt too exhausted.
Ok yes, the above image is cheesy, but it’s our way of sending you a big virtual thank you kiss! ❤️
We’re so excited
We honestly can’t believe that the book has now been released. It has taken so much blood (oh the paper cuts), sweat and lots of tears to get to this point.
We’re so proud of it and we hope you love it as much as we do.
Get your own copy
If you want to get a copy for yourself to start or complement your additive-free lifestyle, then head to our website to order it.
https://additivefreelifestyle.com/book/
Tag us
Once you have gotten yourself a copy, we’d love you to tag us in social media because we would really love to hear from you, plus we love seeing those kinds of notifications pop up.
@additivefreelifestyle or #additivefreelifestyle
Jo & Tracey x
Podcast Review
We would love for you to leave a review of this podcast >>> here
The post Podcast 171 – Our Book, Everyday Additive-Free Is Here! appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
In this week’s episode of The Whole Circle Podcast we talk all about our recent incredible trip to Guatemala.
We’re back!
We’ve arrived home safe and sound and our minds are still spinning from the amazing trip we just got to experience.
Since our return, we have had lots of questions from people wanting us to articulate how the trip made us feel. To be honest, it really is incredibly hard to articulate or to articulate it in a way that truly does it justice.
It was definitely life-changing that’s for sure.
It was also very humbling. The communities we went to were living in extreme poverty. We have witnessed this before given we spent some of our childhood living in Papua New Guinea, so we were not as shocked by it as we perhaps should have been or as shocked as some of our travel mates were, but the thing that struck us the most was that the people in these communities were extremely happy.
They don’t know any different. Living this way is their version of normal. They have nothing to compare it to, so they make the most of what they have and live their best lives possible.
Tracey’s 1st key take-away from the trip
The negative impact that western society has had on these communities. Everywhere she looked kids were chewing gum, or drinking soft drink, or eating junk food. doTERRA and Choice Humanitarian who are working together in these communities and are working on turning around because of the impacting it’s having. The kids have rotten teeth, there’s rubbish everywhere that’s wreaking havoc on the environment as well as ruining the beauty of the landscape.
We found it really sad and very concerning.
It really drove home the point that every single choice we make matters. Whether it’s choosing what products to buy, or making sure to recycle everything we can, what companies to align ourselves with. A prime example is doTERRA, we wholeheartedly believe in everything doTERRA strives for in educating communities such as these to make the world a better place. Having a global social conscience is extremely important to them and an ethos that resonates with us so intrinsically.
Jo’s key take-away from the trip
Whilst they were in Guatemala Jo got to attend a Days for Girls education session.
Days for Girls are turning periods into pathways. They increase access to menstrual care and education in third world or developing countries by developing global partnerships, cultivating social enterprises, mobilising volunteers and innovating sustainable solutions that shatter stigmas and limitations for women and girls. They create a world with dignity, health and opportunity for all. No more will women and girls be shamed for having their periods and be disallowed to attend work or school and be sent to isolation when they’re menstruating. So far Days for Girls has reached more than 1 million girls and counting. They provide education to women and girls about their reproductive systems as well as providing them with menstruation kits so that they can hygienically look after themselves.
They also educate the men as well about how a woman’s body works and taking the shame and stigma away so that they can be supportive to the women in their lives.
It is vital work that they do and incredibly empowering to women.
During the presentation a woman’s reproductive system was discussed and all the women were quite giggly and embarrassed at the start but then the presenter started talking about their cycle and when during their cycle they should expect their period and if they don’t get it during this time then that’s nor normal and they should see a doctor. They also talked about when they are likely to be ovulating so that this can help them to avoid unwanted pregnancies. During this discussion the women were transfixed and concentrating because they knew this was vital information they needed to know because they had never been told this before.
Talk then turned to the menstruation hygiene kits and it was Jo’s job to show the ladies how to put a pad in your underwear. The girls were a bit giggly again but, they had no idea what to do because they had never seen it before. Every single woman left with a hygiene kit that are reusable and were sewn and made in Australia.
There were some older women there who were talking to the presenters afterwards who were saying that they don’t get periods anymore and asked if they should see a doctor. It was determined that they had gone through menopause. From this, Days for Girls will be modifying their talks to include discussing menopause.
Whilst this presentation was taking place, Tracey, unfortunately, didn’t get to attend but she had an equally important role, playing with all the kids whose mothers were in the Days for Girls session. She loved every second of it playing with those kids and being in their joyful presence.
Tracey’s 2nd key take-away from the trip
Seeing firsthand dōTERRA’s Co-Impact Sourcing initiative and what that really means.
Tracey got to see the massive impact this sourcing initiative has on not just every farmer that aligns with doTERRA, but the massive impact it has on their families and their communities.
These farmers are being educated on how to best farm cardamom to yield the best crops possible and crops that will last and be sustainable through the generations.
It took time for doTERRA to build these relationships with the farmers as the farmers were wary of western influences given their own farming practices had been handed down through generations.
But once the relationships were built these farming communities are now reaping the benefits because they are yielding bigger and better crops and they are so grateful to doTERRA for educating them.
Let’s backtrack … how did we get to Sika’abe in Guatemala?
It was a loooooong trip to get there. It took about 33 hours to get from Hobart to Guatemala City. We were supposed to go on about a 12-hour bus ride up into the mountains, but there had been quite a lot of rain and mudslides, so they changed the plan. Instead, we went on two planes to ferry us, 1 plane was a 10-seater and the other was a 30-seater. The flight was about 45 minutes which took us to the coastline of the Caribbean. We then went on a 2-hour boat ride up the Caribbean which sounds very luxurious but it was a very basic boat like a large dinghy with a plastic roof and not a cruise ship! Haha After that we then embarked on a 4-hour bus ride up the mountain.
It gave us a massive appreciation for how they get cardamom essential oil to us and not just that oil but all essential oils that come from third world countries!
The process it takes to get that little bottle of oil into our homes it mind-blowing and we only saw a small portion. It really shocked us because it’s not something we really tend to think about, but we sure do now.
Just from farm to the distillery is a 15-hour truck drive. They managed to drive overnight for us so that when we got to the distillery, we could see a batch of cardamom seeds being distilled.
If you buy doTERRA oils…
You are in the best hands possible! They have THE BEST social conscience; they are humble and are dedicated to ensuring our planet and the people on it are well looked after.
If we all supported companies that are doing the right thing a little more then the world would be a much better place!
Every little bit matters, and every decision you make counts.
If you want to buy doTERRA oils…
Then we’d love to have you on our team and educate you on how to use them. You can check it all out at https://additivefreelifestyle.com/instructions
Jo and Tracey x
Podcast Review
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The post Podcast 174 – Guatemala – Part 2 appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
Did you know that not all essential oils are created equal?
Adulteration of oils is rife throughout the industry given it is not regulated. It is estimated that 80% of essential oils on the market that are sold as ‘pure’ are in fact adulterated.
It’s a sad fact but this is why it makes it vitally important that you do your own research and choose a reputable brand that you know and trust.
We had no idea what to look for when we first wanted to get oils. All we wanted was peppermint essential oil to make peppermint chocolate. We knew that peppermint essence was laden with additives so we wanted to the pure stuff, but at the time we had no idea really what to look out for.
Thank goodness we stumbled upon doTERRA! It just so happened that we found the best essential oils that money can buy and a company that has set the standard for purity across the industry.
What is adulteration of essential oils?
Adulteration is the process whereby essential oils have had a foreign or inferior substance added to them rendering them no longer 100% pure.
Who tests the oils?
Essential oils are independently/third-party tested by the Aromatic Plant Research Center (APRC) which is a:
State-of-the-art laboratory that utilises a variety of methods to detect adulteration and confirm the purity of essential oils. Our executive advisory board is internationally renowned for quality control testing and expertise within the essential oil industry.
APRC aspires to reimagine the essential oil industry by conducting state-of-the-art quality testing, performing groundbreaking research, producing cutting edge publications, and creating unparalleled educational materials on essential oils. Our goal is to ensure that our clients have access to the most sophisticated and verified means of testing possible. This process includes compiling existing publications, interviewing experienced producers, conducting field research, gathering raw materials, improving distillation methods, advancing testing capabilities, discovering new chemotypes, developing new therapeutic uses, and so forth. This research will further develop our understanding of the purest essential oils in the world and will influence many publications soon to be available to the public as additional educational tools.
Many companies, but not all companies, use the APRC for third-party testing of their oils.
How can you tell if essential oils are adulterated?
According to the APRC:
There is no proven “hack” to tell if an oil is adulterated from home. Reading the ingredients actually will not let you know. Without specific lab testing, even a chemist won’t know if an oil is adulterated until they see the results. Lab tests analyze the individual components of oils to determine whether they are pure or not. There are three common ways oil is adulterated:
Aromachemical Adulteration A common way that oils are adulterated, or even created in a lab, is by adding the individual chemicals, either natural or synthetic fossil fuel based, to create the oil. Additions of chemicals like linalool or beta-pinene can create the recipe for a specific oil.
Addition of Carrier Oils Adding a carrier oil to a pure oil is another way to adulterate oils. This is usually done to “water” the oil down, thereby making a larger profit off a small yield. Common carrier oils used are cooking oils.
Similar Oils or their Isolates By adding a similar oil or its isolates, a producer can create something that smells like another oil. Lavandin, for example, smells very similar to lavender and often appears in “lavender” oil. Producers can also use fractions of oils to get the chemical constituents. In the lavandin example, a producer can extract a chemical like linalyl acetate and add it to an oil.
Knowing how producers adulterate oils is important because it shows there are many ways in which your oil may not be pure. Adulterated oils change the aroma and medicinal values. Either you can purchase oils from producers who provide the reports of their tested oils, or have them tested yourself.
Examples of common adulteration:
? Inclusion of carrier oils without it being detailed on the label
? Mislabeled species
? Inclusion of aroma chemicals
? Synthetic fragrances and chemicals added
? Some oils are 95% to 100% complete fabrications – made by trained perfumists to smell pure
Stats from the APRC revealed that tested oils from more than 5o companies, including from direct sellers, online retailers and retail stores show that 3 companies have consistently pure oils with doTERRA being 1 of the 3. This means that 95% of oil companies (who have submitted oils for testing by the APRC) sell adulterated oils!
How do you navigate where to get oils from?
Yep, it sure is tricky. As we said above, we had no real idea when we first bought essential oils. Yes, of course, oils being additive-free, or adulteration free, was crucial, but other than that we were flying blind.
With the ability of hindsight, we’ve learnt that it’s a good idea to consider/research the following:
- Are the essential oils 100% pure and free from any chemical fillers or additives?
- Where are the essential oils sourced from?
- Are the essential oils independently/third party tested for purity and potency?
- Does the essential oil company provide full transparency from sourcing plant matter to getting the bottle into the consumer’s hand?
- Does the essential oil company source plant material sustainably?
Some other things you might like to consider are:
- Does the essential oil company have a social conscience and give back to those less fortunate?
- Does the essential oil company provide education on how to use their oils and products?
- Will you be supported on your essential oil journey so that you can get the most out of using them?
Why we love doTERRA
It’s no secret we love our essential oils. We use them for EVERYTHING! They have become our medicine cabinet, cleaning products, emotional support, food flavourings and so much more!
Thank goodness we stumbled upon doTERRA! It just so happened that we found the best essential oils that money can buy and a company that has set the standard for purity across the industry.
doTERRA’s essential oils not only test as being the best for purity and quality across the industry, but they’re fully transparent to us, the consumers, regarding where they source the plant material from all the way through the process until it ends up in our hands.
The quality of each and every single bottle of essential oils doTERRA produces can be checked via their website Source To You. How is that done you may ask? Each and every bottle has a batch number written on the bottom. All you need to do is head to Source To You and type in that batch number and all the data comes up for the batch of oil that bottle came from.
For additional information about the purity of doTERRA’s essential oils, check it out >>> here.
In addition to supplying the highest quality essential oils, doTERRA is committed to making a positive difference in the lives of farmers, harvesters, and distillers who contribute to doTERRA’s oil production.
With over 100 essential oils in its product line, doTERRA sources its oils from over 40 countries—more than half of which could be considered developing countries. To ensure that small scale farmers and harvesters in disadvantaged areas are treated ethically, doTERRA has introduced an initiative called Co-Impact Sourcing.
Co-Impact Sourcing is an initiative that seeks to develop long-term, mutually beneficial supplier partnerships while creating sustainable jobs and providing reliable income in underdeveloped areas. doTERRA is committed to the ethical treatment of its suppliers by providing on-time payments at fair prices. Growers and harvesters are encouraged to form cooperative groups to share collective benefits and bargaining power while improving skills and capacity.
Additionally, the doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation® helps support development projects in sourcing communities. Projects include schools, health clinics, improved infrastructure and clean water systems.
We encourage you to check out the amazing work they do trough their doTERRA Healing Hands Foundation®
This is the social conscience we know and love doTERRA for. They are so much more than just an essential oil company. They provide heart-centred work for the betterment of all of us.
We certainly wouldn’t recommend inferior products and this is why we only recommend doTERRA. They’re the best that we have ever come across.
If you want to get your own oils or talk to us about how to get some into your life, then contact us so we can guide you through the process. It’s easy and for us, essential oils are a vital part of our additive-free lifestyle.
Do your own due diligence
Regardless of who you choose to get your essential oils from, the best thing we can recommend is for you to do your own research into each essential oil company/retailer. Knowledge really is power.
Consider all the information we have detailed above so that you can empower yourself to make informed choices.
The post Oils Ain’t Oils appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.
In this week’s episode of The Whole Circle Podcast we talk to Naturopath and Nutritionist, Naomi Judge about progesterone deficiency and how this could affect you.
Full disclaimer here guys, Naomi is our Naturopath and we love her! She has totally helped us turn our health around.
Who is Naomi Judge?
Naomi is a certified Naturopath with a Bachelor’s Degree in Health Science. She is also a Nutritionist, blogger, and author, with her own Sydney-based business. Naomi has reached thousands of local, interstate and international clients reach their health goals over the past 9 years. Well-known for her expertise in helping women who are frustrated, fed up and struggling with unresolved hormonal health problems. Naomi helps these women connect the dots between their health, happiness and hormones. Enabling them to live a life in optimal vibrancy – what she calls “Your New Normal”.
Previous podcast episode with Naomi
We interviewed Naomi way back in episode 3 and we discussed with her all about zinc and magnesium. It’s still, to this day, one of our top trending episodes. There is so much juicy info in that episode, so if you haven’t listened to it before, then head on over and check it out HERE where you will also get the show notes. Otherwise, listen to it on Apple Podcast or Stitcher apps.
Thyroid Issues
Progesterone is needed to help produce thyroxine (thyroid hormone 4 – T4). However, the catch-22 is that a lot of people are low in triiodothyronine (thyroid hormone 3 – T3) which helps to produce progesterone. So, if you’re low in one, you’re automatically going to be low in the other as well. That will then cause the downward spiral of your hormone levels getting lower and lower. This will then trigger your metabolism to slow down, you might put on weight or find it hard to lose weight no matter how much you’re exercising. It can also present with menstrual problems such as heavy painful periods or oestrogen dominance which is actually a symptom of low thyroid and low progesterone.
Getting to the root cause of why these issues are happening for you is vital.
Jo’s health concerns
Jo decided to see Naomi because she was experiencing the following issues:
- Weight gain
- Inability to lose weight
- Anxiety
- Skin flare-ups such as acne
- Stress
- Pigmentation flare-up
- Irregularly longer period cycles
Because of all these issues, Jo knew something was up with her body. She wasn’t feeling sick, you know, where you go see a GP because you know you’re sick, but she knew that something just wasn’t right within her body. Hence why she went to Naomi.
After Naomi did some tests, the results came back to show that Jo’s progesterone level was the lowest Naomi had ever seen! Whereas at the opposite end of the spectrum, Jo’s oestrogen was very high.
After implementing a protocol that Naomi recommended, including supplements, Jo’s cycles are now back to normal and she feels a lot better and like her body is functioning as it should. She still has a way to go, but she’s definitely on the right track. Had she not gone to Naomi she would never have brought about change. She would have just accepted that maybe feeling not quite right and experiencing all those symptoms listed above, was her body’s new normal given the life stressors that were going on for her as a busy mum.
Thankfully working out the root cause thanks to Naomi’s expertise, has been life-changing for her!
Pregnancy and low progesterone
Low progesterone can be a contributing factor to either miscarriage or inability/struggle to get pregnant. Jo struggled to get pregnant with their daughter, Eva and in fact Jo previously had a miscarriage.
If you are struggling with fertility issues or know someone who is, getting your progesterone levels checked could be the key to rectifying it.
Had hormone levels been checked prior to trying to conceive, then these issues could have been prevented.
Common signs of progesterone deficiency
The most common sign would be regarding your menstrual cycle such as:
- Longer cycles (ie. 37-40 days)
- Short cycles (ie. 18-21 days)
- Heavy painful bleeding
- Blood clots
Telling factors can also be in the week leading up to your period if you are experiencing:
- Anxiousness
- Depression
- Sore or painful breasts
- Breast lumps
In the two weeks leading up to your period progesterone gets synthesised and you should actually be feeling good. If that is not working for you then are going to feel awful in those two weeks leading up to your period.
Also, if you’re not ovulating you actually make progesterone in your adrenal glands. If that’s not happening because you’re going through a lot of stress and your body is making too much cortisol or you’re in adrenal fatigue, then you’re actually going to have low progesterone most of your cycle. That can lead to symptoms such as:
- Depression
- Sore breasts all the time
- Self-harm
- Anxiety
It can also contribute to mood symptoms of low serotonin which comes with:
- Constipation
- Depression
- Reoccurring thoughts
- Thinking too much which can then cause anxiety
It begs the question of how many women are on anti-depressant medication when in actual fact the issue could be driven by their hormone levels which could be rectified?
How does being on birth control affect your progesterone?
There are things that stop progesterone production, such as:
Synthetic progesterone from:
- Implanon rod
- Mirena
- Oral contraceptive pill
Foods/products containing oestrogen such as:
- Soy
- Synthetic oestrogen in the pill
- Toxins from products like parabens and BPA
How can you have low progesterone if you live a healthy lifestyle?
This was definitely the case for Jo. She was living an additive-free lifestyle, yet she still had low progesterone levels.
In these situations, it could be caused by stress whether it’s working long hours or life pressures which then depletes progesterone levels. So, your body might be producing progesterone but it then gets turned into something else.
What can you do to resolve it?
Reduce stress
Work on reducing your stress levels. It’s not possible to stop what’s going on around you, but it’s about adapting to your stress. This can be done by prioritising self-care through such things as meditation or whatever it is that you like to do that calms your nervous system down. Women’s bodies can actually get into sympathetic nervous system mode quicker than a man. When we’re in that sympathetic nervous system mode our bodies use up progesterone a lot quicker by turning it into adrenalin and cortisol.
Take the moments in the day wherever you can, even if it’s sitting at the traffic lights or waiting to pick your kids up from school. Take the time to maybe do some deep breathing or listen to your favourite song. All these little snippets in the day have an impact.
Look at your diet
One of the biggest reasons our hormones can get out of balance is because we have issues with our blood sugar. When we have issues with our blood sugar, we can have high insulin in our bodies which causes a bit of insulin resistance. Naomi likes to refer to insulin as a ‘naughty hormone’ because it can cause:
- High cortisol
- Low progesterone
- High oestrogen
It’s about making sure that you’re eating good foods regularly so that your diet is regulating your blood sugar. Yes, there is lots of buzz at the moment with diets like intermittent fasting, keto or 5:2, but the best advice Naomi can give is to get your diet in a place where it is supporting you. Stick to savoury foods for your three meals a day. Once you’ve gotten your diet into a good rhythm and you’re feeling good because of it, then, by all means, give intermittent fasting a try and see how it goes for you.
But if you go straight into fasting from a situation where your hormones are out of whack then it can exacerbate your hormone imbalance further.
Sugar
When Jo first consulted with Naomi, she was craving sugar all the time! She couldn’t get enough of it. But after working with Naomi and working on getting her hormones balanced, she now finds she doesn’t crave sugar at all.
If your progesterone is low or you have adrenal issues, then you will get those sugar cravings. Especially with your adrenals not only will you get sugar cravings, but you will also get salt cravings. Low progesterone can also make you feel dehydrated which means you can’t hold onto your electrolytes so you may also feel bloated and retain fluid.
Where can you find Naomi?
The best part about Naomi is that you don’t have to live in Sydney to consult with her because she consults over Skype too. This means everyone can access her! Yippee!
We cannot recommend Naomi highly enough. As we said earlier, she has turned our health around, and we are forever grateful for this and for her wealth of knowledge.
She provides so much free content on her Facebook, Instagram and YouTube channels so make sure you check her out there as well as via the following if you want an appointment with her:
Website: https://www.naomijudge.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NaturopathNaomi/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/naturopathnaomi/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxfPKZSw8n6JaAyhs8S76kQ
Podcast Review
We would love for you to leave a review of this podcast >>> here
The post Podcast 170 – Progesterone Deficiency with Naturopath, Naomi Judge appeared first on Additive Free Lifestyle.