6 GIFTS OF HEALTH + CONSCIOUS CONSUMPTION

What an exhilarating and intense year! Star Anise Organic Wholefoods turned 9, its home -   Broth Bar & Larder - turned 4, I launched some new online cooking workshops, I finished my Australian Food as Medicine tour with holistic dietician Marieke Rodenstein, and burgeoned ahead with my Healthy Homes workshops where my team and I continue to inspire and empower more and more people to become more independent in their health care and to kick the chemicals in their home through conveniently streamlining their purchases to Young Living essential oils and oil infused personal care and cleaning products. And of course the loss of my mother to dementia added a sad intensity to the year but fuelled my fire even more  to educate on the importance of focusing on epigenetic factors as the primary determinants of health. 

As we rapidly approach Xmas, the frenzy of what to buy loved ones fills our thoughts. I ask you to pause to consider giving the gift of health and conscious consumption this Christmas. Without a solid foundation of health, you have nothing. It is so much harder to be happy, when you are not healthy.  

Here are 6 gifts that are health promoting, inspiring, sustainable, nourishing, and embrace conscious consumption in every sense of the word. 

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1. ONLINE COOKING WORKSHOPS

Five of my cooking classes are now available online: bone broth, slow cooks, gluten-free baked cakes, organ meats and chocolate. Some can be purchased as a bundle to save. Learning how to make and master traditional wholefood staples like a gelatinous bone broth, nutrient-dense organ meats and tender slow cooks along with guilt-free healthy desserts, are life changing skills that can (and should be) passed on from generation to generation. Check them out here.

If you are wanting to gift the online video to a friend, simply download and save the document on your system and forward the document to them as their gift. 

I have put a lot of love, time and energy into these online workshops to create as close an experience as possible as if you had attended the workshop in person. I have made them as thoroughly comprehensive as possible, jammed packed with recipes, nutritional theory, practical demos, and answers to frequently asked questions. I hope you love these online workshops as much I have enjoyed creating them for you! 

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2. GIFT VOUCHERS

If you are struggling to decide what product your loved one might like best — let them choose!

Simply purchase a Star Anise Organic Wholefoods gift voucher to the amount of your choosing. Vouchers can be used towards our products,  online workshops or a life-changing one on one health coaching session with me. To purchase a voucher simply contact one of our lovely staff at Broth Bar & Larder and they will take care of the rest. 

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3. ACTIVATED NUTS

Did you know that activated nuts and seeds are ranked 3rd on the Dr. Mat Lalonde nutrient-density scale? For information on what “activated” means and why we should be eating “activated” versus raw nuts read this blog here. 

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In a nutshell (no pun intended!) activated nuts are more nutritious, more digestible and not to mention more delicious. Once you’ve eaten activated nuts, there’s no going back!!

It is a labour of love to get our nuts as ridiculously crispy and delicious as we do.  

For Xmas I recommend a gift of the Snack Mix which is very festive (with gojis, coconut flakes, figs and mixed nuts) – it’s the perfect blend of sweet and savoury. You also can’t go past our activated macadamias (that have been described as “life-changing”) or almonds. The mixed nuts (which do not contain dried fruit) are also a good place to start for those who are not sure. 

Our nuts are available in 3 sizes (120g, 300g, 500g). Because these do not require refrigeration they make a perfect addition to any hamper, make a great stocking filler and make a lovely gift for a teacher, friend, household helper or someone who has enriched your life in some way. 

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4. ARTISAN XMAS CHOCOLATE & OTHER RAW TREATS

Our organic raw dark artisan chocolates are available in various flavours either via our online store or at our retail store Broth Bar & Larder.  We also have available loose chocolate for sale at Broth bar & Larder made especially for Christmas that can be individually hand wrapped for a special someone. Our Christmas chocolate is infused food-grade therapeutic-grade Young Living essential oils plus we’ve added in segments of our dehydrated oranges as well as ground dehydrated orange ‘fairy dust’ for a magical Xmas experience. Yep, our little elves have been super busy!

In addition to our sokolata (raw dark chocolate), choose from our selection of staple artisan raw treats including power bars, bliss balls, gummies and totally unsweetened carob bears. 

My entire range of treats was borne out many moons ago of desperation of not being able to find anything that was remotely up to scratch in the market place. Made without any refined sugar, soy lecithins, emulsifiers, milk powders or other nasties whatsoever, these contain only pure certified organic ingredients and are made and cut by hand in very small batches on site at Broth Bar & Larder. These are so pure that they must be refrigerated. We don’t see that as an inconvenience, but as a sign of purity and uncompromising standards. 

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5. Young living starter kit

When my Young Living essential oils starter kit landed in my lap 3 years ago after a horrific mould experience  I had no idea at the time how it would radically change my life by empowering me to (finally) become my family’s healer and to become more independent in my health care. I quickly realised that the potency and purity of these oils are like no others on the planet so I started using them not so much as perfume oils or air purifiers (though they are amazing for that too!)  but moreso as potent plant medicine. Years and years of research comparing brands, combined with years of personal experience make me 100% convinced that Young Living are the gold standard for the essential oils industry with 25 years of industry leadership. If you want the best quality, then hands down it’s Young Living. 

Young Living’s comprehensive range of oil infused personal care products and cleaning products (rated EWG 1) means that you can conveniently streamline the purchasing to just ONE place (finally!) and have everything delivered to your door making life so much more simple! From the world’s highest quality natural sunscreen, mineral-based make up, a men’s range, a kids’ range, a baby’s range, a pet’s range and a supplements range, I take great solace that I never need to walk down “that” aisle of the supermarket or health food store again and that YL make a product for everyone – from young, old, male, female, athletes, animals and everyone who is alive. 

If you’re already a YL member in my team, you can organise the purchase of a starter kit for your friend by enrolling them yourself on the YL website with you being their enroller and sponsor (we can help you if you get stuck). If you’re not already a YL member, then purchasing a starter kit for your friend is one of the most generous gifts you could ever do for your friend to help them become chemical-free, pharmacy-free and free of trips to health care providers for day to day niggles. Friends don’t let friends use toxic products. YL sell numerous starter kits which we can help you decide on but the most popular is the 11 oils plus diffuser kit which retails for $270 (incl shipping) valued at twice that amount. This is the kit I started with and recommend because whatever issue crops up, there will be an oil in that kit to support the body through it. Game changing!

To purchase a kit for a loved one or to find out more, simply read this page on my website and fill out the contact form on that page so that we can have a chat and organise a starter kit for you or your friend. Please don’t purchase directly directly from YL as they will put you in some random team and you won’t have the benefit of my and my team’s vast resources, education, materials and personalised support – which is exactly what you want!!

Gifting someone a bottle of pure therapeutic-grade YL essential oil to healthy swap their conventional perfumes is a dead easy way to get people started on their low tox journey. Some of my favourite Young Living oils to use as perfumes are Stress Away, Jasmin, Joy, Inner Child, and Present time. I guarantee that you will get stopped more in the streets when wearing YL perfumes than then conventional toxic versions!!

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6. XMAS STOCKING FILLERS

Here are some ideas for small gifts or gifts that make a nice addition to any Xmas stocking or hamper:

• Certified organic cold pressed extra virgin olive oil made by Toscana Olives (sold at Broth Bar & Larder) available in various sizes. Read this blog to learn more about what to look for when buying olive oil and why I love this brand.

• Home made ginger bread men (see my recipe here).

• Jakemans pure maple syrup (sold at Broth Bar & Larder) available in various sizes.

• Red Boat (sugar free) fish sauce (sold at Broth Bar & Larder).

• Beef Jerky by Kooee (sold at Broth Bar & Larder)

Feel free to bring in a hamper box for us to help you fill!

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XMAS TRADING HOURS

Broth Bar & Larder will be closed for the public holidays only (25th, 26th December and 1st January) and will be otherwise open for trading every day 8am-6pm and Sundays 11am-4pm.

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MY XMAS WISH LIST . . .

My vision is to make 2020 the year that all my followers continue to deepen their journey in leading a less toxic, more nourishing life by feeling more inspired and empowered to kick the dietary and environmental toxins in their home and to better manage their stress, all for the betterment of their health, their family's health and the planet's health. I can’t achieve this epic goal alone! I’d love you to join me on this journey and be an instrumental part of my vision by kicking the chemicals in your shopping basket, in your personal care products, and cleaning products and prioritising self care. I have no doubt that if we work together, starting with making our home the high water mark and leading by example, we can create a ripple effect that knows no bounds. If you are ready to start but not sure where or how, simply contact me using the contact form on this page and my team and I will empower you in making changes for your family, every step of the way. 

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THANK YOU FOR YOUR OVERWHELMING SUPPORT!

I take this opportunity to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your overwhelming support, loyalty, touching feedback, and love over 2019. It has meant that I have been able to continue to follow my passion, remain authentic and do what I love. 

May you get some deep relaxation and play time in, and may your Xmas be delicious in every possible way!

Soulla x

Easter 2019!

Our nutrient-dense no-crap Easter chocolates are once again available for purchase at Broth Bar & Larder! 

This is artisan chocolate alchemy made with the highest quality ingredients. To create our Easter range, I took our original Sokolata recipe and tweaked it to make it more kid-friendly for younger palates.

As usual, we have 2 fabulous offerings this Easter! Both are available NOW until stocks last at BB&L…

1) ORGANIC YUMMY BUNNY

These little fellows are made of solid raw dark chocolate and retail for $22.50 (cheaper than the Lindt ones I saw in Woollies!). Perfect for all the yummy mummies, delicious daddies and little bunnies out there….these will get your bunny tails shaking! 

2) MINI SOKOLATA DELIGHTS

These delightful little half eggs are the perfect mouth-sized treat. Each egg is decorated with either a goji berry, an activated almond or activated cinnamon buckwheat. You can pop them into some hard plastic egg-shaped containers from $2 shops for those treasured Easter egg hunts (pictured below). 

They are retailing for $15/100g bag and each bag has a mixture of the 3 flavours. 

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The ingredients that go into our artisan chocolate:

Our artisan Easter chocolate is made with the following 3 pure ingredients:

• Certified organic raw cacao powder

• Certified organic raw cacao butter

• Mineral rich pure Canadian maple syrup

In keeping with previous years traditions we have reformulated our signature raw dark chocolate recipe by reducing the amount of raw cacao powder to make it less bitter for younger palates. Because it is less bitter, we reduced the amount of maple syrup as less sweetener is needed when there is less raw cacao powder. Commercial manufacturers increase the amount of sweetener for kids’ chocolates but we did the exact opposite as we know how unnecessary and damaging an excess of sweeteners are, especially for young growing bodies. The result is a silky smooth melt-in-your-mouth buttery sensation with a hint of raw dark chocolate. We trialled these on the harshest of critics (kids!) and got the big thumbs up!

To read about the nutritional benefits of raw cacao powder and what’s in commercially-produced chocolate that you might want to steer clear of (such as soy lecithins, refined sweetens, agave syrup, preservatives, milk powders), read one of my earlier newsletters here.

If these Easter chocolates don’t take your fancy, there’s always our sokolata (raw dark chocolate slabs…choose from 4 different flavours) or our raw cacao coconut balls (sweetened with whole medjool dates). 

To avoid disappointment, I strongly encourage you to pre-order and pre-pay for your Easter chocolates by calling the friendly staff at Broth Bar & Larder on 0421 786 009 or emailing us at orders@staraniseorganic.com and we will put packets aside for you. We can also courier the Easter chocolates to Sydney Metro Areas for an additional courier fee.

We are closed over the Easter 4 day public holiday long weekend 19 - 22 April

Wishing you all a happy chocolate-filled easter!!

WHY “ACTIVATED”?

I’m often asked what are “activated” nuts and why do we need to “activate” nuts? 

SHORT ANSWER: Activation has become an industry term that means proper preparation through soaking and long slow dehydrating to reduce phytates and other anti nutrients naturally found in all nuts and seeds that lead to digestive havoc. Activation makes nuts more digestible and nutritious  (not to mention more delicious!) 

LONG ANSWER: 

🌰 The phytates and other anti nutrients found in raw nuts and seeds do three pesky things:

1. They trap nutrients inside the nuts. Nuts and seeds are one of the most nutrient dense foods on the planet but if the nutrients are not bio available then you’re not availing yourself of all that goodness! Activating nuts liberates or activates the nutrients in the nuts, making activated nuts the third most nutrient-dense food on the planet (according to the Mat Lalonde scale of nutrient density).
2. They destroy enzymes needed for digestion. That’s why gas and bloating are often the result of eating raw - unactivated - nuts as your body is having a really hard time digesting those raw nuts without digestive enzymes. 
3. They irritate the lining of the gut making it leaky. A leaky gut is something we want to avoid at all expense as it means large foreign particles can now directly enter the blood stream instead of being kept in the gastro intestinal tract. This can potentially invoke a powerful immune response where the body tries to attack those foreign particles but mistakenly starts attacking its own tissues (hence the term “auto”-immunity). Auto-immunity is not a life sentence and can be put into  ‘remission’ by following a strict protocol of healing and sealing the tight junctions of the gut (for more information contact me for a private health coaching session where I can give you the auto immune protocol meal plan that I put together for all my AIP clients and I can refer you to my trusted intergrative practitioners for robust testing). 

🌰All traditional societies, the world  over, soaked in rain water and sun dried their nuts to improve the bio availability and digestibility of them. They knew to do this from trial and error over Millenia. We honour the wisdom of our ancestors by following these ancestral practices in the preparation of our nuts and seeds. 

🌰Activated nuts are not only more digestible and nutritious than raw nuts, they are much more delicious! Once you’ve tried activated nuts, there’s no going back!

🌰 I have been activating nuts since 2006 to crispy perfection to provide the most moorish organic activated nuts with the largest range in Australia. We have strict requirements for soaking times and what must be added to the filtered water that the nuts are soaking in to enhance phytate reduction. We also have strict requirements as to the dehydrating temperature so that it does not exceed 55 degrees Celsius because above that temperature heat-sensitive enzymes are destroyed. Hence why activating nuts can takes days and days in the dehydrator ovens to yield super crispy nuts. If making activated nuts at home, you don’t technically need to dehydrate them so long as you soak, strain and rinse them in filtered water (though you’ll be eating soggy nuts so please refrigerate them to avoid them going mouldy knowing that their fridge shelf life will be greatly reduced compared to dehydrated nuts which have a long shelf life of 6-12 months). 

🌰 Dehydrating is NOT the same as roasting, as roasting heats the nuts to well over 55 degrees thus destroying the heat sensitive enzymes. Roasted nuts are also not soaked so I avoid them. 

🌰 You can extend the shelf life and crispness of activated nuts and seeds by storing them in the fridge. 

🌰 Our range of activated nuts includes almonds, brazils, cashews, hazels, macadamias, pepitas, pecans, walnuts, savoury buckwheat, cinnamon dusted buckwheat, mixed nuts, snack mix and muesli (all gluten free). 

🌰 Each variety of nuts and seeds contains a slightly different balance of macro and micro nutrients to the next variety so that’s why ideally we should be mixing it up and eating a variety of different activated nuts (short of an allergy/food intolerance), just like vegetables. For example, walnuts are high in brain loving omega 3, brazils are high in selenium, macadamias and hazels are relatively low in the pro-inflammatory omega 6 etc etc.  I’m often asked “which activated nut variety is the best?” That’s like asking me “which vegetable is the best?” One of the greatest things you can do for your health is eat a VARIETY of foods. Mix things up! 

🌰 Eat a handful of nuts a day, throw on yogurt, salads, cooked veggies, or grind up into a nut butter or grind up to use as a gluten free flour substitute for baked cakes. Grind up our savoury buckwheat for a gluten-free flour substitute for crumbing meat to make schnitzels, and grind up our cinnamon buckwheat as a gluten free flour substitute for baked cakes and buckwheat pancakes. 

🌰 Our activated nuts are available at Broth Bar & Larder, or via our online store.