HOW TO BOUNCE BACK AFTER AN ADRENAL LAPSE

It can happen to any of us. We're cruising along just fine - feeling good, moving our body regularly, eating good foods, getting some sunshine, enjoying our job and whatever else is a constant in our life. But then something hits us and kinda knocks us about a bit. You have visitors for the week, you're planning a trip somewhere and loads has to be done before you jet off, a new baby arrives, more visitors come to stay...

Whether you've got your feet planted firmly on Mother Earth or not, these types of things can often throw us outta whack for a bit, and then we seem to be good to go again. Such is life is it not? But what if it's adrenal fatigue, adrenal exhaustion, or chronic fatigue you've had; can you just as easily pick yourself back up?

CAN I HAVE SOME MORE ENERGY NOW PLEASE?

So you want bucketloads of energy. Loads of it. All the time. Especially first thing in the morning. Where did that energy you used to have get too anyway?

This is something all to common these days. And for many many reasons. Such is why it's tricky to give someone a one-liner of advice when they ask me about this. Yes you should have energy everyday. Every. Day. Even in the evenings, although it should be tapering off by then. How come then so many people are pushing themselves through the day, everyday, with out it, knowing too well how amazing they used to feel when they had it!?!

MAKING LIFE EASIER, HAPPIER, BETTER FOR ADRENAL FATIGUE

When faced with adrenal fatigue, but for a long while not really knowing what it was, the severity of it, what to do about it... it's easy to keep on doing what you've always done, which of course is what got you to where you are in the first place. Once you then come to terms with it all, you go about trying to figure it all out on your own, or seek professional help. Either way there's quite often a long time in and out of sessions, buying multiple supplements, trial-and-error-ing just about everything.

So I wanted to shed some light on a few strange things that made my life easier, better, happier, or even just a bit nicer, whilst dealing with adrenal fatigue myself.

EXHAUSTED AND REACHING FOR MORE COFFEE... READ THIS

Coffee. Friend or Foe? I elaborated on that one back here if you want to read more. But I wanted to touch specifically on coffee consumption if you are experiencing adrenal fatigue, severe stress, chronic fatigue, or exhaustion this time around.

I played with coffee consumption a lot the past 2 years with adrenal fatigue, and by that I mean I drank it, I didn't, I did, I didn't... I drank it to play around with spiking cortisol levels in the morning, and every other day I stuck it up my bum (and just realised I'm yet to really explain coffee enemas to you so my apologies... I'll get there one day). So what do I think now?

WHAT I'VE LEARNT ABOUT ADRENAL FATIGUE THAT HASN'T COME OUT OF A BOOK

Experience is worth so much more than any book could ever teach us. But it's when we're in the midst of these "teachings" that we wish we weren't, and only after the fact, we can clearly see that the book/s barely touched the sides of the issue.

Adrenal fatigue is said issue for me.

Don't get me wrong here - I've learnt loads from books, research, college, lecturers, Naturopaths, friends, and more that I possibly wouldn't have learnt elsewhere. But having been through it all myself, I've learnt, more than all these taught me put together. And for that, I am forever grateful.

WEIRD AND WHACKY NUTRITION FOR ADRENAL FATIGUE

I'm seeing it more and more; adrenal fatigue and exhaustion issues. The reasons as to why are varied and extensive, and for the basics of helping heal and come out on the other side feeling amazing once more, have a read of my

7 tips to sail through adrenal fatigue and exhaustion with ease and grace here.

I wanted to add to that list with a few of the goodies that are a little left of field when it comes to diet.

Dr. Sherrill Sellman chats about Womens Health, Hormones and Stress

You may or may not have seen bloggers and wellness practitioners posting about Dr. Sherrill Sellman of late as she has just wrapped up her Australian tour on womens health and hormones, but having had the pleasure of meeting her and hearing her speak last week, I cannot keep this information from you all!

Sherrill is a Naturopathic Doctor and having gone through her fair share of womens issues, she is now an expert on the matter. So without further adieu, here is everything I learnt in a jam-packed 2 1/2hr lecture...

Root causes of Hormonal Imbalance:

1. Adrenal Exhaustion

2. Hypothyroidism

3. Toxic Liver

4. Insulin Resistance

5. Poor digestion/Bad gut flora

6. Vitamin, mineral, protein, and fatty acid deficiencies

But the number #1 mess-er-upp-er-a is STRESS

Woman are cyclic beings; we need time out otherwise we pay the price. Taking time our for a walk with a girlfriend or an afternoon in bed reading are not luxuries, they are necessities.

So let's look at all these in closer detail.

1. Adrenal Exhaustion

Our adrenals are key too:

- hormonal balance

- energy

- sleep

- immunity

- libido

- moods

- blood sugar balance

- ideal weight

- anti aging

And they need vitamin C like no other organ. And lots of it! In fact if you are totally depleted (Sherrill had tester sticks that we pee'd on - yep - and whether or not they changed colour, you could see where your vitamin C levels were at), a dosage of 2g, 4x daily is recommended. If you know anything about dosages, that's a whopping dosage. So if you are to take this amount of vitamin C you're going to want to buy a product that will not irritate your gut as most store bought vitamin C products do. Check out this one.

If we continue to run the rat race, put everyone else first, push ourselves outta bed for that bootcamp when we really need the extra sleep, work overtime everytime, socialise all weekend, eat a poor diet, don't supplement when it's necessary, over-exercise or not exercise at all, and never give ourselves a break, this is what we might be getting ourselves into...

The effects of High/Prolonged Cortisol Levels:

- Hormonal imbalances (eg. estrogen excess)

- Progesterone and testosterone deficiency

- Blood sugar imbalances

- Lowered immunity

- Lowered thyroid function

- Infertility

- Increased abdominal fat

- Impaired cognitive function

- Decreased bone density

Sounds fun right? Stress leads to visceral fat which is dangerous. Struggling to lose weight with diet and exercise? Look at your stress levels.

2. Hyopthyroidism

This means low thyroid function and the symptoms can look a little like this:

+ Hair thinning

+ Feeling the cold more than usual or when it's not actually cold

+ Weight gain

+ Dry skin

+ High cholesterol

+ Infertility

3. Toxic Liver

+ Blood clots during menstruation = liver impairment

+ Very dark coloured blood during menstruation = liver impairment

+ We get more toxicity from our own home than we do from walking through the city these days; get rid of toxic chemical laden cleaning products, skin care products, fake candles, perfumes, etc Would you eat these? Then why are you rubbing them in your skin (to absorb) and spraying them around you (to inhale)? It's your liver that has to work to get these out of you again

+ Broccoli seed extract and milk thistle = liver support and help break down oestrogens

+ 95% of cancers are caused by environmental and dietary toxicity

4. Insulin Resistance

+ Don't eat any carbohydrate-rich foods after dinner if you have hypoglycemia (low blood sugar) or sleeping troubles; deep sleep is less likely to happen if you do eat carbs before bed, and therefore you will not be having restorative sleep needed for your hormones

+ Sugar and cocaine light up the same areas of the brain when ingested

+ Sugar and wheat make the brain addicted (to it/them) the same way cocaine becomes addictive

+ Wheat; increases appetite, increases weight, is so highly hybrodized these days and is completely addictive

+ If you have high cholesterol you need to get off the sugars and the (shitty processed) carbs; these both lead to inflammation in your arteries causing your high cholesterol in the first place

5. Poor Digestion / Bad gut flora

+ Antibiotics cause bad gut flora

+ Steroids cause bad gut flora

+ The Pill causes bad gut flora

+ Healing your gut lining (if you have leaky gut syndrome) should be your first priority if you have an autoimmune disease (and it's highly likely you do)

6. Vitamin, mineral, protein, and fatty acid deficiences

+ Eat good quality protein daily

+ Coconut oil daily is highly beneficial for hundreds of things including weight loss, preventing breast cancer and preventing Alzheimers disease; aim for 2 Tbsp daily

A little more about Hormone Health...

+ BPA mimics hormones messing everything up internally; it can also lead to early puberty and obesity. Ditch BPA by ditching plastic bottles and containers (ESPECIALLY plastic bottled water), saying NO to receipts at the shops, not buying tin canned foods and enquiring about dental sealants if you've got any

+ HRT (aka. Hormone Replacement therapy) which we usually only see in women over 50yrs is now being used in younger women, and is made up of TWO KNOWN CARCINOGENS (ie. cancer-causing ingredients)

+ Optimal vitamin D levels should be up around 250 (not 75 like some GP's will say). The more weight you carry the less vitamin D your body will have. Get in the sun at midday, everyday, for 15minutes, with 40% of your body exposed to the sunlight to get your fix.

+ 1 in 6 Australian girls are hitting puberty younger than ever before; the average age is now 10 1/2 years. This alone increases their breast cancer risk down the track.

+ Women in their 20's and 30's are now being diagnosed with breast cancer; a disease once only seen in women aged 60 yrs +. This is alarming as breast cancer is more aggressive in younger women, treatments are not as successful in younger women, and the side effects are often worse in younger women.

+ Weight gain increases your risk of breast cancer. 2-10kg of weight gain after menopause increases your risk by 30%. A 25kg weight gain increases your risk by up to 40%.

+ Oestrogen's message is to GROW (secondary sex characteristics like female hips and breasts in puberty, but also CANCER cells). Progesterone's message is to PUT THE BREAKS ON estrogen. So these two must be in balance.

+ Oestrogen is in fact HIGH in perimenopause, and in EXCESS in menopause

+ Blood serum testing for hormone levels is FLAWED and a saliva test is the only real indicator of where your hormone levels are at. A blood test for hormones will always show up low, due to they way they test them.

+ Our MOBILE PHONES are increasing estrogens, increasing insulin, and decreasing progesterone (just to name a few) Go here to have a look at some products Dr. Sellman suggested to reduce EMR around you.

And The Pill...

Used for contraception once upon a time... I'm not going to debate this right now, but the pill is being prescribed by doctors these days to treat acne, menstrual pain, irregular periods, no periods, weight gain, excess bodily hair, you name it, left, right and centre. And this is causing us big big problems.

The potential effects from taking The Pill look something like this -

+ Blood clots

+ Birth defects

+ Cardiovascular disease

+ High blood pressure

+ Cancer (breast, uterine, and colon)

+ Osteoporosis

+ Depression and sleep problems

+ Weakened immune system

+ Loss of libido

+ Weight gain

+ Vaginal yeast infections

The Pill decreases our levels of vitamins E, C, B12, B6, folic acid, magnesium, zinc, selenium and tyrosine. It also works like an antibiotic and therefore contributes to poor gut function (Check out The Pill Problem for more info).

Are you on it? Perhaps chat to your local Nutritionist, Naturopath or Chinese Medicine practitioner about how to get off it and what to use instead. Your doctor will convince you it's fine so seek information elsewhere. After all you wouldn't pop a carcinogenic-pill everyday would you? I hate to break it to you... that's exactly what it is.

All in all it was a hugely informative talk and bumping into fellow students, colleagues, customers, shop owners and friends always makes it a tonne of fun learning together.

Did you get to see Dr. Sellman on her Aussie tour? What did you think?

Christie xx

!! All hormone imbalance is a symptom of poor health !!

MY 7 TIPS TO HELP YOU SAIL THROUGH FATIGUE AND EXHAUSTION (with ease and grace, not in storms and swell)

I gotta say, with not alotta excitement here, that it seems to me almost everyone is either in the midst of adrenal fatigue, on the train stopping nowhere but adrenal fatigue station, knows someone who is already there and having no fun, or has been there themselves... but no-one is talking about it. This is not so cool in my books. Why is this so common these days? I can answer that too - stress, work demands, family life, women-who-give-all, putting others first - all the time, more pollution, more chemicals, more food intolerances, more allergies, more pressure to do/be/have, the list goes on...

REVIEW: My Health and Where to From Here

Its been a while since I posted about how my health has been, as last year I took you all through my journey of getting off raw foods, healing adrenal fatigue, exhaustion, and all the way continuing to heal my skin. Well in amongst all that I also always had gut issues, but have to say, the majority of my time on raw food I had none. It was only towards the end of my 100% raw days (after which my body had sufficiently detoxed and cleansed and was over due for rebuilding, and thus going down hill - fast - in my opinion; in hindsight) that my gut started playing up again. I say again, because it all began in primary school when I was diagnosed with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

Since I lasted posted about my fatigue and how I was feeling, I have had 2 months off to rest in Thailand, and continue trying new things to get my body back to where it functions optimally. I've just begun seeing a new Naturopath that I work with here in Cairns and now have a new plan to follow; hopefully healing my gut issues once and for all, beginning the cascade effect to heal the rest.

We're beginning with the gut as that's where all my issues stem from. Beginning with a few diet changes and supplements, we're going to heal the gut lining. Then we can reintroduce the good bacteria. Then do a parasite cleanse, a candida cleanse, and with other supplements continue to seal and heal, restoring my gut to its former glory. You might see it strange as this is in part what I have always been doing which is true. But I've been missing small pieces to my puzzle and in forever learning more and trying more, not everything that sounds miraculous is miraculous. And as I've learnt, some wonder changes for some are useless (or worse) for others.

Once I've healed my gut (which could take who knows how long), my liver will next on the list - poor guy isn't working optimally so detoxification and hormone issues are getting muddled up or not getting done. Both my gut and liver issues will also impact my adrenals and thyroid; both of which have been under functioning quite severely. Once we've done that, my skin, nervous system and adrenals are to follow.

My Diet Changes -

+ Vegetables are my staple; mainly cooked ones as these seem to settle in my tummy better, but a salad each day is still a vibrant, alive mix of colour and life, and they are also becoming easier to digest.

+ Loving organic ghee! Oof it costs a bomb in comparison to organic butter but the taste is out of this world! And it's been used in Ayruvedic medicine for both gut and skin issues forever. Purely Twins (who were one of my Sisters interviews here) also enjoy ghee to heal their gut and skin issues. I always use this to cook with, and love a spoonful ontop of hot veggies as well.

+ Eating red meat, chicken, and seafood, as well as getting back on my bone broth. This may surprise a few of you as I haven't mentioned this on my blog before. From my Hair Mineral Analysis, my body needed protein. And more zinc, less copper (which means animal foods). Specifically animal protein. But my stomach acid wasn't ready for it so we had to look at that at the same time (see Supplements below). Fish is my preferred animal protein food and I eat tuna or salmon most days. Chicken and red meat might be seen on my plate once a week; twice tops, sometimes never. Partly due to my body not needing it every day, and partly due to me not knowing how to cook it (vego here for 15 years). I feel great drinking bone broth and this is easier for my tummy than meat anyway. But when I do eat chicken or red meat, I seem to have no digestive upsets (bloating, cramps, wind, etc) and I feel better the following day. Yes the whole meat thing was initially hard to look at, but as I felt my body was becoming more open to trying meat again, it seemed less and less daunting, almost easy. There were still tears, and me having to look at the reasons I was choosing to do this, but so far I'm doing ok.

+ No more fermented foods; I'm not gonna lie. This has upset me. Kombucha is my favourite thing in the world, and B's saurekraut is pretty darn good too. Fermented foods are great for gut health, but in my case, my gut is so wounded and sore that it first needs to be patched up before any happy friends can come and play.

+ Superfoods more; I went through a period where I wasn't really feeling like any of these, and through Thailand I only took a green powder blend. But more recently I'm loving acai in particular, but also maca, lucuma, and spirulina. Acai and spirulina give me the most energy and clarity in my head. Maca seems to calm me and make me feel settled.

My Supplement Changes -

For the past few months I have been taking:

+ 2012 Probiotic
+ Vitamin C liquid
+ Glutathione liquid
+ Digestive enzymes + gentian root + HCl

On seeing my Naturopath up here in Cairns, these have all been put on hold. I've got different enzymes as the ones I was taking were not helping my gut. And the vitamin C and glutathione liquids are probably going in one end and out the other as my gut lining is not doing it's job, so we'll save them for later.
In the meantime I am now taking these guys:

+ Apple cider vinegar; taken before meals to stimulate production of stomach acid (which is pretty much non-existant in me) and get my digestion going - it's working wonders!
+ Digestive enzymes; taken with meals - again; wonderful!
+ Nettle tea; 3 cups every day to nourish from top to toe - I find I crave this
+ Liquid herbal mix; to support my nervous system. This isn't the main focus right now but as my body is running on empty, we needed to start with this as well, but will dive in deeper with my nervous system down the track after Ive healed my gut - horrible as most liquid herbs but I know they are doing me well

Other Changes -

+ Regular lymphatic drainage facials; I've just started doing this again, and I'm only going once a month, maybe twice, for financial reasons. If I could I'd be there every week. It makes a huge difference to my skin.

+ Self love practices; facials, yoga, reading in bed, meditation, body brushing, cafe + book dates, girlfriend catch ups, travel to see family and friends. These all nourish my soul, my body, my mind, my spirit. I feel rested and relaxed when I do these, and more recently I have felt, seen and noticed the difference in my moods, energy levels, and self love when I do or do not do these. Much happier Christie when I do :)

+ Not exercising; this has probably been the hardest to come to terms with and to be honest I only really did last week after reading a blog post by Amanda Daley here. Always an exercise fan (runner, netball, rowing, weights classes, cardio classes, bike riding, yoga, pilates), I've still tried to do something active everyday. At least a walk you know? Well I can now see why sometimes a walk is even too much for me. From my place to the end of our street is about 200 metres, and on some occasions, I'm wrecked after doing that. On other days, I have felt super strong and powerful and decided to go for a run - and felt amazing afterwards (endorphins right?), only to be wiped out for the rest of the week. And then beating myself up and being quite upset that I still don't have enough yet energy to do yoga or go for a walk everyday. I'm coming to terms with it's ok to not exercise. For now. Until whenever feels right. We all do it as we believe we need too for our health. But do we really? I'm not saying yes or no. But I am saying that if a 10 minute slow walk wipes me out, perhaps I shouldn't be doing it.

+ Yoga; I wish I could do a daily practice but my body and it's energy levels are so up and down I struggle with consistency. Some days I'll do 45 minutes, but some days it's none. When I can manage it though, I love it, my body loves it, and I walk off my mat centred, energised, happier and feeling lighter on my toes.

+ Gratitude journalling; I try to do this every evening but let's face it, I don't always. When I do though I am filled with gratitude (obviously) but also joy and happiness looking back at all the wonderful things I am blessed to have in my life and it does light me up.

+ Coaching calls working on my "mean girl" ego, my fears, beliefs and more. I'm still working through them all bit by bit and it's bloody hard at times but it's all worth it. So I've been told ;)

+ No more coffee enemas; potentially; I'm still debating this one. For all things liver it's been going great guns, and I have to say since stopping these last week, there have been more than one occasion I have felt a little nauseous, and I'm putting it down to my liver trying to clean up everything else going on, and perhaps it's not performing at it's best. That's my instinct and it does make logical sense - in my case. I've had my current naturopath tell me that the coffee will be aggravating my bowels. Ok. So I stopped. But the nausea. I spoke to my lecturer (who has been in natural health for over 50years) and she disagrees - in my case. As does my naturopath in Sydney. Please note this is not a blanket statement. There is definitely times/people/cases where coffee enemas WILL aggravate your bowel. This is just another conflicting theory that I've got to sort out myself... unless you know more than me and can shoot me some info, I'm all ears :)

How I am feeling

+ More energy; generally speaking. Today; not. Some days plenty more, other days I feel like I've gone backwards. Two steps forward one step back right? But to rate my average energy out of 10... I'd say a 5.5. Maybe a 6.

+ Clearer skin; I'm so happier that I can actually see clearer skin. However this week one side of my face has been less than pretty. I'm wondering whether this is part of my healing crisis (will speak more on this next week), a monthly stage of elimination, or something else not being so happy. Having said that, on the whole, it's better. I do have very healthy beautiful vibrant skin in, under, and around my acne which I put down to my lifestyle. It's just the acne I have to let go of.
So be it from lymphatic drainage facials, exfoliation, coffee enemas I was doing (not anymore), green juices, vitamins, things starting to work better again, more self love and believing that I can have clear skin... who knows! It's clearer and that's all that matters :)

+ I feel like I'm functioning! Having said that I've had super whacked out week and could've said I'm totally not functioning and I've turned into a crazy person. So maybe again, two steps forward, one step back.

+ Sleeping better; I never set my alarm anymore unless I've got work that day. So if I need extra sleep I get it. Some days I plonk myself in bed late arvo for a half hour snooze if I'm feeling like keeling over and these also make a huge difference. I have also been feeling more well rested on the whole (although not this past week); I always slept well (sometimes 10hrs a night at my worst) but still woke up feeling like I crawl back into bed. Less and less like this which feels awesome!

+ Digesting foods way better; way less bloating, next to no cramping pain, regular bowel movements... This is HUGE for me and I've had this on and off since I was 7yrs old. I cannot explain the joy from eating a meal and not getting bloated. Wow. Wow Wow Wow!

So...

If anything this has all taught me how adrenal fatigue is way more complicated than we all think, can be brought upon by some many different factors (or a whopper combination) and that recovery is slow and steady. Really slow and steady. But if I mess things up now, I'll only go backwards. And no doubt much faster than I initially did. At times, for sure without a doubt it can feel like the hardest thing ever - having no motivation, energy, get-up-and-go, oomf, or burst of joy filled happiness like I used to feel everyday. The restoration process is different for everyone; routine has to go out the window for some, for others they need it. And ever facet of healing is the same.

So next time I'm feeling like superwoman I'm going to high five my angels and thank everyone around me for being so wonderful. And perhaps go get a sh*tload of blogging done instead of believing a run will do me good.

Christie xx

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LOVE COFFEE? ME TOO. TO DRINK OR NOT TO DRINK...

That seems to always be the question doesn't it? We smell that alluring waft of rich aromas on walking past a cafe mid morning. We see people everywhere, all over the world, sipping on fluffy cappuccinos, shotting back espressos at bars, or casually carrying their jumbo caffe lattes down the street. All happy they've got their morning fix.

WHAT TO DO NOW... I'M STILL WORKING IT OUT

 
Ok so I was really hoping I would have gotten my super-quick-super-easy-fuss-free-minimal-ingredient-Carob Cake recipe to you guys by now (you can find a pic on my Facebook page here), along with another post/update of how I've been doing since my TCM appointment (if you're unsure of what I'm talking about, read this post)… but as you can see I've not written anything. I think I’ve just about learnt now that each day is so totally unpredictable for me in terms of my energy levels that planning and sticking to plans are starting to appear as pointless. Like today; the plan was to study all day and instead I've been lying in bed all day. And as such the blog posts I wanted to write never got written.

EXHAUSTED BEYOND WHAT I THOUGHT WAS POSSIBLE

I haven’t really been keeping you all updated on how my adrenal exhaustion is going, and as things have changed a little I thought I’d give you an update. If you’re not sure what I’m talking about, feel free to read a recent-ish post about it all here.

Since then I felt I was doing pretty well until little by little (of which I was completely unaware of until it all became too much) everything started rolling downhill. 

Birthday Brunch and Cairns Catchup

So I know I said I would write a more detailed explanation as to why I'm eating eggs again, but to be frank, I can't be bothered. I had begun a long post about it; my thought, initial objections, feelings, my first egg brekkie again, and then of course all the nutritional benefits I am now getting from them (how could I not indulge myself on that one?)... but un-ironically so, in true adrenal fatigue fashion, it no longer interests me to explain it all to you.

I'm eating eggs again 'coz I want too. I'm enjoying them. I feel good eating them. And that's that!

As for the adrenal thing; I've actually had one morning this week where I woke up and DIDN'T feel like death! YAY!! I actually felt GOOD! I did have one evening where I was totally wired tho which wasn't so fun in my attempts to fall asleep (typical tired and wired adrenal types). I've been reading loads more in a new book I just got which is proving to be very valuable indeed.

Asides from that, I've got a new job at Go Vita which is a health food store and I'm LOVING it!! I write down everything I wanted from a new job and I got it! Working with cool people, great pay rates, flexible working hours, laid back uniform policy... haha Loving it! My college studies have begun also and that was great too. I've only had one class so far, and spoken to a few people, but in a small class of about 15 of us, I'm sure I'll get to know them all pretty quickly.

Rusty's Markets, Cairns

I get over-excited to get down to Rusty's Markets every Friday morning, even tho it's open all day Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The organic kale lady sells out on a Friday so I make a bee-line straight to her. The other week I got all this organic (or chemical free) produce for only $27.50... This much would cost me at least double if not triple that in Sydney. And whilst chatting to locals, sampling seasonal produce, grabbing a coffee if I'm feeling like one, perusing second-hand books, jewellery, home made soaps, candles and more... who wouldn't get excited?




My partner arrived last week which was very exciting, and my mother also flew up to see my sister and I. She timed it perfectly for my birthday :) And I had found the perfect place I wanted to go too...




My mum, my sister, my man and I all went up the mountain together to a little hippy town I love called Kuranda, where there is an amazing cafe I wanted to visit. It is nestled in and amongst the Rainforest Market which winds up and down, around, through and within the rainforest, other shops, hidden gems, stairwells and trees. It's absolutely beautiful, very peaceful, really chilled and easy-going. Loads of tourists flock there daily but it's stilled brimming with colourful locals.

We sat down in the sun, deciding what to order whilst eye-ing off all the goodies in their display cabinet. Their list of smoothies and juices was what instantly had my attention - from Green Goddess, to Cacao Maca Buzz... Scent of Summer, Kiwi Zing and Golden Glow... it was hard choosing only one.

So B and I ordered 2 to share; Kiwi Zing green juice, and a Green Goddess (banana, pineapple, ginger, something else, with green superfoods) smoothie. Once we had drinks underway, our food choice was easy - the Raw Power Plate.


This was delicious! It's piled with whatever salads are available on the day, with almond falafels and a sweet tangy tahini dressing. We had green salad, an incredible Coconut Raita which was coconut flesh shredded ever so finely, and tossed through with red onion and herbs, giving it a light and refreshingly fluffy texture that was amazing. I've never had anything like it! Our taste buds also sang tunes to the marinated beetroot and the quinoa tabouli.

Delicious living colourful lunch

Queensland coconuts are hard to pass by, and once all the juice was slurped out, we had it smashed in half to some fleshy eating! Mmmm :)

My sister and my man

And a few others photos of life up here...

Organic salad one day - with homemade saurekraut

Cruising the Cairns inlet in the dingy

Driving through Redlynch - a stunning part of Cairns

ALIVE IN A NEW CITY, SLOWLY GETTING MY FOOTING (and energy) BACK

So here I am. Sitting with a black sapote and a licorice tea up in Queensland's Far North Cairns. It’s not the typical hot sunshine drenched day you might ponder in your thoughts today, but nonetheless I am still in short and a tshirt – a far cry from my thermals, trakkies, ski socks, ugg boots, scarf and dressing gown I used to wear around my place in Sydney only last week. Yep I’ve made the big move and such explains my absence from here. Well that and trying to finish last assessments, cram for exams, see people, pack, clean, the list went on.

One step at a time

So not off to the best of starts after my 2 months away... and as much as I procrastinate telling myself that I can't post a blog without photos, as my mobile phone/camera is in at the shop getting repairs done (complete with all my photos of our Sunday banana-choccie-almond-crunch-chia-layered-parfait-brekkie, my tranquil trip away to Bowral last week with my step-mum's home grown vegies in the back yard, the massive green salads Brock and I had post yoga, and more)!!

NOTE: since typing this draft yesterday I've had an AHA moment and 2 of the pics I posted straight from my phone last week onto FB, have now been posted below. Blonde moment yes, but we've got some piccies!! :) And my photo-shopping program has been updated so I have a bucket load of new designs and effects to play with! Happy days :)

Mid-morning snack on the front balcony over looking the lake

Besides the lack of a good mobile phone at present (although my old cute little flip top Sony I bought in Italy years ago brings back such happy memories), things are pretty much the same as usual.

Actually no - you know what, they're not the same! They're BETTER than usual! Yep! BETTER! I'm forever telling people I'm the "same as usual - never ending study, work, etc, you know" when this past week has been so much more than just that! The past few weeks infact.

- I took 3 weeks off work to really knuckle down some college modules and I have done just that, and feel great for it! Sure it's a challenge getting my head around Biology and the deepening ins and outs of nutritional studies but when I understand it I LOVE IT and it's FASCINATING!

- I spent 5 days down in Bowral at my dad's place to really chill out, focus, drink tea (I say that like I don't otherwise drink copious amounts), eat lightly, and rest. I got a bunch of assessments done there, and since being back I've got a bunch more done.

- I'm trying new bits n pieces for my skin issues and am finding small improvements (yippee!). I'll let you know how things are going a bit later.

- Brock and I have been spending the best time ever together - even if that was one whole day driving from one mobile phone shop to the next, back home for contracts and receipts and back again. He is due to head off to Thailand on Sunday so intentionally or not, we've been glued to one another hip. I quite like that ;)

- I've also been doing a few gentle -but powerful- online workouts as well as rebounding and find I'm feeling a lot better from them both. I've always been a fitness and gym junkie but after a shoulder injury, followed by a sciatic injury (both for reason's still unknown to me), I was off the gym and have been for probably 3months now. Soooo unlike me! But you know what? I am so surprised at how my body has held up! My mind was trying to convince me that without my 4-6 gym classes a week I would surely balloon out, get fat and feel yuck! Well, my body looks very close to exactly the same as it was when I was up early every second day to work out. I know there's no way I could lift the weights I was 3 months ago now which is a bit of a bummer, but Brock mentioned to me yesterday that some of the world's top athlete's take 6 months off every year to really rest and recover, which was a huge boost to my self esteem, and a real joy to hear after beating myself up for not working out. My step-dad has also said each time I've popped over to say hello, that I'm looking better than ever! I laugh and say I'm doing absolutely nothing! It doesn't really surprise me though. My body has been feeling too tired and sore and exhausted to do much of anything that all I muster up is a 20minute walk most days, and even that brings on minor pain. But it's good to get out of the house.

So with that, I've been on my rebounder more and that has given me loads of energy, lymphatic boosts, and with minimal impact, and I'm feeling so-far-so-good coz of it! Really good infact. Yay :)

But I best get going again coz my aim is to finish one big Nutrition assessment today, and a Biology one too if I can squeeze it in! I'm off to a comedy gig tonight and very much looking forward to surprising Brock with that! I only just got given free tickets - ten minutes ago!

Quick and easy (minimal pantry ingredients) dessert or brekkie parfait

But before I jet I'll spill the beans on a super easy-use-whatever-you've-got-dessert-or-brekkie-recipe you can try this weekend.I made this at dad's down in Bowral the night before I left to use up my last few bananas, and coconut. I've tried to guess the quantities I used but adjust to taste coz I never measure anything myself.

Recipe (quite literally):

Step 1

Young coconut flesh from one coconut

1 banana

1 tsp vanilla

Coconut water as needed... blend all until smooth then pour into a small bowl and set aside

Step 2

2 bananas

1-2 tsp cacao... blend together then pour into a small bowl

Step 3

Handful of chopped dates

Handful of nuts

Pinch of salt...blend until crumbly and set aside

Pull out 3 little glass cups, bowls or jars and start layering your 3 mixtures. Eat straight away, or set in fridge or freezer. If you're like we were and too full from dinner, save these for brekkie!

I'd usually use a few other ingredients in something like this but at my dad's the pantry is not stocked for a raw vegan and so I use what I can. Something like this can be made with any fruit, and nuts, and any dried fruit. Be creative. Experiment with your favourite flavours and let me know how you go!

Have an awesome weekend!!

Christie :)

Herbal Concoctions of mine

When I study, I drink tea. Alot of tea. Which also means frequent bathroom trips from my desk (minor downside really). So as I was brewing a pot down at my dads a few weeks back, my stepsister asked what I was having, and only then did I come to realise how strange some of my regularly consumed herbal mixes may be to those who only sip Lipton tea bags.

So here's a sneak peek into some of my regular combinations -

Horsetail

Horsetail - always in my pot! This baby has a really mild flavour that goes with anything. And why do I drink it? For my nails. It's super high in silica so it's bone strengthening. Great for bone density. And then teeth, hair, skin and nails. I find that drinking it everyday (or every other day) I have much stronger nails (which as a nail biter since conception, I need to keep me from biting them). Horsetail is a traditional European folk remedy and one of the most ancient plants on the planet.



Raspberry leaf - I'm trialling it at the moment and trying to have it as much as i can to see whether or not I get period pain next month. It helps with any menstrual irregularities and when pain hits I'm drinking it very very strong, so I'll let you know how it goes.

Pau D'Arco

Pau d'arco - anti-parasitic. And being a tonic herb, it's fine to consume everyday. Prevention rather than cure I say! And I only read today that it was the native Americans in south america that found out about this tree because it wouldn't rot even when the tree was dead! They would make bow and arrows out of it for that reason; it's also very pliable. Crazy stuff! Anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and tastes great.





Cleavers - a lymphatic herb which I take for my acne. It's also a blood cleanser so when the blood is healthy, the rest of us is (usually). I wrote a whole post about this herb on Tera Warners blog once - check it out here.

Calendula - another herb I drink for my acne as it's anti-inflammatory. Goes with anything.

Such a beautiful flower

Chinese green - because I'm a green tea snob and only drink the best one's I can find. It peps me up without a massive high followed by the afterward crash. Mid-morning it helps get things moving if you know what I mean. Super high in antioxidants and the Chinese have been drinking it for centuries so I will to!


Reishi - a really really good dried mushroom for immunity amongst so many other things, but it's also beneficial for adrenal stress, of which I am prone too it seems so it's like my little safety blanket. David Wolfe is a huge fan of reishi so check out some of the things he says about this beautiful mushie!

Reishi muhroom in the wild

Dried and cut up reishi mushroom

They're all the ones I always have on stand-by and consume regularly. A few others pop in here and there depending on my mood, what I've eaten, my digestion trials and triumphs, etc. If you're new to tea go out and grab some! It's an beautiful thing tea. And a really easy way to get amazing substances that can do so many wonderful things for you into your body deliciously, easily and quickly.

Nourishing Cooked Foods

At the top of my street there's a cute little Indian take away place. Not the dodgy greasy kind, but a nice small shop where all the dishes are cooked with loving hands each day by the Indian guys that work there. I walk past it everyday and have done so since it opened over 2yrs ago. And everyday I've seen petite crispy vegie samosa's through the window and have wanted to try them. But a bigger part of me intuitively felt that I would feel ill if I did. And so I never bought one. Never even ventured in - but then again if you wern't going to buy anything, why would you?

This evening on my way home from work after my kinesiology/Chinese Medicine session that I LOVE and look forward to every 3 weeks, I walked past the little Indian place again, and had the same thought; "yum yum vegie samosas", only tonight, I turned around, walked in, and bought one.

I walked home, sorted out my "coffee meditation" (my enema) that I'm currently doing daily, before later sitting down to try one of the crispy samosas I had looked at through the shop window everyday for over 2yrs (a part of me wondered if it was a little counter-productive to do so after an enema but admittedly I didn't really care).

A cooked vegie samosa for a girl that eats raw? Well yes. And why not? Today felt right. Oh how cliché yeh? But for me that’s exactly it. It felt right. The minute I turned around and spoke to the Indian man, it felt right. Almost a 'mothering' energy to what I was doing. I know that the catalyst for change was largely due to the kinesiology session I had – and the horrendous migrane I suffered from last Monday and Tuesday.

Whilst couch-bound last week I watched a DVD on food, nutrition and the links they have with Chinese Medicine. Fascinating! Fascinating!! Omg! Chinese Medicine is something I’ve only very recently gotten into but it’s definatley something I will be furthering my knowledge in. So in watching this DVD, the first topic they spoke about was, believe it or not, MIGRANES. A lot of people look to avoiding certain foods that might be causing migranes (traditionally alcohol, chocolate, bread, dairy, tomatoes, mushrooms – everything I don’t eat bar the last two), but in Chinese Medicine they look more at the cravings one might be experiencing prior to a migrane surfacing to help find the cause; if you're craving coffee and spices then your body is in excess, where as if you're craving sugar, sweets and carbs then your body is deficient.  Interesting point numero uno.

Furthering that, the spleen is like the KING organ in Chinese Medicine, and closely linked to migranes. I remember the DVD talking about warming foods, nothing raw and nothing cold to help with any spleen issues. Chinese Medicine on the whole is against cold foods - think about it, Asian cuisine is so tightly tied in with tea at every meal to help warm the body (amongst many other things).

So when I saw my kinesiologist this afternoon and told him I wanted to look at my headaches and migranes (which for me are clearly 100% stress based – hello migrane came first day due back at college!!), when issues with my spleen came up I was not in the least bit surprised. Adrenals also cropped up – again, no surprises there.

Your spleen cleanses your blood. And your blood carries all nutrients around your body of course. So if your spleen isn’t doing it’s job; either not enough blood is getting around your body (including your head) or not enough nutrients are getting around your body (including your head) which yes… could possibly be resulting in headaches! Interesting point numero due.

Additionally, if you think of your spleen as your wok and your kidneys as your fire, cold raw foods are seen as damp logs on the fire – these foods won’t cook very well in the wok. Warmer foods will. Cooked foods will. Interesting point numero tre. Food for thought...

In my case, there are also (more often than not of late) issues with my adrenals. These babies are located just above your kidneys and in a nutshell, they are HUGE in relation to your stress levels. If you’re stressed your adrenals will be feeling it (Reishi tea I’m coming for you honey!). For me – I could’ve ticked that box before I went in. I’m the first to admit I make mountains out of molehills and am forever trying to reach up to my high high expectations of myself, and wanting/trying/feeling the need to always be doing so so much! CAUTION: ADRENAL FAILURE right there!

So to put it in a pretty picture – high expectations, stress, and wanting to always achieve lead me to over-thinking, worrying, and a hell of a lot of time spent in my head going here, there and everywhere… (as for lying in bed EXHAUSTED at night but UNABLE to sleep… adrenals!!) This literally up-roots my energy, pulling me away from the Earth so I’m not grounded at all. Vicious cycle coz not being grounded only makes things in my head go even more coo-coo. A lack of blood getting around and/or a lack of nutrients being carried in my blood means there’s less of it or less goodies in it getting to my head, which of course would be impacting on the frequency and severity of my headaches and migranes.

But back to the samosa…

The thought of warm nourishing wholefoods has felt good recently. The thought of it even feels very earthing. And I’m an Earth girl suffering from a lack of Earth right now! It almost feels like something I need to go back to for a bit to see how things unravel. My body is never wrong. My mind often can be, and others’ minds often can me wrongly influencing mine. But my body never lies.

So after my appointment this afternoon, and a light day of juices (new one invented - you gotta try pear, lemon, ginger and beetroot OMG), nuts and seeds, I was walking home past the little Indian curry place and I had the same thought; “mmm vegie samosa”, and then something changed and I turned around and walked in.

“One vegetable samosa please” with a big grin on my face. And it felt perfect. It felt nourishing to do so. A little surreally perfect infact.

And so after my coffee meditation, I enjoyed it. It was pleasurable. Meditative. Delicious.

Every. Little. Bit(e).

And that's exactly how a migrane is so totally related to eating a vegie samosa  :)
Everything is inexticably linked...