Laura the Naturopath

19/08/2016

Very interesting, not surprising that there's lots of green in that top 10!

As long as you go easy on the French fries, you pretty much can't go wrong making fruits and vegetables a focus of your diet. But which produce is th

05/04/2016

Great suggestions! I've swapped sour cream for yoghurt on my nachos in the past, it seriously tasted the same!

Here are some simple suggestions for those looking to sub out certain foods and replace them with deliciously nutritious and satisfying real food alternatives.

02/04/2016

Very interesting!

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07/03/2016

I have to give a thumbs up to Woolworths - their initiative of free fruit for kids is fantastic! Healthy snacking and silence while shopping - double win! This is at my local supermarket, I hope this is available nation wide! :)

02/03/2016

Ugh, some food has not agreed with my gut! I'll spare you the details of my R rated bathroom adventures, but I will share a traditional Chinese remedy for loose bowels which can be easily done at home, and truly works.
1. Gently bash 10ish black peppercorns. You just want to break the outer shell.
2. Put your cracked pepper into a tea strainer (my trusty ManaTEA is my tea buddy today!), then top with boiling water and allow it to brew for 10 minutes.
3. Admire your manaTEA for all the helpful health benefits he is providing you! (Skip this step if you don't own one.)

You must use full peppercorns for this remedy, already ground pepper will not have the same effect. The taste? Peppery water! Very easy to drink and easy to make!

22/02/2016

Anyone up for a turmeric latte?
I came across a cafe in Chelsea called Sebastian's Place and they make an incredible turmeric latte with almond milk and coconut sugar. Paul behind the coffee machine told me they use the spices from a chai latte (cinnamon, cloves, star anise) and add powdered turmeric and cracked pepper, and then brew it and store it (pictured). The brew is then warmed gently with the milk. Turmeric is a known anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant, brain boosting, anti-depressant, heart happy superfood, so why not add it into a daily drink... genius! The turmeric chai brew is also easy to make yourself.
And the taste? Like a chai latte, only yellower!

20/02/2016

Judging someone or something solely by their appearance is something I think everyone is guilty of at some point of their lives.

This is a post from a mums facebook group I'm a member of. How often does this situation happen? How many people are guilty of doing the same thing, then walking away not realising that you have hurt someone more than you could know? If you knew how much it would hurt someone, would you still do it? So why do it in the first place?!

It would be naive to think that no one has judged you ever - nobody is perfect - I'm a 5'0 sci fi girl nerd - definitely not the "norm"! I've been judged by my height all my life, but it's not something I can change and it doesn't define who I am, so I don't let it worry me anymore.

I know I'm guilty of judging on appearance in my past and I can't go back and apologise to those individuals. I can however, change the way I think and move forward from that. Just stop judging. Simple. Then maybe you'll find you're a happier person and really don't give a crap about what other people think about you either.

I don't know how many people will read this, but if what has been written gets through to just 1 person, I think it's worth it. Xx

18/02/2016

Great video for those with school kids!

07/02/2016

I needed to selfie with this weeks , just to prove that this recipe creates a truly GREEN smoothie, it's a colour worthy of being a derwent pencil!
This week was spinach, apple, cucumber, lime juice, minced ginger, maple syrup and water. Limes are so cheap at the moment, a week worth of limes cost only a $1, so this is a great summer smoothie. I loved the ginger zing, it gave it an oomph which took it out of the normal green smoothie taste.

Recipe for 2 - 2 handfuls of spinach, 1 cucumber, 1 apple, juice of 1 lime, 1 tbsp minced ginger, 1 tbsp maple syrup, 1 cup of water.

31/01/2016

Faux of the week (as shown with curious child) - spinach, apple, cucumber, watermelon, blueberries. It's faux because there was nothing green about it, it more ended up swamp brown or swamp purple! This is a great one for skin health, as it has a good hit of blueberries and the watermelon is very hydrating.
While it tasted nice and slightly sweet, by the time I got to drink it the next morning it had separated and the top layer was thick if it hadn't been stirred. This could be a better smoothie freshly blended.

For two smoothies, I used 2 handfuls of spinach, 1 apple, 1 cup of frozen blueberries, 1 cucumber and 2-3 cups of watermelon. I recommend putting the watermelon into your blender first, so it creates a liquid base for the rest of the ingredients to blend into. Happy blending!

24/01/2016

What's blending this week in the green smoothie blender? Spinach, apple, cucumber, strawberries and lemon juice. The verdict - I read this recipe online and this was the absolute bees knees of green smoothies for this blogger. I don't know if it's because I make my smoothies the night before having them (therefore not freshly blended), but we found it a bit bland. One day I added double the lemon juice and that helped. It was nice and filling, but nothing to write home about. Recipe for two smoothies: 2 handfuls of spinach, 2 apples, 6 strawberries, 1 cucumber, juice of 1 lemon.

And yes, that is a man shaped knife block. Welcome to my kitchen.

17/01/2016

Green smoothie of the week, as seen with the lovely General Grievous here whom I just finished building (because Lego and being healthy go hand in hand! :P )
This week I went for spinach, mint, cucumber, pineapple, protein powder and chia. The verdict? This was a beautifully cooling smoothie, great for summer! It wasn't as punchy as I was hoping for, maybe I'll re-jig the recipe for the punch. In saying that, I really liked it and a fantastic smoothie for those new on to the green smoothie movement!

For anyone wanting to make this, for 2 smoothies I used -
* 2 big handfuls of spinach
* 1 cup of frozen pineapple chunks
* 1 mint stick (see previous posts for details on this)
* 1 lebanese cucumber
* 2 tbs protein powder
* 2 tbs chia seeds
* 1 - 1.5 cups of water (depending how thick you want your smoothie)

14/01/2016

My green smoothie recipe for this week requires fresh mint. I haven't had much luck growing mint in the past, so I had to buy a pouch of it from the supermarket.
To ensure freshness, I de-stemmed the leaves, chopped them up finely then put them in this ice cube tray (you can use a normal ice cube tray as well). Top with water, then b**g in the freezer. One minty stick needed per smoothie, too easy!

Recipe and review for the green smoothie of the week on the weekend :)

13/01/2016

It is a hot hot day today in Melbourne - currently sitting on 42 degrees celcius!!! Please keep hydrated by drinking plenty of water, don't leave kids or pets in cars (it's frightening how often this occurs) and for those who decide to brave the outdoors, here's some tips from an old blog post of mine on what to do about sunburn: http://laurathenaturopath.blogspot.com.au/2013/01/sunburn.html

Stay cool! x

10/01/2016

Green smoothies - it's not just for the hipster scene people!

A green smoothie is a smoothie which has a large amount of green vegetables in it (such as spinach, kale, broccoli, parsley, collard greens or celery). It is mixed with different fruits and liquids to give a superfood lift to your drink. They are becoming increasingly popular, due to the fact that they boost energy, are packed with antioxidants & vitamins, plus it's a relatively easy way to increase your fruit and vegie intake each day.

Phase 1 of getting back into shape and a state of healthbeing (I just made this word up, but I think you get what I mean), means starting the day with a green smoothie, with a new recipe each week. This week I started off easy - spinach, berries, banana, protein powder, chia seeds and water. I'm a week down and already I feel a lot more energy, the need for a coffee in the morning is no longer there and feeling pretty good about myself.

08/01/2016

So I guess I should explain why my posts have been so irregular the past *ahem* two years... the photo explains it! I am currrently the mum of a very cheeky and happy 18 month old girl named Ruby!

Like so many new mums, I found it difficult to balance mumming with the rest of my life, but now with the new year upon us, I feel ready to give a bit back to myself again. Time to get fit, eat better and get back to my naturopathic roots!

Happy Friday everyone, expect more posts from me in the near future ;)

05/01/2016

Happy 2016 Everyone!
Many people decide to include eating better in their new years resolutions... I'm one of them this year! If you're looking for a place to eat out minus any artery clogging ingredients, this review lists 10 of Melbournes clean eatery hot spots to check out. Enjoy! :)

This summer, celebrate food that's good in every sense of the word at these top 10 healthy eateries.

29/09/2015

Laura the naturopath is back on facebook after a (long) hiatus! This is fantastic news for peanut allergy sufferers! More posts soon :)

Scientists from Down Under may have discovered a cure for peanut allergies—and it requires nothing more than a bit of bacteria that's naturally found in yogurt.