Wellness tips on us

 A new year is great opportunity to start the year on the right track with your health and wellbeing. If you’ve been over-eating or indulging in lots of sugary treats over the festive season (no judgement!), use this time to refresh habits, detox and restore vital nutrients to your body.

Here are some tips to get back on track…

Take time for a positive mindset

A new year, a fresh start. Clear the mental baggage and stress from 2017 by taking time to focus on a positive mindset. Meditation is a great way to find clarity. Think about what your wellness goals are for 2018; getting more sleep, improving gut health, swapping junk food for wholefoods… Whatever they are, take time to think them through, write them down and you’ll find you naturally gravitate towards achieving your goals when you’re clear about what you want.

Restore your gut health

A good place to start with food is by restoring your gut health. Our gut, or digestive system, can affect so many parts of our wellbeing. By nourishing it with the good bacteria found in probiotics and the type of fibre our gut loves found in prebiotics, we’re helping it thrive. A healthy gut can help us feel more energised, focused, positive and in tune with our wellbeing. Easy ways to include probiotics and prebiotics include:

• Enjoy sauerkraut as a salad or coleslaw alternative
• Add prebiotic-rich foods to your smoothies, including green bananas
• Talk to our in-store Naturopaths about the many probiotics we offer

Ditch the sugary drinks, including alcohol

Soft drinks are full of sugar, which many people find to be addictive. While they offer plenty of sugar and energy, they lack in nutrition, meaning our bodies receive ‘empty kilojoules’. Alcohol can dehydrate us and place a lot of extra strain on our liver, which can make us feel sluggish and may impede our ability to absorb nutrients.

Purified water is great place to start for overall wellbeing, including feeling energised, less irritable and hydrated, particularly during the soaring summer temperatures. If you find water too plain or struggle to go cold turkey from soft drinks, try kombucha – a healthier soft drink alternative. To help provide support for your liver after a lot of alcohol, our qualified Naturopaths recommend Thompson’s Milk Thistle.

Instantly boost the nutrition of your smoothie

Starting each day with a nutrient-packed smoothie can help you get in the groove for a successful year ahead of wellbeing. Some foods are particularly packed to the brim with essential nutrients that can turn an ordinary smoothie into a powerhouse of antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and protein. Some suggestions include:

• Bee pollen
• Vital Greens
• Cacao powder
• Fresh spinach
• Coconut water
• Turmeric
• Probiotics
• Vegan protein powder
• Hemp seeds
• Chia seeds

See snacks as an opportunity to nourish

Festive season snacks can completely derail our wellness goals, often being laden with sugar and saturated fats. So rather than seeing snacks as ‘treats’, try getting in the habit of seeing them as an opportunity to nourish. Bone broth, fresh fruit, chopped up veggies, gut-friendly yoghurt, raw nuts and seeds, sauerkraut chips – there are so many nourishing and filling snacks available! Chat to our Naturopaths and Nutritionists in your local Flannerys for all their detox snack suggestions.