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We were lucky enough to meet Elise at our recent GMB Wholefood Dinner event. We love her balanced food philosophy and are so excited to share how her life has changed after choosing to eat foods made from only natural and whole ingredients.
What is your food philosophy?
I strongly believe balance and moderation truly are the key to a healthy lifestyle. Eighty percent of the time I will ensure I consume natural, wholesome, organic foods that nourish my body from the inside out and provide all those key vitamins and minerals it needs to function at its best. I try to focus on foods that contain minimal to no sugar, limited amounts of dairy, lots of high quality protein (mainly from animal sources and beans), and lots and lots of veggies! I try to make sure at lunch and dinner my plate looks like the rainbow – lots of dark leafy greens and colourful veggies!
Then the other twenty percent I will allow myself to indulge without guilt. Which might include a few squares of dark chocolate (currently loving BSKT Vegan Maca Espresso Bar!) or some froyo (my ultimate weakness).
After much experimentation with my diet and nutrition, I’ve found this balance is what works. If majority of the time I’m consuming healthy and wholefoods, my body can cope with a little ‘treat yo’ self’ on occasion; just not everyday.
Tell us about your eating choices now compared to a few years ago? How different does your shopping trolley look?
Well honestly, it couldn’t be more different! Lets compare…
5 years ago: I was uneducated in terms of health and fitness and basically just eating for the sake of eating. I didn’t understand the concept of eating to ‘nourish’ and ‘fuel’ your body. So I basically just ate whatever I felt like, whenever I felt like it. Everything I ate was so high in refined sugars and saturated fats. The foods mainly consisted of lots of high sugar, processed foods straight off the supermarket shelves – think cereal, sugar laden muesli bars, chocolate bars, chips, ice-cream and the list could go on! It’s actually scary to think that use to be me!
Today: Now I have become much better educated and only choose to consume natural, organic wholefoods. Foods that my body knows how to break down and turn into fuel to keep me going all day! I eat big 3 meals a day plus 2 smaller snacks in between; as opposed to just snacking constantly throughout the day as I use to. My shopping trolley is now full of colourful, fresh and natural INGREDIENTS; not processed or packaged foods. I make everything from scratch so I know exactly what is in what I’m putting in my body.
One of the biggest changes is I now buy ALL my fruit and vegetables from my local farmers markets every Saturday. Everything is organic and locally grown – plus I love chatting to and supporting the local farmers!
What was the turning point that made you sit up and make a change to your lifestyle?
I was sick and tired of feeling fatigued and lethargic all the time as a result of the high sugar diet I was consuming. One day something just clicked and I thought to myself, enough is enough! I need to start to respect my body and fuel it with the nutrients it needs to function at its best. I started researching and better educating myself on nutrition and fitness.
From that point on, I started a new training and fitness program and cleaned up my diet. I cut out all processed and packaged foods and focused on eating wholesome and organic produce to see how that affected my energy levels and mood. And the results were amazing! I felt like a new person! So I never turned back and absolutely love this healthy, natural and wholefoods way of living!
How do you feel now compared to when you were eating differently? (e.g. more energy, better sleep, weight loss, more confident, better mindset etc)
The most prominent difference is my energy levels! I wake up with so much more energy and throughout the day I am just more energetic! It’s amazing the difference quality wholefoods can make to you energy levels!
Another massive change is my confidence and self-esteem. When I changed my eating and exercise habits, the extra weight I was carrying around my thighs and tummy just fell off. I lost a total of 10kg in the space of 12 months! My clothes fit better and I’m overall more happy and confident in my own skin!
Is there anything you can do now or have done, that you once never thought possible?
Leave the house without make up! Before cleaning up my diet and adopting the healthy lifestyle I now lead, I had terrible skin and terrible confidence as a result. But since eliminating all proceeded foods from my lifestyle and focusing on consuming organic, natural and wholefoods, my skin has cleared and I have a new found confidence! Nourishing my body from the inside out has done absolute wonders for my body and mind!
How has GoodnessMe Box helped you on your health journey?
GoodnessMe Box has made healthy eating so easy, enjoyable and fun! There are so many brands on the supermarket shelves today claiming to be ‘healthy’ or the next ‘superfood’, but unless you are constantly on the internet researching and investigating, how are you to know what claims are true and which ones aren’t?
One of the things I found very overwhelming when I first adopted a new healthy lifestyle, was knowing which brand’s claims I could trust and which ones were false. And with work, study and a social life to maintain, I didn’t have hours to spend researching into this. And I certainly didn’t want to be spending my money on foods that weren’t in line with my health goals and values.
But thank goodness I found GoodnessMe Box! Because they do all the hard work for you and make healthy, wholesome foods accessible! Ensuring all the products in each box are organic, sustainable, raw, gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free and/or vegan – which are all things I highly value!
What are your ultimate favourite health product finds that you have discovered through GoodnessMe Box that you recommend to help others?
- Pics Peanut Butter - I’m a nutter for some good nut butter and this has to be my ultimate favourite! It’s all natural, nothing but good ol’ peanuts and a little sea salt. So I recommend this to everyone, because other brands on the supermarket shelves are pumped full of unnecessary sugar, oil and preservatives. Pics is so much better for you and tastes 100 times better in my opinion!
- Morlife Quinoa Risotto – this is one of my favourite products of the Morlife range! It is amazing for meal prep on the weekend – I even got my sister onto it as a quick and easy option for work lunches! We like to either steam or roast some veggies and combine them with the cooked Quinoa Risotto for a delicious and nutrient packed lunch.
- Luv Sum Paleo Balls – with a small ingredient list with all recognisable ingredients, plus full of healthy fats to keep you full and satisfied until the next meal, these have been one of my favourite snack discoveries through GMB! I recommend them to anyone looking for a healthy, convenient and on-the-go snack to satisfy any naughty cravings! Cacao & mint flavour is my go to.
To see more GMB Health Transformations, click here
How can GoodnessMe Box help your health journey?
Natural food with zero nasties, delivered right to your doorstep every month.
Here at GoodnessMe Box, we want to put the fun back into healthy eating. But we know you’re crazy-busy, so we make it easy for you: we deliver pure, wholesome food right to your doorstep. And we do it every month.
GoodnessMe Box is a health food sampling service. Each month, we surprise you with 6-10 clean eats the world is going nuts about. Think the newest superfoods, wholefood bars to eat on the go, nut butters, kale chips, coconut oil, herbal teas, raw chocolates, natural protein powders or gluten-free cereals – and that’s just an idea of what you might get.
The box is all about discovery, so we don’t tell you what you’re going to get to try each month – but we can promise that it’ll be natural, GMO-free, and de-lish. We’re also passionate about getting people back in the kitchen, so we give you plenty of recipes and ideas for using the new ingredients and goodies in your box.
It's all about Food with Integrity!
Our boxes are filled with only the highest quality health products, courtesy of brands that, like us, want to share wholesome food with the world. We also take it one step further, requiring all the goodies in our boxes to fall in at least TWO of these categories:organic, sustainable, raw, gluten-free, dairy-free, sugar-free or vegan.It’s strict, and we say no to many products, so you can be sure that you’re fuelling your body with the best of the best.
So, why don’t you Join the Wellness Revolution today for just $25?