Let’s just say that cooking is not in my DNA. What is however is a touch of OCD and a love of mixing and blending (so I’m more the Apothecary than the Chef!) and one of my favourite rituals is the morning smoothie (spring/summer) or breakfast bowl (autumn/winter) for the ultimate in DIY wellness.
Yes you can buy a pre-made muesli or powder but what about getting to the heart of your own wellbeing? You and your hormones and your skin change every day so why would you put the same thing into your body. I’ll admit it has taken the past 4 years to really get to know my body but it’s a discovery worth investing in because what you get out is incredible.
And so with a focus on raw ingredients you can tailor your own DIY wellness breakfast to match your mood or time of the month or skin concern or whatever else you feel your body needs. Simple really but where to start you ask? Anywhere. It doesn’t have to be a fancy, alternative wholefoods store, what you see here has been bought everywhere from supermarket to discount mega-market, health food store to pharmacy, local grocer to bulk foods store; with the jars collected over the course of a year or so.
My staples focus on fibre and protein (oats, bran, quinoa and a vegan protein powder), then good fats (flaxseed, LSA, chia), antioxidants (cacao, greens, beets) and other additions like spices (tumeric, cinnamon, nutmeg, cardamom) and whatever else is going (maca, mesquite, camu, matcha) plus the savory side (salt, black and cayenne pepper, chilli flakes, apple cider vinegar).
Why bother? I just like the idea that no two breakfasts are ever the same and I can make changes according to what I feel my body needs at that particular point in time – adding seasonal fruit or switching from a soothing smoothie to warming breakfast bowl with hot water or milk. A number of these ingredients also come in handy for making one-off skincare treatments but that’s for another time.
So look past the packaging and take ingredients at face value. Collect them, play with them and encourage your creative side to partner with your inner wellness warrior.
