There are lots of ways to practice gratitude in our everyday lives (the power is real ladies!) but have you ever thought about gratitude through mindful eating? Eating should be an enjoyable time where you are present in the moment. When eating your daily meals and snacks, take the time to notice what the food looks like, smells like, feels like and tastes like! I sat down with Amba Luxton, founder of Edible Gratitude to dive deeper in mindful eating, how to nourish your inner body systems with their whole-food blends and promote gratitude from within.
Hi Amba, thanks for joining me today for a chat all about mindful eating, gratitude from within and your brand Edible Gratitude! What does your beautiful range offer and what are the benefits of your superfood blends?
We have 3 beautiful blends at present...
Inner Peace Digestive Blend, is focused on your gut health. Helping to slough away any nasties and build-up to bring your gut into homeostasis. Your gut health has a dramatic impact on your mental health, and should be top of the list to take care of.
Next we have our Vital Force Energy Blend, this not only contains ingredients to give you a gentle nudge in your day it contains immune boosting superfoods as well, such as Vitamin C rich Camu Camu. So important to keep your immune system functioning optimally, add this, in conjunction with your gut health you will be hard to knock down.
Thirdly we have our Sacred Ritual Balance Blend. This blend contains adaptogens to really help fight any stress and anxiety you may be feeling day to day. A great addition to your morning routine before meditation. Also great at night to help integrate the busy day in a peaceful and joyous manner.
We LOVE that gratitude is an integral part of your brand. Tell us more about how gratitude forms part of what you do, your mission and values and why it can be so powerful!
Life is so busy for everybody, it’s easy to go about your day completing your somewhat mundane tasks, not noticing or feeling any joyous moments. Setting up your morning practise to include writing down at least 5 things you are grateful for can have a dramatic difference on how you experience your day. This can have a positive flow-on effect to all aspects of your life from better sleep and happier relationships to being better able to manage emotions and feeling more joy in everyday life…. And BETTER HEALTH!
Amba, as a qualified Biomedical Scientist, Certified International Health Coach, Kinesiologist and Vegan Nutritionist, let's chat about the 'natural science' behind Edible Gratitude. What was the research and product development process like?
Enjoyable actually! I get so much joy in researching ingredients and trying different combinations to have the most benefit to the body and mind, while also testing great of course! I’m really grateful I have such a great team onboard from a gorgeous graphic designer to a wonderful small batch family run Australian manufacturer that makes it really so easy and delightful. I really love what I do and hope to bring out more products to fully nurture body, mind and soul within the next few years.
As someone who is passionate about health and healing, what are your top healthy habits we can all integrate into our daily lives?
1. A Gratitude Journal is a MUST! Your brain is capable of incredible change. Neuroplasticity is the amazing way the brain is able to re-wire and grow new cells, allowing you to reprogram your beliefs, feelings and behaviours.
2. Take care of your gut! This really is your second brain. There are more efferent signals going from the gut to the brain then the other way around!
3. Drinking water first thing in the morning is crucial, to help your body eliminate the toxins your body worked so hard to flush out overnight while you were sleeping. Starting small and building up to at least a litre. Hydration is key.
4. Oral Health! Also very important! I swear by my tongue scraper. As a lot of toxins accumulate on your tongue overnight. I use this as soon as I wake up and also when I brush my teeth at night. The bacteria in your mouth can really have a negative effect on your gut if it gets out of balance. .
Part of your mission is to strive to help people ditch the diets, heal their gut and take charge of their health to be the best version of themselves. What does this look like and mean to you as a health coach and vegan nutritionist?
I’ve touched a little on how important gut health can have such a flow-on effect to your mental health and even emotional health! The vicious cycle of ‘dieting’ is so detrimental to your body (and gut) but also to your psyche. It’s so important to enjoy your food! Even the ‘healthiest’ meal will not be beneficial if you are hating every bite! Your gut brain axis plays a huge role in how you assimilate nutrients and digest your food, so being mindful, grateful and even sending love to your food can make such a huge impact on gut function! Everybody is so diverse and no one way of eating will be beneficial for all. However, being an advocate for veganism/vegetarianism, I do feel that integrating as much fresh seasonal produce into the diet is a MUST. Bring on those greens!
What have been some of the positives and lessons you have taken from this year so far?
This year has been great for really grounding. Having the extra time to devote to being present with loved ones has been wonderful. I’ve had many lessons this year both bad and good! (although they are always good in the end right!), running a start-up business. As most will confess it has definitely been challenging with the world on hold. But all of us will come out the other side stronger and with more love and compassion for our friends, neighbours and strangers.
"Our bodies are naturally conditioned to crave a fresh start, and we find ourselves de-cluttering our closet, eating cleaner and moving more. Or at least we want to...we don't always know how to make the changes we know would feel good. That's why Edible Gratitude is your perfect partner in achieving health and happiness...it's everything you need to support you in making tomorrow better."
In Gratitude - Amba x
What's next for you personally and Edible Gratitude?
We are excited to add more products to our range. We have a new blend in the works and am excited for its release early 2021! I plan to be more organised this year! Tighten up my schedule and be super productive and intentional with my time.
Thank you so much Amba for sharing your knowledge and beautiful range with us. For amazing recipes, blog reads and to shop the range check out the Edible Gratitude website here and follow along on Insta and join the EG community.
Hayley x