What do you get when you combine a bunch of fun-as fitness fanatics, Remedy Good Energy and dodgeball on a trampoline?  Good times and good vibes that’s what!

The Sporteluxe x Remedy Good Energy launch event in Sydney saw a core crew assemble at SkyZone to try our bangin’ new range of kombucha based energy drinks in Blackberry, Kakadu Plum and Coffee flavours before a mad dash through a challenging warrior course followed by a hyper-competitive game of dodgeball ON A TRAMPOLINE. If that doesn’t put a smile on your dial AND get your heart pumping, you are officially dead. RIP.

Remedy Nutritionist Jacqueline Alwill joined the team for lunch afterwards, giving everyone the lowdown on the nutritional benefits of Remedy Good Energy (polyphenol antioxidants, live cultures, naturally energising organic acids, vitamins, amino acids plus raw green coffee bean and ginseng) along with her hot tips on what to look for diet wise to sustain your good energy throughout the day. 

All good? Allll riiiiight!

by Remedy Nutritionist Jacqueline Alwill

It’s here! The season of cough, sniffle, sneeze and the doona come coat (fashionable… of course) to avoid chances of aforementioned cough, sniffle and sneeze. If the months of winter are some you dread, then it’s time to get savvy on how you can boost your immune system, energy and mood so you can enjoy the season ahead. Get rugged up and read on friends…

Dive into the winter sun

Make the most of any and all sunshine where possible and soak up the beautiful Vitamin D to give our bodies a boost throughout the winter months. Vitamin D from the sun can help fight bacteria and viruses as well as strengthen the immune system. Aim for 10-15 minutes of sunshine in your lunch break and if you’re able, expose your stomach or back for optimum absorption.

Double up on immune boosting foods

There are so many great ways you can pack a heap of immune boosting ingredients into your meals and snacks throughout the day, but having them on hand to start is the key. Add these ingredients to your shopping list:

Ginger: pop it into tea infusions, stir fries, curries, soups

Garlic: hello garlicky-olive oil toast with avocado and eggs, and of course slow cooked meals, soups, dressings or straight up if you’re brave!

Citrus fruits: lemon, lime and grapefruit not only taste delicious but are chockers in Vitamin C so aim to include them in your diet through fresh juices, squeezed over salads, in water or enjoy grapefruit as a scrumptious immune boosting snack

Green and herbal tea infusions: are a fab way to swap another coffee in your day in favour of something that can up the antioxidants in your life as well as warm and hydrate the body all in one hit

Fermented foods and drinks: such as miso and kraut are delicious as part of your meal or sip on a brew of miso soup in between meals. AND if you need something fizzy, refreshing, jam packed with flavour and good nutrition then a fermented drink such as Remedy Kombucha Ginger Lemon ticks all the boxes for immune boosting ingredients with ginger, lemon, green tea, organic acids and live cultures from the slow fermentation process. Be it Ginger Lemon or any of the Remedy Kombucha range you’re guaranteed to get an immune lovin’ hit.

Green vegetables: broccoli, spinach, kale, peas, zucchini, Asian and bitter greens should pack the fridge drawer over these next few months and make up the bulk in most of your meals. Green vegetables are full of antioxidants and phytochemicals and aid the body’s natural detoxification pathways too. Check out the most delicious Gut Loving, Immune Boosting Green Soup recipe here.

Practice rest

Which truly sounds bizarre I know, but hear me out. Chasing the clock, overcommitting, having a list a mile long, juggling work and family and all sorts of other ‘must do’s’ in our day creates stress in our body. Stress weakens the immune system, increasing our risk of falling sick once exposed to bacteria or viruses lurking about. A simple practice for reducing stress in our body is to address it with rest. By rest, yes of course, aim for quality sleep and healthy sleep habits (e.g. not trying to sleep immediately after looking at social media or emails, darkening the room etc) but also aim to allocate anywhere between 5-15 minutes each day to ‘practice rest’, the rest where you let your body take time out and don’t actually sleep, but practice the gentle art of switching off – guilt free. Everything will be waiting for you when you finish resting, don’t worry, it’s not going anywhere, but your good health won’t be unless you alter your lifestyle. Pop your legs up the wall, move into child’s pose, lie flat on the ground at the end of the day and incorporate deep belly breaths, meditate, whatever feels right for you, but make the practice of rest a part of your day.

Increase your zinc

Zinc is an absolute powerhouse nutrient playing a role in hundreds of enzyme and biochemical pathways in our body, including those which pump up our immune system. Zinc rich foods are abundant and easily incorporated into the diet, so whilst you’re making your shopping list of immune boosting ingredients to add to your cooking repertoire, choose a selection of these zinc winners too – legumes, seeds, nuts, dairy such as full fat natural yoghurt, wholegrains, eggs, shellfish and red meat if that’s for you.

Aim for plant diversity in the diet

Try to increase the variety and number of plants in your diet each week or each fortnight even if just by one. Building a diet rich in plant foods and diverse in its sources can lead to greater diversity in the gut microbiome which is critical to the strength of your immune system. In nutrition we always say – EVERYTHING begins in the gut, so we need to give it the most love we can through our food. Whether it’s each week buying one extra plant based ingredient, even a new herb is great, or each fortnight, make it your mission to create as much variety in your diet through plants as you can. 

This post originally appeared on Remedy Nutritionist Jacqueline Alwill's Brown Paper Bag blog. 

by Remedy Nutritionist Jacqueline Alwill

Most would agree that lunchtime is a pretty welcomed (even if it is only very brief!) break in the day. All too frequently however, in the scramble that is the lunchtime rush, people miss out on absolutely bangin' nutrition in their meal and bevvie, so today we’ll dive right into just how people in all walks of life can up their game and really crank some good energy for the remainder of the day.

Tradies we’re coming for you first. You’re up at the crack of dawn and on the tools early, so by the time lunch time rolls around the temptation of a sauso rolls, pie or burger with an energy drink is all so tempting but in both the short and long term this kind of lunch doesn’t support your health and worse can lead to a number of chronic health conditions too. The best choice? If you can be prepared to whack a sambo in a lunchbox quickly in the morning or even the night before, pop in some quality carbs such as leftover roast veggies, pack some fruit and rather than team it with a run of the mill high sugar energy drink, swap it out and go for Remedy Good Energy. The combination of green and black tea kombucha in the base of the drink, combined with green coffee bean and panax ginseng, without any added sugar will give you the lift you need AND has the added bonus of actually sustaining your energy and protecting your body from the effects of stress – definitely something for those in labour intensive jobs like yours! Good Energy has just joined the Remedy family with three delicious flavours for you to choose from – Kakadu Plum, Coffee and and Blackberry.

Students we know late nights of partying and study means you need optimal nutrition throughout the day. Whilst a quick, take away, fast food lunch might seem like the easiest choice, it’s time to get some food planning in with your study plan. Your best option here for high quality nutrition to sustain your energy for both study and social life is to swap take out foods and sugar laden drinks for some home cooked leftovers from the night before. Try simple, veggie rich dishes like stir fries, curries, frittata which don’t break the bank either, and take your nutrition and health to the next level by teaming it with a Remedy Kombucha. There are now nine different flavours of Remedy booch to choose from, so you’re totally spoilt for choice. Know that when you do pick up any of Remedy’s delish kombucha that you’re feeding your gut an abundance of beneficial bacteria to support immunity, digestive health, energy and brain function too.

Working hard to achieve your career goals but absolutely hanging for 1pm to take a breather and recharge for the afternoon? Time to think about the food and drinks in your lunch (in the park, obvs, definitely not at your desk…hint…) that will tick the boxes for balanced nutrition and boost your mental function for the rest of the day. Try making a swap from a grab 'n' go, scoff and stare at social media/emails whilst at your desk scenario to a lunch that will deliver energy and sustenance. Move over dirty chicken burrito, we’re boosting that lunch time office wrap with some delicious nutritious edge. Grab ingredients from home or the local market such as silverbeet, lentils, chickpeas, lemon, avocado, fresh herbs, feta, dukkah, juicy tomatoes, spring onion, chop them altogether, wrap them up in the big green silverbeet leaves, serve it up with one of Remedy’s insanely delicious Switchel flavours including Tropical, Blood Orange or Finger Lime and head out to get some Vitamin D on your lunch break in the sun. Remedy’s Switchel range made on a base of apple cider vinegar and ginger is the perfect pairing for lunches like these. Switchel keeps you hydrated and with the combination of apple cider vinegar and ginger helps reduce inflammation in the body during times of stress and no doubt we could all do with a little extra help reducing the load of stress in our lives at times right?

Parents, how busy life is for you chasing the small folk, avoiding headaches with teens, and we know how the days and weeks fly by with the crazy schedule of managing family, work and a smidgen of time for you. Sometimes the days go by and you wonder when or IF you actually ate lunch? The crusts from the kids' sandwiches don’t count for quality nutrition sorry!!! So let’s start with foundations and a bit of routine around it and then go from there. Stock up your fridge with some Remedy Coconut Water Kefir and get into the habit of making yourself a quick salad in the morning as you pop the kids lunches together, maybe if you’ve time boil a few eggs to enjoy for a couple of days with your salads to complete the meal. Feel confident that you’re fuelling your gut with an abundance of natural kefir probiotics from Remedy’s Coconut Water Kefir and hydrating yourself at the same time. Not to mention, just enjoying a little moment reserved for you to nourish and recharge. Remember to take care of your family’s health you have to take care of yours too!

This post originally appeared on Remedy Nutritionist Jacqueline Alwill's Brown Paper Bag blog.