I am often asked why I create recipes and post them on social media and on my website, what is the connection of food with the business? For me it's very simple. Look after the inside and the outside will glow. My background is both health and food. I have always loved food – the Danes are known for planning the meals of a weekend away long before any of the logistics of how they will get there or when they will leave – a trait that runs strongly through me. I started working in the catering industry while still in high school, in the holidays and at weekends, and continued while studying aromatherapy, reflexology and remedial massage in college. The catering industry also kept me employed in Europe for nearly 10 years before finally hanging my apron up to allow me to rediscover my love of cooking for the joy of it rather than having to do it.
Freya’s Nourishment is the perfect culmination of my studies and life experience
Why the name Freya? Deciding on a business name is not easy. I didn’t want the business to be about me, using my name. But I did want to include my Danish heritage in the business, and in the name. In Scandinavian, Freya means “lady” which to me was perfect as the products I create connect us back to our feminine, pampering ourselves and treating ourselves, well like ladies! Each product created is created with love, to make all of us feel beautiful. To not only fill a need for well crafted, quality items that take care of your skin but one that will also balance the emotions, relaxing not only the body but also the mind.
Freya, the Nordic Goddess of love and beauty
Although I wanted to keep the business separate to me, Freya’s Nourishment is me. And I am Freya’s Nourishment. My lifestyle is of conscious living, being aware of what I put on, and into my body. And this is what Freya’s Nourishment is also about…consciously choosing your ingredients, your products, your exercise and way of eating. Eating what truly suits your body, whether you be a meat eater, vegan or anything in between. It's not about labels, it's about conscious choice. We are all different, which means that our diets should also be different. Have you ever had a friend who did a diet and looked fabulous? Then you tried it and it had the opposite affect? Metabolic typing is to thank for that. Some of us are predisposed to needing a vegetarian diet, whilst others require high animal protein intake. It's not for any of us to judge, as long as we are listening to our own bodies and doing the best not only for us, but also the environment around us. What we eat, from above or below the land, we consume the chemicals and stresses that has been put upon the food we consume.
Watching the face of someone experiencing a Freya’s Nourishment product for the first time is sheer joy to me
I love nothing more than hearing ways people enjoy using their products! And in turn I love to show you ways to use the products I create in ways you may not think of. Using the bath & foot salts as a scrub in the shower, using the Coffee Coconut Scrub as a foot scrub or in your hair once a week. I’m often told by people that they love using the Rose Hand Scrub on their feet and legs. It honestly warms my heart to hear how people enjoy the products I have created, and finding new ways to use them through my customers makes me fall in love with my products all over again.
Freya’s Nourishment is about surrounding ourselves with beautiful products that are meant to be enjoyed and eating delicious food
You can use all the beauty products in the world but if you don’t look after the inside then your skin will never heal. The gut is known as the second brain, without good quality, real food to nourish and take care of it we cannot expect our emotions, skin or wellbeing in general to be any good. It's not just those of us with gut issues, any of us feeding ourselves with highly processed, low quality foods will have an effect on our health. I don't always buy organic, but I do have a few items that are always organic. For instance dried fruit and coconut. The non organic version of these contain sulphites, a preservative used to keep dried fruit from browning and is used in wine making also. For those with a sulphur sensitivity, consuming these can bring on a sometimes severe asthma attack. Whilst I don't have asthma, I do avoid preservatives as much as possible, and feel we are exposed to enough sulphites in our every day fresh vegetables and other items that we don't need to add more. So I avoid preservatives 220, 221, 222, 223 (to name a few) and buy organic or preservative free instead.
Leading a healthy lifestyle is simple, it’s all about being organised
It’s about having an open mind to learning, to having respect for your body and self-worth. It’s about wanting to treat your body well. Know your strengths and weaknesses, and work around them. If chocolate and sugar are your thing, don’t keep it in the house. Buy it when you want a treat. I personally don’t believe in cheat days, because the only person you are cheating is yourself. As I grew up, my mum always started her diet on a Monday, and allowing freedom at the weekends to enjoy social situations without the confines of a diet. These days we would call that the 80/20 rule I guess. But it’s a great way to live. Consciously choosing to lead a healthier life during the week, a time when we all need routine, yet at the weekends enjoying life as it comes. If you have healthy ingredients to hand, then it's easy to eat healthy. And that's why I love to create healthy recipes. I don't want a long winded complicated recipe to give you, that's hardly going to entice you is it? You'll look at it and think whaaat? Actually I had someone say that to me recently about my Spiced Granola - I don't know where to get all the ingredients from! And that's okay, when you first look at the recipe it does appear like a lot of ingredients. But all of them, except the puffed buckwheat and buckwheat groats, are available in the health food section of the supermarket. You can sub out the puffed buckwheat for puffed rice and don't have to add the buckwheat groats. It's no big deal. These are things I keep as a staple in my pantry, or would buy often. Having them to hand makes cooking healthy recipes so much easier just by being organised!
Every day to me is a new lesson, finding new ways I can do things that are kinder to me, to the earth, to those around me
We don't always have it right but for me, living a conscious life means I am always open to learning. How many times do you do something thinking it's the right choice only to find out differently? By being open, it's easier to become adaptable. If we do things with the right intention and be as aware of ourselves as possible then it's a great start!
My non negotiables for my health and well being are whole foods, little to no preservatives, a chemical free home, daily exercise, plenty of sleep. What are your non negotiables when it comes to your body, your health, your home and your lifestyle? I would love to hear!
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