Willow Health & Wellness

30/01/2026

Some gentle encouragement to move - even five minutes counts 💛

Thanks for another helpful short video The Brain Docs 💫

30/01/2026

Your brain has a remarkable protective system - and it’s easier to support than you might think 🧠
This short video explains the blood-brain barrier and how simple, everyday habits help keep it healthy.

Thanks The Brain Docs ✨

26/01/2026

If you’re curious about Ayurveda and natural healing, this is a lovely watch 🌿

It’s a beautiful reminder of the intelligence of nature and the body’s ability to restore balance ✨

Experience this wisdom more deeply in The Natural Law Film - a cinematic journey into Ayurveda, consciousness, and the timeless intelligence of nature.

🎥 Free screening here: https://thenaturallaw.com/film/

25/01/2026

Enjoy!! 🤎

(PS: if you can't find De Villiers Chocolate at the moment, substitute with another similar healthy option)

Here’s another festive show-stopper dessert for you – designed to leave a lasting impression on everyone who sits at your table this Christmas…or at any special occasion for that matter!

Thank you for this winner👌.. the fact that it's -bake and is just a bonus!

CHOCOLATE AND PEANUT BUTTER CHEESECAKE

CRUST
60g pecan nuts
100g dates, pitted
30ml cocoa powder
60ml desiccated coconut
45ml maple syrup

FILLING
150g raw cashew nuts, soaked in warm water for 1 hour, drained
90g coconut oil, melted
80g De Villiers Nib and Salt OR Intense dark chocolate
150ml maple syrup
100g smooth peanut butter
250ml coconut cream
5ml vanilla extract
1ml salt

TOPPING
80g De Villiers Nib and Salt OR Intense dark chocolate
80g smooth peanut butter

METHOD:
• Combine the crust ingredients in a food processor and process until it clumps together (makes a dough).
• Grease a 20cm loose-bottomed cake tin very well and press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the tin. Place in the fridge while you make the filling.
• To make the filling: Melt together the coconut oil, chocolate, maple syrup and the peanut butter until smooth, and set aside to cool.
• Blend the drained cashew nut and coconut cream in a blender until smooth. Add the cooled chocolate mixture as well as the vanilla and salt. Blend until completely smooth.
• Pour into the crust and place in the fridge for a few hours until set.
• Melt together the chocolate and peanut butter on low heat to make the topping.
• Evenly spread the topping over the firm filling and put back in the fridge to set.
• Remove from the fridge for 15 minutes before serving. Cut with a warm knife.
..and SAVOUR!

Don't forget to tag us once you've tried this recipe - we'd love to hear your feedback 😃🍫

20/01/2026

"Chewing isn’t etiquette. It’s metabolic signaling."

🍽️ Chewing Your Food Changes How Your Body Responds

Digestion doesn’t start in the stomach.
It starts in your mouth, and how you chew matters more than most people think.

🧠 Why Chewing Is a Big Deal
Chewing isn’t just mechanical. It sends signals to your brain, gut, and pancreas that food is coming.

Those signals prepare your body to:
• Release digestive enzymes
• Regulate blood sugar
• Activate satiety hormones

When you rush meals, those signals never fully fire.

⚠️ What Happens When You Don’t Chew Enough
• Poor breakdown of food → bloating and indigestion
• Faster glucose spikes after meals
• Delayed satiety → overeating
• More stress on the stomach and intestines

🔬 What the Research Shows
• Increased chewing lowers post-meal glucose and insulin spikes
• Slower eating improves GLP-1 and CCK (satiety hormones)
• People who chew more tend to eat fewer calories without trying
• Poor mastication is linked to worse metabolic outcomes over time

🚨 The Modern Problem
Soft foods, smoothies, protein shakes, and rushed meals mean:
Less chewing → weaker digestive signaling → more metabolic stress.

Even “healthy” food can backfire if it’s eaten too fast.

🛡️ Simple Fix
• Put the fork down between bites
• Chew until food loses texture
• Eat without distractions
• Let your nervous system register the meal

💡 Bottom Line
Chewing isn’t etiquette.
It’s metabolic signaling.

15/01/2026

🌿 Help Me Choose Our Next Workshop 🌿

I’m exploring which wellbeing workshops people might be most interested in attending through Willow Health & Wellness, and I’d love your input 💚

Here’s a little snapshot of each option, all developed by PositivePsychology.com and grounded in evidence-based, practical tools:

✨ Wellbeing X©
A holistic exploration of wellbeing, drawing on positive psychology, strengths, meaning, habits and self-care to support a more balanced and fulfilling life

🧘 Mindfulness X©
Focused on cultivating present-moment awareness, emotional regulation and calm-through-mindfulness practices that can be integrated into everyday life

🌱 Resilience X©
Centred on building emotional resilience - supporting you to navigate stress, change and life’s challenges with greater flexibility, strength and self-compassion

💬 Which one speaks to you most right now?
Please comment below with:

Wellbeing
Mindfulness
Resilience

(You’re also welcome to share why if you feel like it 🌸)

Thank you for helping shape what comes next 💛

12/01/2026

🌿 Nourishing Our Health, One Choice at a Time 💚

At Willow Health & Wellness, we believe that caring for our wellbeing is a powerful act of self-respect - one that gently ripples outward into our families, communities and the wider world. When we feel nourished, supported and informed, it becomes easier to make choices that truly serve us and those we love.

I’m happy to share this beautiful collection of free online masterclasses from the Food Revolution Network - an organisation grounded in science, integrity and compassion. Each session offers evidence-based, accessible insights into how everyday food and lifestyle choices can support health, vitality and long-term wellbeing.

✨ Gentle learning ✨ Practical wisdom ✨ Support for body and mind ✨

🥦 Food for Health
https://thriving.foodrevolution.org/masterclass/?uid=8&oid=3&affid=590

❤️ Heart Health
https://heart.foodrevolution.org/masterclass/?uid=9&oid=3&affid=590

🧠 Brain Breakthroughs
https://brain.foodrevolution.org/masterclass/?uid=7&oid=3&affid=590

🥗 Tackling Type 2
https://type2.foodrevolution.org/masterclass/?uid=14&oid=3&affid=590

🌱 Get to Know Your Gut
https://guthealth.foodrevolution.org/masterclass/?uid=28&oid=3&affid=590

🌍 Eating for Tomorrow
https://earth.foodrevolution.org/?uid=24&oid=3&affid=590

🌼 Food to Freedom
https://foodtofreedom.foodrevolution.org/?uid=19&oid=3&affid=590

🌿 Plant-Based Coaching Masterclass
https://certificate.foodrevolution.org/masterclass/?uid=21&oid=4&affid=590

💬 I’d love to hear from you:
Which topic speaks to you most right now - or which one are you curious to explore first? 💚

Enjoy 🌿✨

08/01/2026

Thank you Blue Zones for this collection of recipes featuring delicious and nutritious snacks, meals, and more from 2025. Each recipe is designed to be tasty, satisfying, accessible and nutrient-rich, making it all the easier to live and eat like the healthiest people in the world.

  This collection of Blue Zones recipes features all of your most-loved snacks, meals, and more from 2025. Each recipe is designed to be delicious,

07/01/2026

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DS5E_WrElE7/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link&igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==

Some Ayurvedic wisdom:

Walking is medicine.
Breathing is medicine.
Stillness, gratitude, connection and time in nature are medicine too.

Ayurveda reminds us that healing does not begin with complexity or cost. It begins with rhythm, awareness and returning to what is natural.

A walk clears the mind and gently moves the body.
Deep breaths calm the nervous system.
Gratitude softens the heart.
Kindness and connection restore a sense of safety.
Morning sunlight and time on the earth help the body remember its natural balance.

These simple practices calm Vata, cool Pitta, and gently awaken Kapha. They regulate the nervous system and create the inner conditions where healing can happen.

True medicine is not always something we buy or consume.
Often, it is something freely available, waiting to be noticed.

✨