Say hello to the wrap: GS's new monthly feature

What I'm interested in right now, what I'm grocery shopping for and other bite sized things all bundled together for your reading pleasure 🪬

For me, health and vitality is all about the overlap. If we’re dogmatic, too rigid or don’t expand into other spaces, interests and conversations, health can truly become a bore. It shouldn’t feel like a ‘have to’, it should feel like a ‘want to’. I believe the ‘want to’ is found when we get a taste for feeling great AND when we find balance.

This monthly wrap up intends to share various learnings, fragments of thought and of course straight up tips, all tying into the thought that we deserve to feel vibrant, but it doesn’t need to be one dimensional. It can be practical/utterly basic/layered/evolving/deep - it’s all welcome, in my opinion.

Here goes!

What I’m interested in right now…

• The Eternal Song movie. I watched the very moving trailer and would love to see someone host a screening here in NZ. Gabor Maté has called it “deep and poignant wisdom.” There are also some powerful Maori and Aboriginal voices included in this documentary.

• B416, the new charity/think tank advocating for safer guidelines around social media use in NZ for teens and children. Absolutely necessary action and they have a petition that you can sign here.

• Hair and scalp health. I recently spiralled down quite the Instagram tunnel looking at hair growth and scalp health videos and now I’m interested in finding someone to talk to on this topic, perhaps for a guest feature further down the track?

• Substack in general. My recent observation is that the ‘social world’ within Substack seems to be growing snowball quick. I’ve observed big brand after brand join the platform (always a sign of shift into mainstream consciousness) yet I’m also noticing that the NZ contingent is relatively subdued. The writers of Substack publications here in New Zealand are of course, diligently plugging away, but as of yet, are not rousing a larger IRL community. Offshore, there’s a noticeable uptick in IRL events, hosted by Substack writers and publications. The most impressive, and creative, I’ve seen so far is the Pleasure-Seeking event in NYC, a late night literary reading on desire, hosted at an old school Russian bathhouse. Also noticing that brands are co-hosting dinners and other meals with the help of a Substacker who aligns with their customer base. Reference - Feed Me by Emily Sunberg who has co-hosted various pizza nights and book clubs. Again, not happening down under as yet. If it is and I’m unaware, fill me in!

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What I’m grocery shopping for…

Ceremonial cacao to replace coffee for a week or so. As attached as I am to the morning brew, I’ve felt much too jazzed on it recently. Hence, a short break assisted by cacao. I know matcha is usually the swap out but I’m rolling this for a change. I’ve used this product by Seleno Health before, and looking forward to trying this brand, too.

Pourable kefir yogurt instead of our usual greek yogurt. Adding it to smoothies, having it with pancakes and maple syrup etc. For NZ readers, I like this one.

Daikon radish, as used in the last kitchen edition vid. We love to make salads with daikon radish, stick salads for life! It’s a beautiful, crunchy and mild vegetable, can aid digestion, and brings more plant variety to winter meals than just rotating the usual suspects.

Ghee. Technically, we make ghee at home (easy and cost effective), however I’m buying plenty of butter to make it. Ghee is a delicious, healthful fat to cook with, with slight toasted caramel flavour.

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What I’m physically doing…

Walking. Specifically, long walks that usually combine taking needed phone calls, sending catch up voice memos, and listening to podcasts. Walking is so underrated yet it’s a necessary source of nourishment that we can all access. For me, it helps to connect dots, loosen stuck energy, build confidence in ideas and better distill things I find complicated. Not to mention, connect with friends or practice solitude and be a better dog mum. Not all at once, but you get the idea… Sometimes it feels like you can walk yourself into a better state of wellbeing.

Saunas. If you struggle with cold hands and feet, and generally don’t like Winter very much, in my experience a sauna will quickly help to restore equilibrium.

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Sophie’s Marketplace

1. Magnesi-OM. In an age where there are thousands of products in every category, many of which are great, it’s surely something of triumph when you repeat order jar after jar? This magnesium powder tastes delicious and I am noticeably more chilled and experience better sleep when I drink it in the evening. Contains three bioavailable forms of magnesium plus L-Theanine. The only stockist I’ve managed to find for NZ customers is this one.

2. The King Cookbook. This one’s a preorder and I’m looking forward to its release later this year. To be honest, it’s rare that I’m entranced by a new cookbook, but the King cookbook looks fun, approachable and beautiful. Owners Clare de Boer, Jess Shadbolt, and Annie Shi are true masters of the hospo craft at their restaurant in NYC. Pre sale link is here.