Featured Friend Interview: Olivia Budgen
28 Mar

Featured Friend Interview: Olivia Budgen

Olivia Budgen’s message is simple: “I believe it is every persons birth right to live a life feeling totally alive, vibrant and incredibly healthy… because in the end you can’t enjoy your life to its full extent if you aren’t feeling your best.”

Olivia Budgen is a health coach, blogger and entrepreneur inspiring people to live healthy and create freedom to live their true life’s purpose. Olivia speaks from experience, this once upon a time party girl, binge eating sugar addict turned her own health and life around, and now inspires others to do the same through her popular YouTube channel.

Olivia has just launched a new exciting juicing delivery business in Brisbane “Organic Aura” which starts delivery from April 3rd next week! These juices are simply delicious and super nutritious, so be sure to check them out! We are so lucky to have Olivia for our March Featured Friend Interview so she can help inspire you at home!

Olivia, you took a wonderful journey to create health & balance in your life. What does creating ‘A Healthy Mix for Life’ mean to you?

I always look at living a healthy life from a holistic point of view and I think it’s crucial to nourish every area of your life; relationships, spirituality, emotional, career and physical. So I really resonate with having a healthy mix for life. Create a healthy environment by removing toxic relationships and surrounding yourself with people who support and inspire you to be the best version of yourself. Don’t treat your body like a trash can. Your body is your temple. Treasure it and feed your cells with an abundance of the food which nature has provided for you, like fruits and vegetables.

Maintain a peaceful, loving and calm mind by practicing stillness on a daily basis, whatever that means to you. It might be meditating or going for a walk etc. Appropriately express your emotions, instead of letting them eat you up from within. Let go of what you cannot control. Help yourself feel strong and fit by creating an exercise regime which you enjoy (having fun whilst exercising is key to being consistent). Do work that you’re passionate in. We all have unique gifts which others are waiting for us to teach to them. Discover your special talent/s and share them with the world. Most of all – HAVE FUN and enjoy your life!

What does your day on a plate look like and why do you eat the way you do?

Breakfast

1 litre of fresh cold-pressed juice. Ingredients vary depending on the season. Right now I’m loving pineapple and watermelon juice with a touch of lemon and mint.

Lunch

Mono meal of fruit. At the moment it’s either watermelon, honey dew melon or papaya.

Dinner

Large leafy green salad with oak leaf lettuce, spinach and rocket. Mixed in are heirloom tomatoes and sauerkraut. Then I love to massage avocado in and dress it with lemon juice or a yummy salad dressing from my Salad Dressing’s eBook.

Living a healthy life doesn’t just mean eating well … how do you keep your mind and body healthy?

I cultivate a mixture of habits I enjoy every single day that help my mind and body feel strong and healthy. My morning routine consists of meditation, yoga and rebounding, and in the afternoon I like to lift light weights. I also love to read a few pages of a book each day on personal development and spirituality which keeps me feeling motivated and inspired to live my best life.

Who is your health, wellness or fitness guru and why?

I have a few… I really look up to Dan McDonald who is a raw vegan YouTuber (TheLifeRegenerator). He is a wealth of knowledge and shares his wisdom in a simple and authentic way. He has a strong unwavering passion for helping others achieve optimal health which I respect! I also love Tyler Tolman because he sets out the basic foundations for health and wellness better than anyone else I know.

What is your ONE Super Hero Food that you cannot live without?

I absolutely ADORE papaya and couldn’t live without it! When perfectly ripe, this fruit is deliciously sweet with musky undertones and a soft, butter-like consistency. Papaya contains several unique protein-digesting enzymes including papain and chymopapain. These enzymes have been shown to help lower inflammation and improve healing from burns. The antioxidant nutrients found in papaya, including Vitamin C and beta-carotene, are also very good at reducing inflammation. Papayas are rich in Vitamin A and flavonoids like beta-carotene, zeaxanthin, cyptoxanthin and lutein which keep the mucus membranes in the eyes healthy, preventing them from damage.

Did You Know? The seeds of the papaya are edible and contain a unique alkaloid called carpaine that is effective at killing parasites and worms. They also assist in liver detoxification. The seeds have an unpleasant strong bitter taste, but fortunately you only need a small amount (½ tsp) every so often to reap the benefits.

If you could share with the Raw Blend Family one piece of your wisdom what would it be?

“Be yourself, because everyone else is taken”. This is one mantra I live by. It reiterates the importance of being your most authentic self.  As someone who always tried so hard to please others and copy what everyone else was doing, I’ve realised there’s no quicker way to steal joy from your own life than not being true to who you are.

We are lucky enough to have you share one of your favourite recipes with us, why do you love this recipe?

This is one of my all-time favourite salad dressings! It’s super easy and quick to make and it’s versatile, meaning you can pour it over any salad base and it’ll taste amazing. Tahini provides a great source of healthy fats and essential amino acids and benefits your heart, hormonal and skin health.

Memorable Moroccan Salad Dressing

Makes: 1/2 cup
Serves: 1-2

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 2 Tbsp tahini
  • 1 spring onion
  • 1 small garlic clove
  • Juice of 1/2 a lemon
  • 2 dates, soaked 1/2 hr
  • 1 Tbsp apple cider
  • 1/4 tsp cumin powder
  • 1/4 tsp coriander powder
  • 3/4 cup water

Method

  1. Place all ingredients into your blender in the order listed and secure lid.
  2. Select Variable 1.
  3. Turn on machine and slowly increase speed to Variable 10, then to High.
  4. Blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy.

For more delicious salad dressings from Olivia check out her eBook “20 Heavenly Salad Dressings.”

To find out more about Olivia  head on over to her website OliviaBudgen.com and be sure to check out her popular YouTube channel here!

Happy Blending!

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