Jasmine Laurel otherwise known as @wildgreenlife is a holistic Nutritionist living in Ontario, Canada! She lives on a lake in the Kawarthas and loves the outdoors, dogs, cooking, and all things holistic health and wellness!
Hi Jasmine, great to be chatting with you today. Let’s begin with something the readers might not know — what is holistic nutrition?
Hi Anna, thank you! I’m excited to be chatting with you seeing as we clearly have a lot of common interests!
Holistic Nutrition is a natural approach to whole body health and wellness. Poor nutrition can be a major contributing factor in a wide range of health issues. Basically, holistic nutrition involves assessing everyday eating habits to improve overall health!
Awesome! Anyone who has visited your website will know that you love essential oils. Can you share with the readers what essential oils are?
Essential oils are naturally produced in a wide variety, and stored within glands both internally and on the surface of the plant. We sometimes refer to them as the “life blood” of a plant, because they are so important to plant survival. Pure essential oils have many potential health and wellness benefits and are a great alternative to toxic cleaning and beauty products. I have a lot more info on what essential oils are and how to use them on this blog post.
How did essential oils become an important part of your life?
I started using essential oils a few years ago when I was struggling with seasonal allergies and respiratory congestion. I was using other natural remedies, but I was still experiencing a lot of respiratory congestion, coughing, and breathing difficulty. I started researching natural remedies online, and found many testimonials about RC essential oil, Breathe Again, and Raven. I decided to try them out, and ever since then I’ve been hooked because they worked SO well for me!
I suffer with seasonal allergies — i must go and check these out! How do you use essential oils? And what are the general guidelines for knowing when an oil is safe for consumption?
Essential oils can be used topically, inhaled, or ingested. They work best when they are used consistently every day - use them regularly and you’ll notice a huge difference!
I only recommend using Young Living essential oils because they are 100% pure and therapeutic grade. They are truly the highest quality essential oil that you can find! Young Living has a line of essential oils called the “Plus” oils in Canada, or in the US the “vitality” oils. These are the oils that are safe for ingestion.
Do you have any essential oils that you carry on your person all the time?
Yes! Quite a few, but you will never catch me leaving the house without lavender or peppermint. Lavender is like the “swiss army knife” of essential oils. Got a headache? Lavender will work. A minor cut or bruise: apply some lavender. From sleep support, to emotional support lavender has got you covered! Peppermint is awesome for sore and tired muscles and I like to roll it onto my shoulders along with lavender when I’ve got a headache. It’s also great for supporting digestion!
To anyone wanting to enter the wonderful world of essential oils, which would you recommend to them to get started and why?
I would recommend the Young Living starter kit - which comes with all of our post popular and loved oils + a diffuser of your choice! It’s the best way to get started because there are oils in the kit that help support all aspects of your health!
Essential oils vary in price, why is this and are there any you recommend people steer clear of?
There are many “essential oils” on the market that are cut with synthetic chemicals, are not organic, or are totally fake! These low quality, impure, and fake essential oils can actually be quite toxic! Just think: we are using essential oils because we want to improve our health and avoid toxins. It is important to purchase high quality 100% pure essential oils so that you actually get benefits from them. Steer clear of any essential oils that have ingredients such as “fragrance” or “perfume” on the label. I only use and recommend Young Living essential oils because of their amazing Seed to Seal Promise. They are truly the best essential oils on the planet, and they also have the largest selection of oils and other natural products.
Which essential oils do you recommend for a sound sleep?
Lavender
Cedarwood
Orange
Peace and Calming
Frankincense
Tranquil Roller
Which do you recommend to de-stress?
Stress away
Valor
Peace and Calming
Orange
Peppermint
Lavender
Lastly, which do you recommend for digestion?
Digize (an amazing blend made by Young Living. Rolling this onto your lower abdomen provides instant releif from digestive discomfort - it is amazing!)
Peppermint
Ginger
Fennel
"Essential oils are highly concentrated and 1 drop goes a long way!"
Can you ‘overdo’ essential oils, and are there different limits for different oils?
If you are taking an essential oil internally, you only need to use a couple of drops. Essential oils are highly concentrated and 1 drop goes a long way! There is no exact “limit” but once you start using them, it’s actually very simple to use them intuitively! Some essential oils need to be diluted before applying them topically, but there are dilution guides on the labels. To anyone just starting out, I’d say: don’t fear and don’t over-complicate it. Just learn as you go, and invest in a good book like the Essential Oils Desk Reference.
What is the one best piece of nutritional advice you can give?
Eat less processed foods, and incorporate more veggies and whole foods into your diet! Shop the perimeter of the grocery store - and READ ingredient labels. The less ingredients, the better. I highly recommend Max Lugavere’s book Genius Foods, or listening to his podcast The Genius Life. Max talks about nurturing your body and brain with nutrient dense foods, and I truly think that anyone could benefit from the information in his book!
If you have loved learning about the benefits of essential oils — go and visit Jasmine’s website Wild Green Life for more information and tips on how to utilize their power.