A Story of Healing: Food as Medicine, Harvesting from Nature and Health Updates

Added: 2026-05-09

[00:00:03]It's been a big week, but I just wanted to jump on here and thank you for all of the support that you sent Julia last week with her big surgery and give you a little update. The surgery went well and Julia's just been recovering for the past week. We were in Sydney for a week while she recovered and we've just come home and now she's just mostly just in bed trying to, you know, relax and recover. And I thought today I would come out and I would harvest as much fruit as I can from the farm for a little care package for her.

[00:00:34]If you missed last week's video, there's a big update there, but my sister Julia was diagnosed with a rare vascular condition and needed a major surgery.

[00:00:42]Last week, we flew to Sydney and Julia got the treatment she needed. It's been intense, but we're really hopeful that this surgery can help Julia to feel better. It went well without any complications and after a few nights in hospital and then a few nights recovering in Sydney, we came back home.

[00:00:59]Julia hasn't been able to do much more than just get out of bed at the moment, but she's been sketching so much and she's so inspired. She's got these sketchbooks full of watercolors that she's been doing from her bed. And I told her about how I was secretly working on our website so that we could sell the prints to you. And she was so excited and she was just really grateful for everyone that bought a print from her.

[00:01:20]to to have her art around the world means so much to her, especially in this time. And she was also very grateful for the financial support while she's going through this hard time with the surgery.

[00:01:30]Cooking and baking from the land seems like a small thing that I can do for Juliet right now for her health, but also for a nice warm treat. I'm always inspired by the seasons for what to bake. And I also want to make something for Juliet that's really cozy and one of her favorite things, but I also want to keep it really healthy and healing. So, I'm thinking there's lots of avocados on. There's also lots of pecans and macadamia. So, I'm thinking pecan macadamia base and then an avocado chocolate mousse with honey. I think she'll love that. Maybe flowers all on top. Living here, we try to eat as much in touch with nature as we can. Kiwi is high in vitamin C. Ginger and turmeric are anti-inflammatory. Avocados improve digestion. And everything we grow on the farm seems to have some sort of purpose or remedy for your health.

[00:02:19]It's the very start of kiwi season. The kiwis only ripen when the cold nights come and there's something about the cold that changes the structure of the fruit and so it sweetens. And so they're finally ready. I think a few of them. So I'm going to pick some and see if they rip them.

[00:02:51]So many Brazilian cherries. These are great. They're really high in vitamin C as well as kiwi fruits as well. So that's really good in healing. So Julia after this surgery can have all of the healing fruits fresh from the farm, all organic. The surgery actually ended up being the day after Julia's birthday.

[00:03:09]So, she didn't have the most relaxing birthday while she was being admitted into hospital and undergoing all sorts of tests. So, that's why I wanted to make her a cake that feels as warm and decadent as the birthday cake that she deserves, but also be good for her recovery.

[00:03:26]None of us expected how big it would be.

[00:03:28]It was a 6-hour surgery and just being in the hospital, the anesthetic, and just mentally flying and rushing to the city. It's all been so harsh for her.

[00:03:38]But now we're home. And we feel optimistic about her healing.

[00:03:43]>> No, you got to find your own. You can't eat mine. You can't eat mine. Find your own.

[00:03:58]These are ure plums. They're a native plum to this area. And they're really sour and they are really high in vitamin C. and they're supposed to have all of these like amazing properties that are really good for healing. So, I think I'm changing plans and I think I might make a cheesecake for Jul because it's her favorite cake in the world and then I make this sauce that goes on top of it out of this and it's like sweet and sour all at once and it's delicious. So, I think I better make her favorite cake.

[00:04:22]So, I'm going to keep searching and see if I can find any more.

[00:04:33]Nike, I found one for you.

[00:04:39]>> Yum. You don't mind how sour they are.

[00:04:42]Seed and all.

[00:04:44]Don't swallow the seed, Maggie.

[00:04:46]>> This is an or plum, which is a native fruit to North Queensland, and it has many benefits.

[00:04:51]>> So many.

[00:04:52]>> It's high in antioxidants, even higher than blueberries. It's rich in potassium, vitamin E, zinc, magnesium, and calcium.

[00:04:59]>> Maggie. It's very sour if you eat it fresh, but Maggie loves it.

[00:05:05]But cooked in jams or sauces or cordials, it's delicious. It has been used by indigenous Australians for thousands of years.

[00:05:15]Maggie, do you want >> I don't have any. I don't have any. You can surf with me, but you better not find the ones I'm looking for.

[00:05:26]We live on the lands of the Iraq wall and Menjabal people of the Banelon nation. We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the country we live on and recognize their continuing connection to the land and waters. We thank them for protecting this rainforest and its ecosystems since time memorial.

[00:05:45]We are very grateful for conventional medicine and have relied on it a lot for Julia's health problems. But like any system, it has its flaws. So, we make sure to always use a combination, finding paths of healing, not just in the traditional roots, but also in the way that we eat, live, and consume.

[00:06:04]Cooking is a huge way that we take care of ourselves and feed our bodies with ingredients that have the ability to care for us. While Julia's whole system is inflamed, u plum's anti-inflammatory benefits are so important. Cinnamon myrtle is another Australian bush food that grows throughout the forest here.

[00:06:22]It's naturally antimicrobial, which is so important for Julia right now, instead of getting an infection and having to rely off antibiotics, which have such negative effects on the rest of your body.

[00:06:33]It's a bit ironic for me to talk about food as medicine right now because I'm making a big sweet cheesecake, but even this decadent cake is gluten-free, sugar-free, and its main ingredient is yogurt and eggs. And I think an important part of being healthy is being happy. And a big cheesecake is the perfect thing for that.

[00:06:51]Diet is a big part of Julia's health protocol. She doesn't follow any particular trendy diet, but just something that feels the best for her body after experimenting with elimination of certain foods over the years.

[00:07:04]Mostly, it's just organic, fresh, whole, and protein richch foods. Before Julia became so strict with her diet, I used to eat anything and everything. When I was living in the city as a student with not a lot of money, I ate a lot of processed foods. But when I moved back home and we started cooking together, I started to eat the same diet, whole foods, organic, homegrown, home-cooked, and it made me realize that in my own health as a healthy person, that this change was massive. I felt great. And what's more interesting is that now any of the treats that Julia makes that I used to laugh at, like tahini, cacao, or chia yogurt, and a little honey, they taste so good your gut just readjusts to these things. There were times that I would have way rather have eaten a chocolate bar. But these days, I crave Julia's sugar-free, gluten-free, proteinrich, organic, homemade treat more than anything I could buy at a shop. And this way of eating has taught me to be so creative with my foods, to try new recipes, and cook with the seasons.

[00:08:15]Good morning.

[00:08:41]I love this morning routine so much, but sometimes these little rascals can be naughty and in those times I dream of travel. And that's why this week I'm excited to thank Alo for being the sponsor of this video. Lo is basically the first digital eim platform. So, a digital eSIM just means that you're able to buy a SIM card digitally in over 200 different countries all through one app.

[00:09:04]You are so loud. If you've been following along, you might know that I love a little solo adventure. And in the past few years, I've traveled to the US, to New Zealand, and to Indonesia all on my own. But what you might not know is the behindthe-scenes struggle of trying to keep safe, stay connected, and not get lost all with a SIM card. I learned my lesson a few years ago when I was crossing the border from British Columbia to Washington State and the SIM card that I bought at the corner store just randomly stopped working and I was deep in the mountains of Washington with no reception for 4 days and I have never been in so much trouble from my mom in my whole life. I couldn't text her that I was safe. She didn't know where I was.

[00:09:42]It was not good. But I love my lesson.

[00:09:45]And when I went to Indonesia last year, I got an air low EIM and was so easy to do through their app and everything went seamlessly. It meant that I was able to order a scooter taxi straight away, check in with my mom whenever I needed to, as well as have the confidence to travel in new places without a single problem. It's so much cheaper than roaming for me, and just so much easier than the struggle of buying a SIM card when you arrive in a country. If you're ready for an adventure without all the hassle, you can download the Alo app for free today and you can use our code Ma3 for $3 off your first Eim. Go have fun and travel without all the stress. I harvested this bunch of bananas maybe 2 weeks ago and it's been slowly ripening since then. And the last few ones I've let get a little bit rotten, but they're still they're perfect for baking. So, I'm going to make some banana pancakes for breakfast. And the rest I froze for smoothies. So, I have so many smoothies in the freezer, as well as frozen mango from the summer.

[00:10:39]Do you want the rotten one? Do you know what to do with it? That's for you.

[00:10:44]Maragold knows what to do.

[00:10:50]This is the simplest recipe ever and I eat it so often. It's just bananas, eggs, and a tiny bit of buckwheat flour.

[00:10:58]And it makes the best pancakes that you could ever dream of. They never fall apart. They're like little pielets. So good. It's like banana bread and a pancake combined.

[00:11:20]All right.

[00:11:29]And a little bit of flour, which I always guess each time and always change it.

[00:11:42]Julia instead of coffee drinks this turmeric drink that she makes herself and it's turmeric from the garden and it's really healing and it's kind of delicious.

[00:12:27]last week. Really opening up to you all felt incredible. It really gave us a vision of who you are. To hear your stories and read your comments and send off your print orders and see the names from all over the world. It made us realize just how lucky we are to have this beautiful community supporting us.

[00:12:45]I think on here we often want to show the nicer moments of our life because I mean, let's be honest, no one wants to watch five hours of trying to find Magnolia the goat when she's secretly escaped to the neighbor's farm or to watch a failed project or to listen to sad stories, but I realized I think I was wrong to think this. Of course, you want to know what's really happening here. And at the moment, that's a lot.

[00:13:10]But in between it, especially on these routines like moving the goats, I find those poetic moments of life working through. And I remember that this is it.

[00:13:20]The beauty, the grandness, the incredible moments of life that we all search for. They aren't as hard to find as we think. They are everywhere. Even in hospital dorms, when me and mom are so worried about Julia's health, Julia will crack a joke that makes us all burst with laughter. and she reminds us that it's not as simple as a good day or a bad day. I just wanted to thank everyone for how supportive and beautiful and caring you were after we opened up with you last week about Julia's health and it just honestly means so much to us just hearing all of your own stories of hardship and understanding how beautiful this audience is and how much you guys care about us. So, just wanted to jump on here and say thank you. Julia was so blown away by the amount of people that bought prints. It means so much to her, especially at this time. And she just keeps imagining her in all of these different homes around the world. And she's really excited for you all to receive it. You'll probably be receiving your prints soon or you might have already. So, please, when you do, comment how you like it. Send us a picture. Let us know. This print behind me, this is a painting Julia did 2 years ago, maybe. and it's a self-portrait of herself. It's called Deep Stream Passes, I Heal Gently, which I think is very relevant right now. And it's one of my favorite of her paintings. And I also want to show you it because I realized I didn't show the framed prints close up.

[00:14:48]So, this is an A1 in a natural frame and it's the biggest size and the print quality is just so beautiful. But if you ordered one, you will know that. So, yeah. Thank you again. It It means so much. I can't explain how much it means to us just to even put names and faces to you and hear your stories. All of your love towards Julia's art has just got her so inspired to be back in the studio and be painting again. She's obviously not up for it at the moment.

[00:15:14]Her health is pretty bad right now. A surgery like that for anyone is very rough, but for her with her ME/CFS, it's going to be a long time before her energy levels can hopefully be up enough to be painting. But yeah, she's feeling really excited about just inspired about everything and wants to get sketching.

[00:15:33]But I thought in the meantime while she is recovering, I might come down here and just start renovating a little bit.

[00:15:41]I know I've renovated this place many times, but I've got a few things that I kind of want to change up. And I think that would be a kind of special present for Julia so that when she's up for it, she can come down and this space will be sparkling and she can go and paint again. Anyway, thank you all so much for your support and if you haven't already, you can check out our prints on our website and there's lots available there. So, thanks again everyone. It it means so much.