Increase your energy and clarity by eradicating afternoon slumps, anxiety and fatigue with Amy’s fantastic wellness tips
We share with you the amazing recovery story of Amy Crawford, the creator of wellness hub The Holistic Ingredient.
Amy’s million-mile-an-hour corporate career was put to a swift end by chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), but she returned to health through switching to a whole food, sugar/toxic free lifestyle combined with extensive energy healing and a range of therapies called CTC (Combined Therapy Cocktail) of which she is now a practitioner. 
OB: The Holistic Ingredient is a culmination of whole foods, clean living and boundless energy. Could you explain to us how this all started for you?
AC: My business started by default as part of my healing journey from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – it simply took on a life of its own. I was diagnosed in 2011 after a very gradual decline in health over about 20 years. At that time I had a recruitment business and 18 years in the corporate world. Suddenly I had nothing. I started blog writing during my recovery with no idea where it would lead, but as a means of sharing my journey in the hope that I could inspire others to wellness. I shared anything related to the whole food diet (that got me well), toxic free living and boundless energy (having become a Reiki Master during this journey). Studying (to become a Health Coach) was a means of satisfying my thirst for knowledge. My Instagram account (which quickly developed a following) gave me the impetus to write a series of recipe books and to share whole food recipes on my site. My Combined Therapy Cocktail (CTC) treatment played such a significant part in my recovery that I feel totally blessed to be able to transform the lives of others.
OB: How has your health (physical and emotional) changed after altering your approach towards health and conquering CFS?
AC: The changes in my life since diagnosis have been nothing short of remarkable. Gone are the afternoon slumps, the anxiety, the fatigue, the wired feeling of adrenalin racing through my body due to the high stress lifestyle I once craved. These days my body feels ‘clean’, it isn’t loaded with the toxic ‘crap’ we find in overly processed foods and toxic household products. Consequently I feel an amazing sense of energy and clarity in my mind. But the emotional shifts I have experienced are the most remarkable, thanks to one life transforming CTC session. Not only was I free of CFS in one session, but I was free of everything else that was holding me back; that paralysing fear of public speaking that had been with me for 20 years? Gone. That feeling of not being good enough (which had me questioning my ability to write a successful recipe book, or build a business as a therapist), gone. That need to please significant others by making decisions I knew would please them (albeit not myself), gone. All of it simply disappeared. It was like I was an entirely different person. The weight of all of that 'stuff' had completely lifted. I feel totally empowered and free, like I really can do anything.
OB: You seem you be one very knowledgeable lady with the list of qualifications under you belt. What are the top 3 things you have learnt on your health journey?
AC: My top 3 health breakthrough tips are:
1. To eat whole foods as close to nature as possible, foods that are designed to heal my body, naturally. I avoid packets with numbers on the back that I don’t understand. We are all very different; we all require different foods to nourish our bodies. One person’s medicine is indeed another’s poison.
2. To invest time and energy into building a positive mindset. Each of us has the ability to manifest the life we want. What we radiate we attract - every thought, feeling or belief becomes our reality. I am very, very aware of my thought patterns and remember to only ever think about that which I do want, never what I don’t.
3. To live consciously by showing gratitude for what I have in my life and being thankful for that, also by giving to others. Living consciously raises our vibration and invites all the great stuff into our lives – we all know how awesome it feels to do something for others without expecting anything in return. Be that person and invite the same back into your life.
OB: Tell us a bit more about your wellness therapies?
AC: CTC stands for Combined Therapy Cocktail though really it ought to stand for ‘Cut the Crap’ because that’s essentially what it does. CTC combines a number of therapies including EFT, Hypnosis, NLP and Reiki. It’s a highly charged 2-2.5 hour session that frees you of every limiting belief, negative emotion, addiction, fear – anything at all that holds you back from being the best you can be. Significantly, what we do is find the root cause of that emotion, we don’t treat the symptom. It is seriously powerful stuff.
OB: How hard is it to go toxic free? What advice would you give to people to making their own lives toxic free?
AC: It can be overwhelming if you try and do it all at once (which I was required to do), so my recommendation is to simplify that process and replace produce and/or products with healthier alternatives, as you need them.
Here are a few toxic free tips:
OB: How do you incorporate superfoods into your diet?
AC: In all sorts of different ways! Superfoods are simply foods with a very high nutritional value. I choose to eat foods of high nutritional value that will add value to my life and wellbeing, not remove from it. Here are a few examples:
OB: Give us a quick breakdown of what you eat in a day?
AC: I believe in creating what I call a functional plate at every meal. Quality protein, something raw, good fats and a carbohydrate.
OB: Lastly, what’s your all-time favourite recipe?
AC: My sweet cinnamon omelette. Oh my goodness do I love this dish for breakfast. Not only does it sustain me until lunchtime but it’s just so good for you – a great protein source.
AC: My business started by default as part of my healing journey from Chronic Fatigue Syndrome – it simply took on a life of its own. I was diagnosed in 2011 after a very gradual decline in health over about 20 years. At that time I had a recruitment business and 18 years in the corporate world. Suddenly I had nothing. I started blog writing during my recovery with no idea where it would lead, but as a means of sharing my journey in the hope that I could inspire others to wellness. I shared anything related to the whole food diet (that got me well), toxic free living and boundless energy (having become a Reiki Master during this journey). Studying (to become a Health Coach) was a means of satisfying my thirst for knowledge. My Instagram account (which quickly developed a following) gave me the impetus to write a series of recipe books and to share whole food recipes on my site. My Combined Therapy Cocktail (CTC) treatment played such a significant part in my recovery that I feel totally blessed to be able to transform the lives of others.
OB: How has your health (physical and emotional) changed after altering your approach towards health and conquering CFS?
AC: The changes in my life since diagnosis have been nothing short of remarkable. Gone are the afternoon slumps, the anxiety, the fatigue, the wired feeling of adrenalin racing through my body due to the high stress lifestyle I once craved. These days my body feels ‘clean’, it isn’t loaded with the toxic ‘crap’ we find in overly processed foods and toxic household products. Consequently I feel an amazing sense of energy and clarity in my mind. But the emotional shifts I have experienced are the most remarkable, thanks to one life transforming CTC session. Not only was I free of CFS in one session, but I was free of everything else that was holding me back; that paralysing fear of public speaking that had been with me for 20 years? Gone. That feeling of not being good enough (which had me questioning my ability to write a successful recipe book, or build a business as a therapist), gone. That need to please significant others by making decisions I knew would please them (albeit not myself), gone. All of it simply disappeared. It was like I was an entirely different person. The weight of all of that 'stuff' had completely lifted. I feel totally empowered and free, like I really can do anything.
OB: You seem you be one very knowledgeable lady with the list of qualifications under you belt. What are the top 3 things you have learnt on your health journey?
AC: My top 3 health breakthrough tips are:
1. To eat whole foods as close to nature as possible, foods that are designed to heal my body, naturally. I avoid packets with numbers on the back that I don’t understand. We are all very different; we all require different foods to nourish our bodies. One person’s medicine is indeed another’s poison.
2. To invest time and energy into building a positive mindset. Each of us has the ability to manifest the life we want. What we radiate we attract - every thought, feeling or belief becomes our reality. I am very, very aware of my thought patterns and remember to only ever think about that which I do want, never what I don’t.
3. To live consciously by showing gratitude for what I have in my life and being thankful for that, also by giving to others. Living consciously raises our vibration and invites all the great stuff into our lives – we all know how awesome it feels to do something for others without expecting anything in return. Be that person and invite the same back into your life.
OB: Tell us a bit more about your wellness therapies?
AC: CTC stands for Combined Therapy Cocktail though really it ought to stand for ‘Cut the Crap’ because that’s essentially what it does. CTC combines a number of therapies including EFT, Hypnosis, NLP and Reiki. It’s a highly charged 2-2.5 hour session that frees you of every limiting belief, negative emotion, addiction, fear – anything at all that holds you back from being the best you can be. Significantly, what we do is find the root cause of that emotion, we don’t treat the symptom. It is seriously powerful stuff.
OB: How hard is it to go toxic free? What advice would you give to people to making their own lives toxic free?
AC: It can be overwhelming if you try and do it all at once (which I was required to do), so my recommendation is to simplify that process and replace produce and/or products with healthier alternatives, as you need them.
Here are a few toxic free tips:
- Where possible choose organic food. By eating organic food you are easing the toxic burden on your body. Day to day we are surrounded by environmental toxicity that we are unable to control. At the very least we can control the food we consume.
- Read the labels. Do they come with warning messages and numbers you don’t understand? If so, put them back!
- Choose natural beauty and household products without synthetics and goodness knows what else.
- Choose glass over plastic, or look for BPA free. Can you make your home plastic free?
- Find a chemical free hair salon.
- Make your own cleaning products (find my Lemon Cream Cleanser recipe on our website).
- Invest in a reverse osmosis water filter.
- Take detoxifying your body one step further and go for an infrared sauna, you will feel amazing for it!
OB: How do you incorporate superfoods into your diet?
AC: In all sorts of different ways! Superfoods are simply foods with a very high nutritional value. I choose to eat foods of high nutritional value that will add value to my life and wellbeing, not remove from it. Here are a few examples:
- I use coconut oil wherever I can – it’s a healthy saturated fat said to aid weight loss, build the immune system and improve skin conditions, amongst other benefits. It has also become my daily moisturiser and make up remover.
- I throw cacao into my smoothies, breakfasts and bliss balls. Raw cacao is the highest antioxidant food on the planet. Great for the heart and brain it’s also considered a mood elevator and anti depressant. Who wouldn’t feel their mood elevated with chocolate for goodness sake?!
- I use any number of green leafy veggies (also in powdered form) to up the anti in the nutritional stakes – I juice them, create smoothies, sauté them, you name it.
OB: Give us a quick breakdown of what you eat in a day?
AC: I believe in creating what I call a functional plate at every meal. Quality protein, something raw, good fats and a carbohydrate.
- Breakfast might be a buckwheat pancake topped with smoked salmon, lettuce, a drizzle of tahini and some kimchi.
- For morning tea, a homemade crunchy nut tahini ball.
- For lunch, homemade nori rolls filled with raw salad, quinoa and a protein source of some kind.
- Afternoon tea might be a kombucha tea and a handful of activated nuts.
- For dinner a piece fish or meat with steamed or roasted veggies and a side of kimchi once again.
OB: Lastly, what’s your all-time favourite recipe?
AC: My sweet cinnamon omelette. Oh my goodness do I love this dish for breakfast. Not only does it sustain me until lunchtime but it’s just so good for you – a great protein source.
With Health & Wellness Practitioner Amy Crawford
Amy specialises in a sugar- and toxin-free lifestyle focussing on whole foods combined with extensive energy healing and a range of therapies called CTC (Combined Therapy Cocktail). Amy practices through her business The Holistic Ingredient and spreads the word via her whole foods eBook, A Nourishing Kitchen.
Amy specialises in a sugar- and toxin-free lifestyle focussing on whole foods combined with extensive energy healing and a range of therapies called CTC (Combined Therapy Cocktail). Amy practices through her business The Holistic Ingredient and spreads the word via her whole foods eBook, A Nourishing Kitchen.
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