To be honest, when I first started to hear about the growing number of people with food intolerances, my initial reaction was a heavy eye-roll. How could so many people – all of a sudden – have to stop eating gluten, dairy or wheat (to name a few)? It was definitely a lack of knowledge, but at the time, it was also a strong protest from a stubborn, passionate carb lover!
I thought cramping was just a part of life and at the time was happy to put up with a bit of bloating if it meant being able to slurp down a carbonara, loaded with cheese and deliciousness.
Fast forward to now and things have ever so drastically changed. After recently moving to a new suburb, I had to seek out a new naturopath. I’d been seeing someone previously after being hospitalised for stomach pain, and for me, this is something I now prioritise as part of looking after my health.
What a lot of people don’t know about naturopathy is that it’s a lot more science driven than you’d assume. I’ve had tests done (through their in-house lab) to analyse my blood cells, measure my PH levels, and test for intolerances – among other things.
Following on from my last tests, I’ve been put on the dreaded elimination diet. Put simply, I have to avoid all foods that came up on my intolerance list for 1-3 months and gradually re-introduce to see exactly where the issues are.
Now this hasn’t been easy. First off, the list of intolerances was endless – wheat, dairy, gluten, eggs, corn, rice, garlic (and that’s just the start!). Navigating my way through this has been a tumultuous journey – I’ve had good days and several bad days where I (a 33 year old grown arse woman) have broken down in tears at the thought of not being able to wake up to a slice of sourdough.
It’s not easy, but in the spirit of leaning in, I’ve pushed through – spending time in health aisles, reading countless labels and cooking A LOT of new recipes.
Throughout this journey, I’ve discovered a lot of new products and brands, but there is one that stands out from the rest.
I love my chocolate and after a long week I just needed a sweet treat, but with the laundry list of no-no’s I had to work for it. This is where I stumbled across Pico – (cue heavenly music)!
As a brand nerd, I’m fascinated by marketing I see in my every day. Whilst chomping away at their beautiful vegan chocolate, I started to read through the packaging. The content was so beautifully written and followed a structure that made so much sense (if you know me, you know how I love a framework).
It pulled me in so much, that I started digging a little deeper. I did a quick search to find their website (SEO at it’s finest) and found that they were a part of Soulfresh.
Seeing the bigger picture was a brand lover’s dream. Not only have they got a great selection of products catered towards the health focused audience, but the way they’ve crafted their brand mission and positioning is a different level.
When it comes to brand loyalty, Soulfresh has it nailed. They’re a brand that truly knows their customer, knows how to communicate to their customer, and understands how to develop products that their customers love!
They’ve hit the trifecta, and it’s because of this that they’ve found a customer for life (as well as a dedicated article from this little marketing nerd).
Kudos Soulfresh, and thanks for making my health journey that little bit easier!