In A Day With... Alana Anderson — In A Day Naturopathy

Firstly, are you able to tell us a little about you and your journey to where you are now; where is your hometown, where are you living at the moment and what do you do ?

Hello, my name is Alana Anderson. I live at the northern end of the Sunshine Coast (Gubbi Gubbi country), in a little hinterland town called Kin Kin. I live on a small farm with my partner Jake, our two year old daughter Olive and our two cattle dogs Mate and Blue! My partner and I have been slowly building up our farm since we moved here 5 years ago. It was a previous cattle property and had been heavily logged so we have been busy planting lots of fruit trees, native trees endemic to our area as well as starting up a market garden.

I was working as a medical scientist prior to becoming a mother and farming, however after extending my maternity leave multiple times I finally resigned from my role last year and have been focusing on growing food for community as well as being a full time mum. It’s funny how motherhood has given me more encouragement to follow my dreams than I previously had. I’ve always loved the outdoors and healthy eating and growing food is everything I’ve dreamed of so I’m happy to be on this journey now.

How do you usually begin your day?

I love to start the day by watching the sunrise. I have recently delved deep into quantum biology and it’s really encouraged me to never miss a sunrise again. I had no idea how therapeutic and powerful the morning infrared wavelengths of light are until recently. We have beautiful hiking trails not far from our home, so I usually take the dogs for a walk up to the top of the ridge in the summer months when you can get the most spectacular view of the sun rising over Noosa Heads. In the cooler months when I’m actively in the garden I start the day with a nourishing bone broth before heading out for my mornings garden duties.

What does your dream day look like ?

As a busy mumma to our 2 year old daughter I’m quite time poor at the moment so my absolute dream day would be a pretty simple day really. I would start the day watching the sunrise, a morning surf; yoga, lay outside with a novel; out for lunch with some dear friends and get out into the garden for the afternoon. It seems so simple but as a mum it’s rare to experience a day like this, so yes it may not be other people’s dream day but right now it would surely be mine. Oh and a massage in there would be wonderful too ha.

You and your partner have Kin Kin Growers. Are you able to share how you got into farming/growing ? Has having a farm always been something you had planned ?

Jake and I first met whilst surfing. We were both very big ocean people at the time, however our first conversation out of the water was all about growing food and permaculture principles. We both shared the dream to own a plot of land and grow our own food and we worked hard to make that dream happen as soon as we could; which lead us to purchase a small farm in Kin Kin in 2020. It was something I had fantasised about most of my life, having grown up in suburbia I knew from a young age I wanted to have a self sufficient lifestyle and live on an acreage.

The past couple of years we have been growing food for our community and selling our produce through weekly veggie boxes or at our local market. Having a market garden really is the perfect job for raising a young child. Not only do I get to be at home with her; our daughter gets to experience from such a young age having her bare feet in the soil, planting seedlings and knowing where her food comes from. She knows the names of most the veggies we grow now as well as the fruit trees. It’s a pretty dreamy way to raise a child I must admit.

What is your beauty routine ? Do you have any favourite natural products or skincare rituals ?

My beauty routine has changed over the years, I used to spend a lot of money on organic skincare however for me I’ve realised that it’s more important that my beauty routine comes from what I eat and my lifestyle choices. I also just try to keep myself hydrated as much as possible. I do love the Mukti range though; they have a deeply nourishing marigold night cream that I love applying before bed.

Do you have a favourite scent ? If so, where does it take you ?

I actually love the smell of coriander! I love harvesting coriander for our veggie boxes. The smell just radiates through the garden when I pick it, it’s so spicy and fresh and I adore the smell of it. It actually always takes me back to a Himalayan restaurant I remember visiting frequently when I lived in brisbane for Uni; one of their dishes was served with bucket loads of coriander and I think that’s where my coriander obsession began.

If you were to choose 5 ingredients to have in your kitchen, what would they be ? (Practical or impractical !)

Tumeric; it grows so well in our subtropical climate. I love to harvest it fresh and put in the dehydrator to make our own tumeric powder and blends.

Garlic; I love the depth of flavour and all the health benefits it provides, and so easy to grow. Elephant garlic is great for anyone wanting to grow in south east QLD.

Raw milk; we are so lucky to have an organic dairy not far from where we live. We can take our glass bottles and fill up fresh milk straight from the Vat, I have always loved milk and I’m hoping to start making our own butters and cheeses soon.

Ghee; for the obvious reason that’s it’s the most healthy oil to cook with.

Bone broth; I love starting the day with a cup of bone broth. I also love using it in a lot of recipes I cook with.

How do come back to yourself when you are feeling ungrounded, tired or uninspired ?

This is a tricky one now being a full-time mumma. I have found it difficult at times to have a moment to myself. I think that’s why nutritional I’m focusing as hard as I can on eating nutrient rich food. My regrounding at the moment mostly comes from the early morning walks; I adore the early hours of the morning and the colours in the sky, the fresh air and the birds singing, it’s just a really special time of the day. I frequently will listen to inspiring podcasts about topics I’m interested in when im on these walks. Being in nature and outdoors always gives me energy and I feel reinspired after listening to good conversations about something I’m passionate in. My favourite podcast at the moment is Regenerative Health with Max Gulhane, MD. He is a wealth of knowledge in the quantum health space too and has done some fabulous and insightful interviews with his guest speakers.

Are there any food or health philosophies that guide how you and your family eat ?

Our family embraces a food philosophy centered around eating local, organic and regenerative foods. We particularly believe in the importance of seasonal vegetables, which nourish our bodies and connect us to the earth's cycles. For our community that don’t have the space to grow their own food we feel good knowing that we can support them with such nutrient dense produce that is grown with love and care of the soil and planet.

If there was one piece of advice that you could teach/instil in your little one, what would it be ?

I will tell Olive that a simple life, rooted in the rhythms of nature, brings the greatest happiness. True happiness comes from being healthy—physically and mentally—rather than accumulating wealth. By nurturing our connection to earth you can cultivate a fulfilling and joyful existence, finding richness in experiences rather than possessions.

What are you looking forward to over the next few months/this year ?

I’m really looking forward to getting back in the garden at the start of autumn (Our growing season is from autumn to spring). I’ve learnt so much the past few years so each year growing gets more and more exciting trying new crops and learning from past years mistakes.

I’m also looking forward to surfing more this year. I haven’t had much time in the ocean since becoming a mum and moving further from the coast; however Autumn is my favourite time on the Sunshine Coast for waves and gardening so I’m very much looking forward to the coming months.

Are there any old-school natural remedies that you always have on hand for you and your family ?

We have been growing our own garlic the past few years and gosh we put it in anything we possibly can. I haven’t got any remedies that I use in particular but just applying home grown garlic to anything haha we have managed to avoid many sicknesses going around the past couple of years I put it down to our garlic and also we keep bee hives too. Honestly garlic and raw honey; just the best.

The health of the soil and looking after the environment is important to your approach to farming. It is very easy get overwhelmed for someone knowing where to start when wanting to reduce their family’s environmental impact. Do you have any simple tips that you would like to share that people could implement into their daily life ?

Composting! It is one of the best ways to reduce a families environmental impact and then being able to apply home made compost to garden beds is a beautiful added bonus. It is important though to diversify compost; it can’t just be food scraps as this will be a breading ground for maggots. Creating simple layers with shredded cardboard/ paper, if you have access to any brown leaf material will ensure a balance compost pile. Because my background is medical science I actually have a microscope at home that I love to look at our finished compost piles in. Looking at it through the microscope lets me see if the entire soil food web is inside (aka beneficial microbes). However people don’t need to go this far; I’ve made many simple compost piles before and they always make a positive difference.

When do you feel your most confident, beautiful and happy ?

When I truly look after my body. When I know I’m eating well and living a circadian friendly lifestyle is when I feel my best.

To part, are you able to leave us with a favourite recipe of yours ?

As we grow a lot of radishes and carrots one of my favourite recipes is to make a simple pickled Carrot and Radish brine to keep in the fridge.

I use:
~1 ½ cups thinly sliced radishes and carrots (or just radishes)
~¾ cup filtered water
~¾ cup distilled white vinegar
~3 tablespoons honey
~2 teaspoons salt
~½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

~½ teaspoon mustard seeds

~2 cloves garlic thinly sliced

Optional
~2 tablespoons cilantro leaves and stems, roughly chopped
~1 jalapeño thinly sliced

Instructions:

~To prepare the radishes and carrots, I give them a good wash and chop off the ends and thinly slice them.

~ To make the brine; In a small pot I combine vinegar, water, honey, salt, crushed red pepper flakes, and mustard seeds.
~ Bring this mixture to a boil, stirring until the honey dissolves.
~While the brine comes to a boil, pack the sliced vegetables, garlic (and optional cilantro, jalapeño) into a mason jar.
~Pour the mixture over the vegetables and agitate it a little to make sure that the brine gets into all the nooks and crannies of the vegetables.
~Let the mixture cool to room temperature and then cover. The pickles can be eaten immediately if you like them super crunchy otherwise I like to ferment them for a few days before placing them in the fridge to eat alongside my morning eggs or roast meat dishes!