The BioChef® Axis Cold Press Juicer is compact and very versatile, it is what we call the complete "living food kitchen machine" and it will quickly become an integral part of your daily health and wellness regime.

The Oscar Neo DA 1000 and DA 1200 are Australia's best-selling single gear horizontal cold press juicers, from the original slow juicer brand, Oscar. 

Juicing with Kidney Disease: Is it Safe?

Juicing is more popular than ever among people who care about their health, and with good reason. Juicing is a great way to take in extra nutrients with less effort and great taste. However, people with chronic kidney disease need to strongly consider any dietary changes. Is juicing good for your kidney health?

Kidney Disease and Your Diet

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a condition where the kidneys lose function over time. This can be caused by many things, but the two most common causes are high blood pressure and diabetes. As kidney function decreases, symptoms develop that including fluid buildup, increased blood pressure, and the buildup of wastes and toxins that the kidney typically remove without trouble.

With chronic kidney disease, many substances that are normally harmless can build up to dangerous levels. Most people don’t think about getting too much potassium, or calcium, or phosphorus. But with kidney disease, these and other minerals become a concern.

A good kidney diet is low in sodium. It carefully monitors, potassium, calcium, and phosphorus. It also watches protein intake. People in the early stages of chronic kidney disease typically need less protein, because working to process the waste products protein creates can put too much stress on a diseased kidney. But for people in the last stage of CKD, the protein requirement is different. The

What makes homemade edible treats a great gift?

They say the way to someone’s heart is through their stomach, so why not treat your friends and loved ones with a homemade present from the kitchen?

Edible gifts are...

Have we convinced you to try making your own gifts? Read on to be inspired by our gift ideas below. All ideas can be made with kitchen appliances available in stores and online.

Unusual Food Gifts

Whether it’s a hearty dish or something sweet, anything is possible with a little creativity...and help from the Internet! Food gifts don’t always have to be something edible. Cosmetics and skincare products such as face masks and creams can be prepared in your own kitchen following a few simple steps. Besides, you don’t necessarily have to spend lots of money to create something special. You can easily recreate one of the many recipes found online to prepare gourmet food gifts for friends and family members using ordinary and inexpensive ingredients.

Food Gift Ideas without Thermomix

Nowadays, countless ideas for Thermomix recipes can be found on the Internet, but not every household has one of these devices. Not to worry, it’s not absolutely necessary! There are many dishes that can be prepared without the help of a Thermomix.

For most homemade recipes, a good

Once again, the Christmas season is just around the corner and with it comes the question of what to gift your loved ones. Health, well-being, wellness and a little holiday for the mind, body and soul are goods that can hardly be balanced out with money. However, there are ways in which we can positively contribute to our health and wellbeing. What better time than the festive Christmas period to show someone how much they mean to you. Creative and practical gifts devoted to well-being are always very popular, as they can be used in everyday life and are often something a friend or relative wouldn’t think to buy for themself.

Finding the Right Gift for Everyone

Gifts for health means something different for everyone. For example, younger people might require different gifts than grandparents. Students are happy to receive practical things that don't take up too much space. This is especially important for students who love to cook but require a little creativity and ingenuity in small student kitchens. Practical Christmas gifts can also bring the fitness-enthusiast friend or the health-conscious neighbour great joy. Animal lovers would be thrilled to find a gift under the Christmas tree meant for them as well as their four-legged friend.

Vitality 4 Life has put together matching gifts and surprises for all these individual needs. Discover our great gift ideas for your friends and family to suit their hobbies and needs.

Looking for the perfect gift for someone?

Well-being and comfort play a very important role especially amongst elderly loved ones, with older parents and grandparents just as happy to receive fitness gifts that improve health and mobility. In addition to natural remedies, teas, juices or herbal ointments, practical items are also very welcome. Ideally, find out beforehand about their individual needs so that it’s something they really need and will appreciate.

Gifts for Daily Relaxation & Well-being

Staying active is very important in older age, however, some elderly people may find it more difficult than others. For those with limited mobility, a nice gift idea could be a comfortable massage cushion for a bed or an armchair, which can be used at any time for pleasant relaxation. A cuddly blanket or a foot warmer also provide a pleasant feeling in the winter time. On the other hand, a ‘sofa butler’ with a shelf and pockets for glasses, magazines and other everyday objects will save them effort of having to get up for simple things. Any grandparent would be happy to receive these small but thoughtful gifts, that make everyday life easier and ensure a sense of well-being.

Homemade Christmas Food Gifts

Homemade gifts in the form of food such as organic fruit jam, Christmas cookies or deliciously

For everyone who loves cooking, high-quality and efficient cooking utensils and kitchen appliances are great gift ideas, because with every new appliance comes new culinary possibilities for any kind of cook.

High-performance Blender for Budding Chefs

High-performance Blenders, multi-function cooking machines, sandwich makers or a coffee machine with a grinder and milk frother are just some of the gifts that make the hearts of every gourmet chef beat faster. These machines can be used to create the most fantastic recipe ideas. With a high-performance blender, healthy smoothies, pestos, dips, purees, dressings, nut milk, ice cream and other specialities can be made with ease. Special high-performance blenders are even suitable for making hot dishes such as soups.

Exclusive Delicatessen Food

Some healthier

Thousands have already joined the fitness revolution and are now eagerly incorporating healthy habits in to their everyday lives. This is where countless gift ideas come in handy. In addition to practical fitness equipment for at home or on the move, there are also a variety of vouchers available.

Trial Courses for New Sport Activities

Instead of membership cards for the local gym, how about something new? Trial courses are a great gift idea. Often new hobbies emerge from trial lessons of sports or activities which you would never dream of partaking in the past. A good idea would be, for example, a voucher for a dance course, a fast-paced round of Zumba, karate or squash training. Diving and snorkelling courses are available for water enthusiasts, and kitesurfing or stand-up paddleboarding might also interest them. A voucher for a yoga or mindfulness course also ensures well-being for the mind and body.

For many, personal training is also a nice gift idea. Together with the trainer, a personalised training and diet plan is created, guaranteed to increase fitness and well-being further.

Personal Blender with To-Go Cups for Protein Shakes

Protein shakes are the perfect post-workout treat that, enjoyed by many fitness enthusiasts and

The desire for proper health and well-being is becoming more and more important in our society. This is certainly one of the reasons why people today are getting older and older and are often fit and active even into old age. The growing awareness of a healthy diet made up of preservative and additive-free food plays a major role here. Consuming fresh fruits and vegetables as well as whole grain foods, and as little or no animal products as possible, is now more popular than ever.

Healthy Homemade Gifts

Homemade foods are particularly popular, as they give you a good feeling about eating a healthy and nutritious diet. Anyone who wants to eat healthy will be grateful for homemade delicacies, such as a homemade muesli mix. It’s always great to know what ingredients have been used in your food, so you can enjoy it with piece of mind that there are no nasty additives. Another perfect gift could be a delicious organic superfood basket filled with your own homemade delicacies.

Nutrition and Health Workshops

Cooking courses and health & nutritional workshops are popular gifts for health-conscious people, as well as vegetarians

Dogs are known to be man's best friend. Those who love their furry, four-legged friend, pay attention to the health of their pets, to ensure that they have a long and joyful life. This starts with a healthy diet.

Food Dehydrator for Healthy Homemade Dog Treats

High-quality food is incredibly important for a dog-friendly diet. Many pet owners prefer to prepare their pets' food themselves instead of buying instant products. A Food Dehydrator can be used to prepare special treats, such as homemade dried meat which is free from preservatives and other harmful substances. What’s more, you can decide for yourself which types of meat you want to dehydrate and how big you want the treats to be! With fresh meat or offal from the butcher or local farm you can make healthy snacks for your four-legged friends quickly and inexpensively.

With the right recipe book, this can be a lot of fun. And of course, dog owners can also make delicious bites from dried fruit for themselves with a dehydrator. It’s a win-win!

Vacuum Sealers for Dog Food Storage

The purchase of a

Since most students don’t have much room to play around with in their student dorms or shared flats, they are particularly thankful for compact gifts that take up little to no space in the kitchen. Practical gifts that are used in everyday life, such as backpacks or student planners, are also always welcome.

Compact Personal Blender with Travel Cups

If you want to give a present to someone who loves to cook, keep in mind that small student kitchens in particular need a little creativity and ingenuity when it comes to storage. Students often do not have a large enough budgets for expensive kitchen appliances, and may be missing the right gadgets to easily prepare elaborate dishes or small snacks. With a Personal Blender with Travel Cups, you can mix a healthy fruit smoothie in an instant. Personal food blenders are also perfect for creating quick vegetable soups or mixing yoghurt based snacks or drinks as a healthy snack between lectures. Plus, the practical To-Go cups fit easily in to backpacks and are designed to be closed tightly and leak-proof.

Cookbooks for Quick To-Go Dishes

Anyone who loves cooking would be thrilled to receive a recipe book

The beginning of the year is the perfect time to get back on track with your healthy eating and lifestyle habits. We put together a few tips and recipes to help you on your way to a happy and healthy 2019.

1. Let's start with a healthy juice recipe you can make with our horizontal or vertical slow juicers from BioChef.

Since juice doesn’t have fibre, it doesn’t have the same digestion needs as regular food. The nutrients in a juice are more easily absorbed by your body.

The New Year Detox Juice Recipe:

• 2 lemons, peeled and halved
• 4 apples, quartered
• 2 cucumbers, halved
• 1 cup filtered water/ice cubes
Alternate soft and hard fruit and veg through your juicer and adjust pulp to taste. Add the water and stir just before serving.

To help you with your healthy eating goals, the BioChef Atlas Pro Whole Slow Juicer features a specifically designed wide feeding chute which allows you to easily juice whole fruits and vegetables with minimal preparation. Check out the Atlas Pro Whole Slow Juicer in action over on our Facebook page

2. Make your own healthy snacks with a dehydrator and vacuum seal for longer shelf life

Your food will have a much longer shelf life if you use a food dehydrator. The dehydrator will remove all the moisture from the food and, if stored properly, you can keep your food for up to one year longer than if you used an oven. Prepare your delicious home made snacks and get rid of the unwanted preservatives and nasties from store-bought snacks. Using a