Tucked discreetly away on brunswick st, sun and earth is one…read moreof the best looking organic stores I've seen. The space is light, airy and really shows off their kick ass products. This store is amply stocked with a range of fresh organic fruits and veges, herbal supplements, lovely looking makeup, skin and hair care, cleaning products, teas, meats, snacks, sauces and breads. (Phew!) They also have this fantastic back section dedicated to bulk foods. (Think LSA mix, fruits, nuts, flaxseed meal, seeds and other natural goodies.) Be sure to try out their range of made to order fresh juices as well as the yummy organic takeaway lunches (vegan and gluten free!) This is one of my favourite pit stops when out and about and well worth a visit when in New Farm.

A new year, and so begins the obligatory fresh start feeling. Siobhan, put down the salted caramel…read moreand make some better choices about your diet (salted caramel is delicious though). Sun & Earth Organics is a great place to start if you are in need of some healthy options and inspiration in your life. The store on Brunswick Street houses everything you could imagine in terms of healthy lifestyle and dietary choices. From dried fruits and fair trade coffee beans, to pour-your-own organic laundry liquid. Sun & Earth really does remind you of how many great, healthy alternatives there are. With the busy lifestyle I lead, I often get caught up eating on the run and not really making the best choices about my diet. I think I will incorporate Sun & Earth into my weekly grocery shopping routine to make the health kick habitual. Believe me, the produce in Sun & Earth is enough to make your mouth water as much as any burger shop walk-by. If you are a health nut, in need of a boost in your dietary health, or simply wanting to embrace a more organic lifestyle, then I highly recommend you pop into Sun & Earth Organics.

Smug. Trolley. This…read moreis a spot of the smuggest of your health food desires to emerge and be openly out and proud, and while it may be a smaller store for a Flannery's, there's still plenty to feel virtuous about. They stock the general range of health foods, bulk-buy grains, a small fresh produce and deli section and plenty of vitamins and such. The staff on the day that I visited weren't as hands on as other Flannery's I've visited and it seems, as I was, to be a shop to go when you know what you want already. Still, there's enough to keep you wandering to stray from your shopping list. I have two sachets of coconut butter to prove it. TL; DR? An amply stocked local health food store. Great for specifically wanted items and often worth calling before you visit to ensure it's in stock.

Organic stores are not always easy to find and the health food section of most suburban…read moresupermarkets is pretty pitiful, so Mrs Flannery's Natural Grocer chain of stores in Brisbane is a blessing. The stores are almost supermarket sized, and the Chermside store is no different. It stocks a huge range of products including coffee, nuts, grains, flours, dairy, frozen meals, skin care, vitamins and household products. They stock a full range of environmentally and allergy friendly cleaning products and household products. Whatever your allergy, there are products to suit your needs. Gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free, sugar-free, vegan, organic - they have it all. A huge range of products can be purchased by weight, so you can buy as much or as little as you need in brown paper bags, making it environmentally friendly too. There is every kind of flour imaginable - regular, wholemeal, spelt, maize, chickpea. They stock 3 types of Quinoa, which is my favourite grain substitute at the moment. I always stock up on the soy crisps, Japanese rice crackers and dried vegetable crisps. I also recommend filling up a brown bag full of French Vanilla Granola clusters. It's not the cheapest store, and I wouldn't do a full grocery shop there, but it's great for those speciality items. And if you or your family suffer from allergies or food intolerance, this store will make your life a lot easier.

Part cafe, part supermarket, all amazing. I had no idea of this vegan / vegetarian / health food…read morewonderland existed on the north side but here, on busy Wardell Street between a spray tan shop and a church exists a shop where you can find all the faux meats, gluten free, dairy free, vegan cheese, and coconut milk ice-cream you could want. Half the fun of visiting is wandering the small but well stocked aisles to look at what products are there. For example, the toothbrushes made from recycled yoghurt containers I carried home from Wholefoods in the US - stocked here. Plus, the owners have branched out into a humble but delicious cafe where you can enjoy eats like the mushroom and mango salsa burger (DELICIOUS) or a sweet treat (like chocolate ganache cheesecake - totally vegan) from the cake cabinet. The coffee, Sacred Grounds, is organic fair trade and not like any blend I've tasted. Plus for those of us that can't handle too much lactose, I'm 99% sure my flat white was made on soy or almond milk which gave it an interestingly pleasant taste and yet no after effects of too much milk.

In the last 5 years The Green Edge has only got bigger & better!…read more Still loving the s@%t outta this place TBH as it's only become more awesome. A testament to the thriving vegan & vegetarian community in Brisbane The Green Edge continues to deliver the widest range of vegan friendly poducts from bakery delights to body scrub. The restaurant has also gone from stregth to strength from humble cafe beginning to now offering full dinner menus that change seasonally. If you have not made the trip to check it out - Yes, you are missing out and you should fix that. Like now.

Now I'm not the healthiest of eaters by any means, and for me to give this place a 4 out of 5 star…read morerating is saying something. Located in the middle of Emporium, this place has been open just over a year now. The range of salads (see pictures) and the juices are outside of the norm and I love it. The Chicken Waldorf salad with activated walnuts is my all time favourite, I've had it at least 5 times everytime I am there around lunch time. It's tasty, healthy and you can order in halves... so the last time I also half'd it with the thai beef salad which was really tasty as well. Everything looks and tastes super fresh and beautiful. They have done a great job, I am yet to try the juices and Kambucha juices but i'll definetely be back.

The only butcher I have found in Brisbane that sells 100% certified organic meat. There are two…read morestores, one in McDowell and one in Paddington - McDowell is my local. Although I don't eat meat very often, my husband and daughter love it so I cook it for them. I don't really buy it anywhere else because I know that the produce sold at the Meat-ing place is in its most natural form, free of growth hormones and other nasties. All of the gourmet sausages and small goods (including bacon) are free from preservatives, gluten, HVP and nitrate. Typical Aussies, my children love the rissoles and the beef sausages. I feel good knowing that the money I am spending is helping out our local farmers and that I am buying quality meat that is full of flavour and free from artificial (and dangerous) additives - just like the olden days.

I love this butchers. You will always be met with a smile by the staff and they are very…read moreknowledgeable about all their goods. Everything is organic and the beef is grass fed. If you are like me and need something like sugar free bacon, they are more than happy to order it in for you. Nitrate free is regularly stocked. Their produce is always top quality. I highly recommend trying them out.

Off the beaten track ...which is to say this business is tucked away around the corner from Banks…read moreSt (Moore st is opposite the Catholic Church, this is a great place for a quiet coffee and a delicious biscuit. I challenge you to find a more crumbly melting morsel of moment. Mistress of Spice stocks colourful and whimsical kitchenware & wears (aprons, teatowels) as well as having a large wall freezer full of simply scrumptious curries. These are qwell balanced and not overly oily like takeaway curries too frequently are. The spices are flaoursome and balanced very cleverly against the textures and tones of the other ingredients. My favourites : lamb and spinach curry, mauritanian chicken and potato, byt then again the beef dansak is fabulous and my son swears by the butter chicken. Yes you do have to heat it but believe me it is very easily done. Dessert? How about white choclate coconut truffle or hold on! bread and butter pudding. Rode past on my bicycle the other morning and there were no less than 8 chaps sitting out front with their coffees. Not an Ashgrove housewife in sight! The morning school shift must have just finished.