An Update from Jo

As we welcome the last month of 2025 and head into what's usually the busiest time of the year for us all, we wanted to take a pause to say thank you. We wouldn't be here without so many loyal customers and we are very grateful to you all for choosing to shop with us. We would like to offer you DOUBLE loyalty stamps on purchases over $50 from Monday 1st to Saturday 8th December. You will see below we have included some Christmas gift ideas and we also have gift vouchers available. These can be spent instore, or for Acupressure Foot Massage - and can also be sent out to you. Some of my favourites pictured below are the new body products from Indie and Mae, and the high quality incense from the Holy Smoke Range - this is an eco friendly and non toxic incense for purifying, elevating and uplifting your space. We also have the new portable diffuser from Absolute Essentials, which you can take with you in your car and use anywhere you may be staying over the holidays. She Universe chocolates are always a popular item at this time of year, and Hanami Nail polishes for kids make a great stocking filler.

You will see some minor changes to our hours over Christmas listed below. This year we are closing one hour early on Christmas and New Years Eve but other than that we are just closed the stat holidays. Our team of lovely ladies look forward to seeing you over the next few weeks and hope you all get the chance to take a break and find some time for fun and relaxation.

Our Vision

At Bethlehem Health Shop, we support ethical suppliers and sell quality, researched products. We offer sincere advice from our team of caring, trained staff.

Thank you so much for supporting your locally owned Community Health Store.

Christmas Changes to our usual Opening Hours

Wednesday 24th Christmas Eve closing early at 4pm

Closed Thursday 25th and Friday 26th

Open 9-3pm Saturday 27th

Open 9-5pm Monday 29th and Tuesday 30th

Wednesday 31st New Years Eve closing early at 4pm

Closed Thursday 1st and Friday 2nd 2026

Open 9-3pm Saturday 3rd

(always closed Sundays)

Normal Hours resume Monday 5th January

• Nuzest Clean Lean Protein 25% off 
• Gutsi Sporebiotic and Gutsi Digest Enzymes - 10% off
• New Weleda Solid Stick Deodorants 50g - Eucalyptus & Peppermint and Sensitive - 25% off
• Herb Farm Meno Support Night Cream and Meno Support Cooling Mist - 20% off
• Purchase TWO or more full size Giovanni Products and get a full size Nutrafix Hair Reconstructor (arriving this week)
• Purchase any Harker Herbals Childrens product and go in the draw to win a Childrens Gut Biome Builder
• Purchase any TWO Nutra Organics Products and get a FREE Whiz Stick
• Purchase Nutra Organics Kids Gutsy Gummies powder and get a FREE Christmas gummy mold
• Buy any TWO Buds Kids Nail Polish and get a "Crayon" shade of nail colour FREE
• Buy any TWO Hanami Nail products and get a FREE 9ml Rescue Me Nail Oil
• Spend $40 or more on Boody Basics (excludes loungewear and sleepwear) and get a FREE pair of Boody Womans Black Bikini Briefs - limit 1 per customer and sizes are limited to what Boody have sent us to giveaway, so get in quick!
• Buy any TWO The Patch Remedy products and get a FREE pack of 30 "Happy" patches
• Spend $69 or more on Living Nature and get a FREE Hand & Body Cream (valued at $45)
• Purchase TWO or more Speick Mens products and get a FREE Body Lotion
• Purchase TWO tubes of Wotnot SPF30 Suncreen for Babies and get a FREE refillable sunscreen roll-on applicator
• Buy any TWO Holistic Hair products and get a FREE trial size Herbal Finishing Rinse Concentrate or Salt of the Earth Volumising and Texturing Spray

All of the above specials and offers are only valid while stocks last.

• Kiss the Earth Celestial Oil in the new 30ml size
• The Wild Fermentary Kefir Gut Shots 750ml - Stress Relief (Beet Kvass, Ginger and Adaptogenic Herbs) and Immunity (Kraut Juice, Ginger, Tumeric and Lemon)
• Good Buzz Fijian Ginger and Green Tea 328ml
• Gevity Bone Broth 200g pouches - Natural flavour
• Luvin Life Organic Bi-Carb Soda 500g
• The Gluten Free Food Co Organic grain free flour 400g
• Oku Kawakawa Balm in a 10g travel size
• Puro Bio Beauty bag containing a black mascara and a kajal eye pencil
• Therapure My Mind 30 caps - Magnesium plus L-Theanine
• Organic India Teas - Spicy Fennel, Hisbiscus Plus, Immunoguard,Tulsi Energy, Tulsi Focus and Tulsi Favourites box
• Saffron Powder 1g
• Triphala Powder 100g
• Spice and Easy Organic Ashwaghanda 50g and Organic Moringa 50g
• New additions to our Oracle Card Selection including Rebecca Campbells newest deck Inner Temple, the Akasha Oracle, and the Herbal Astrology deck in a larger size.

New products will be added to our website as soon as we can. If you want to purchase these online before we get a chance to do this, please call us to order over the phone instead on 07 576 9442

This month we are lucky enough to have TWO giveaways thanks to Harker Herbals and Ceres Organics!

This amazing Harker Herbals Gift basket contains a Gut Biome Powder for Adults and also one for Children, Liver Detox, Intestinal Cleanse, Detox Support, Stress Relief and Sleep Well. To enter the draw simply reply to this email and let us know your favourite Harker product.

To enter to win the Giovanni Biotin & Collagen Strengthening Leave in Conditioner and the Restoring Hair Mask send us a separate email with "Giovanni" in the subject line and you will be in the draw.

Congratulations to Alice Doig who is the winner of last months Ethos Giveaway

Foods That Help Defend Against UV Damage

With the summer holidays fast approaching, we reach for the sunscreen to help protect our skin as we spend more time outdoors, but we can also look to our plate to strengthen our sun protection.

Sunscreen has increasingly become part of our summer routine over the past 30 years. In the 1990s, a survey showed only around 39% of New Zealanders used sunscreen, and while its use is a lot more widespread now, a NZ Herald story in 2023 showed only 26% of New Zealanders use sunscreen every day through summer.

Traditional sunscreens containing chemical ingredients and parabens can accumulate in the blood to toxic levels or disrupt hormonal pathways, so mineral sunscreens have become a safer option. Zinc oxide is used to absorb UV rays before they enter the skin, while also being anti-inflammatory for the skin. You will find a range of natural mineral-based sunscreens in the health shop. As sunscreen must be regularly reapplied for effective protection, it makes sense to support its use with a diet full of protective nutrients that have been shown to reduce the risk of skin cancer. It should be noted that these dietary recommendations are not a replacement for sunscreen.

Supporting our natural defences

Direct damage to our DNA can occur through UV-B exposure, while damaged DNA is then at risk of further harm from UV-A rays. Much of this damage is caused by an overload of oxidative stress leading to inflammation and a reduction in antioxidant enzymes and protective structures in the skin.

Minerals such as zinc, iron, copper and selenium can improve the defence against oxidative stress. So too can vitamins C, D and E. Luckily for the Christmas period, cocoa is also a great source of antioxidants and flavonoids, and also increases blood flow and oxygenation to the skin.

Dietary intake of vitamin A and carotenoids have been shown to increase levels at the skins surface, and may act as a direct protection for the skin. Astaxanthin from red-orange seafoods, lycopene-rich red fruits and vegetables, and carotenoid- packed parsley are all great additions to the diet for carotenoids. Additionally, recent research into the colourless carotenoids phytoene and phytofluene shows they may be the most effective absorbers of UV light, particularly UV-A and UV-B. The most bioavailable sources of phytoene and phytofluene are tomato juice, followed by carrot and apricot juices.

On the other side of the coin, we can also reduce foods that contribute to increased oxidative stress and inflammation in order to support the skin. This includes reducing saturated fats and sugars, along with the charred BBQ foods that often go along with summer.

Bringing science into practice

Last year, a dietary guideline was released by scientists in America specifically for nutrition for skin health. This practical advice on what foods to eat brings together the research into UV protective properties of foods. As you will see in the infographic, salmon, avocado, orange capsicum, milk, almonds, green tea, tomatoes, citrus, kefir, eggs and cocoa are all included, based on their nutrient-rich content of the vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients supportive of UV protection. We encourage you to include these in your diet this summer to support the use of sunscreen for the ultimate sun protection.

Article supplied by Claire George one of our Naturopaths www.headfirsthealth.co.nz 

infographic source: UV Dietary Protection: A Supplement to Skin Care; Created in BioRender. Assaf, S. (2024) https://BioRender.com/m40o422 

Aani Hydrating Body Sunscreen 110g SPF50  and Aani Mineral Face Sunscreen SPF50 70g

Living Nature Daily Protect Facial Lotion SPF20 75ml

My Sunshine SPF30 Sunscreen 50ml and 200ml

My Sunshine Tinted Mineral Sunscreen SPF30 60ml -  now available in Light and Medium

Smidge Sunscreen SPF40 Daily Face & Body 30g tin and 70g tin

Sol Goods SPF40 Sports Performance Sunscreen 100ml

Sol Goods SPF50 Tube Everyday Sunscreen 100ml

Solimara SPF50 Golden Sands 88g and 150g tubes

Wotnot Natural Sunscreen Baby 100g SPF30+

Sun Lip Balms

Dr Organic SPF15 Moroccan Argan Oil Lip Balm 7ml

Hurraw Sun Lip Balm 4.3g SPF15

Roasted Fennel

Instructions

1. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 400ºF.
2. Trim the stalks, fronds, and any browned edges from 2 large fennel bulbs. Reserve some fronds for garnish. Halve each fennel lengthwise through the root, then cut each half into 4 wedges.
3. Transfer to a baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil and sprinkle with 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon ground fennel or anise if desired, and 1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes if desired. Finely grate the zest of 1 medium lemon over the fennel. Toss with your hands until well-combined, then arrange the wedges cut-side down in a single layer.
4. Cover the baking sheet tightly with aluminum foil. Bake until the wedges are knife-tender, about 25 minutes. Uncover and toss the fennel. Return the baking sheet to the oven and bake uncovered until deep golden-brown in spots and the edges are caramelized, 25 to 30 minutes more. 
5. Cut the zested lemon in half.  Juice one lemon half over the fennel (reserve remaining half for another use) & toss to combine. Transfer to a serving platter, top with the reserved fennel fronds.

Note: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Credit: Photo: Joe Lingeman, Food Styling: Duncan Fitzpatrick
www.thekitchn.com/roasted-fennel-recipe-23246348    by Amelia Rampe