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Tag: health benefits of turmeric

Staying Healthy During COVID-19

Posted on by venadmin

Making the most of being stuck at home

The effects of the COVID-19 outbreak are being felt on a global scale. School closures, empty supermarkets, self-isolation requirements and the transition into remote work is a reality for many of us.

While staying at home may feel like an intimidating thing, it doesn’t have to be. There are many ways to stay healthy and positive during this time of self-isolation.

Ways to stay healthy while practicing self-isolation and social distancing

Food

A healthy gut microbiome makes for a healthier you. Eating nutritious food when stuck at home will help to keep both your mind and your body healthy.

On your next trip to the supermarket – whether you are going yourself or having someone deliver your food to you – plan out the groceries you need in advance. This will help to avoid panic-buying and ensure that you’re only getting what you need.

When buying grains, canned goods or frozen food, choose those that are mostly (or entirely) unprocessed and low in unhealthy ingredients like added sugars, additives, and preservatives.

Head to the fresh produce section and pick up an assortment of fruits and vegetables – there is plenty you can chop up and keep in the freezer for a few months at a time.

Turmeric & Ginger

Turmeric and ginger contain many beneficial properties that could help to keep you healthy while you’re isolating at home.

One study shows that fresh ginger could possibly contribute to fending off a viral infection, while another suggests that the curcumin in turmeric may help to inhibit airway inflammation. These spices also both act as a natural anti-inflammatory, which is another one of the many health benefits of turmeric and ginger.

Drinking ginger tea or adding turmeric to your meals is a great way to incorporate these nutritious spices into your everyday diet.

Please note that turmeric and ginger will not protect you from COVID-19, but they will help to keep you in optimal health.

Exercise

While being stuck at home can make sitting around and being inactive an easy thing to do, exercising where you can is important.

If you are not sick and don’t have to self-quarantine, you can still go for a walk or a cycle outside, so long as you practice social-distancing. However, if you’d rather stay home, there are plenty of ways to keep active.

You can clear some space in the living room, lay down a towel if you don’t have a mat, and follow along with a yoga tutorial on YouTube. If you need an alternative to weights, you can use full water or milk bottles.

There are also many exercises you can do that don’t require any equipment at all, including squats, wall-sits, planks, mountain climbers, sit-ups, push-ups, star jumps – the list goes on. Gardening or cleaning are both excellent ways to incorporate movement into your daily routine.

Cleaning also doubles as an important hygiene practice – wiping down high-touch objects like light switches, doorknobs and taps is a good way to keep bad germs out of the house. Don’t forget to clean frequently used items, like your phone, wallet, and keys, too!

Keep your mind and body active, healthy and positive

Practicing a healthy lifestyle while stuck at home is something that all of us can do. An active mind and body make for a healthy person, which is an important way to be during this time.

There are some pretty fun ways to keep yourself and your family entertained, too! You can read books, cook, bake, do puzzles, catch up on TV shows, craft and have movie marathons. The list is endless!

Keeping healthy and maintaining a positive attitude will give you the strength to help others in need and see this through together as a community.

4 Natural Remedies for Fatty Liver

Posted on by venadmin

What is fatty liver?

Fatty liver is just what it sounds like – a buildup of fat in the liver. While small amounts of fat found in the liver is normal, it becomes a health issue when there is too much.

Also known as hepatic steatosis, fatty liver isn’t caused by just one factor. If you’re thinking about a liver cleanse as a complementary health treatment, it will be much easier to action if you know what caused the disease in the first place.

Though fatty liver mostly stems from the overconsumption of alcohol (alcoholic fatty liver disease) or the overconsumption of processed food (non-alcoholic fatty liver disease), it can also emerge from certain infections, rapid weight loss or even being pregnant.

While fatty liver can lead to serious health issues, there are many cases in which diet and lifestyle changes can help to reverse the effects.

4 natural treatments for fatty liver

1. Lose/maintain a healthy weight

Being told to ‘lose weight’ can be the last thing that many of us want to hear. But when it comes to health problems, maintaining a healthy weight can be a key factor in preventing – or even reversing – illness.

One of the first steps to reversing fatty liver disease is losing weight. This doesn’t have to mean counting every calorie, but it does mean making healthy food choices in place of habitually unhealthy ones.

2. Cut out processed foods

Processed foods are devilishly delicious – that’s why we love them so much! But in the world of health and fatty liver, they are not good for you.

Junk food, alcohol and refined grains and sugars are all culprits for worsening fatty liver disease. The best way to help heal your liver is to minimise or entirely remove these foods from your diet.

A liver cleanse of sorts, cutting out processed foods will bring your liver, and your overall health, the respite it needs to start functioning optimally once again.

3. Exercise

If going to the gym every day isn’t achievable for you, that’s okay. Exercise comes in many different forms, and as long as you’re being active, your body will benefit.

So take the dog for a longer walk than usual. Use the stairs, not the elevator. Go for a leisurely cycle along the boardwalk or sign up for a dance class. Whether gardening or golf is your thing, all you need to do is get up and go.

4. Take a nutritional supplement

All-natural nutritional supplements that specifically target liver function can help to improve fatty liver disease.

Featuring beetroot and nine other plant-based whole foods, our Daily Detox blend works gently to give the body’s vital filtering system the liver cleanse it needs.

Change your diet, change your lifestyle

Fatty liver disease affects 1 in 3 Australians. With varying degrees of severity, the disease can go from mild to harmful and even – in some cases – deadly.

Fortunately, if addressed early enough, fatty liver is reversible. To regain control of your liver function, you need to adapt your diet and lifestyle to one that positively impacts your liver.

Our Daily Detox targets liver function and cardiovascular health. Try it today!

Turmeric for IBS: Benefits & Uses

Posted on by venadmin

Turmeric: a natural anti-inflammatory

Turmeric is an ancient spice that has been used for thousands of years in traditional Indian and Chinese medicine. Due to the high levels of curcumin that the golden spice contains, it has seen a rise in popularity over recent years for its medicinal benefits.

Curcumin is an active component of turmeric that contains significant natural anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Studies have also found that curcumin has antifungal, antiviral and antibacterial properties which can aid in treating a number of bodily ailments – not just IBS!

These components – and the overall health benefits of turmeric – is the reason why the spice has been so prominent in traditional medicine, and why it is seeing such a vigorous comeback today.

What is IBS?

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is a common disorder, affecting around 1 in 5 Australians at some point in their lives.

IBS is a medical condition that primarily affects the large intestine, with symptoms ranging from abdominal pain and bloating to constipation and diarrhoea. These symptoms can vary in severity and usually subside over time. However, in some incredibly rare cases, IBS has been known to cause intestinal damage.

While things like infection, food intolerance, stress, medication and diet have been marked as triggers for IBS, medical science is yet to prove the leading cause of the disorder.

How turmeric’s natural anti-inflammatory properties help to treat IBS

Many recent studies have explored the extraordinary health benefits of turmeric in improving many chronic health conditions including arthritis, Alzheimer’s and cancer. IBS is also on the list, with research suggesting that the spice helps in reducing symptoms related to the disorder.

While the positive effects of turmeric vary from person to person, ongoing research concludes that many people suffering from IBS are experiencing the benefits of consuming the spice.

The potent antibacterial properties of curcumin may help promote a healthy gut microbiome – or decrease the ‘bad’ bacteria in the gut – which is one of the many possible causes of IBS.

The most widely known property of turmeric (and it’s curcumin component), however, is its ability to work as a natural anti-inflammatory. For IBS, consuming turmeric can help alleviate the pain associated with intestinal inflammation – another possible cause of the disorder.

We believe in using natural remedies to aid in the healing process

When it comes to health, food holds a lot of power, whether we are willing to acknowledge it or not.

We believe that consuming whole foods (as opposed to extracts) is the best way to use food in improving health. All of our natural supplements are made with whole-food ingredients that work in harmony to improve sleep and energy, alleviate aches and pains, and treat the symptoms of chronic conditions such as IBS.

That’s why our natural anti-inflammatory Turmeric Blend is made with a blend of 13 different plant-based foods that support your body’s ability to help treat IBS and other health conditions, giving you all the benefits of turmeric (and not just that of curcumin).

Our Gut Healing Protocol will help to reset your gut

Because we are so passionate about health and the power of food to improve it, we created an online program to help you reset your gut environment.

Our Gut Healing Protocol specifically targets IBS and aims to reduce uncomfortable symptoms of the disorder.

With the combined power of our Gut Healing Protocol and Turmeric Blend, you can say goodbye to painful bloating and hello to a smoother digestive experience.

Tired of suffering from Irritable Bowel Syndrome? Try our Turmeric Blend today

The Lowdown on ‘Superfood’ Inulin Powder

Posted on by venadmin

What is inulin powder?

Foods containing high levels of inulin are earning the ‘superfood’ label because of the seemingly endless health benefits that inulin provides – including its wonderful ability to promote gut health.

Not to be confused with insulin, a hormone that controls blood sugar levels, inulin is a type of soluble fibre found in a wide variety of whole, plant-based foods.

Inulin powder is derived from these plant foods through a process of extraction. But here at Flourish, we don’t use extracts. We use plant-based whole foods. And for inulin, we use chicory root – one of the best natural sources of the fibre.

A type of prebiotic, it feeds the good bacteria in your gut and contributes to creating a healthy, balanced gut environment. And a healthy, balanced gut leads to a happier and more balanced you!

Which popular foods contain inulin?

Inulin is found in a variety of vegetables, fruits, herbs and roots. Chicory root is a well-known go-to for inulin powder because it has the highest concentration of the prebiotic than any other food.

That being said, inulin can also be found in the following plant-based foods:

  • Jerusalem artichoke
  • Beetroot
  • Onions
  • Garlic
  • Leeks
  • Asparagus
  • Bananas

4 reasons to introduce inulin to your diet

Inulin has some impressive health benefits not to be overlooked. While the powerful prebiotic is largely known for promoting healthy gut bacteria, it also positively impacts a handful of other bodily functions.

1. Gut health

As discussed above, inulin significantly impacts the gut microbiome – in the best kind of way.

By increasing the number of good bacteria, inulin helps to filter out the bad bacteria that – if given the chance to take control of the gut – can lead to serious health problems.

Having a healthy gut microbiome has been linked to positive changes outside of the gut as well, including improved mental health and a stronger immune system.

2. Blood sugar levels

Inulin has been found to help significantly improve blood sugar levels – something especially beneficial to those with diabetes and prediabetes.

Even if you aren’t diabetic, taking inulin powder is an excellent way to maintain a healthy blood sugar level.

3. Weight and appetite

A natural appetite-suppressant, inulin could prove to be an effective way of controlling food intake.

Whether by altering brain activity, increasing production of appetite-suppressing hormones or slowing down the process of emptying the stomach after a meal, studies suggest that inulin can help with weight loss.

4. Bowel movements

Because inulin is a soluble fibre, it helps to regulate digestion and keep the digestive tract functioning well.

Like oats and chia seeds, inulin swells after absorbing water. This aids in relieving constipation by increasing bowel movements and softening stool.

Looking for an easy way to incorporate inulin into your daily routine?

Chicory root, with its high levels of inulin, is definitely deserving of superfood status. The diverse and beneficial properties it contains has many people incorporating it into their daily routine.

We love chicory root for all of its benefits, and specifically because of the way it positively impacts the gut.

That’s why we created our very own chicory root-based Prebiotic Blend. One of our natural, whole food and plant-based prebiotic supplements, this blend is packed with insulin-rich ingredients, from chicory root to green banana.

Try our Prebiotic Blend made with 9 natural, whole food plant-based ingredients

Foods That Fight Inflammation

Posted on by venadmin

Food as a natural anti-inflammatory

Hippocrates said “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food’.

This is the approach we take to healing here at Flourish. One of the most important functions food can serve is as a natural anti-inflammatory.

Depending on what we choose to put in our bodies, food has the incredible ability to either help us or harm us.

Foods like beans, nuts and seeds, good fats, greens, healthy starches and fruits and vegetables all have beneficial properties that can target certain ailments within the body and boost overall health.

Natural anti-inflammatory foods you should be eating

There are plenty of natural anti-inflammatory foods at our disposal that we should be consuming more of, especially if we’re fighting disease and chronic inflammation. Here is a list of just a few:

Tomatoes
Spinach
Kale
Collards
Broccoli
Capsicum
Chill peppers
Mushrooms
Avocados
Almonds
Walnuts
Strawberries
Blueberries
Raspberries
Blackberries
Cherries
Oranges
Grapes
Dark chocolate
Green tea

The health benefits of turmeric are also important to note. The ancient super-spice has significant anti-inflammatory properties, as well as antimicrobial and antioxidant benefits.

Our Turmeric Blend is packed full of turmeric and curcumin, directly targeting inflammation within the body.

4 ways to use food as a natural anti-inflammatory

1. Eat more plant-based whole foods

Plants have been prominently supplementing our diet since back before we were Neanderthals and cavemen.

At a time when meat came few and far between, plants, grains, nuts, seeds and legumes were the core foundation of our meals.

Doesn’t it make sense then, to continue that practice now? We think so.

Packed with a wide range of natural anti-inflammatory nutrients that our bodies need, a whole food plant-based diet helps to both prevent and reverse chronic disease.

2. Say no to processed food

As much as we might love the taste of sweets and fried treats, refined sugars and carbohydrates are not good for us.

Processed foods like fries, lollies, sugary drinks, breakfast cereals, bread and cakes are all known to cause inflammation throughout the body.

Processed foods are rich in trans fats and other toxins that our taste buds may enjoy, but our bodies certainly don’t.

Though it can definitely be a challenge, the best thing you can do for your health is to limit – or entirely remove – these foods from your diet, replacing them instead with whole food plant-based alternatives.

3. Reduce red meat consumption

Red meat can become inflammatory if it is processed, high in fat and eaten in large quantities. Processed meats to avoid include sausages, hot dogs, bacon and store-bought burgers.

At Flourish, we are strong advocates for a plant-based, whole food diet. However, if you enjoy eating meat and want to keep it in your diet, we recommend that you choose the healthiest, leanest and least processed option.

We understand that it can be expensive to buy grass-fed, unprocessed and organic red meat. But if you can reduce your weekly meat consumption, you will also reduce overall costs.

4. Talk to a professional about natural anti-inflammatory supplements

Natural anti-inflammatory supplements are an excellent way to give your body that extra nutritional boost it needs.

If you’re unsure about supplements, talk to your doctor, nutritionist, healthcare professional or the team at Flourish to learn more about the benefits that they offer.

A key component of the turmeric that we use in our Turmeric Blend is curcumin. Curcumin further promotes the health benefits of turmeric through its active, natural anti-inflammatory properties.

The curcumin-rich Alleppey turmeric we use is blended with 13 other plant-based superfoods that support the body’s natural ability to reduce inflammation and alleviate the symptoms associated with chronic health conditions.

A natural anti-inflammatory, food has got your back

Food is a powerful source of natural medicine – we know that now. By eating the right foods, you can help your body to ease and reduce inflammation.

And the best part is that our whole food, plant-based nutritional supplements can help, too.

Learn more about our natural anti-inflammatory Turmeric Blend

Food and Fibromyalgia

Posted on by Tim Ashton

What is Fibromyalgia?

Fibromyalgia Syndrome is a condition with symptoms that include widespread, chronic pain and tenderness in the body. While there is no cure, you can certainly make some lifestyle changes that will minimise symptoms and improve your quality of life.  With supplements such as our turmeric blend, which helps the body’s ability to reduce inflammation, alleviate pain and reduce symptoms associated with many chronic health conditions, our mission is simply to help people from all walks of life achieve a full, healthy and pain-free existence.

In my early 30’s, I contracted the Parvo Virus, the aftermath of which was Fibromyalgia. Every part of my body ached, my muscles were sore to touch, my brain was foggy, and although I regularly went to the gym, the pain from exercise was extremely hard to recover from each day. Getting out of bed caused horrible pain in my feet. The aches became my ‘normal’ until I discovered it was not at all normal. Exercise was not meant to feel so debilitating. I then made the decision to see a Rheumatologist, and that is how my journey into the world of western medicine began.

The list of drugs that I was taking began to get longer and stronger, and it wasn’t until I was prescribed Methotrexate that I wondered if my pain was worsened by my diet. My doctor told me that there was no scientific evidence to support my theory about diet and its correlation to body pain, but as a self-confessed sugar-addict, I made a decision to cut it out for a while and see what happened. Within a few weeks, I was pain-free I could get out of bed and walk normally without pain, a sensation I had not had for years. I was excited. I gave back the script for Methotrexate and began a journey of using ‘food as medicine’, and this is when I started studying to become a Medicinal Nutritionist.

Fibromyalgia and Diet

Over the years of working as a Medicinal Nutritionist, I have come to realise that certain diseases hate certain foods, and, in particular, Fibromyalgia Syndrome hates sugar. If I bring sugar back into my life, I would be inviting the pain of Fibromyalgia back in, too. Another mandatory component of healing from Fibromyalgia is good sleep.

Moving on to the foods that promote healing from Fibromyalgia, we can divide them into two simple food groups: fruits and vegetables. The greater the variety of colour of the fruit on vegetables on your plate, the better you will feel. Intermittent fasting is another thing that Fibromyalgia responds well to aswell. Foods that promote problems and the severity of symptoms include packaged and processed food, such as sugar, alcohol, and meat.

The Flourish blend best suited to aid in the management of Fibromyalgia Syndrome symptoms is our turmeric blend. Once the pain is under control, 1 teaspoon per day, split into two 1/2 tablespoons per day is a wonderful maintenance program. The 1/2 teaspoon at night will also promote good sleep.

Let food be your medicine and change your diet to include more whole-food, plant-based foods, and you will be able to better manage the symptoms of Fibromyalgia. For more information on the healing benefits of food, see our whole food supplements and books, available for purchase on our website.

Lifestyle and Arthritis

Posted on by Tim Ashton

What is Arthritis?

Arthritis is a condition that causes pain and stiffness within joints. There are over 100 different types of arthritis, each with a slightly different presentation that involve different parts of the body.

The most common forms of arthritis are osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Osteoarthritis

Osteoarthritis (OA) is mainly due to wear and tear. It is caused by joints having to work too hard. Think of it like the brake pads in your car – after time and distance, they begin to deteriorate and need replacing. Luckily, you are able to take your car to the mechanic to have your brakes replaced. Unfortunately, that is not as easily done if a joint wears out. While some joints can be surgically replaced, this is only done as a last resort.

Osteoarthritic joints cause pain and stiffness, and, as a result, people who have this condition can find simple tasks that they once performed easily, now painful and tiring. The pain is caused by low-grade inflammation, and this is where the Flourish turmeric blend comes into play. Take 1 teaspoon 1 to 3 times a day, or until the pain has reduced. Then take 1 teaspoon per day for maintenance.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) is an autoimmune problem.  The immune system sees the joint tissues as non-self, or as a foreign tissue that needs to be removed from the body. In RA, the joints are often swollen, red and very painful. The pain can be unrelenting, and oftentimes there are many accompanying issues.

The treatment regime will often be anti-immune system medications, which try to dampen down the response by the immune system. Whilst these drugs are often extremely helpful, they are not without nasty side-effects, especially to the liver. This is where our daily detox blend can help. This will help support the liver and protect the liver cells from damage. As for the inflammation, our turmeric blend is a wonderful product to accompany any other treatments. When treating RA, we recommend taking a minimum of 2 teaspoons per day: 1 teaspoon with breakfast, and another at night with dinner. If there is no significant reduction in pain, try adding another teaspoon with lunch.

Foods that Harm

  • Gluten
  • Alcohol
  • Processed and Packaged Food
  • Sugar
  • Red Meat
  • Bacon
  • Dairy
  • Fried Foods
  • Tobacco
  • Preservatives
  • Corn Oil

Foods that Heal

  • Green Leafy Vegetables
  • Ginger
  • Turmeric
  • Broccoli
  • Garlic
  • Walnuts
  • Avocado
  • Berries
  • Cherries
  • Red Grapes
  • Kiwi Fruit

Exercise

Exercise helps tremendously, also, and is just as important as diet. Whilst it may be painful to move, it is important to find an exercise regime that you are able to maintain so as not to loosen the condition of the surrounding muscles. The stronger you are, the better your body is able to cope. Swimming and walking are two easy exercises to incorporate into your daily living.

While we know our supplements can dramatically help in managing both types of arthritis, we strongly recommend overhauling your complete lifestyle through food and exercise, especially when treating RA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Importance of Gut Loving Foods

Posted on by Tim Ashton

There are so many nasty gut issues, ranging from things such as Colitis, IBS, Crohn’s, Ulcerative Colitis, Diverticulitis, and many others. Symptoms can range from bloating to constipation diarrhea, abdominal pain, flatulence, bleeding, and a myriad of other problems. While some gut issues are autoimmune in nature, others can be related to things like stress and food intolerances, which can set up a cascade of health complications. All in all, gut health issues are frustrating, debilitating and inconvenient.  The Flourish anti-inflammatory turmeric blend and the prebiotic blend work wonders for anyone with any sort of gut issue.

Treatment

Yes, problems with gut health can vary, but the way we at Flourish treats them is the same.  We use a system called “DEBBIE” :

Diet – the right foods feed the gut flora and create greater diversity

Enzymes – help to break down food for better absorption and digestion

Barrier – leaky gut – decrease autoimmune response

Bacteria – the greater the diversity, the healthier

Immune system – 95% of your immune system lives in the gut

Enteric Nervous System – decreases stress and pain pathways

Diet

As you can see, the first line of fixing your gut issue revolves around diet and making sure that you are consuming plenty of gut-loving foods.  The foods you eat have a direct impact on your gut lining and gut microbes.  Our way of healing the gut is by going back to basics. Just as your mother did after you stopped breastfeeding, the foods you were given then created your gut world. What we do is take out all the offending food and go back to eating basic fruits and vegetables in order to recreate your particular gut world. We eliminate the foods that may be wreaking havoc on your gut health.

No matter where your pain originates, pain equals information. So if you are feeling bloated or have stomach pains of any kind, then it is a sign of inflammati0n. This inflammation needs to be switched off if you are to heal your gut.  Gut diversity – which refers to the number of species you have in your gut – is extremely important, and comes from eating a range of different foods. If your gut is inflamed, however, then diversity does not matter; the gut microbes have gone to sleep and are no longer doing their job. You need to consume a wide range of foods, and you need them all awake and working hard for you if you are to be happy and healthy. Because of this, diet is our number one challenge and treatment plan.

Often, if we get the ‘D’ for diet right, the rest of the ‘DEBBIE’ system falls into place and happens pretty much without intervention.

If you have any private issues or questions that you would like to discuss, please pop online and send us an email. We will be happy to chat, or click the appointment button and come and see us. Again, the Flourish anti-inflammatory turmeric blend and the prebiotic blend work wonders for anyone with any sort of gut issue. The only thing that changes from person to person is the dosage. The worse your problem, the gentler you must be with the dose. Always start small and build up gently.

Holiday Splurging

Posted on by Tim Ashton

80/20 Rule

Maintaining your health during the Christmas/New Year period is no small feat. While there’s nothing wrong with letting your hair down this silly season, keep your Flourish supplements close (especially the organic turmeric powder, beetroot powder, and chicory root prebiotic blend), and take part in a liver cleanse (using our 21 Day Cleanse) afterwards if you plan on splurging.

I am often asked by my patients if they need to be plant-based 100% of the time.  My answer is usually long and drawn out, but the crux of it is, only if you want to stay well.

However, at Christmas/holiday time,  if you wish to consume all the festive fare, then adopt an 80/20 rule.  Make 80% of your plate plant-based and 20% whatever you fancy.

Many then do this, only to feel terrible the next day, or they become bloated within hours of eating all those ‘yummy’ naughty foods that they haven’t had for many months.   Many people find that the symptoms of their health condition will reappear; this will depend upon how long you are ‘naughty’.

Our gut microbiome can change within a twenty-four hour time period, hence why feeling bad again, can happen so quickly.

After years of eating a plant-based regime, I now can’t face the usual Christmas traditional food, I know how I am going to react and feel, so it is an easy choice.  This year I am spending time experimenting with a fabulous main meal for Christmas day, and I will share the recipe once it is perfect.

Most of my patients’ need to find out for themselves, so I usually say knock yourself out on Christmas day, let your hair down, only to be emailed with a ‘HELP’ request the day or week later.

 

Natural Detox

So what if you do let yourself go, how do you recover?

The best way –

(1)  Keep taking the flourish products throughout the festive season, especially the daily detox beetroot powder.   If you do have a bloated moment, a teaspoon of the prebiotic blend with a little turmeric blend and that horrible feeling will go away, usually within 30 – 40 minutes.

(2)  Recover using the 21 day cleanse which is up on our website.  Or at least the first 7 days.   You will need at least the 7 days, to get things back to normal and feel like your healthy self once more, but again this will depend upon how long you have been celebrating.  The full 21 days will give you a much better and more complete outcome, and this is what I always recommend.

Wishing you all a very happy festive/holiday season.

Vegan Vs. Whole Food Plant-Based: What’s the Difference?

Posted on by Tim Ashton

2019 is being touted as the year of veganism – but what is a vegan diet? Our products – which include a beetroot powder supplement, a turmeric blend, and a prebiotic blend – are all both vegan and whole-food, plant-based lifestyle friendly. In this article, we’ll take a look at what makes the two lifestyles different.

Veganism

According to  Wikipedia, veganism “is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products, particularly in diet, and is accompanied by an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals”. A true vegan diet really just means that no animal products are consumed.

Whole-Food, Plant-Based

On the other hand, a whole-food, plant-based diet concentrates more on ensuring that the food you consume is from a “whole” source. In other words, the food you consume is unprocessed or minimally processed. Foods such as refined oils, refined sugars and refined flours are kept to a minimum or not consumed at all.

An example of this is olive oil. Those people following a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle are able to eat olives, however, olive oil – which is highly processed –  is not considered whole and therefore would not be consumed. A whole-food, plant-based diet is made up mostly of whole grains, vegetables, legumes,  beans, nuts and seeds.

The Difference

The word ‘diet’ is not accurate when describing veganism or whole-food, plant-based. While it describes the way a person eats, neither are calorie-restricted.  A better way to describe them would be ‘vegan lifestyle’ or a ‘whole-food, plant-based lifestyle.’ Both usually have a guiding philosophy, and what motivates the two lifestyles can differ significantly. Those inspired to go towards a ‘vegan lifestyle’ usually do so for ethical reasons. They are either driven by the philosophy of stopping cruelty towards animals or wanting a more sustainable environment. Those inspired towards a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle do so more for health reasons. They are looking to prevent or improve a chronic illness.

A simple way of looking at this is by considering the humble Oreo. By some miracle of food science, the Oreo is vegan, and those following a vegan lifestyle are able to consume as many as they like. Those choosing a whole-food, plant-based lifestyle, however, would avoid them and view them as too highly processed, calorie-rich and nutrient-poor, with way too many ingredients, offering no real health benefits. Basically, that is the difference.

We at Flourish promote a whole-food, plant-based, refined oil-free lifestyle because we know and understand that to recover or improve from any health crisis, it is one of the most effective ways to achieve desired results. Our whole food supplements are suitable for both vegan and whole-food, plant-based lifestyles.