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Tag: inulin powder

Let’s Talk About Inflammation

Posted on by Tim Ashton

Inflammation is a buzz word here at Flourish, namely because it is the target of one of our best selling products, the Turmeric Blend.

So often when we talk about inflammation, we associate it with chronic disease, however, inflammation is not always the enemy.

Part of the bodies natural immune system, without inflammation, the body would be unable to heal from infections, tissue damage or wounds.

For example, when you sprain your ankle, it swells and becomes hot and painful – three cardinal signs of inflammation. This is the body’s way of telling you to slow down while it heals what is broken and it’s the good kind of inflammation that our bodies need.

However, the inflammation that accompanies most chronic disease processes is not so good. Inflammation drives disease processes, which means it intensifies the disease in your body and makes it worse. 

The inflammation pathway

The inflammation pathway is called the arachidonic pathway and it has two arms.  One is pro-inflammation and drives inflammation cytokines or cells, and the other is anti-inflammation and drives anti-inflammation cytokines or cells.

The food we eat determines which pathway will be dominant. Animal products drive the pro-inflammation pathway. 

Our lifestyles will often push our bodies to become more inflamed.  The foods we eat, our stress levels and whether or not we exercise will all contribute to our inflammation levels.  A balanced, plant-based your diet combined with controlled stress levels and regular exercise is the best path for getting on top of chronic inflammation. 

Combatting Inflammation with our natural anti-inflammatory

Turmeric is one of mother nature’s best natural anti-inflammatories.  It works exactly the same way as all the non-steroidal, anti-inflammatory drugs like Nurofen or Voltaren.

We are often asked what the difference between Turmeric and Curcumin is, and the easiest way to explain the difference is that Curcumin is like what vitamin C powder is to an orange.  It is only one component of Turmeric, which actually has over 300 beautiful phytonutrients in it.

Turmeric as a whole contains curcuminoids and turmerones, and these turmerones cross into the brain and help turn off inflammation within the brain that causes foggy brain. They also help to keep the liver healthy. 

It is so important to always choose whole foods as your medicine, not extracts as these really are not foods as all.

Shop our bestselling Turmeric Blend here.

5 Ways To Improve Your Gut Health

Posted on by Tim Ashton

It’s the season of Gut Health here at Flourish, and for good reason too!

Our gut microbiome (the trillions of microorganisms living in your intestinal tract) is the corner stone of our health and our happiness. These microorganisms, mainly comprising of bacteria, are involved in functions critical to your health and wellbeing. It’s essential that we keep them as happy as possible!

Small changes can go a long way in improving our gut microbiome, here’s our top tips:

1. Eat the rainbow

The more colours of fruit and veggies on your plate, the greater the diversity of species and the more species present, the healthier your immune system!  A good way to begin to do this is to make a chart with each colour of the rainbow marked on it, then each day tick off what you have eaten from each colour range.

2. Don’t be too clean!

We don’t mean to be a grub! But using antibacterial wipes and hand sanitising gels constantly just isn’t healthy.  They are designed to wipe out bacteria and since our bodies are made up of more of trillions of essential bacterias, it’s important not to wipe them out using sanitising gels.  Research shows that the more sterile the environment for our gut microbiomes the smaller the diversity of species, and thereby the less healthy the host, which is us!

3. Eat gut loving foods, they are natural detox

Eat at least one or all of these foods daily: cold white potatoes with no fat or oil on them, cold rice like sushi with no mayonnaise, and cold oats. The reason we advise to eat these foods cold is because when they’re cold they’re much higher in resistant starch (which is what our gut microbes love!) The gut bugs eat and convert it to short chain fatty acids and butyrate which is the primary food source that keeps the cells of our colon healthy.

4. Avoid C.R.A.P

Otherwise known as ‘Calorie Rich And Processed’ foods.  Stay away from food out of a packet and foods high in processed sugars.  Keep fat to less than 20 grams per day.

5. Take our Prebiotic Blend

Our obvious choice! Our Prebiotic Blend is food for the gut microbes!  It is full of resistant starch and inulin (from chicory root), a form of fibre that they love. Our Prebiotic Blend to gut bugs is like what a Krispy Kreme is to a 10 year old, delicious!

SHOP THE BLEND

You might also be interested in “The Difference Between Turmeric & Curcumin“.

Introducing: The Prebiotic Blend

Posted on by Tim Ashton

We at Flourish are so excited to announce the hatching of our newest member of the Flourish family: our inulin powder Prebiotic Blend!

Our prebiotic blend.

This blend, our new natural prebiotics made up of chicory root, green banana flour, cinnamon, cardamom, cacao, aniseed, fennel, orange and ginger nourishes your gut, leaving you feeling healthy and happy.

Gut health is a buzz term at the moment and an important one at that. It’s also something we are constantly getting asked about from our customers and clients, so a prebiotic blend was the obvious choice when it came to developing our next product.

So what does it do?

We have approximately 100 trillion bacterias in our guts, made up of 700-1500 unique species.  The greater the number of species that call our gut home, the more diverse it is, and the greater our gut diversity are, the healthier we will be.

The prebiotic blend feeds your gut with all that it needs to grow more species of bacteria.

How does it work?

The gut-loving ingredients we mentioned earlier are all to thank when it comes to how this blend works.

The star of the blend, chicory root is a wonderful source of inulin, one of the special fibre groups that bacteroids (one of the major players in immune health) love. Green banana flour is also a major source of resistant starch.

Probiotics love all things fibre, especially resistant starch.  Resistant starch is a type of fibre that resists being absorbed high up in the gut thereby making its way to the large colon where all the probiotics live. 

They see it come through, do a happy dance, eat till they are full and healthy and by downstream effect, feed your colonocytes or colon cells, making your bowel healthy and happy.

Why not a probiotic?

Probiotic is just another name for gut microbe. Most probiotics on the market are made up of 8-15 different species.  There may be billions of them, but it is not the number of microbes that is important, it is the number of species.

If the number of species in your gut is small and there is an overabundance of one particular species it leaves you feeling unwell and can lead to food allergies and intolerances.

Our founder, Medicinal Nutritionist Kathy Ashton says that this blend can benefit anyone and everyone.

“This blend will change your life. Remember you need to feed your own gut microbes in order for you to be perfectly healthy. Go forth and Flourish!”

Give your gut the diversity it needs and your body the wellness it deserves.

Let’s Shop the Prebiotic Blend.

You might also be interested in “Why Cleanse?“.

Why Cleanse?

Posted on by Tim Ashton

You’ve probably heard the term before, sprawled across magazines, health products or your social media news feed, but the idea of ‘cleansing’ really began in rehabilitation centres. It was originally coined for people addicted to drugs and alcohol going ‘clean’. However, despite what a lot of fad diets and brands would like you to believe, there is really no such thing as ‘cleansing’ the body – at least not in the way you might imagine.

The human body is built to eliminate toxins and waste and it works hard on your behalf every day. A 24-hour built-in cleaning system can be found in the form of your liver, kidneys, skin and lungs, which are constantly monitoring, filtering, cleaning out toxins and harmful substances from your body. If you were left to your own devices here, these substances would very quickly build up and cause some serious damage. That being said, we are certainly able to help our body out and provide support in the way of what we eat and nutrients that ‘cleanse’ or ‘detox’ the body.

The Cleanse has been designed to rest the body from the onslaught of C.R.A.P (calorie rich and processed) foods that we often overindulge in. As medicinal nutritionists, we know that certain bodily processes and functions work more optimally when you feed them the foods they love to eat, and remove the crap foods that slow them down. Instead of trying to do your body’s job for it, you will be providing it with nutrient-rich foods that feed every cell and support every organ so it can work optimally. To do that, we have packed our ‘cleanse’ full of whole foods, rich in the right nutrients, and eliminate foods that do not support peak body function.

By increasing foods that allow for good peristaltic movements of the digestive system and removing foods that make it sluggish, you are allowing it to rest. The whole foods we have included in The Cleanse are high in fibre, which acts like a brush removing build-up from the walls of the bowel for optimal digestive function. They also feed or fertilise your good gut bacteria and assist in creating a more diverse range of gut bacteria. This has a flow on effect for your overall health as the happier these little guys are, the better our immune system, brain function and mood is.

Now that you’re sold on the benefits, selecting your ‘cleanse’ is the tricky part. If it’s calorie-restricted, involves too many juices or smoothies or it cuts down on the diversity of nutrients you consume then it should be avoided. Your ‘cleanse’ should not be calorie-restricted, because weight loss shouldn’t be the primary goal here. If you do lose weight by restricting calories, you will more than likely put it back on and more. A good ‘cleanse’ should based on plant-based whole foods and include a variety of vegetables, legumes, nuts and seeds. The focus should be on a high fibre option so that if any toxins are dumped into the bowel, they can bind with the fibre and ship it out the back door, rather than being reabsorbed. This process should be done at least once a year, but twice is ideal. If you really wanted to look after your body, try ‘cleansing’ at the beginning of each new season.

We’ve done the hard work for you and designed The Cleanse to rest your body from rich, highly processed foods, alcohol, processed sugars and other junk foods while ensuring your body gets the nutrients it deserves.  We have included the Daily Detox Blend to work as food for the liver cells and each phase of the detoxification process, allowing it to function optimally. This is not a juice cleanse, fad weight loss plan or a restricted-calorie diet. This cleanse, developed by qualified Medicinal Nutritionists, uses food as medicine to revive your body, leaving you feeling invigorated and healthy.

Find out more here.

You might also be interested in “Staying Healthy During The Silly Season“.

Staying Healthy During The Silly Season

Posted on by Tim Ashton

Summer is coming. Now despite its promise of warmer weather, long beach days, and perhaps even some time off work, it still seems to strike fear into our hearts.

The summer months can be a really confronting time – a time of skirts and sandals, sleeveless dresses, shorts, and of course the dreaded bathing suits. A time when we worry that perhaps we were a little too zealous, a little too carefree, with our food choices throughout winter. We may be body positive, but do we feel it?

Trust me, it doesn’t have to be this way! Let’s think again…

Summer brings with it the most wonderful food choices and meals. Exercise and the outdoors are that much more enticing, and we often naturally find ourselves eating a little healthier and feeling a little lighter. If summer is a time for anything, then it’s a time for some sun and some socialising.

But, wait a minute, I see some red flags waiving! Socialising…it’s that one aspect of summer that has the potential to threaten all of our good work and undermine all of our best intentions… It’s party season.

Summer in the southern hemisphere is Silly Season. Parties can be a nightmare when you are committed to a particular diet regime. The food offered at parties? Often ‘gourmet’, regularly deep fried, and rarely meat and dairy free. And don’t get us started on the traditional Christmas lunch. Wholefood, plant-based, oil-free eating? Not so much.

“Oh my goodness! How can I continue to eat healthy when I’m averaging two parties per week?!” It’s a refrain I hear constantly, so here’s a plan of attack:

Tip #1

If it’s a friend hosting the party, try telling them what you require. Keep it simple. I usually tell friends that I have a strict diet regime due to a health challenge, and that I would be more than happy with a salad and a spud. Otherwise I ask whether it is acceptable for me to bring my own food, and just let them know what that food is likely to be. If you say it is for health reasons, no one feels threatened or put-out – and they’re your friend, they’ll understand!

Tip #2

Restaurants. Once again, ring ahead and tell them what you require. Are they able to accommodate your health requirements? All you need is a simple salad, steamed vegetables, potatoes, a lentil or rice dish. Trust me, they will appreciate the forewarning and happily cater for you – especially when you are accompanied by a large group of people – customer satisfaction is good business!

Tip #3

Eat before you go. This is a challenging one. It requires a little organisation and, I’m not going to lie, occasionally leaves you feeling rude or removed from the group. Just remember your priorities. It staves off temptation once you arrive, but also leaves you free to simply enjoy what vegetables and salads may be on offer.

Honour Yourself by using our natural detox

Remember the commitment you have made to yourself to honour your health and healing journey. Personal growth, authenticity, and integrity are some of my key values, which makes sticking to my eating regime non-negotiable.

Enjoy the festive season for the people, not the food, and you’ll be surprised just how wonderful you feel about yourse.

You might also be interested in “The #1 Diet Tip That Will Change Your Life“.

The #1 Diet Tip That Will Change Your Life

Posted on by Tim Ashton

If I could make a single dietary recommendation to people looking to improve their health, it would be to adopt a plant-based diet.

Eating plants has been the best change I’ve made in my diet — plants have made me healthier, stronger, more energetic — and have increased my life expectancy. Of course, the diet itself is simple, but moving away from the standard Aussie diet to a plant-based one can be challenging for  isn’t always so simple for most people.

Changing your diet can be difficult, but in this blog, I’ll share a bit about how to change, talk a bit about why, and what you might eat.

What’s a Plant-Based Diet? 

The simple answer, of course, is that you eat plants. You eliminate animals and (eventually) animal products like dairy and eggs.

The less simple answer is there is an abundance of plant foods that most people never eat, and eating a plant-based diet means you might widen the variety of foods you eat. For example, some of my favourite foods include: Buckwheat as a porridge in the morning, or in place of rice in a salad or savoury dish, Quinoa, sweet potatoes, white potatoes, and basically any vegetable I come across.

Why Should You Change to Natural detox?

Changing to a plant-based diet will help you lose weight and reduce your BMI, improve your heart health, stay healthier as you age, improve blood pressure, reverse diabetes, or any other health-related issue.

How to Change

I recommend that if you want to make the change, start small and change slowly. A good plan is to make the change in stages:

Slowly cut out meat. You might try starting with ‘Meatless Mondays’ and then, over time, expanding to other days of the week. Another common idea is to start by cutting out red meat, and then poultry, then seafood, in gradual stages over a few months. There is no rush — do it at the pace that feels right for you. Another important point is that, as you eliminate meat replace with starches and legumes, they will give you all the nutrition you need. Try new foods and explore different products as you make these changes.

Eliminate eggs. After you cut out red meat and poultry, you’ll be pescatarian (seafood). When you eliminate seafood, you’re vegetarian! If you’re eating eggs and dairy, that’s called a “lacto-ovo” vegetarian. You can then eliminate eggs.

Cut out dairy. This tends to be harder for most people. Not because of milk but because of cheese. I hear a lot of people say, “I can’t give up my cheese!” — and I empathise, as this was a sticking point for me too. Try focusing on the things you can eat, rather than the things you can’t.

What to Eat

So, what do you eat when you’re on a plant-based diet that focuses on whole foods? Lots!

A few categories of foods to include regularly:

Beans and other protein. This means the regular kinds of beans, like lentils, black beans, kidney beans, pinto beans, garbanzo beans, etc. But it can also mean soybeans, tofu and tempeh.

Nuts and seeds. My favourites include raw almonds and walnuts, along with ground flaxseeds and chia seeds, and hemp seed protein powder. Almond milk is also good. And quinoa — it’s like a grain, but really a seed, and full of nutrition.

Good fats. Not all fats aren’t bad for you — you should just avoid processed fats and oils.    Plants with high amounts of good fats include avocados, nuts and seeds.  However, all plant foods contain some sort of fat in them even lettuce and celery.  Minute amounts but even so, they do contain some.  So you will be getting all the fats you need.

Greens. This is one of the most important and nutritious groups of all. Dark, leafy green veggies are awesome and full of calcium, iron and a ton of vitamins. They also have very few calories, meaning they pack a ton of nutrition in a small caloric package.

Other fruits and veggies. Get a variety — I love berries of all kinds, figs, apples, citrus fruits, peaches, mangoes, bananas, pears, bell peppers, garlic, beets, celery, cauliflower … I could go on all day!  Make sure your plate looks like a rainbow, with many different colours.

Good starches. Starches are king, in a plant-based regime. They offer loads of good nutrients and fill you up.   Sweet potatoes, white and red potatoes, squash, brown rice, sprouted whole wheat, steel-cut oats, among others.

OK, so… are you feeling overwhelmed by all of this? How do you put it together? It’s not that hard once you get used to it. If you’d like help to get started, contact me today.

You might also be interested in “The Flourish Philosophy: Go With Your Gut“.

The Flourish Philosophy: Go With Your Gut

Posted on by Tim Ashton

At Flourish our mission is simple. It is to help people from all walks of life achieve a full, healthy and pain-free existence. We consider it a privilege to pay witness to another human’s journey, particularly one that sees an individual restore health and vitality to their day-to-day lives.

Our guiding philosophy stems from none other than the father of modern medicine himself, Hippocrates.

Hippocrates said, “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food”, and although it’s been some time since he walked this beautiful Earth of ours – he died around 370 BC – his teachings are as true today as they have ever been. Hippocrates’ therapeutic approach was one of wholeness, he believed that the body has the capacity to re-balance and heal itself, if it is given the appropriate time and the correct nourishment.

It is an approach to healing that we at Flourish identify closely with.  It’s an approach that says, to paraphrase and modernise Hippocrates, “Go with your gut”.

Formally known as the gastrointestinal tract, the ‘gut’ is a sensory organ and our primary environmental interface. It is responsible for all the functions in our digestive system, and is instrumental in the absorption of nutrients from food, as well as the expulsion of the resulting waste. Folk wisdom tells us that ‘gut instincts are always right’. It’s an age-old and admittedly figurative adage, but we like to think it reveals just how critical a determinant of your overall health this one organ is.

In fact, gut microbes speak directly to the brain via the Vagus Nerve. Speaking of microbes, did you know that we are made up of more bacteria than we are human cells? 10 times more!

It is imperative then, that we prioritise the maintenance of a healthy gut terrain at all times. This starts with a healthful diet. If there’s one thing we believe at Flourish, it is that power of a healthful diet is truly transformative. 

You might also be interested in “8 Make-or-Break Health Habits“.

8 Make-or-Break Health Habits

Posted on by Tim Ashton

We all know that food is our fuel, but it can be so much more than that! If you can whip yourself up a little enthusiasm, add a cup of variety, perhaps a few sprigs of preparation, and accept a handful of helpful tips, then your diet can quickly become an exciting, creative outlet.

I like to think of eating as an experimental adventure. You may not even realise just how easy and enjoyable it can be to eat food that’s both healthy and well-balanced, without having to go to the Jamie Oliver school of cookery.

And remember, your diet it so much more than simply what you choose to eat – think about what you consume more broadly, and consider how each facet of your day-to-day life contributes to the overall health of your lifestyle. Healthy habits may begin with your diet, but a holistic approach to your wellbeing is critical to its achievement.

Let’s walk through some of the findings from the American Journal of Cardiology. Their 2014 research suggests – as we at Flourish have always found – that even the smallest of changes to your diet and lifestyle can reap some pretty sizable rewards. According to their study, the “best” diet consists of the following:

  • 2 servings of vegetables per day
  • 6 servings of fruit per day
  • 3 servings of legumes per day
  • 3 servings of wholegrains per day
  • 3 servings of fish per week

If we add up the calories from the food mentioned above, this diet equates to approximately 975 calories per day. Based on a 2,900 calorie daily allowance, this leaves 2,000 calories free for consumption.

Note another factor in their recommended diet is the minimisation of red and processed meat in your daily eating plan.  Ultimately it calls for moderation when it comes to eating fatty food, dairy, refined cereals or breads, sugary food and cakes.

Following this diet was found to have reduced the risk of cardiovascular disease by 20%. Throw-in the decision to quit smoking and alcohol consumption, and the risk dropped by 64%. Furthermore, the inclusion of 40 minutes of daily walking plus one hour of vigorous exercise per week, and the risk plummeted by 76%. In fact, the study demonstrated that if you keep your waist under 95cm, you lower the risk by an astounding 84%.

Astonishing results, right? And all achieved with simple lifestyle changes. Simple changes, for significant long-term health benefits.

Finally, the study identified eight make-or-break health habits that can be incorporated into your daily life.

We think you’ll know a few of these already…

Eat Healthy: It doesn’t have to mean counting calories, nor the excruciation of portion control. It means eating good food until your heart’s content.

Be Active: Get a move on, get your groove on. Walk the dog. Do yoga after work. Join a gym. Just do things that keep you moving!  40 minutes a day plus one big exercise session per week is all it takes.

Enjoy the Sun: Produce that Vitamin D! Not too many rays, but enough to feel a healthy glow.  Just remember to equip yourself with quality UV protection and lots of water to stay hydrated.

Reduce Medications: Work towards creating a healthy immune system. When possible, seek natural medications over artificial ones.

Engage in positive social behaviours: Practice kindness. Socialise regularly. Participate in activities that keep your mood and spirits up. It will benefit you and yours.

Sleep and Restore: Make sure to get at least 6 hours of rest, minimum. Your organs need this time to regenerate and restore! Your productivity will skyrocket with adequate sleep.

Seek joy and balance: Find your zen. Make time to meditate and relax. Create the space in your mind to be reminded of what’s important.

Minimise deprivation: This is a big one, and a common hurdle. Will power will never be enough to sustain a long-term health regime. Focus on being reflective, and remember to be kind to yourself.

You might also be interested in “Pills and Potions: Are they a detox necessity?“.

Pills and Potions: Are they a detox necessity?

Posted on by Tim Ashton

Who else is losing count of the number, combination, and regularity of supplements you should be on, and for what? Vitamin D, but not without C, Fish Oil for this, Rosehip oil for that. Every second friend has found a miracle solution for a condition you didn’t even realise you should be worried about. Suddenly you’re taking the whole alphabet, and the only difference you’re noticing is the added stress of a vitamin regime you can’t seem to stay on top of. Pharmacy shelf, after supermarket shelf, after health store shelf is laden with bottles and packets of products claiming to possess the exclusive ability to detox your body. But do you truly need all these pills and potions to keep your body tip top?

Rest assured, nestled in the right portion of your abdomen – somewhere below your diaphragm but above your stomach – is the best detoxifier know to humankind: The Liver. Everything we eat, breathe, touch, or rub into our skin goes through our liver. It’s working every minute of every day to filter our blood, ridding it of the harmful toxins and chemicals that enter our system daily.

That’s some serious responsibility.

As our body’s primary detox system, it’s critical that we keep this filtering process in the best possible condition. It’s likely to take a significant toll on our body if its function is compromised, risking damage to other critical organs and hastening early aging. 

Do you get headaches, or begin to feel anxious after a single cup of coffee? Do strong smells make you lightheaded? Are you constantly feeling bloated, tired, and foggy? It might be time to do a Liver Spring Clean.

Natural detox and Cleanse, what are they ?

Yes, “detox” and “cleanse” are buzzwords for pills and potion providers, but don’t let that discredit the processes themselves! A little cleanse can go a long way – it can increase your energy, improve the quality of your sleep, help your skin look younger and your joints be stronger, and even help you achieve weight loss.

If you follow these three steps, you can invigorate your body’s natural detox processes, without having to use detox aids.

Avoid Stress (as best you can)

Stress commonly leads to binge-eating, binge-drinking, and even binge-smoking, all of which overwork the liver due to the excessive intake of chemicals. Stress is an unavoidable part of life, but there is a whole spectrum of productive and destructive ways to deal with it, that can in turn help or hinder your long-term health and wellbeing. Next time you’re experiencing stress, try and sweat it out with your choice of exercise. 

Load-Up on Nutrients

Amino acids aid the liver pathways. Cruciferous vegetables, garlic, onions, leeks, and shallots all contain good amounts of sulphur and amino acids, which aid liver pathways and enhance chemical breakdown phases. Turmeric has anti-inflammatory properties that benefit the liver, so make sure to add a little to your next curry or stir-fry. The list of turmeric’s health benefits goes on and on.

Eat at least five servings of vegetables and three servings of fruits which contain zinc, methionine, and vitamins C and B6 to aid the detox process. Make sure to include lemons, limes, asparagus, grapefruit and beetroot juice in your diet.

Water, Water, Water

An excellent way to detox your liver is to detox your other channels of disposal. The kidneys work in conjunction with your liver by eliminating water-soluble toxins, so keep them well-hydrated with a good ol’ flushing of H2O. “Drink eight glasses of water per day.” – we’ve all heard that advice, but have we all followed through and felt the benefits?

When you’re next receiving the hard-sell on so-called “detox-products” be sure to remember this: your body comes fully equipped with natural, in-built detox systems. A little discipline and a few healthy habits can have you looking and feeling your well-cleansed best, with only yourself to thank.

You might also be interested in “Thyroid 101“.