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Tag: natural anti inflammatory

Skin Vitality: The Connection Between Diet and Your Complexion

Posted on by Kathy Ashton

Have you ever wondered if there is a link between your daily meals and the health of your skin? Could the food you are enjoying be contributing to dry, red, or reactive skin?

Absolutely. What we put into our bodies directly reflects on the outside. Shifting toward a balanced, plant-based lifestyle is one of the most beautiful ways to support a clear, glowing complexion.

Understanding Skin Reactivity

“Dermatitis” is simply a general term used to describe a sign of skin irritation or inflammation. There are many variations, such as atopic skin (often called eczema), contact reactivity, and dry, flaky patches.

While symptoms vary, common signs include a red, dry, and itchy surface. For many, environmental triggers like soaps, detergents, low humidity, or stress can cause periodic flare-ups.

Because the skin is our body’s largest organ, it is highly sensitive to both external irritants and internal imbalances.

Mindful Lifestyle Rituals for Calm Skin

If you are looking to support a sensitive skin barrier, these daily habits can make a profound difference:

  • Moisturise Diligently: Applying a clean, gentle moisturiser at least twice a day helps seal in hydration and protects the skin’s outer barrier.
  • Gentle Bathing: Opt for shorter, 10 to 15-minute baths or showers using warm water instead of hot. When drying, gently pat your skin with a towel and apply your moisturiser while the skin is still slightly damp.
  • Track Your Triggers: Food intolerances and environmental factors vary greatly from person to person. Keeping a daily food and symptom diary is a brilliant, low-stress way to uncover your personal triggers.

Nourishing Your Skin from the Inside Out

Because reactive skin is often linked to the body’s natural inflammatory response, leaning into an anti-inflammatory, plant-based lifestyle is highly beneficial.

  • The Power of Omega-3s: Plant-based Omega-3 fatty acids are an integral part of our cell membranes. They help the body manage its natural inflammatory pathways. You can find these in abundance in raw walnuts, flaxseeds, leafy green vegetables, and avocados.
  • The Flourish Philosophy: Moving toward a whole-food, plant-based routine that is naturally free from gluten and dairy can make a significant difference in skin vitality.
  • Whole-Food Support: Rather than a harsh “cleanse,” we love recommending a gentle, 21-day whole-food habit reset. Nourishing your gut microbiome with plant-derived prebiotics and antioxidant-rich foods is the ultimate gateway to supporting clear, resilient skin.

Vitamins and Minerals for Vibrant Skin

If you are looking to support your skin’s natural glow, ensure your diet is rich in these foundational micronutrients:

NutrientRole in Skin VitalityPlant-Based Sources
Vitamin ASupports the natural renewal of skin cells.Sweet potatoes, carrots, dark leafy greens
Vitamin CVital for the natural production of collagen.Citrus fruits, strawberries, bell peppers
Vitamin EA powerful antioxidant that protects cell membranes.Almonds, sunflower seeds, spinach
ZincAssists the body’s natural healing and immune barrier.Pumpkin seeds, lentils, chickpeas

By combining gentle external care with a rich, plant-powered diet, you give your skin the perfect environment to flourish!

This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Chronic skin conditions like dermatitis or eczema require a proper diagnosis and management plan from a GP or dermatologist. Always read the label and follow the directions for use. Consult with your healthcare professional before starting any new nutritional protocol.

Nourishing Your Body Through the Menopause Transition

Posted on by venadmin

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the amount of information on managing your menopausal transition, or confused about the best path forward? Let’s keep it beautifully simple today and focus on gentle, whole-food strategies that support your body’s natural balance.

Understanding the Ecosystem

The human body is an intricate ecosystem, and every small shift has a ripple effect. This is particularly true during menopause. As your natural production of oestrogen, progesterone, and testosterone shifts, several common changes may occur:

  • Temperature Regulation: Oestrogen naturally supports the body’s ability to dissipate heat. When levels gently decline, it can impact your internal thermostat, leading to those familiar sudden feelings of warmth or night-time flushing.
  • Shifts in Body Composition: Oestrogen and progesterone play a role in regulating how our bodies store energy. As these levels adjust, many people notice a natural shift in where their body prefers to hold fat.
  • Skin Hydration: Oestrogen helps maintain skin moisture and elasticity. As it declines, you might notice your skin feeling a little drier or less supple than usual.
  • Bone Density: Oestrogen is vital for supporting bone mass. As it decreases, paying close attention to bone health becomes incredibly important for your long-term skeletal strength.
  • Mood and Serotonin: Our “feel-good” neurotransmitter, serotonin, works hand-in-hand with oestrogen to support a stable mood. When oestrogen levels shift, it can sometimes leave us feeling a little more easily frustrated or out of sorts.

Gentle Steps to Cool and Support Your System

Making small, mindful adjustments to your daily routine can make a profound difference in how you experience this transition:

  • Cool Your Environment: Sip on cool water throughout the day, dress in breathable layers, and keep a gentle fan by your bedside to support your body’s temperature regulation.
  • Mind Your Triggers: For many, alcohol, caffeine, and very spicy foods can act as internal triggers that increase the frequency of flushing.
  • Focus on Whole Fats over Extracted Oils: To support your vascular system and maintain a balanced weight, try to limit free-flowing oils (like butter and vegetable oils) and focus instead on whole-food fats.
  • Embrace Resistant Starch: Enjoying cold, cooked white potatoes (baked without oil) provides your gut with resistant starch, which beautifully supports a healthy microbiome!
  • Incorporate Flaxseeds: Flaxseeds are rich in plant lignans, which offer gentle, plant-based support for hormonal harmony. Try grinding fresh flaxseeds and enjoying 2–3 tablespoons spread throughout your day.

The Flourish Philosophy for Vitality

At Flourish, we believe that providing your body with clean, plant-powered nutrition is the ultimate way to navigate any life transition with grace.

Nourishing your system with a rich variety of colourful produce and botanical blends is a wonderful way to manage the natural oxidative stress that can accompany hormonal shifts.

This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Menopause is a natural biological transition, but severe symptoms should always be discussed with your GP or a qualified women’s health specialist. Always read the label and follow the directions for use. Consult with your healthcare professional before starting any new nutritional protocol or supplement.

Navigating Nutrition: Is Fish Still a Healthy Choice?

Posted on by venadmin

As you know by now, the Flourish philosophy focuses on the incredible power of plants. Because of this, we get asked continually: “Why shouldn’t we eat fish? Surely it’s okay?”

Fair warning before you continue reading: once you know this information, it is hard to look at your dinner plate the same way! Let’s get into the modern realities of consuming seafood.

Problem #1: The Reality of Fish Farming

Many moons ago, the fish we consumed were caught in our clean, wild oceans. Today, a vast amount of the fish presented to us in supermarkets is farmed.

Wild, ocean-caught oily fish are famous for being a rich source of anti-inflammatory Omega-3 fatty acids. However, farmed fish are predominantly fed a diet based around grain pellets. This shift in diet means the fish develop a higher ratio of Omega-6 fatty acids. While we need both, a diet too high in Omega-6 can promote the body’s natural inflammatory response, which is the exact opposite of what we want to achieve!

Problem #2: Environmental Pollutants in Our Oceans

Even when you seek out wild-caught fish, our modern oceans are facing massive environmental challenges. When plastic waste finds its way into our waterways, it slowly breaks down into microscopic particles.

Research has shown that microplastics and nanoplastics are now frequently found within the muscular structure of ocean-caught fish. When we consume the fish, we inadvertently ingest these particles. Emerging science suggests that microplastics may act as endocrine disruptors, which can place extra stress on our thyroid, metabolic rate, and natural hormonal balance.

Problem #3: The Gut Microbiome and TMAO

Our gut microbiome consists of different families of microbes—some thrive on plants, and others thrive on animal products. The microbes we know best support our long-term vitality are the plant-loving ones.

When we consume animal proteins like fish, it can promote an increase in the types of microbes that produce a compound called TMA (trimethylamine). This is transported to the liver and converted into TMAO (trimethylamine N-oxide). High levels of TMAO have been heavily studied by cardiologists and are linked to promoting cholesterol buildup in the arteries.

Problem #4: It is Still Animal Protein

To put it succinctly, fish is still animal meat. While the nutritional profile looks slightly different from red meat, it is still a dense animal protein that requires significant digestive effort from your body. Compare this to eating vibrant vegetables, which are phytonutrient-rich and naturally gentle on your digestive tract.

So, What is the Verdict?

What if you don’t want to be 100% plant-based? Which animal product is the best to choose on occasion?

Despite the challenges listed above, our answer is still… Fish! If you choose to incorporate animal protein into your lifestyle, high-quality, wild-caught fish remains one of the cleaner options available. We simply recommend treating it as a rare delicacy. Enjoy small amounts of wild, ocean-caught oily fish (like sardines or mackerel) just one to two times per month to give your body the best of both worlds!

 This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always read the label and follow the directions for use. Consult with your healthcare professional before starting any new nutritional protocol.

5 Gentle Ways to Support Your Body’s Natural Detoxification Every Day

Posted on by venadmin

Supporting your body’s natural detoxification pathways daily gives your organs and microbiome the gentle boost they need to work optimally. By turning these simple lifestyle tips into daily habits, your body will feel noticeably lighter, brighter, and ready for anything!

1. Embrace Natural Anti-Inflammatory Foods

If your system is working hard to manage daily stress or physical strain, it could definitely benefit from some extra nutritional love. Incorporating more natural, anti-inflammatory foods into your diet helps support your body’s natural defences. Wonderful foods to include are fresh tomatoes, baby spinach, creamy avocado, blueberries, raw almonds, and turmeric.

Having studied the incredible properties of turmeric, we understand the power this golden spice contains. That’s why it is a key ingredient in our Anti-Inflammatory Blend, a carefully crafted formula designed to support your body’s natural balance and vitality.

2. Nourish Your Gut with Prebiotics

Digestion and natural elimination go hand-in-hand! Giving your gut the tools it needs to efficiently process and remove waste means packing your diet full of prebiotic fibres.

Prebiotics act as the ultimate fuel for the beneficial probiotics in your gut, helping to maintain a thriving, balanced microbiome. Eating prebiotic-rich foods like chicory root and green bananas helps keep your digestive tract happy and moving smoothly. Taking a regular supplement like our Prebiotic Blend is a fantastic way to ensure your gut gets the rich nutrients it needs to flourish.

3. Show Your Liver Some Gratitude

As the body’s primary filtration system, the liver has a huge job to do in separating nutrients from waste products. To support your liver’s hard work every day, it is essential to eat foods that promote natural metabolic pathways.

Beetroot is a magnificent, deep-red source of antioxidants that perfectly supports liver vitality. We love using pure beetroot powder in our Daily Detox Blend to compliment your body’s natural filtration processes and keep you feeling vibrant.

4. Prioritise Pure Hydration

We need water to survive! By staying beautifully hydrated, our body has a much easier time performing its natural functions and clearing out metabolic waste.

Drinking filtered water regularly aids smooth digestion, promotes comfortable joint movement, and regulates your body temperature. It truly is nature’s ultimate drink for daily renewal!

5. Enjoy a Good Sweat

Sweating is one of the skin’s natural ways to help the body eliminate waste products. Because this process requires plenty of fluid, make sure you are drinking lots of water before and after!

There are many different ways to get your glow on, so simply choose your favourite. Try doing some intentional movement, taking a hot yoga class, or relaxing in a warm sauna. The choice is yours!

Embrace Your Daily Renewal Ritual

Giving your body daily lifestyle support reaps a myriad of rewards. By focusing on these five gentle habits, you can look forward to more consistent energy, smoother digestion, and a more upbeat, positive attitude. Sounds like a total wellness dream come true!

This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always read the label and follow the directions for use. Consult with your healthcare professional before starting any new nutritional protocol or supplement.

Natural Remedies for a Better Night’s Sleep

Posted on by venadmin

A good night’s sleep gives your body time to rest and recuperate in preparation for the coming day. But when your sleep cycle is out of whack, it can throw everything else out of balance, too.

If you’re having trouble sleeping, there are a number of things you can do to help improve your sleep and fall back into a natural rhythm. We’ve listed our favourite natural remedies for improving your sleep below.

Drink turmeric tea before bed

With all of the health benefits of turmeric packed into our Turmeric Blend, we already know the power of this enticing spice.

Not only is turmeric a powerful natural anti-inflammatory, but it also helps to aid digestion. This is crucial to your sleeping pattern because if there’s food in your stomach, your body will delay melatonin production (more on this soon) and it will take you longer to get to sleep.

Speed up your digestion and counteract your body’s natural response with a cup of turmeric tea before bed. The turmeric will help to get things moving along, prevent you from having to go to bed on a full belly, and ensure that your melatonin production happens on time.

Get your sunshine hours in

Melatonin is a hormone that makes you feel relaxed and sleepy, and it’s pumped through your body at night to help you sleep. Healthy melatonin production is easy – all you need to do is get your daylight hours in.

The production of melatonin is intrinsically linked to your body’s natural cycle of waking and sleeping.

In order for your body to know when it’s time to wake and time to sleep, you need to absorb as much natural light as possible during the day. That way, your body will know when to release larger amounts of melatonin throughout your system (at night) to help you sleep.

Change your diet

The food you put into your body has a huge impact on how your body functions. When it’s loaded with unhealthy food, it can’t work at optimal capacity. Instead, you can expect to see poorer digestion, decreased mood, ongoing fatigue and bad sleep patterns.

Transitioning over to a natural anti-inflammatory diet that consists of nutritious, balanced meals and healthy snacks will help to keep your body functioning optimally and improve your sleep – as well as other physical and psychological aspects of your life.

The team at Flourish are passionate about our plant-based diet because of how positively it has impacted our own – and especially our co-founder, Chris Ashton’s – lives.

Get moving

We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: exercise is beneficial for your health in so many ways. Not only does regular exercise make you stronger and fitter, but it also helps to improve your mood, aid digestion, increase your energy levels and promote better sleep.

Aim to get moving – whether it’s for a walk, run, cycle, strength training or other type of fitness – for at least 20 minutes a day.

Due to pre-existing injuries, health conditions or general preference, you may find that high-impact exercise is not for you. If this is the case, opt for some low-impact alternatives.

Yoga is a calming, low-impact exercise that has been shown to improve sleep quality with regular practice.

Get a better night’s sleep

Whether it makes you feel irritable, tired, unable to focus or hungrier than usual, a poor night’s sleep can impair your waking existence in many ways. We recommend trying out these natural remedies to improve your sleep quality and feel more energised and tranquil during the day.

Healthy Eating Tips While Working From Home

Posted on by venadmin

Working from home has become the norm for many of us and we’re experiencing a whole range of benefits as a result.

However, having our desk so close to the pantry can make it easy to fall into unhealthy habits. The good news is that maintaining a healthy diet while working from home is absolutely possible. We’ve shared our tips on how you can make healthy eating at home work for you.

Drink water

Water is an important part of your diet and many of us aren’t drinking enough of it in our day-to-day lives. Oftentimes, when people feel hungry or start to crave food, it’s actually because they are thirsty. So drink up your water!

Drinking water provides our body and mind with many benefits, including improving our skin, preventing dehydration-related headaches and aiding our digestion.

You don’t have to worry about measuring your water intake (unless you want to), but rather try to simply be aware of how much water you drink throughout the day. Always have a water bottle or full glass nearby so that you can take a few gulps before turning to food.

Caffeine-free herbal tea is a great alternative to water for keeping you hydrated. We recommend mixing in a teaspoon of our natural anti-inflammatory Turmeric Blend with your next lemon or ginger tea.

Stock your fridge and pantry with real food

By eating a healthy, balanced diet loaded with nutritious food, we feel more energised and are more productive in our work. Not only does plant-based food help to keep us full and satiated for longer, but it also produces the mental clarity we need to focus on the job at hand.

The food you eat can either negatively or positively influence your mental health, which is why it’s important to make the healthy food choice as often as you can.

Do this by keeping your fridge stocked with fruits and vegetables, your pantry packed with nuts, seeds and spices, and your Flourish health and prebiotic supplements front and centre.

Plan or prep your meals ahead of time so that when lunch rolls around, you’ve got a healthy meal ready to go.

Keep healthy snacks on hand

Working from home makes mindless snacking a very easy habit to fall into, but it isn’t a good one – especially when the snacks you’re munching on are sugary, fried, high in salt or carb-heavy.

Being so close to the pantry doesn’t help with the mindless munching. Take matters into your own hands and ensure that the snacks being stocked in your home are healthy ones. It’s much easier for you to reach for fruit, carrot sticks or protein bars if they are the only available option.

We love to have a mix of sweet and savoury treats on hand for snacking, such as almonds, apples and homemade sweet potato crisps. We’ve listed some of our favourite snacks below.

It’s all about making the right food choices

Staying healthy while working from home comes down to a simple choice. You can either eat food that helps you flourish or consume unhealthy food that doesn’t (we recommend the former!).

By incorporating these healthy food tips into your daily routine, working from home will be a much healthier and energising experience for all.

5 Natural Ways To Reduce Stress

Posted on by venadmin

Living in a modern, fast-paced and technologically-advanced world has a bigger impact on stress than you might think. There are numerous variables that can lead to stress, including workload, home environment, social interactions and even the technology we so love.

Because stress can negatively affect your health – from high blood sugar and a suppressed immune system to autoimmune conditions and depression – it’s important to adopt practices into your life that may help to reduce your stress levels.

1. Eat a natural, anti-inflammatory diet

When you’re under a lot of stress, your body produces higher levels of cortisol, the stress-response hormone designed to alert you to danger. Too much cortisol in the body for an extended period of time may cause inflammation.

To counteract your body’s inflammatory response to stress, start eating natural anti-inflammatory foods like spinach, avocado, berries, dark chocolate and turmeric.

Made with 100% natural plant-based whole foods, our Turmeric Blend is specifically formulated to reduce inflammation in the body and ease the joint pain and other symptoms associated with it.

2. Do gentle exercise

Exercise is a good way to relieve stress, but the type of exercise you’re doing matters. High intensity workouts actually contribute to raising your cortisol levels – which, for a stressed-out body already filled with the stuff, isn’t good.

Gentle exercise like walking, yoga or moderate cycling won’t increase your cortisol levels, but it may still help to relieve your stress and even release endorphins to make sure you feel good both physically and mentally afterwards.

An interesting aside, just 8,000 steps per day helps to keep your metabolism burning.

3. Breathe deeply and meditate

Being under a lot of stress may make you feel overwhelmed during your waking hours and even while you sleep. To combat the overwhelming effects of stress, try introducing a calming meditation practice to your daily routine.

Apps like Headspace offer guided meditation which may be a helpful tool for those of you who are new to the practice or just like having a soothing voice in your ear. Yoga and focused breathing are also forms of meditation that may help to reduce your stress.

4. Make sure you’re getting enough sleep

Sleep plays a key role in improving your general health and wellbeing. If you’re not getting enough zzz’s each night, you are more likely to become stressed during the daylight hours.

People need roughly 7-9 hours of sleep per night in order to feel rested and ready for the day ahead. To help prevent stress, make sure you’re getting enough sleep and giving your body the time it needs to rest.

5. Minimise your screen time

As much as we don’t want to hear it – and especially during a time when watching tv, scrolling through socials or reading the news might be your only form of entertainment – too much screen time may cause and exacerbate stress.

Not only is too much screen time attributed to stress, but it may also lead to long-term problems with vision, sleep impairment, negative rewiring of the brain, and a heightened experience of anxiety or depression.

Reduce your stress naturally

While your stress levels may be directly influenced by your workplace or personal life, there are a number of ways that you can work towards reducing the pressure you feel naturally.

By exercising regularly, eating right and taking time away from the screen to breathe, you may be in a much healthier headspace and able to better combat any stress that comes your way.

Fight stress-related inflammation with our Turmeric Blend

Foods To Fight Cold & Flu Naturally

Posted on by venadmin

Not only is food the main source of energy, but it can work as a natural medicine, too. When you’re fighting a cold or the flu, eating the right foods will help you exponentially on your road to recovery.

We’ve listed 5 of our favourite healing foods that help to relieve the symptoms of cold and flu and shorten its overall duration.

Turmeric

The health benefits of turmeric go far beyond the anti-inflammatory properties that the golden spice is known for.

Turmeric’s curcumin is not only a natural anti-inflammatory, but it also has anti-infective properties that can help to fight viruses, bacteria and fungi – including those that result in a case of the common cold.

By taking our Turmeric Blend daily, you may lower your body’s inflammation levels and give your immune system the boost it needs to keep you in optimal health throughout the winter season.

Vitamin C-rich fruits

Everyone knows that you should eat oranges and lemons when you’re sick, but many of you might not actually know why. Fruits like lemons, oranges, grapefruit and limes all contain vitamin C, which helps to reduce the severity of the common cold, as well as it’s duration.

Capsicum and kiwifruit are also a wonderful source of vitamin C, which you can easily add into your stir frys, salads or smoothies.

One of our favourite go-to drinks for soothing cold symptoms contains just 3 ingredients: honey, lemon and hot water. Simply mix a teaspoon of honey with some freshly squeezed lemon juice in a mug of hot water, and add a lemon slice or two to garnish.

Manuka honey

Native to New Zealand, manuka honey makes a marvellous home remedy for a sore throat due to its antibacterial properties – properties that traditional honey does not contain.

The antibacterial and antiviral properties in manuka honey help to reduce inflammation in the back of the throat while also fighting against the bacteria that cause you to feel pain in that area.

After sipping on one of our favourite lemon and honey drinks, you’ll notice that your throat feels soothed and less raw. This is because manuka honey doesn’t just fight harmful bacteria – it also coats the inner lining of the throat, relieving the pain you experience there.

Garlic

Like turmeric, garlic contains natural anti-inflammatory properties. However, what makes it such a powerful flu combatant is the sulfur compounds it forms after being chewed, crushed or chopped.

Not only do these compounds help to reduce the duration of colds, but they also help to prevent you from getting sick in the first place. Get your daily garlic fix with our favourite pasta alternatives.

Ginger shares manuka honey’s ability to relieve sore throats, as well as turmeric and garlic’s natural anti-inflammatory properties.

However, what sets this spice apart from the rest is its antimicrobial properties. These properties make ginger a food primed to help fight infections – including those like the sore throat-causing cold and flu.

Rest and recover

While there are many beneficial foods that can help to relieve the symptoms and shorten the duration of the common cold, the most important thing to do when you’re sick is to rest, stay hydrated and sleep.

Move away from the screen, put your work aside, curl up in bed and let both your mind and your body rest. Allow your body to focus on fighting the infection and healing, and not on anything else.

Put it all together as a preventative by making an oxymel. An oxymel is a herbal tonic used as natural medicine made from a mixture of honey and vinegar – though it can include other ingredients, too.

Making your own oxymel at home is easy. Simply take some manuka honey, add crushed ginger, garlic, grated fresh turmeric and a little finely diced capsicum. Crush these ingredients together to form a paste and then add it to lemon juice and warm water. Drink up!

Prepare your body for the flu with our Turmeric Blend

Probiotics and Prebiotics for Gut Health

Posted on by venadmin

The relationship between probiotics and prebiotics is a close one, with each being a popular topic in their own right in today’s nutritional conversations.

While the two sound similar, it is important to understand their differences when embarking upon your new health journey and choosing between probiotic or prebiotic supplements.

The difference between probiotic and prebiotic supplements

Probiotic and prebiotic supplements perform two very different tasks within the body.

Probiotics

Probiotics are the healthy bacteria that live in your gut and make up your gut microbiome which, much like a fingerprint, is unique to each of us.

Today, we know there are almost 1500 different probiotic species that call our gut microbiome home. We each have unique levels of bacteria in our gut, and the probiotic species’ that need topping up through supplements will vary.

Most probiotic supplements only contain a small number of probiotics – which means that by taking one, it is unlikely you will replace the specific species in your microbiome that needs to be restored.

When you take the same probiotic day after day, it is also very easy to overpopulate a species and throw the gut microbiome – and the healthy bacteria that live there – out of balance.

Prebiotics

Probiotics need food to survive, but they don’t eat just anything – and that’s where prebiotics come in. Prebiotics are the food that probiotics eat.

With over 1500 different species of probiotics in the gut, it can be hard to know which are running low and need topping up. By taking prebiotic supplements, you can rest assured that every species will be fed – and not just some of them.

There are many prebiotic whole foods you can eat including chicory root, green bananas and garlic that will all help to replenish the probiotics in your gut.

For a tasty treat your gut will love, try our Gut Blend Bliss Balls. Combined with 2x heaped teaspoons of our Prebiotic Blend, they make a sweet snack for you and an even sweeter snack for your microbiome.

Chicory root: a prebiotic whole food

Eating foods that your gut loves will help you to maintain a healthy balance of probiotics within it. Chicory root is one of those foods, and because of the inulin fibre it contains, it’s the key ingredient in our Prebiotic Blend.

The health benefits of chicory root are numerous, but the main reason we love it is because it’s a tasty source of food for the probiotics in your gut.

Caring for your health means caring for your gut

Emerging studies are showing that the gut is more important than we ever believed it to be. There is a significant connection between our gut health and mental health, and who knows? Maybe someday soon science will surpass folklore in telling you to listen to your gut.

Improving your gut health is imperative to improving your overall health. Our Prebiotic Blend will feed the probiotics in your gut to ensure a healthy, happy and balanced microbiome – and a healthier, happier you!

Improve your gut health with our Prebiotic Blend

The Health Benefits of Turmeric For Autoimmune Diseases

Posted on by venadmin

Did you know that all disease starts with inflammation? In fact, it is one of the drivers and main symptoms of most autoimmune diseases, from Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis to Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Inflammation typically appears as swelling or joint pain, but can present itself in many ways and can also be silent.

When it comes to autoimmune diseases, the natural anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric can help – and that’s why we’ve made it the main ingredient in our Turmeric Blend.

Turmeric, along with 12 other natural whole-foods, work in harmony to reduce inflammation and the pain that comes with it.

For someone with an autoimmune disease, the natural anti-inflammatory properties of turmeric can truly make a difference in day-to-day life.

What are autoimmune diseases?

Autoimmune diseases all have one thing in common, which is that they cause your immune system to attack the healthy cells within your body.

In this condition, your body cannot tell the difference between those cells that keep you healthy and functioning, and those that are foreign and potentially dangerous. All of this confusion leaves your body at the mercy of a mistaken immune system.

Turmeric has the ability to assist the immune system to regulate or modulate itself, and this helps place the autoimmune condition into remission.

The following are a list of autoimmune diseases that a natural anti-inflammatory like turmeric could help:

  • Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, which attacks your thyroid, the small gland at the base of your neck responsible for metabolism, growth and development.
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis, which causes swelling around the joints that leads to redness, stiffness and joint pain.
  • Graves Disease is another autoimmune condition affecting the thyroid gland. It causes an overproduction of thyroid hormones and can result in hand tremors, weight loss, a swollen thyroid and puffy eyes.
  • Psoriatic Arthritis affects only those who already have psoriasis, causing inflammation of the joints as well as scaly skin patches and a flaky scalp.
  • Crohn’s Disease inflames the bowel, affecting the digestive tract and resulting in diarrhea, weight loss and abdominal pain.
  • Multiple Sclerosis affects the central nervous system. By causing severe nerve damage, it can sever the communication link between the brain and the body.

Our personal experience with autoimmune disease

Co-founder of Flourish, Chris Ashton was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 2003. Upon receiving his diagnosis, Chris began researching what lifestyle changes he would need to make in order to minimise the impact of MS on his life.

With a Master of Business Administration, a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering and a Bachelor Health Science (Nutritional Medicine), Chris’ methodical brain helped him to see and understand the impact of food as medicine.

Using this knowledge – including all of their research and further studies into autoimmune disease – the Flourish team understands the intricacies of autoimmune disorders.

They know what can help to significantly reduce, and in some cases even reverse, the inflammatory symptoms associated with autoimmune conditions.

How the health benefits of turmeric can help

It is not the turmeric itself that has anti-inflammatory properties, but the curcumin component within it. The remaining nutrients in the spice help with absorption, utilisation and protection from the curcumin itself so that the body is able reap its anti-inflammatory benefits.

Like all foods, turmeric is best consumed in its natural form in order to fully reap all of its nutrients. We always recommend staying away from curcumin extracts – and extracts in general – because mother nature intended turmeric as a whole food.

Turmeric contains over 300 different phytonutrients which work together to ensure that all of them are put to use within the body.

By only taking curcumin as a single extract, you won’t receive all of the health benefits of the whole food, and it may even have harmful effects on the gut.

Because a key driver of autoimmune disease is inflammation, treating these diseases is about finding a way to reduce the inflammatory levels in your body.

Our Turmeric Blend harnesses the health benefits of turmeric and its natural anti-inflammatory properties to relieve painful inflammation and reduce the many associated symptoms of autoimmune diseases, which can include a multitude of ailments from joint pain to digestive issues.

Choose a plant-based diet

If you really want to quell the effects of an autoimmune disease, the best advice we can offer is to transition over to a plant-based diet.

Highly processed foods like refined sugars, refined flours and refined carbohydrates all cause inflammation in the body, as does consumption of red meat and dairy.

By cutting out processed foods like lollies, chocolate, fried food, breakfast cereals and bread – and replacing them with whole foods that fight inflammation like fruits and vegetables – you will have a much better chance of reducing the impact that an autoimmune disease can have on your everyday life.

By making positive lifestyle changes that last and embracing natural anti-inflammatory herbs like turmeric, you have the power to change your life for the better – just like Chris did!

A natural anti-inflammatory like turmeric has the power to heal.