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Tag: natural anti inflammatory

Dermatitis

Posted on by Kathy Ashton

Have you ever wondered if there is a link between diet and your skin? Could the food you are eating be contributing to dry, flaky, red, sore, pimply, rashy skin?

Absolutely, and from our clinical experience, if you change the diet, you can often change the skin condition.

Symptoms

Dermatitis is the general term for any sign of inflammation of the skin.

There are many types of dermatitis such as atopic dermatitis (eczema), contact dermatitis, diaper dermatitis (nappy rash), dyshidrotic dermatitis, neurodermatitis, nummular dermatitis, perioral dermatitis, stasis dermatitis, and seborrheic dermatitis (dandruff).

General symptoms include a red rash on dry skin, accompanied by itchiness. Dermatitis is not contagious.

Atopic dermatitis (eczema) is a chronic condition that makes your skin red and itchy. It is common among children, but can still develop among adults. The flare can occur periodically, and sometimes be accompanied by asthma or hay fever. Small, and itchy blisters can form on some areas of the skin, then crust when scratched. Scratching the irritated parts of the skin should be avoided, as it can result in sensitive, swollen, and cracked skin, or even infections.

Contact dermatitis presents as a red rash with itchy blisters. The affected areas can also be swollen, burning.

Causes

Anyone can get dermatitis; all it needs is skin to substance contact.

For atopic dermatitis (eczema), conditions that make the skin dry can make it more vulnerable to irritants or infections. Eczema also runs in families. Common external irritants include soaps, detergents, wool, low humidity, heat, sweating, dust mites, pollen, molds, foods, or even emotional stress.

For contact dermatitis, it is most commonly caused by an external irritant that resulted to a damaged outer protective layer of the skin. Some people can react differently to irritants. A single exposure can cause dermatitis to develop, but some can also take repeated exposure to the irritant before symptoms appear. Common irritants are, but not limited to, solvents, rubbing alcohol, bleach, detergents, certain shampoos, sawdust, wool dust, plants, fertilizers, and pesticides.

For allergic contact dermatitis, certain allergens cause an immune system reaction. Externally, affected areas are usually limited on the point of contact with the allergen, but some allergens can also be ingested from food, flavorings, medicine, or medical and dental procedures. Common allergens include nickel, medications (such as antibiotic creams, and oral antihistamines), formaldehyde (commonly found in preservatives, disinfectants, and clothes), personal care products, plants (such as poison ivy, and mangoes), and sunscreens. Some allergens will need several exposures to trigger an allergy, but once an allergy has been developed, even a trace amount of said allergen can cause a reaction.

Lifestyle Changes

For atopic dermatitis (eczema), moisturising the skin at least twice a day with creams, ointments, or lotions can seal the moisture in, avoiding dry and cracked skin.

Bathing – taking shorter 10 to 15-minute baths with warm instead of hot water, will avoid irritating the affected areas of the skin. Upon drying, gently pat yourself dry with a towel, and apply moisturiser while still damp. Clinically we recommend using ‘soaps’ and moisturisers from this company can improve the skin immensely. https://www.paleoskincare.com.au/ Our recommendation is to use the blue line range.

Triggers vary greatly from person to person, and these can include sweat, certain soaps, dust, or pollen. They can vary from one person to another, and taking note of your personal triggers will help lessen the likelihood of developing flares. Once you have identified your personal trigger, these can be avoided.

Many people with dermatitis (eczema) have food intolerances as well. According to the research the food intolerances may or may not be a trigger. Again, keeping a food/symptom diary is a great way to track this issue.

Diet Improvements

As dermatitis is an inflammatory disease, an anti-inflammatory plant-based diet is highly recommended.  Research shows that using foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, as they are an integral part of cell membranes, can be extremely beneficial. These fatty acids initiate the creation of a hormone that helps to regulate blood clotting, artery wall contraction and relaxation along with inflammation.

Omega-3 fatty acids are found in foods such as nuts and seeds especially walnuts, flaxseeds, leafy vegetables, coconut and avocados.

From the Flourish range of products, we suggest doing the 21-Day Cleanse program. This helps to reset the gut lining, gut microbiome, reduce inflammation and rebalance the immune system. From our clinical experience, going whole food, plant-based, gluten free, oil free and dairy free makes a significant difference for those with skin disorders.

Miscellaneous

Individuals with celiac disease are prone to dermatitis herpetiformis.

Children born from older women are more likely to develop eczema. They are not sure the reason for this, but it appears to be significantly significant. One reason, we at Flourish, believe that if you are an older woman who is pregnant, staying away from foods that can cause leaky gut, or a dysbiotic gut, during pregnancy is imperative.

Below is a table of potential nutrient deficiencies that can cause issues for the skin.

How can food help my Menopause Symptoms?

Posted on by Caleb Wynne

Are you overwhelmed by the amount of information on managing your menopausal symptoms or confused about which way to go?

I am going to keep it simple for you today and give you my top tips that will help alleviate the main problems.

Firstly though, let’s understand what is happening.

Hot Flushes

As you enter menopause your body begins to produce less oestrogen, testosterone and progesterone, and this triggers many of the symptoms.  Especially the ‘hot flushes’, probably the most widely experienced symptom, and the most annoying.

The body is an ecosystem, and every little thing affects every other little thing.  Nothing happens without there being a downstream effect, and hormonal changes are a good example of this.  When the level of these hormones drop, our temperature regulating hormones are also affected, causing excessive sweating and flushing.

Oestrogens promote vasodilation, heat dissipation and lower body temperature, whilst progesterone and progestins generally have the opposite effect.

Excess body fat

Oestrogen and progestin help regulate body fat storage and as our levels of oestrogen drop this often causes the body to store more fat, especially around our middles.

Dry Skin

Oestrogen helps with lubrication, keeping our skin subtle and moist, and as it declines lots of us notice certain ‘things’ becoming drier.  Another annoying symptom.

Bone mass

Oestrogen also helps with the regulation of bone mass, and as the amount you produce declines, this can lead to osteoporosis (bone thinning).

Changes in Mood

Serotonin, our feel-good hormone, works hand-in-hand with oestrogen to regulate our mood, and yes, you guessed it, as oestrogen begins to decline, so does the level of serotonin leaving us feeling not quite right. Grumpy, cranky and snappy.

So, what can we do to help alleviate some of these symptoms?

  • Avoid alcohol, spicy foods, caffeine, and smoking.
  • Avoid free flowing fats, (olive oil, coconut oil, butter, and veggie oils) and fatty foods.
  • Stay cool, sleep with a fan.
  • Eat cold white potatoes, baked in the oven or air fryer without oil or fat.
  • Take 3 tablespoons per day of flaxseeds – spread throughout the day. We recommend you grind the flaxseeds in a blender or bullet, and you can make two days’ worth at a time but no more as the exposure to air makes them go rancid.
  • Take 1 scoop of the Flourish ‘daily detox’ blend after dinner every night, especially for the hot flushes. This is absolutely THE best antidote.
  • If you are looking for the most optimal outcome then we recommend you take a combination of the ‘daily detox’ and ‘anti-inflammatory’ together after dinner, especially as the whole process of menopause can cause inflammation.

Please visit here for more information on our Daily Detox Blend & Anti-Inflammatory Blend.

Can I still eat Fish?

Posted on by venadmin

As you know by now The Flourish Way of eating does not include fish, and we get asked continually, why we can’t eat fish, surely its ok?

So warning, before you continue reading, once you know you can’t unknow, so let’s get into it : )

Many moons ago fish were caught in our clean oceans, but this is not the case in 2022. Most of the fish presented for us to buy and consume is farmed.  So, this is where the first problem lies.

Problem #1:

Farmed fish are fed a diet that is predominately based around grain pellets, and is therefore Omega 6, turning our once wonderful source of Omega 3 essential fatty acids, which are anti-inflammatory, into a pro-inflammatory food source in the way of Omega 6.   All disease processes are inflammation driven, so this is not what you want.

If you are going to consume fish, you need to find a trustworthy source of ocean caught oily fish such as mackerel, sardines, salmon.

Problem #2:

Our ocean caught fish are still not pure.  Our once beautiful pristine oceans are being polluted by plastics.  When plastic waste finds its way to our waterways and oceans, it slowly breakdown into small plastics molecules which our fish end up consuming.

Micro and nano plastics are found in all our ocean caught fish.  Research has shown that no matter where the fish was caught, it will contain micro plastics in its muscular structure, and it is the muscle of the fish that we eat. Hence, when we then consume the fish, we are ingesting micro plastics.  These micro plastics are endocrine disruptors, causing thyroid issues, weight gain, horrible menopause symptoms and gut issues.

Problem #3:

Our gut microbiome consists of two sorts, those that love plants and those that love meat and animal products, and the ones we know support our health are the plant loving ones.  If we eat fish, we promote an increase in the wrong sort of microbes.  The problem with that is these microbes love to make TMA (trimethylamine).  TMA is then transported to the liver where it is converted into TMAO (trimethylamine oxide).  What TMAO then does, is promotes cholesterol into our arteries, making them blocked, hard and stiff.  This is the beginning of cardiovascular/heart disease.

I know right, you have heard that eating fish helps prevent heart disease, but honestly maybe not these days.

Problem #4:

I will make this the last one, it’s already scary enough, right.

To put it succinctly, fish is still animal meat.  It just looks different, but it is still essentially the same, and it still digests and ferments in your gut causing byproducts that are very taxing on our bodies. Compare this to eating vegetables, which are phytonutrient rich and healing on the body.

Ok, but you don’t want to be 100% plant-based! Is that what I hear you saying to me?

What can I do, which animal product is best to eat?

The answer, despite the above, is …… Fish!

Eat fish, small amounts, ocean caught, one to two times per month only.

 

5 Ways You Can Detox Everyday

Posted on by flourishweb

Detoxifying your body daily will give your organs and microbiome the boost they need to work optimally every day. By turning our favourite daily detox tips into habits, your body will feel noticeably lighter, brighter and ready for anything.

1. Eat natural anti-inflammatory foods

If your body is inflamed – whether due to injury, stress or inflammatory health conditions – it could definitely benefit from a detox.

Incorporating more natural anti-inflammatory foods into your diet will help to reduce the inflammation levels in your body. Foods that fight inflammation include tomatoes, spinach, avocado, blueberries, almonds and turmeric.

Having studied the health benefits of turmeric, we understand the power that this golden spice contains. That’s why it’s the key ingredient in our Turmeric Blend, a health supplement specifically formulated with natural ingredients to reduce inflammation within the body.

2. Take prebiotic supplements for gut health

Digestion and detoxing go hand-in-hand. Giving your gut the tools it needs to efficiently digest and remove harmful toxins from the body means packing it full of prebiotics.

Prebiotics feed the probiotics in your gut, an abundance of which helps to maintain a healthy and balanced microbiome. Eating prebiotic-rich foods like chicory root and green bananas will help to keep your gut healthy, cleansed and ready to digest.

If you don’t have any prebiotic-rich foods on hand, taking prebiotic supplements regularly – like our Prebiotic Blend – will give you the nutrients your gut and body need to detox and thrive.

3. Give your body a liver cleanse

As the body’s filtration system, the liver has a huge job to do in separating out toxins from nutrients and removing them from the body. In order to detox every day, you need to eat foods that support detoxification and give your body a liver cleanse.

Beetroot is a powerful source of nutrients that help to cleanse your liver by speeding up the body’s waste excretion process. We use beetroot powder in our Dailly Detox blend to target liver function and improve the organ’s filtration rate.

4. Drink water

We need water to survive. By staying hydrated, our body has a much easier time performing its natural functions and processes.

Drinking water regularly aids digestion, promotes smooth joint movement, regulates body temperature and removes waste and harmful toxins from the body – which makes it quite the detoxifying drink!

5. Sweat it out

Sweating helps to remove heavy metals and harmful toxins from the body – a process aided by water, so make sure you’re drinking lots of it.

There are many different ways you can sweat the toxins out, so simply choose your favourite. Try doing some intensive exercise, taking a hot yoga class or relaxing in a sauna. The choice is yours!

Get your detox on

Detoxifying your body reaps a myriad of rewards. By detoxing every day, you will have more energy, improved digestion, easier movement and a more upbeat attitude. Sounds like a detoxifying dream come true!

Natural Remedies for a Better Night’s Sleep

Posted on by flourishweb

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 flourishweb

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 flourishweb

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 flourishweb

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 flourishweb

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 flourishweb

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.