Collagen & the Link to Strong, Healthy Hair
Collagen is one of the most abundant extracellular proteins in the human body. For this reason, science has found many uses for collagen-based products in benefiting human health. The food industry in particular is increasing its demand for collagen products due to its high protein content. So how does collagen link to hair health?
Naturally Supporting Your Immunity
Having a healthy and strong immune system has always been a direct indicator of health. But now more than ever people are becoming more curious on how they can build stronger immunity. There are many elements of an unhealthy lifestyle – inactivity, poor diet, smoking, excessive alcohol – that negatively impact our immune system and even increase people’s predisposition to infection.
Spotlight on Iron
Iron is one mineral that over 1 billion of the global population is deficient in. Although iron is present in a great variety of foods there are many of us who are either not getting enough or simply not restoring our levels after periods of menstruation, pregnancy, chronic blood loss, endurance exercise and increased iron needs i.e., adolescence or childhood.
Seasonal Eating & the Gut Microbiome
Just like in our external environment, our internal environment – aka the gut microbiome – changes with the seasons. The human gut microbiome becomes populated around 1 year of age and continues being established through factors such as diet, environment, lifestyle, antibiotics and ageing. Obviously, due to the microbiome being located in the gut, diet is the major variable of gut microbiome composition.
Zinc & PMS
There is one mineral that when is below optimal levels in the body contributes to much of the psychological symptoms of PMS: zinc. Zinc is a major player in maintaining homeostasis in the body through creating DNA, building proteins, healing and repair, regulating a healthy immune system, reproductive health and hormone secretion. So, prioritising zinc intake is more than crucial.
What Is SIBO?
Slowly making its way into household conversations, SIBO stands for Small Intestinal Bacteria Overgrowth. SIBO can be clinically defined as the presence of surplus colonic bacteria in the small intestine. Naturally, the small intestine will have lower levels of resident bacteria in comparison to the colon or large intestine. When these levels are out of whack, as seen in SIBO patients, this creates chaos!
Sleep & Your Gut
It’s no secret that a good night’s sleep can be the answer to a lot of problems. Sleep is a key player in keeping our psycho-physical health in check through the gut-brain axis, influencing our hormones, frame of mind and even weight. Over the last few years, the gut microbiome, a large complicated system of bacteria found within the gastrointestinal tract, has received a lot of attention from researchers. Specifically, the link between sleep disorders and an unbalanced gut microbiome.
Dairy Free Calcium Alternatives + Boosting Absorption
It seems that over the last decade being plant-based, dairy free or vegan have become almost the norm in dietary preference. Although, it is safe to say that if you are not paying particular attention to what you are eating or, rather, not prioritising getting enough essential nutrients this can be detrimental to your health. For women in particular, getting enough calcium is crucial for bone health and knowing what plant-based sources are high in calcium, especially if you follow a dairy free diet, is beneficial.
The Power of Adaptogens
Adaptogens are a group of herbs, plants and fungi that work to keep the body in a balanced stress reduced state or homeostasis. Adaptogen herbs are becoming more popular than ever for navigating everyday stressors like the to-do lists that just keep getting longer and certain types of stress that require a bit more TLC – anxiety, fatigue, burnout.
Oestrogen Dominance
It is no doubt women have to go through their fair share of hormonal changes - puberty, pregnancy, menopause. And with these changes comes fluctuations in hormones and their stubborn symptoms.
Stress & Your Cycle
If comparison is the thief of joy then stress is the thief of regular menstrual cycles. From overexercising, work deadlines, undereating and too much screen time our stress response is at an all time high. Raised stress levels are correlated with menstrual irregularities namely changes in cycle length, menstrual phase duration and PMS.
How Does Collagen Support Gut Health?
Collagen has received a fair amount of time in the beauty spotlight for the major role it plays in supporting healthy hair, skin and nails. But its health effects don’t just stop there – did you know that collagen proteins also have a positive impact on our gut health?