Your Guide to a Healthier Body

Taking care of your health doesn’t need to feel overwhelming. Your body is designed to heal, repair, and stay balanced but only when you give it the right environment. Functional nutrition focuses on removing what harms you and adding what strengthens you so your body can function the way it’s meant to.

From the food you eat to the air you breathe and the habits you follow daily, everything silently shapes your energy, hormones, immunity, mood, weight, digestion, and long-term wellbeing. This guide brings together the simple, practical daily essentials that support your body at its core, so you can feel lighter, stronger, and healthier.

What to Avoid (Foods That Harm Your Health)

Before you add the good, it’s important to remove what’s harming your body. These foods commonly trigger inflammation, digestion issues, hormonal imbalance, and long-term health problems.

These foods commonly cause inflammation, digestive issues, low energy, and long-term health problems. Try to reduce or remove them:

1. Gluten and Wheat Products: Found in roti, bread, biscuits, pasta. Gluten can irritate your gut lining, cause inflammation, and trigger autoimmune issues.
2. Regular Dairy (A1 Milk Products) / Pasteurised Milk: Most packaged milk, cheese, paneer, curd contain A1 casein protein, which may cause inflammation, acne, and digestive problems.
3. Soy and Corn: Often genetically modified and hard to digest. They can disturb hormones and irritate the gut.
4. Refined and Ultra-Processed Foods: Includes packaged snacks, sugary drinks, chips, biscuits, instant noodles, sauces, white sugar, and refined flour items.
5. Refined Seed Oils (PUFAs): Avoid sunflower, soybean, canola, groundnut, and vegetable oils. They oxidize easily and increase inflammation.
6. Artificial Sweeteners: Sweeteners like sucralose, aspartame, saccharin can disturb gut bacteria and increase cravings.
7. Fried and Burnt Foods (High AGEs): Deep-fried foods increase oxidative stress and aging in the body.

What to Eat More (Foods That Heal)

Once you cut out inflammatory foods, you must nourish your body with real, whole foods. These choices help reduce inflammation, balance hormones, and support long-term healing. Focus on real, nutrient-dense, whole foods and choose organically grown foods over conventionally grown.

A. Healthy Fats

• Ghee
• Butter
• Coconut oil
• Olive oil
• Avocado

These fats reduce inflammation, support brain function, and balance hormones.

B. Good Protein Sources

• Pasture-raised eggs
• Grass-fed meat
• Wild-caught fish
• Organ meat (like liver)
• Free-range poultry
• Quinoa
• Bee pollen
• Spirulina/Chlorella
• Legumes and lentils

C. Fiber and Complex Carbs

Use natural, unprocessed sources:

• Millets, pulses, lentils
• Root vegetables (sweet potato, yam, arbi)
• Fruits (whole, not juiced)

D. Anti-Inflammatory Foods

• Turmeric
• Ginger
• Berries
• Nuts and seeds
• Oily fish (like salmon, sardines)

E. Gut and Liver Support

• Cruciferous veggies: broccoli, cauliflower, kale
• Fermented foods like homemade kanji, pickles, or sauerkraut (only if tolerated)

Essential Supplements

Even with the best diet, today’s lifestyle often leaves nutritional gaps because of stress, pollution, poor soil quality, and limited sun exposure. These essential nutrients play a major role in immunity, hormones, brain health, energy, and repair. Adding them ensures your body works at its optimal capacity, every day.

1. Vitamin D3 + K2

Why you need it: Vitamin D3 supports strong bones, immunity, energy, and mood. But without K2, calcium may deposit in arteries instead of bones which is why the D3 + K2 combo is essential for bone and heart safety.

What to look for:

• Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol): Most effective form.
• Always pair with K2 in MCT Oil: Directs calcium to bones and teeth.
• Clean, bioavailable formula: No unnecessary fillers.

We recommend taking iThrive Essentials Vitamin D3 K2

2. Magnesium

Why you need it: Helps with sleep, stress, muscle function, energy, and over 300 body processes. Modern diets and stress make deficiency extremely common.

What to look for:

• Magnesium Bisglycinate: Highly absorbable and gentle.
• Chelated form: Better absorption, no stomach issues.
• Clean formula: No additives or fillers.

We recommend taking iThrive Essentials Magnesium Bisglycinate

3. B-Complex

Why you need it: Supports energy, brain function, stress response, mood, and healthy skin and hair. Stress, alcohol, and processed food quickly deplete B vitamins.

What to look for:

• Complete spectrum: B1-B12.
• Active forms: Methylcobalamin (B12), methylfolate (B9).
• Balanced doses: Effective, not excessive.
• Clean formula: No artificial additives.

We recommend taking iThrive Essentials Active B-complex

4. Omega-3

Why you need it: Supports brain, heart, joints, skin, and cell health. Most diets lack EPA and DHA, causing fatigue, low focus, and inflammation.

What to look for:

• A supplement that contains both Fish Oil + Krill Oil: Fish oil provides high EPA/DHA; Krill oil offers superior absorption + natural astaxanthin.
• Purity: Free from heavy metals.
• Antioxidants: Astaxanthin or vitamin E for stability.
• Clean formula: No fishy aftertaste.

We recommend taking iThrive Essentials Marine Omega-3 Complex

5. Zinc

Why you need it: Supports immunity, skin healing, hormones, gut health, and antioxidant defense. Deficiency is very common due to stress and low-quality diets.

What to look for:

• Chelated forms (glycinate or methionine): Best absorption.
• Includes copper: Maintains mineral balance.
• Includes L-carnosine: Extra gut and cell protection.
• Clean formula: No fillers.

We recommend taking iThrive Essentials Zinc Defense

Your Functional First Aid Kit

Even with the best lifestyle, infections, colds, or sudden digestive issues can appear. These three products act as your go-to recovery toolkit for immunity, detox, and gut support so your body bounces back faster, naturally.

1. Immune Support

Why you need it: When the weather changes or infections spread easily, your immune system needs stronger, deeper support. This formula gives your body rapid defense + long-term resilience.

How it helps:

• Strengthens immune response
• Helps fight infections naturally
• Supports respiratory and gut immunity
• Reduces inflammation and speeds up recovery

Best pick: iThrive Essentials Immune Support – Supercharged with Black Walnut Hull and Maitake Mushroom, this advanced formula blends 17 potent herbs, Vitamin C, and citrus bioflavonoids to strengthen your immune system from the root. It helps fight infections, support respiratory and gut health, and provides a rich dose of antioxidants and antimicrobial herbs. Clean, plant-powered, and science-backed, it builds both rapid defence and long-term resilience.

2. Detox Binder

Why you need it: Toxins, pollutants, heavy metals, pathogens – your body collects more than you realize. When detox pathways get overloaded, you feel it as fatigue, brain fog, breakouts, bloating, or low immunity. This is where targeted binding makes all the difference.

How it helps:

• Traps and eliminates toxins and heavy metals
• Supports liver and gut detox pathways
• Reduces bloating, fatigue and brain fog
• Boosts immunity and improves clarity

Best pick: iThrive Essentials Detox Binder – A clean, advanced formula designed to bind, capture, and flush out toxins safely without constipation or harsh side effects. Detox Binder works by binding heavy metals, toxins, and biotoxins while supporting natural detox and liver health. With consistent use, it helps promote clarity, energy, and overall well-being, offering a gentle, natural, and effective way to keep your system light and balanced.

3. Probiotics

Why you need it: Gut imbalance is one of the first things that happens during seasonal changes, stress, travel, poor diet, or even after antibiotics. A weak gut = weak immunity, poor digestion, low energy, and mood fluctuations. Restoring your microbiome restores your whole health.

How it helps:

• Improves digestion and reduces bloating
• Strengthens immunity and nutrient absorption
• Supports mood, focus and mental well-being
• Balances gut microbiome for long-term health

Best pick: iThrive Essentials Probiotics with Prebiotics – formulated with 16 diverse strains, including 2 spore-based defenders (B. coagulans and B. subtilis), along with prebiotics to support a complete and resilient gut ecosystem. It helps enhance digestion and gut motility, boost immunity from the root, and improve nutrient absorption, with verified potency through Total Plate Count for guaranteed effectiveness.

Lifestyle Basics for Better Health

Your daily habits play a huge role in keeping your body and mind healthy. Even small changes can make a big difference over time.

A. Daily Movement

• Aim for 30-45 minutes of activity every day. This can be walking, yoga, strength training, swimming, or running.
• Regular movement improves blood circulation, strengthens muscles and bones, boosts energy, and helps maintain a healthy weight.
• Find activities you enjoy, it could be dancing, cycling, or a quick morning walk. Consistency matters more than intensity.

B. Sleep

• Try to get 7-9 hours of deep, restful sleep every night.
• Keep your room dark and cool, avoid heavy meals before bed, and limit phone or screen usage an hour before sleeping.
• Good sleep helps your body repair itself, balances hormones, supports immunity, and improves focus and mood. Poor sleep can lead to weight gain, stress, and low energy.

C. Stress Management

• Practice at least one calming activity daily, such as:
  • Meditation
  • Deep, slow breathing exercises
  • Journaling your thoughts
  • Yoga or stretching
• High stress increases cortisol, which can affect thyroid, hormones, metabolism, and sleep. Managing stress improves your mood, digestion, immunity, and overall wellbeing.

D. Sunlight Exposure

• Spend 20-30 minutes outdoors daily in natural sunlight.
• Sunlight helps your body produce Vitamin D, regulates your circadian rhythm, and supports mood and energy levels.
• Reduce screen exposure in the evening, use blue-light filters on devices, and avoid late-night mobile usage to improve sleep quality.

E. Movement Breaks

• Stand up, stretch, or take a short walk for 5 minutes every hour, especially if you work at a desk.
• Regular movement prevents stiffness, improves circulation, boosts metabolism, and reduces the risk of lifestyle-related diseases like back pain, high blood pressure, or blood sugar spikes.
• Set a reminder or use a step-tracking app to make this a habit.

F. Grounding

• Spend some time barefoot on natural surfaces like grass, soil, or sand every day.
• Grounding helps neutralize excess free radicals, reduces inflammation, improves sleep, and enhances your sense of calm. Connecting directly with the Earth’s surface has been shown to support better energy balance and emotional stability.
• Try a few minutes of barefoot walking in your garden or park early in the morning for an instant mood lift.
• If you’re looking for safe and effective grounding products for home or office use, iThrive recommends Terranue, a trusted brand that helps you stay connected to the Earth’s energy even indoors.

Reduce Toxins in Daily Products

Modern life exposes us to far more chemicals than our bodies are designed to handle. From the soaps we use to the containers we store food in, toxins quietly build up and affect our hormones, fertility, weight, immunity, and overall wellbeing. Small daily swaps can dramatically reduce this toxic load and protect your long-term health.

A. What to Avoid

• Plastic containers because they release BPA, BPS, BPF
• Parabens and artificial fragrances in skincare
• SLS/SLES in soaps and shampoos
• Triclosan in handwashes
• Quats in cleaners
• Bleach and harsh surface cleaners
• Non-stick and aluminium cookware

B. Safer Choices

• Use glass, ceramic, or steel for cooking/storing food
• Use herbal shampoos like reetha/shikakai
• Try tallow/ghee-based skincare products
• Use filtered water for drinking and cooking
• Keep rooms ventilated or use an air purifier

Conclusion

When you remove what harms you and add what nourishes you, your body naturally moves back into balance. Every healthy meal you choose, every supplement you include, every walk you take, every hour of good sleep, and every toxin-free swap you make slowly rewires your health. Start with one change, stay consistent, and allow your body the time and space it needs to heal. Small steps done every day create powerful long-term results. Your healthiest, strongest, most energized self is not far away, it’s already within you, waiting for the right environment to thrive.