When was the last time you enjoyed some fresh, delicious papaya? That juicy, melon-like flavor just makes our tongues water around here...we absolutely love it. But there’s much more to papaya than just the tremendous taste. When you consider all the amazing health benefits papaya offers you, you won’t want to pass up the chance to add it to your cooking repertoire. And it’s so versatile, you can add it to nearly any dish.

As we grow older, our memory does funny things. You'll suddenly remember the name of a boy who stole your lunch decades ago in the third grade, and yet you can't remember the name of the movie you saw last night or what you just came into the room for. Age-associated memory impairment affects around 40 percent of people over the age of 65, but only around one percent of them will develop dementia each year.

The hydrochloric acid that resides in your stomach breaks down food and aids in the absorption of nutrients by the body. It also kills harmful bacteria on your food and neutralizes enzymes.Low levels of stomach acid can cause serious digestive problems, and it can increase your risk for several diseases and conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis, leaky gut syndrome, malnutrition, diabetes, and acid reflux...

One of my favorite foods to eat are sweet potatoes — they’re so good for you and delicious too…Not only are they packed with essential vitamins and minerals… (1) They’re rich in prebiotic fiber, which help the “good gut bugs” in Advanced Probiotic Complex, our digestion probiotic boosting blend, crowd out the “bad gut bugs.” (2)

Humanity has conducted colon cleanses for at least 1,500 years, and for good reason: A well-functioning colon is essential for overall great health and wellbeing. While your digestive system removes waste from the body, unreleased food and waste can cause bacteria and mucus to ferment in the colon, where it can be released into the bloodstream. This can leave you feeling sluggish and irritable, and it can increase the risk for problems with nutrient absorption, cause constipation, and other problems with bowel movements.

Losing weight gets harder as we get older for lots of reasons, but it’s not hopeless. It can be done by making permanent lifestyle changes that not only trim the waistline but also improve your overall health and protect against diseases. When it all boils down, the best path to weight loss is diet and exercise. What you eat and how you move your body can make or break your weight loss and fitness goals. Here are six weight loss trends for 2019 that can help jump start your weight loss.

Where do you see yourself a year from now? Specifically, how much closer will you be to achieving your weight loss goals? Well, one thing is for certain: The only way to get where you want to be is to start off with a solid plan…That tells you exactly what you need to do every step of the way. And with the big championship celebration coming up, one of the most common questions we’re being asked is: What should I be doing to keep from gaining weight this weekend? Any party or get together often brings with it unhealthy temptations and junk food snacks you know you should avoid.

Your body is a hotbed of bacteria, much of it beneficial and essential. Most of these bacteria reside in the gut, outnumbering your body’s cells by 10 to one. According to Harvard Medical School, your bowels are home to an estimated 100 trillion microorganisms covering more than 500 species, including mostly bacteria, but also viruses and yeasts.

Wow, where did the time go? It seems like just yesterday we were celebrating Labor Day…Now, the holiday season is here and the new year is just around the corner. And with all of the seasonal decorations, bright lights, and holiday cheer, there’s a ton to get excited about this month. Unfortunately, there’s also a dark side to this part of the year — quite literally. Since the days are SO much shorter. And getting less sunlight during the winter can do more than just throw off your day.

Good news if you’ve been an exerciser for the past few decades: A new study published in the Journal of Applied Physiology found that the muscles of older women and men who have exercised for several decades are virtually indistinguishable in many ways from the muscles of healthy 25-year-olds. The participants also had significantly higher aerobic capacities than most people their age, making their biological age some 30 years younger.

We have an absolutely delicious treat to share with you today. It’s the latest in healthy Thrive Naturals recipes…And it's packed with plenty of vitamins, minerals — and a whole lot of flavor. Plus, it’ll take no time at all to prepare. Now, in recent months, we’ve talked about how giving your body the proper nutrients can help you get the healthy feeling body you deserve…And luckily, there’s one magnificent ingredient — perfect for any time of year — that delivers amazing benefits for your body…

Raspberry ketones are a popular supplement for weight loss. The claim is that they cause fat in the body’s cells to break down more efficiently, helping your body burn fat faster. They also purportedly increase adiponectin, a hormone that aids in regulating metabolism. But do they really work? In this blog post, we evaluate what the research says.

What do breakfast cereals, soft drinks, fast food, packaged cupcakes, and frozen dinners have in common? This post explores the hidden dangers in foods you may be eating regularly and explores alternatives to help you remove them from your diet.

A liver cleanse may be just what the doctor ordered to help get your liver functioning optimally again. In this post we present what to be on the lookout for and the best ways to cleanse your liver if there's a problem.

Friends and family are everything...especially during this time of year. And they help provide a benefit for you that might come as a shock: They help your mind stay sharp! Let me explain…

Many people who read this blog reach out to us on a daily basis to tell us the same thing… They’ve usually reached the point where their health frustrations are too big to ignore any longer. They’re embarrassed by how much weight they’ve gained.

No, it's not just you. We all tend to have a little more trouble concentrating as we age, largely due to normal age-related changes in brain function. But the good news is that you can improve your brain function and the health of your brain in myriad ways, according to research. Here are just five of them.

It's no secret that losing weight as we get older can be a real struggle. More than two-thirds of all-American adults are overweight or obese, and nearly 50 percent of adult women are considered obese or extremely obese, according to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases.

Diet soda hit the market in 1962, when Diet Dr. Pepper was released–and subsequently flopped. The following year, The Coca-Cola Company gave us TaB, marketed to consumers (read: women) who were trying to “keep tabs” on their weight. TaB was the best-selling soft drink on the market by 1982, but its popularity took a tragic nosedive with the introduction of Diet Coke in 1983. Diet Coke remains the most popular diet soft drink and the second most popular soda in the country, coming in on the heels of regular Coke.

As we get older, water retention and weight management become increasingly common problems, and by the time we’re in our 50s and above, swelling, bloating, and kidney stones may be par for the course. That’s when we may turn to diuretics, a class of drug that increases the volume of urine and helps remove excess water and sodium from the body.

As we get older, water retention and weight management become increasingly common problems, and by the time we’re in our 50s and above, swelling, bloating, and kidney stones may be par for the course. That’s when we may turn to diuretics, a class of drug that increases the volume of urine and helps remove excess water and sodium from the body.

Your gut and your brain are connected in a number of ways, both physically and biochemically. This connection is known as the gut-brain axis. Research shows that gut health affects brain health, and vice-versa. Here's what you need to know about the gut-brain axis to promote better functioning of your gut and your brain.

According to the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, 60 to 70 million Americans are affected by digestive troubles, including chronic constipation, gastroesophageal reflux disease, inflammatory bowel disease, and irritable bowel syndrome. Diagnosing and treating digestive troubles can be tricky, and in many cases, food is at the heart of the problem

On the weekends, I absolutely love riding my bike down to my local farmer’s market. The farmers set up their tables, end to end, up and down the streets... Now, even though I like to try a little bit of everything, I must confess, I’m always on the lookout for my favorite fruit: pitanga.

You want to have the healthiest life possible...it’s why you’re a part of the Thrive Naturals community. That means there’s a strong chance you’ve already started making many healthy changes to your lifestyle.

Joint pain can make the simplest tasks feel monumental, and the older we get, the more likely we are to have painful joints. Bursitis, hypothyroidism, osteoarthritis, and rheumatoid arthritis are just a few of the many causes of joint pain, and once you experience it, you'll do everything you can to soothe it.

If you've noticed that losing weight is getting tougher the older you get, you're not imagining things, and you're not alone. Weight loss becomes more difficult once you hit the big 5-0, and it continues to get harder as you advance in years. That's because we lose five to 10 percent of our muscle mass each decade after 50, and that translates to slower metabolism. This means that you can eat the exact same amount of food you did in your skinny 30s and still gain weight.

If you've noticed that losing weight is getting tougher the older you get, you're not imagining things, and you're not alone. Weight loss becomes more difficult once you hit the big 5-0, and it continues to get harder as you advance in years. That's because we lose five to 10 percent of our muscle mass each decade after 50, and that translates to slower metabolism. This means that you can eat the exact same amount of food you did in your skinny 30s and still gain weight.

If you’re anything like me, you love being able to look into the mirror and truly enjoy what you see. Because while it’s one thing to think you look great…it means even more when you feel like you’re doing great, too!

Whether you're just pushing 50 or well past hot flashes and mood swings, you've probably noticed some changes in your sleeping patterns. Long gone are the days when you could sleep through a riot, and eight a.m. sounded impossibly early. Nowadays, you may start longing for your pillow as soon as the dinner dishes are done, and you may find it impossible to sleep past sunrise. You may have a hard time falling and staying asleep, and you may feel like you're not getting enough sleep even though you spend the recommended number of hours--seven to nine--in bed. What's going on, and what can you do about it?

Aging definitely has its perks, but it also comes with challenges. Street lights begin to wear halos as our eyes grow older and creaking bones and popping joints find us moaning and groaning through more and more of our day. Most alarming of all, we find ourselves forgetting names and important dates, and we don't feel quite as sharp and focused as we once did. It's one thing to need stronger glasses or suffer from aches and pains. It's quite another to experience noticeable differences in our cognitive function.

Apple cider vinegar, lovingly known as ACV to its many fans, packs a potent health punch that benefits your body in a variety of ways. Touted as a health tonic since ancient times, apple cider vinegar was used by Hippocrates to treat wounds, and it was widely used in the 18th century to treat a range of illnesses and conditions. Nowadays, science backs up what many early health practitioners knew from years of successful use: That ACV is a powerful, natural remedy for some of what ails you.

“Antioxidant” is a hot term in the health industry right now, with many supplements and health products advertising the antioxidants that are available in the products and foods you buy. It is essential that we talk about antioxidants because these anti-inflammatory foods are crucial to help you clean up the free radical activity throughout your body.

Spring is a perfect opportunity for a fresh start. The trees are budding, flowers are peeking through in the garden, and many of us are working to clean out the closets. As you are cleaning up the yard and clearing clutter to beautify your home, don’t overlook the work that needs to be done to improve your health as well.

The liver plays a surprisingly important part of your overall health, and it is often the most overlooked and is hardest working organs. Proper liver function plays an essential role in digestive health and toxin filtering. It contributes to your metabolism, hormones, circulation, and digestive system. Supporting liver health can improve detoxification, which has a domino effect of boosting many other functions within the body.

Does it seem as if turmeric has only recently become popular? Then you might be surprised to know that people worldwide have been using it for over 5,000 years. It’s an excellent source of essential vitamins such as C and B6, iron, magnesium, potassium, dietary fiber, and more.

If you are anything like me, the thought of another diet limited to only broccoli, kale, and all-you-can-eat leafy greens might make you cringe. Sure, those greens pack some serious health benefits, but we found 7 foods that help melt away stubborn fat all while pleasing your pallet just a bit more.

Even if you’re a self-proclaimed grill master, you might not know that while your sizzling steaks might induce a smile or two, they could also induce the most menacing of all maladies: Cancer.

We all ate them as kids. If you have kids, they’re probably a go-to lunch or snack in your arsenal of kid-approved favorites. Simple and comforting – peanut butter sandwiches. Do you remember the taste? Mmmm, yum! I don’t know about you, but I probably ate hundreds of them. Almost everyday in my brown paper lunch bag in elementary school.

Nuts are a tasty treat, but they are so much more than just that. Most of us have heard that nuts are good for our health, right? But do you really know why? Just a handful of nuts contains essential vitamins, nutrients and the heart-friendly fats we’ve all been hearing about. Here are just 7 reasons why nuts are more then just a fun-to-eat snack...