This article is created in partnership with Further Food—they’re dedicated to sustainable health, and we’re honored to work with them. ~ ed.

Inflammation is one of those buzzwords most of us have heard by now.

However, most of us don’t truly understand the deep connection between stress, inflammation, and our physical and mental health.

If we did, we’d have changed a lot more of our living and eating habits by now.

Many of the most common life-threatening diseases today—including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes, as well as a whole bunch of neurological disorders like depression, bi-polar, anxiety, and ADHD—appear to have one thing in common: inflammation.

This is before we take into account the current epidemic of allergic, asthmatic, and autoimmune disorders.

Even if you don’t think this affects you, if you’re a human being in the developed world living in the 21st century, it’s likely that your body is struggling with chronic inflammation. Here’s why:

What causes chronic inflammation, how can we tell if we have it, and what can we do to combat it?

We tend to think of inflammation as commonly caused by outside factors like infections, toxins, or allergens. But one of the less commonly understood causes of chronic inflammation is stress. Hello, everyday life in the modern world, right?!

This is why, in order to tackle inflammation, we need to tackle stress at the same time.

The best way to do this is with a natural one-two combo of superfood blends, like Further Food’s Superfood Turmeric and Superfood Matcha.

You see, neither inflammation nor stress are inherently bad things. Inflammation is an immune response, and stress is a fear response—both evolved to keep us safe.

The problem with our modern lifestyles, though, is that we’re under near constant stress and, since we’re not actually physically running away from the stressor and expending those stress hormones the way our ancestors would have, it has nowhere to go.

The other contributing factor to inflammation that goes hand in hand with our busy, stressful modern lifestyles is poor eating choices. It’s a vicious cycle, leading to symptoms that range from bloating and gas to memory and concentration problems.

Some of the more common signs of chronic inflammation are:

• Body pain
• Constant fatigue and insomnia
• Depression, anxiety, and mood disorders
• Gastrointestinal complications like constipation, diarrhea, and acid reflux
• Weight gain
• Frequent infections

The answers don’t lie in medicating our symptoms, though. We need to “treat the fire, not the smoke,” as functional medicine specialist, Dr Mark Hyman says. There’s a four-pronged approach to this which we can take based on Dr. Hyman’s advice.

1. Seek out and treat hidden infections, allergens, and toxicity (such as heavy metals) with the help of your functional or holistic medical practitioner.
2. Heal your gut lining. Collagen is a great place to start here.
3. Practice things like yoga and meditation, go for regular walks in nature, get a massage…anything that helps lessen your stress.
4. Supplement your diet with appropriate superfoods to help calm existing inflammation and stress.

Just as our diets can be a source of inflammation, so too can they be a source of relief. Problem is, most of us don’t have time (that modern lifestyle again) to grate anti-inflammatory foods like fresh turmeric into our dinner or seek out natural sources of stress relievers like adaptogens in our day.

Whole food-based products like Further Food’s Superfood Turmeric and Superfood Matcha do the legwork to gather the quality ingredients that help our bodies fight common modern ailments like chronic inflammation and blend them together to optimum effect.

They’re formulated by a team of holistic health experts, including RDs, master herbalists, and naturopathic doctors for maximum functional benefits and to help everyone fight inflammation and reduce stress and anxiety in the body and mind. They single-handedly source every ingredient themselves to make sure it’s the absolute highest quality. Importantly too, all of their superfood blends are 100 percent sugar-free, non-GMO, and vegan.

Turmeric: Nature’s Most Powerful Anti-Inflammatory

“Better than CBD” ~ Andrew B.

Get 20% off Further Food’s Superfood Turmeric with code ELEPHANT20 >>

Turmeric supplements can help to play a significant role in keeping inflammation at bay. At a molecular level, curcumin has been shown to block an important pro-inflammatory nuclear factor known as NF-kB. By thwarting this molecule, curcumin prevents it from traveling into the nuclei nuclei? of the cells and turning on pro-inflammatory genes.

Studies show that this particular property of curcumin might even make it more powerful than well known anti-inflammatory drugs such as aspirin and ibuprofen. This means that supplementing with turmeric can promote faster skin healing in those suffering from psoriasis or chronic acne, faster reduction in joint pain in arthritic individuals, and strengthened intestinal mucosa in patients with inflammatory bowel disease. Better yet, turmeric is all natural and does not have any adverse side effects (unless taken in excess).

“2 weeks in, and my IBS symptoms were better, and my joints felt more free to move.” ~ John T.

But the soothing, healing benefits of turmeric are so much more extensive than that. Find out more here.

Further Food takes it to the next level and boosts their Superfood Turmeric with 7 of the most powerful anti-inflammatory ingredients next to Turmeric, including cinnamon, cloves, ginger, cardamom, black pepper, and boswellia which helps reduce pain and schisandra berry which helps boost immunity.

“I’m so obsessed with Superfood Turmeric. It’s full of turmeric, ginger, cinnamon, cardamom, and adaptogens. It’s like a giant anti-inflammatory kick in the ass. Benefits are endless: it’s cleansing, anti-inflammatory, kills a nighttime sweet tooth & ultimately the perfect way to end the day if you’re really feeling the bloat.” ~ Megan Kober, RD

“I feel such a difference when I wake up in the mornings! I always wake up feeling bloated with an uneasy stomach, but not anymore ever since I found Superfood Turmeric.” ~ Sammi H.  

The Special Zen of Matcha

As we’re beginning to understand, to tackle inflammation, we also need to tackle one of its major roots: stress. This is where Further Food’s Superfood Matcha pairs so powerfully with their Superfood Turmeric.

With four brain-boosting superfoods and adaptogens, Superfood Matcha promotes sustained energy, focus, and mindfulness without the jitters you might experience from a cup of coffee. But it does more than just give you a boost—it’s packed with ashwagandha and cordyceps mushroom to reduce stress and anxiety in the body while reducing cortisol levels (those inflammation causing stress hormones).

Superfood Matcha is also packed with 137 times the amount of antioxidants as other green teas and it helps to boost metabolism and torch calories.

“I no longer feel the need to drink coffee for energy and I’m not constantly craving sugary foods anymore. My stomach used to bloat pretty bad and I don’t have that issue anymore either.” – Marissa C.

Get 20% off Further Food’s Superfood Matcha with code ELEPHANT20 >>

“This is the best tasting at-home matcha I’ve ever tried! And I’ve tried over 6 brands! So happy I found this. Love how it makes me energized without any jitters and the taste is just amazing.” – Jordan R. 

People often report that drinking matcha leaves them feeling alert, but also calm and collected thanks to its combination of caffeine and L-theanine. The L-theanine also naturally reduces stress and anxiety and enhances mood by increasing both your brain’s dopamine and GABA levels. Learn more about matcha’s amazing, scientifically-backed health benefits, here.

There is one problem with most matcha blends on the shelf, though:

“The average matcha powder on the shelf contains lots of refined sugar and other unnecessary additives, fillers, and preservatives and can be sourced from places you don’t know about. That’s why I searched for a Matcha powder that I can stand behind 100 percent: Superfood Matcha.

Further Food’s Superfood Matcha mix also contains the adaptogen ashwagandha, which works with the matcha to help reduce stress within the body and mind by lowering cortisol levels, further allowing drinkers to stay focused without that spike in adrenaline that can leave so many of us feeling on edge, irritable and/or peaky.”  ~ Elissa Goodman, Certified Holistic Nutritionist

Besides all the compelling health reasons to take these two superfood supplements, they mix beautifully into some delicious inflammation and stress-fighting recipes. Here are a few ideas for how to enjoy them: