Simple Nutrition Insights
Welcome to Simple Nutrition Insights, your practical guide to understanding nutrition in less than 30 minutes. Join us as we break down the science of healthy eating into digestible insights and actionable tips. Whether you're a busy parent or just short on time, our goal is to provide you with straightforward advice to enhance your well-being. Tune in for expert interviews, evidence-based advice, and quick, easy-to-implement strategies for nourishing your body and living your best life.
Simple Nutrition Insights
From Toxins To Trust: Rethinking Menstrual Care With Non-Toxic Period Underwear
We trace how modern period products can hide toxins that disrupt hormones, and we map a practical path toward non-toxic swaps that actually fit daily life. Arielle shares the product development journey behind safer period underwear and how “getting back in flow” starts with listening to the body.
• late studies uncovering heavy metals, PFAS, and fragrance in pads and tampons
• why label literacy matters for menstrual care, skincare, and laundry
• the shift from e‑commerce to building safer, durable period underwear
• cycle as a monthly health report card and what “flow” means
• endocrine disruptors linked to PMS, fertility, and inflammation
• high‑impact swaps: fragrance‑free skin products, toxin‑free candles, PFAS‑free materials
• simple rituals to calm cortisol and tune into hunger, cravings, and rest
• reducing stigma and normalizing open conversation about cycles
Check out Flower Girl at flowergirl. Follow on Instagram at @flowergirl.co_ and DM with questions
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My YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0SqBP44jMNYSzlcJjOKJdg
Welcome back to Simple Nutrition Insights. I'm your host, Daniela Campos, trade-store dietitian and founder of Fueled by Leo. Today we're diving into a topic that connects deeply with women's health. Periods, hormones, and how we put an in and our bodies matters. Joining me is Ariel Lupos, founder of Flower Girl, a sustainable and non-toxic period underwear brand, empowering women to feel confident, safe, and connected to their bodies. Ariel, welcome to the podcast. Thank you so much for having me. Let's start with a little bit about you what inspire you to create Flower Girl.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, so honestly, it came from what felt like solving a personal problem. I wasn't happy with any of the disposable products that were available to women basically my entire life. And then I started wearing period underwear, loved it as an option. However, again, I felt like the quality just wasn't great, and I couldn't understand why, you know, up to this point there just weren't comfortable, cute, body-safe options available for women. So I wanted to do something taking advantage of the fact that, you know, I live in Los Angeles. So I started driving around to different manufacturers, production facilities. I learned a lot about textiles, the difference between, you know, synthetic fibers versus natural fibers. And ultimately that led me to creating Flower Girl. And, you know, I'm pretty proud. I use top quality materials for the underwear. Wears extremely well over time. And most importantly, it uses materials that are safe for women to wear against their most intimate.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, thank you so much for sharing that. And it's something that we don't think about, right? And of course, we'll get into that in a little bit, but it's amazing to see the development of the product, right? That came from a need. Uh, and I'm sure all the work that you've put in into it as well.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Thank you so much. Yeah. It and it is crazy to me. You know, I feel like as consumers in general, we're so, I hate to say it, but like fibbed to, you know, from like the food that we eat to the clothing that we wear to the most importantly our skincare and menstrual products. It's there's not a lot of regulation around transparency. And I think consumers are finally starting to wake up though, to, you know, what's actually in a lot of the products we've used our entire lives.
SPEAKER_00:Making that change, right? Which is amazing. So you mentioned many menstrual products, right, as containing harmful chemicals. Can you explain what some of these are and how they affect our health?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, absolutely. So shockingly enough, the first study ever done on tampons was in 2024. So just last year. And some top Ivy League schools, you know, actually dissected, if you will, about 30 different samples from organic and non-organic brands. And in every sample, they found lead and other heavy metals, arsenic, phthalates, BPA, all just like all of these toxins in every sample tested. And, you know, a lot of the cotton, so often, whether it's organic or not, it's grown being sprayed with pesticides. So then, you know, the UK did a study just this year and found glyphosate in pretty much all of the samples tested. So unfortunately, I think again, we're just kind of waking up to what's actually inside of these products. And I'm not sure if you are on TikTok or yeah, I don't know what your feed is like, but mine over the last few weeks, somebody actually opened up one of the always pads. You know, the really popular brand that consumes a lot of this shelf space in the grocery stores always. And they exposed what looked to be mold in the pad. If you they were shining their pads up to lights and up to the light, and they just looked disgusting and dirty. And what's most shocking to me about that actually is not the fact that it looked dirty when you held it up to the light. It's the fact that women were still buying these products because if you look at the ingredients list on an always box of pads, for example, you're gonna find a ton of ingredients on there that are toxic. So it's almost like a lot of these brands aren't even really hiding it from us. It's they're straight up saying, you know, there's a ton of synthetic fibers in here, there's ethanol, there's like literally poison in these pads, and women are still choosing to wear them.
SPEAKER_00:And I think, you know, it's when I think about the relationship in what you're talking about in nutrition, right? A lot of the times my clients don't know how to read a full label. And, you know, as you are explaining, oh, you know, looking at ingredients list, I I've honestly I I've never looked at the ingredients list, right, of a pad or a um a feminine product. Because uh we almost do things uh based on what we've done in the past, right? And so it's not until we become aware and we have the knowledge that we're like, okay, this is what I should look for. The same thing the way I teach my clients, right, about food and like reading the nutrition's fax label and ingredients list. So it's it's amazing to see that even with our products that we wear that we use, right? We also have to be aware of what's in them. So it's amazing that you know you're essentially educating the public on that too.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, yeah. And you bring up such a good point. And I think that food, you know, was kind of our first example of how marketing shifted, right? Like, you know, how everyone, I feel like over the last decade at least, got really into organic labels and really, to your point, understanding the ingredients list, you know. And my hypothesis is that clothing and our menstrual products and you know, skincare, all of those things are next, is my hope. Most definitely.
SPEAKER_00:Education definitely plays a huge role, right? And understanding why it's that we need to choose certain things. Amazing. What do you think was the biggest challenge transitioning from you know e-commerce to building a wellness-driven brand?
SPEAKER_01:The biggest challenge, I would say, was actually getting into the product development aspect of the business itself. I my background is in e-commerce, so I naively went into product development thinking like I can throw a website up, I can, you know, do email marketing, social media. I'm not like afraid to do any of the storytelling around why this product is so important. For me, it was really creating the best possible product. And I'll be transparent with you. You know, when I first started, I had no idea how to manufacture a product. I didn't realize how complex it was to create something physical. I didn't know textiles. But as I continued, it was like a two-year period of learning and then creating samples and testing this product. And as I was learning about textiles, I was like, oh my gosh, I just I keep finding better and better material that's PFAS-free, non-toxic. It's made from trees, it's you know, natural fibers for a synthetic, is finally like what I landed on. So, really just creating product development, I would say, was like the most challenging, but also yet, you know, the most rewarding because I was like, I'm not gonna launch with a product that feels and looks like and uses the same materials as everybody else, who is not really creating a product with women's bodies and mind, in my opinion.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, that's amazing that you're really honing in into what obviously your mission, right? But what you really want out of this product, right? And what you want to represent. Which is not, as I mentioned, it's not easy, right, to get to, and I'm sure the bumps and challenges that you have faced throughout the whole process.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Yeah, it was a whole ordeal, that's for sure.
SPEAKER_00:What does the phrase getting back in flow mean to you personally and as part of your brand mission?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. Oh, I love that question. So I love it because this is something that I didn't go into the business thinking was gonna be like a huge value for the brand. But I've found over having so many conversations with women that I really want to encourage women to get back in tune with their bodies. I believe that women are the most intuitive beings in the world. Um, and so our society nowadays, so often we are distracted, it's so noisy, we are so out of touch with our bodies. And I genuinely believe that, you know, by making changes, for example, like using products that that allow our bodies to flow as they're naturally designed and intended to, you know, making choices about living a non-toxic lifestyle or eating better food and nutrition, nourishing our bodies, like all of that to me is getting in flow. And when we do that, you know, I believe that we just we receive so many downloads. Like we are no longer, you know, anxious or depressed.
SPEAKER_00:We are like in flow with our bodies so much because you are absolutely correct, right? With all the women that I work with, because especially we are parents, right, or uh caregivers, yeah, we forget about ourselves, right? We almost like are an autopilot and like just going through the motions, and it's the amazes me that when I talk to my female clients and they're like, Yeah, I I don't know where I'm hungry, right? Or I don't know if I had enough to eat, or you know, I I know I'm stressed, but I don't know how stressed I am, right? And so as we peel the layers and we understand why is it that we are not in tune with our bodies anymore, right? Why is it that we don't know what we need, what we want, right? And it's because there's you know, as you mentioned, there's so much noise, there's a lot of things happening around us that we forget about those basic things, basic needs, right? And so I really love that phrase getting back and flow.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, thank you.
SPEAKER_00:So many women don't realize how their nutrition and environmental exposures interact. From your perspective, how does non-toxic living support hormone balance?
SPEAKER_01:Oh, uh, it's everything, you know, and again, I unfortunately think that we are just now getting into understanding this information from like the labels and manufacturers of these products. Like, I want to use here fragrance as an example, right? Like, there are there's so much coming out right now around how fragrance like is one of the most disrupting things we could use for our bodies, for our hormones. It's so tied to infertility, you know. I I read a study the other day where somebody eliminated fragrance for 28 days, and that alone just allowed their body to totally come back into balance. So when you think about um, well, fragrance in general, but then all of these products that contain fragrances, right? So then you've got laundry detergent, we've got in-home candles, we've got those air fresheners, like anything with there's menstrual products, you know, with fragrance in it. Like those are the absolute worst. So I think just understanding, you know, ingredients again and how these things throw your body out of whack and your hormones, um, you know, is just really important to be mindful of.
SPEAKER_00:And it can be overwhelming, right? Because there's so much out there. It's almost like when, you know, I have clients that say there's so much information about nutrition out there, it's conflicting. I don't know. I think similarly here, right, there's so much information about the environmental toxins, and it can be overwhelming, right? And so at least getting some information where you're like, okay, this is what this is a product, right, that you can use and it's non-toxic, right? At least we have something that we don't have to worry about in a way.
SPEAKER_01:Right, right, exactly.
SPEAKER_00:And awareness about endocrine disruptors, right? And it kind of ties into what we just talked about. But can we unpack how these chemicals and products can influence metabolism, PMS, fertility?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah. So, you know, these products, again, they really are just wreaking havoc on the body. So they cause a lot of inflammation and ultimately painful, debilitating periods. And our society has sadly normalized a lot of this, especially for women. We've normalized, you know, just kind of like the toughent culture. And that, in fact, is not normal at all. Like something that I've really learned through this journey is how our period in particular can be looked at as a monthly report card from our body. And our period should work like clockwork. Like it shouldn't be irregular. So to me, it's like one of the best signs, things to use to track your health. And you should be getting it every month, basically at on the same at the same time. It should not be debilitating, it should not wreak havoc on your life. You should not bleed so much that you're going through your clothes and pads every hour or two. And yeah, I think that um again, our society has like normalized this idea of PMS and endo and PCOS, sadly, is something that so often either goes undiagnosed or we're just starting to, I think, you know, help women diagnose it. But um, I think looking globally, because to kind of a what you said earlier, like it is, it can be very intimidating and scary because we live in a world where there's like literally PFAS in the water. But looking globally at how you can really change your lifestyle based on to make the most impact, I think that's where like I would start. And um, you know, for women in particular, I think again, like skincare, menstrual care, all of the things that are touching us or impacting us most directly.
SPEAKER_00:I would say I love the uh analogy of our monthly report card, right? Because you're absolutely correct. I do notice, right, and just anecdotal anecdotal with my p my clients that you know if they have so much stress, right, they do see a change in their cycle or how they are feeling, right? And so I think it's important uh again, we come back to getting back in flow, right? Like really, really knowing our bodies and understanding like what our bodies are telling us, right? Um, and it may seem like this is an annoying, right? But I think once you get so in tune with your body, you are going to know it at such a different level where you are going to know, okay, this this doesn't this doesn't feel right, right? Like there's something happening here. And I always tell my clients you know, you should know your body more than anyone in this world, right? You should know what feels right, you should know what you need to change, why you need to adjust to help you, right, in just overall health and well-being. Yeah, absolutely. So you kind of mentioned, right, like different ways to reduce essentially toxic load.
SPEAKER_01:Are there any other practical steps that you would want to share with the um with the yeah, you know, again, it's really looking globally, I feel like, at the products you're using. And for me, like what was most important was everyday items. So, you know, I started obviously with my menstrual products, but then I looked at my makeup and my lotion. Because learning through learning all of this, I was like, our skin is our largest organ. And I don't want to be using a lotion every day that my body is absorbing and eating up it that has any sort of fragrance or any of these unnatural ingredients in it. Because again, going back to the hormone conversation, you know, that to me that's gonna have way more of a direct impact on my hormones um than, for example, you know, like a house cleaning product. But again, you know, I'm I'm pretty inundated at this point. I've swapped out, you know, all of that as well. My household cleaning items, my laundry detergent, you know, all of the things. So, um, but I would definitely start with like what is closest and most absorbed by your skin.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, most definitely. Right. Looking at essentially doing like a whole list, right? An inventory of the things that we use. Um, and then stopping them um slowly. That's great. Part of your mission is helping women feel more in tune with their bodies, as we talked about. What does that look like day to day for you?
SPEAKER_01:Day to day for me, one of the most important things that I do, and I hate to say this and sound cliche. Um, I'm gonna call it meditating, but it's really for me, it's like just taking any time that I can, even if it's five and ten minutes, to just be with myself and be alone with my thoughts, to put my electronics away, not be on my phone. Um, you know, there are days where I love like a guided meditation and sitting in front of like the red light. There are days when all I can do and have time for is like five minutes on the sofa just to get, just to get and be alone with my thoughts is so transformative for me. And it's something that can sound really like basic and maybe even scary or stupid at first, but I would encourage anybody to just spend that time alone because I get so many downloads in in those moments when you know I can just like my mind's not racing, and I'm like, oh, like what how am I feeling right now? Just really checking in with myself.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I love that so much because again, we are on the go all the time, right? And we are stimulated. Like I think of myself, and I'm a mom and I have two boys. So at the end of the day, I'm way overstimulated. And so just having even five minutes to myself where I'm like just breathing or just like not looking at anything, or not nothing, it really helps me, right? And the way that I explain it to my clients to you, right? It just it almost calms the alarms off in your body, right? Like which it's the cortisol essentially that it's affecting us. And so when we do that, yeah, you feel so calm, and that tells your mind and your body that hey, we're okay, we're safe, things are gonna be okay. And so totally, I think we definitely need to practice that more, right? Just to feel calm because it we do live in such a uh a busy environment, and it's a lot, right? Internally, mentally, physically. Uh, so even having those five minutes can make a huge difference. Yeah. How do you feel conversations around periods and hormones are shifting? Are women becoming more open and informed?
SPEAKER_01:I hope so. It feels like it, and I don't know if I'm just like more in tune with it now because of the work that I'm doing, but no, I I really do think that it is becoming more of a conversation. I'm seeing way more podcasts, have guests with, you know, w female doctors who have studied our cycles and who talk about cycle syncing and the importance of, you know, understanding your body and what phase of the month you're in to better understand, you know, your period. And that's, you know, fortunately how I've learned a lot of this information. So I really do think it is becoming more of an open conversation. And uh, you know, another one of my goals is to really destigmatize it. I can't believe that, you know, 50% of the population, 51% go like get a period, and it's something we've like been hush-hush about for so long. Like, why?
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, you know, I think of uh I think about that too, right? Because it's almost like, oh no, you you should not talk about that, right? Like it is taboo or whatever, I don't know. It but it's so natural, right? This is something that we go through and it's part of our biology, it's part of you know, um, our evolution. And so I am happy to hear that there are more women, right? More providers, more, just more communication around this topic. You know, of course, this is a whole different topic, but hormones, right? As we go into perimenopause, as we go into menopause, there is I'm seeing more research, right, and more talk about that, talking about that because we're all gonna go through it. I mean, at least women, we're going through it. And so we need to talk about it, right? It's not like it's painful, and well, that's part of you know it's part it's part of being a woman. Well, it is, but it is not, right? Like, what how can we help women?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah.
SPEAKER_00:So I am seeing the same shift, and I am happy about that, and I think you know, we should talk about it.
SPEAKER_01:I agree, yeah, totally. Not only talk about it to help one another out and to know, you know, we aren't going through these this alone or any of these symptoms, it just brings more awareness to everything. But also, you know, it's so interesting to me that like periods used to be sacred and honored and seen as like a time of rest and reset. And then, you know, our society things changed, but um, they're like it's like the actual portal for life, you know? It's like that's what ultimately creates life. So, how have we shunned this thing for so long?
SPEAKER_00:What's one myth about mental health you love to debunk?
SPEAKER_01:One myth that periods, you know, should are painful, or that, you know, just you know, it's something you just kind of have to push through and work through and deal with, or you know, push to the side. Um I again, you know, through everything I've learned at this point, I our periods should come seamlessly. We should be able to live with them and go about our days as normal. So I completely want to debunk that, you know, you it's okay to have a week out of the month where you like have a debilitating, you know, right period.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, absolutely. And I think as we mentioned, right, like when we really listen to our bodies and we honor why they're asking us, we can see that shift, right? Okay, maybe this week, you know, I'm feeling more tired. What does my body need right now? Right? Maybe more rest or something warm, right? Whatever the case may be. And that can help with the symptoms. So I think seeing it as uh it is part of our month to month, right? So how can we how can we live with it a little bit better, right? How can we make it better? And so when I think about right specifically product, is that I I think going to the to a pharmacy, right, or CVS or Target, or wherever I decide to go, and I try to find a pad, right? And again, and I'm not looking at ingredients list, so but just like trying to choose one that okay, maybe I want to try that one. You know, I tried one that had I don't know, like a mint something, and I was like, oh that's interesting. I hated it. I was like, what is this? And it was so uncomfortable, and I was like, I'm never gonna get that.
SPEAKER_01:It was like meanty.
SPEAKER_00:And yeah, you know, it's probably shouldn't say this in the podcast, but it was horrible.
SPEAKER_01:I felt like I was I don't know, it was I think that it's so important to share because like I could see why you like me before creating this product, I could see like see the allure of like, oh, maybe this is gonna like make me feel better, or you associate mint with like a hygienic product, you know, right? Like again, unfortunately, this was actually something really interesting too. You know, as I mentioned, periods used to be sacred and seen as like a sacred time, just something to be celebrated and honored. And then it was in the Industrial Revolution, like around the 1950s, and they started marketing them as like hygienic, and like that's when the fragrances got introduced and all these things. And in fact, I mean, it is that is like so incredibly damaging. We know now, and we only know that because of recent studies, that it's so damaging on the body, you know, like that they're not something. In fact, the vagina is like self-cleansing, you know, like we don't need fragrances or even soap really to like it made me think about like wow, what who designed these because it was just so wild.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, anyway. But you know, when we think about your product, right? Like we don't have to on a monthly basis go to the store, right, and try to decide, okay, which one do I want this month? Or like do I want to experiment, right? And like hate it. So, you know, I think that's amazing that you have been able to come up with a product, right, that is safe as well.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, thank you, thank you, yeah, and extremely durable, you know. As someone who, again, I used to wear period underwear and I would get really upset with like the quality and just like they really didn't hold up as well as I wanted, or they honestly would start to smell. And um, you know, I found material that's antimicrobial, antibacterial, it's odor controlling, it is, you know, reduces the growth of bacteria. It's completely PFAS-free, non-toxic. So I really invested in the quality of materials, I will say. And uh, I did try to come in as, you know, a more luxurious item, I would say, compared to what is currently on the market.
SPEAKER_00:Yes, definitely. I was looking at your website, and you wouldn't think that you know they're considered, you know, they're specifically for for your cycle, right? For your period, you're like, you can absolutely wear them throughout the month. They are look really good. Yeah, thank you. Right, yeah, you definitely stop. So, what are your top three must-haves for a toxin-free, hormone-friendly lifestyle?
SPEAKER_01:Okay, definitely period underwear. Yeah, I hate tampon, so gotta lead with that. Next, I would say, you know, toxic or clean skincare has become my next most important. Like the if I'm using any makeup, any of my serums or lotions. And then I would say toxic-free candles also is really important. I love lighting candles, and unfortunately, again, learned, you know, if you're not burning clean candles, you're likely just burning a lot of again, these like fragrances and hormone-disrupting chemicals into the air that you're breathing directly.
SPEAKER_00:It's a perfect one, especially as we go into the holidays, right? And we want candles and yeah, you know, have a cozy home, but that's a good one. Thank you for sharing that. Yeah. Um, can you share a few simple self-care rituals or foods that help you feel grounded during your cycle?
SPEAKER_01:Ooh. So this has been super interesting, but my body will literally crave like red meat when I am like about to get my period. Um I am very, you know, I notice in my phases there's like one week in my luteal phase when I'm extremely hungry, um, an ovulation. And then um I mean, I gotta say, you know, I also I crave the sweets. Um, so I try as much as possible, you know, to get like vegan goods if I can, but also like I'm gonna live my life. Like I feel like I've done enough globally to, you know, have toxic-free products that like I'm eating the cookie, I'm eating the cakes, I'm eating pizza, I'm eating burgers. Like I when I when my body craves it, that might not be a great answer for you because I know you're a dietitian, but like I just don't restrict myself if I want it, because ultimately, for the most like otherwise, for the most part, I am eating very well. But it's like those times where my body really wants something.
SPEAKER_00:Yeah, I love that idea. I think being able to again know your body, right? And knowing, okay, this is what my body is needing right now, right? And honoring that and being okay, right, with having different foods. That's one of the things that I I um teach my clients, right? Like there's not there's not foods that are bad, right? We shouldn't uh put labels on foods. And so if we if we like something, we want something, right? Being okay with it, being flexible with having them. So and you're listening to your body, right? So that's the that's the the end goal. Amazing. What's next for Flower Girl and how can women connect with you uh with your mission?
SPEAKER_01:My ultimate goal would be to like really expand this line. I would love to do into apparel as well, non-toxic and like sustainable clothing and just like really comfy comfort clothes and perhaps like a whole bodega, you know, style of like non-toxic products. And if you're interested, you know, in checking out the product, my website is flowergirl. The Instagram is also at flowergirl.co underscore. And if you want to send an email, you know, send a DM, you're gonna be talking to me, and I'm more than happy to answer. Any more questions to continue talking about this stuff. I absolutely love it. So please, I hope nobody has to do it.
SPEAKER_00:Ariel, thank you for sharing your journey and for helping us see how much menstrual wellness, nutrition, and self-awareness are intertwined. To our listeners, remember being in flow isn't just about our cycle. It's about living in sync with our bodies, through the foods we eat, the products we choose, and how we care for ourselves. Thank you so much, Ariel. Any final thoughts, anything else that you would like to share?
SPEAKER_01:No, I feel like we really covered everything that I was going to talk about. So thank you so much for sharing your space with me and for the conversation. This is like literally my favorite thing to talk about ever. So I appreciate it.
SPEAKER_00:Until next time, stay nourished and stay in flow. Bye bye for now.
SPEAKER_01:Bye. Thank you.