Innehållsförteckning för July 2022 från Top Sante

‘I wanna live forever…’ sang the kids from the hit show and musical Fame. And, though none of us can really live forever, there are many ways we can support our bodies, physically and mentally, to live as well as possible for as long as possible, so we can enjoy our lives to the fullest. There has definitely been a swell in recent years in the ‘pro-age’ movement – older people in TV commercials and in the media in general, as well as fashion brands using older models on the catwalk and in campaigns – which has been great to see. No longer is the media world purely the domain of the young. Since I became editor of Top Santé in 2015, I’ve endeavoured to make sure the magazine has…

The real life one Catch Your Breath: The Secret Life of a Sleepless Anaesthetist, by Ed Patrick (Octopus Publishing, £8.99). Heartbreaking but also hugely entertaining, Dr Ed Patrick takes you on a rollercoaster journey through the dark recesses of the UK’s health system, describing his career as a doctor and anaesthetist. He details the highs and lows of healing within the confines of NHS bureaucracy and dealing with life-or-death decisions every day. Presented in delicious bite-size sections, this memoir brings a refreshingly light touch to the pressures faced by our healthcare professionals. The groovy cookbook one Love. Food. Family: Recipes from the Kitchen Disco, by Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Richard Jones (Hamlyn, £20). Celebrating the kitchen as the heart of the home, this family favourites recipe book comes with a sprinkle…

SHOWER SOLUTIONS Looking for a more hygienic option than a soggy bathmat when stepping out of the shower? A quick-drying Coopers of Stortford Cork Bath Mat (£17.99, coopersofstortford.co.uk), is the ideal solution for any bathroom. As well as being naturally antibacterial, cork is eco-friendly, absorbent, fast-drying and boasts anti-slip properties, protecting you from wet slippery floors. BRIGHTEN UP YOUR WALLS YesColours (from £21, yescolours.com) creates a wonderful range of vibrant wall paints that come in fully recyclable pouches, rather than wasteful tins. The vegan-friendly and cruelty-free formulas are also free from harsh chemicals, including VOCs. Plus, the paint is sold in one-litre units, so you can accurately order exactly what you need, rather than being left with several half-empty paint tins. Choose from ranges including Calming, Fresh and Joyful, and…

WE HAVE long known that when we actively engage in tasks and accomplish them, the reward system of the brain kicks in and releases dopamine. It’s the feel-good chemical that floods our system during orgasm, a deep and satisfying conversation, or exercising to exhilaration. But what we didn’t know, until research at the University of Washington School of Medicine revealed it, is the role certain cells in the brain play in suppressing dopamine when we give up. When we give in to self-doubt or even a bit of laziness and decide not to accomplish a goal, cells in the brain spring into action and block the reward system from activating. The more we let go of persistence and the more we drop off from follow-through, the stronger these dopamine-suppression circuits…

1 Prioritise your own health. Your body is shutting down so treat this illness seriously. If you don’t, others will let you carry on. Access support from any source you can: volunteers, neighbours, family, food banks. Only do absolute essentials and focus on recovery. You are not a victim – you can do this. 2 Take back control of your communication system. This is a battle of the brains. It is completely normal to override the chimp and reptile brain because one of the functions of your higher, human brain is to inhibit those animal survival systems. You have done this all your life – reverting back to normal after being thrown into fight or flight by an oncoming speeding lorry or when a verbal attack triggered the freeze/dumbstruck (reptilian) response. The…

NATURE IS FULL OF synergies, such as the relationship between bees and flowers. Bees rely on flower nectar for food, and in return transport pollen to fertilise other flowers. The human body is also reliant on synergy. Enzymes react with food to facilitate digestion, while bacteria in your gut work in synergy to break food down into nutrients to be delivered to your cells. Synergies also happen in your diet when certain foods are paired together. The concept can be described as how foods interact with each other to incur a health benefit greater than that offered by each single food alone. Many of these occur without you realising – drizzling olive oil over a salad it helps your body absorb vitamin A from tomatoes. Food synergy can be used…

Advanced Nutrition Programme Skin Collagen Synergy (£58, advancednutritionprogramme.com). These capsules contain 32 multivitamins and minerals, including vitamins C, E, B2 and B3, plus zinc, MSM, grapeseed and açerola berry. Ancient + Brave Radiant Collagyn Beauty (£36, planetorganic.com). Formulated with rosehip berries and beetroot for a youthful glow, this super-powered plant-based formula contains collagen-specific amino acids (1,000mg L-glycine, 500mg L-proline, 500mg L-hydroxyproline, 250mg L-alanine, 250mg L-arginine), as well as buffered vitamin C to support collagen synthesis and iodine for normal skin function. Ingenious Vegan Ultimate Vegan Skincare (£60, feelingenious.com). Improve your skin, hair and nails as well as rejuvenate joints with this all-natural supplement that is said to boost collagen synthesis in your skin by up to 80 per cent! It contains astaxanthin, from natural freshwater microalgae, to defend against ageing free…

10 reps PRESS-UP WITH SHOULDER TOUCH Areas worked: full upper body and core ● Begin in a push-up position (either the full push-up or on your knees), with your hands directly under your shoulders. ● Bend your arms to lower your chest towards the floor, without allowing your back to arch. Straighten your arms to return to the start, lifting your right hand off the floor and bringing it to touch your left shoulder. ● Return your hand to the floor and repeat, lifting the left arm with the next rep. 30 reps SHADOW BOXING Areas worked: full upper body and core ● Begin in a boxer’s stance with your left foot forwards, right foot back, holding a light weight in each hand, either side of your chin. ● Quickly…

Time to sparkle Alcohol-free versions of normally boozy drinks are going from strength to strength with a good selection now available. Take these new Vinada sparkling wines (£9.95, amazon.co.uk/vinada), which use a de-alcoholisation process that keeps most of the wine’s original aroma and flavour. Choose from the award-winning range, including Crispy Chardonnay, with peach and floral notes, Tinteling Tempranillo Rosé, with subtle tannins and Amazing Airén Gold, with a spicy and citrussy aroma. Perfect for celebrations and sunny days. WE’LL KETCHUP WITH YOU LATER! Barbecue season is well under way, but if you’re keeping an eye on your salt intake it’s worth watching the ingredients in the sauces and ketchups you’re putting onto your burgers and sausages. Real Good Tomato Ketchup (£2.20, ocado.com) contains 0.05g of salt per serving which…

LIGHTEN UP When deciding on your summer wardrobe, light, airy fabrics and cover-ups to avoid sunburn are top picks. But also bear in mind, the colour of the clothes you wear can help protect from insect bites. Mosquitoes are particularly attracted to red, orange and black clothing, according to a new study. So, as well as covering up your skin and avoiding strong fragrances, swap to light-coloured clothing during summer months to reduce your chance of nasty bug bites. LOWER THE IMPACT OF LONG COVID It might be the last thing you feel like if you’re struggling with the fatigue and brain fog of Long Covid, but a bit of gentle exercise can reduce your chance of developing diabetes and depression. Inflammation caused by Covid can lead to elevated blood…

Aurelia London Hydrate & Calm CBD Gel Cream (£58, aurelialondon.com). Banish redness and balance sebum levels with this ultra-light, soothing gel formula, with hyaluronic acid to brighten, plump and support collagen production for up to 24 hours. Infused with CBD crystal isolate. London Nootropics Mushroom Coffee Box (£15, londonnootropics.com). Put a spring in your step with this barista-style coffee infused with organic dual-extracted medicinal mushrooms. Cordyceps mushroom extract with Siberian ginseng helps increase vitality during the day. Or banish brain fog with lion’s mane mushroom extract paired with adaptogenic herb rhodiola rosea to help you feel super-sharp and focused. Hunter & Gather Healthy Fats (from £8.99, hunterandgatherfoods.com). Prefer to use pure fats? Choose from ghee or coconut oil for cooking, olive oil for drizzling and Pure C8 MCT Organic Coconut…

Treat yourself and the planet WHAT: Barefoot Luxury Eco Retreat from Gin & Yin Retreats. WHERE: Areias do Seixo, Portugal. WHEN: 25-28 September 2022. PRICE: £950 per person based on two people sharing an en suite twin room (£1,150 for single occupancy). Located along the Santa Cruz coastline, this eco retreat will see you staying in a beautiful and sustainable property made with repurposed materials and powered by renewable energy. Across four days, guests will take part in a range of restorative yoga and meditation classes, along with a guided coastal hike, a beginner-friendly stand-up paddleboarding session and mini wellness workshops. You’ll enjoy local cuisine, including freshly caught fish, organic produce from the kitchen garden and G&Ts from the local gin distillery. There will be plenty of time to unwind…

Feed your microbiome Focus on foods high in fibre as they promote regeneration that may help protect the brain from both Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases. And to grow and support the right kinds of helpful bacteria, follow the Mediterranean diet, with lean proteins, lots of leafy greens, and a small amount of healthy fats. Also, leave 12-16 hours between dinner and breakfast – it stresses the metabolism in a good way. Giving the GI tract a rest during these hours helps the microbiome flourish. And, even without changing your diet, moderate aerobic exercise, 30-60 minutes three times a week, has been shown to increase the diversity of microbes in your gut, and reduce intestinal inflammation in just six weeks. REDUCE STRESS WITH ALTERNATE-NOSTRIL BREATHING Plug your right nostril and take…

SAVE 45% Subscribing to Top Santé is a great way to keep abreast of the latest health news and advice, and is a thoughtful gift for a friend or relative, too. Every issue is packed with the best nutrition, beauty, wellbeing and fitness tips to keep you feeling great all year! Katy x Editor GREAT REASONS TO BUY A SUBSCRIPTION: Payjust30 for your first year. Each issue delivered directly to your door for free. Never miss an issue. Receive our fantastic e-newsletter for free every week. TOP HEALTH TOP BEAUTY TOP FITNESS TOP NOURISHMENT DON’T MISS OUT – ORDER TODAY! ORDER ONLINE at SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/TSAP722 CALL NOW ON 01959 543 747* Quote ref: TSAP722 *Lines open Mon-Fri, 8.30am-5.30pm. Calls are charged at your standard network rate. Terms & conditions: UK Direct Debit…

BREAKFASTS FIT FOR A QUEEN 1 Apple and kiwi Bircher muesli: oats soaked in apple juice and oat milk, topped with grated apple, kiwi fruit, almonds, lime zest and cinnamon. 2 Avocado smash: scooped avocado, nuts, seeds and lentil sprouts combined with lemon juice and olive oil. 3 Probiotic yoghurt topped with sliced bananas, nuts and seeds. 4 Super green smoothie made with apple, spinach, kale, avocado, parsley and lemon juice. 5 Scrambled eggs with turmeric and black pepper served on wholegrain toast. 6 Smoked salmon and light cream cheese on dark rye bread. 7 Porridge topped with berries, nuts and seeds. LONGEVITY-BOOSTING LUNCHES 1 Baked eggs in a spicy tomato and red pepper sauce. 2 Roquefort and grape salad with caramelised pecans (see recipe, right). 3 Tomato, avocado and chickpea…

BONE BUILDER DEVICE Low-intensity vibration (LiV) therapy from the Marodyne LiV device (£2,995, mybones.health) is scientifically researched to build bone density, plus prevent and combat osteoporosis. The device provides an exact low-level vibration (0.4g) transmitted at a high frequency (30Hz), the precise intensity required to stimulate the body’s bone-building cells into action. Developed in conjunction with NASA to help reduce the bone mineral density loss astronauts experience in space, the machine has been fine-tuned for home use. Stand on it for 10 minutes a day to prompt your bone building cells into action. Suitable for all, the gentle buzz of the device has been likened to a cat purring! BEST FOR BONES… ● Magnesium citrate, which helps transport calcium to aid in bone creation. ● Foods containing vitamin D, calcium…

‘CLIMBING GIVES ME MENTAL STRENGTH’Hazel Jones, 65, from Sheffield, explains why women can excel at climbing. Watching dolphins splash about off the Pembrokeshire coast as gannets take to the skies, I never want to be anywhere else. Pembroke is my favourite place to sea-cliff climb and I also love multi-pitch mountain routes such as on Tryfan, Snowdonia. Both are forms of what’s called trad climbing, but you have to multi-pitch up a mountain because the ropes aren’t long enough to climb it all in one go. We climb 30 metres, anchor, then do that again until we reach the top. I started climbing in my 20s and, back then, my local climbing club was all men; I had to find the courage to walk into a pub and introduce myself.…

WAFFLING ON Adding a healthier touch to baked goods straight from the freezer is definitely a winner. These new Griddle Waffles (from £2.50, wearegriddle.com) are plant-based, have 40 per cent less sugar than standard versions and contain plenty of wholegrain fibre. All this makes them a tasty treat to start the day. Pop them in the toaster and add the topping of your choice. Tempting flavours in the range include Original, Choc Chip and Blueberry.…

THE WAY YOU EAT CAN HAVE an impact on how quickly you age – on the inside as well as on the outside. Your diet, nutrient intake and lifestyle choices all play a part in how rapidly you age. However, there is one huge culprit that can accelerate ageing, causing your skin to sag, and negatively impacting your cardiovascular health. Yes, it’s sugar! SUGAR SPIKES – NOT SO SWEET When you eat foods that break down into glucose, such as bread, pasta, crackers, biscuits and sweets, your blood sugar rises to provide your body with fuel to be ushered into cells to use for energy. But if you have a very high-sugar, high-carb diet with little physical activity, then the resulting blood sugar rise can remain higher for longer, causing…

During my modelling career, I was always on a plane flying here, there and everywhere, grabbing food on the go and not thinking too much about what I ate. I was crossing time zones and just grabbed sandwiches here and there, and didn’t think too much about food. But when I met my partner, Jeremy, seven years ago – he’s French/Italian – I remember on one of our first dates he came to my house and, at about 1pm, he started setting the table. He was clearly expecting lunch and I thought, ‘What’s he doing? What are we eating?!’ I hadn’t really cooked a meal for so many years I didn’t know what I was going to make him! Being with him and having that European influence I realised that…

ONE DAY IN 2003, I was running around an adventure park, having fun with my younger daughter before seeing friends. I left my friends’ early, as I started to get a runny nose, and went home to have an early night. Then, I didn’t wake up for weeks. I remember drifting in and out of sleep and being in a darkened room. My only memory of those few weeks is being propped up in bed to be given a drink. Being bedridden on my own, with my two young girls popping in occasionally to check on me, became the norm for the next few months. My body had completely shut down, like a house having a power cut, left in the dark with no energy. Lying alone, unable to move,…

GO GO GOJIS! If you want to keep your eyes in good nick, eat a handful of goji berries every day. The little red berries have been found to help improve the density of some protective pigments in your eyes. A trial at the University of California at Davis, US, on 13 people aged 45-65, found that those eating 28g (a handful) of goji berries five days a week for 90 days had an improvement in the protective pigments that filter out blue light and act as a sunscreen for the eyes. Another group took specific eye health supplements, but their levels of this protective pigment remained the same by the end of the study. 3… is the magic number Research published this year from Queen Mary University in London…

YOUR BODY NATURALLY replenishes your bones throughout your life. But by your 40s and into menopause this process slows down. So, looking after your bones is essential – with lifestyle, nutrition and exercise choices from the experts, you can help keep bones stronger at any age. If you do something positive for your bones each day, you’ll be safeguarding your future bone health. Many patients of women’s health expert Dr Shahzadi Harper at The Harper Clinic (theharperclinic.com) are concerned about bone fractures and loss of mobility. ‘Menopause is a risk factor for low bone mineral density (BMD) because the hormone oestrogen is essential to the bone building process. When you go through menopause, oestrogen production drops and, therefore, so does your natural ability to maintain and produce bone. If BMD…

FIND YOUR FIT If you struggle to find exercise wear to take you from work commute to workout to post-class coffee, you won’t any more. New British athleisure brand Active People (mountainwarehouse.com or next.co.uk) is bringing both style and substance to the fit-for-life sportswear scene. Active People makes workout-ready clothing with the help of popular fabric brands such as Primaloft insulation and Ortholite insoles. The first drop is available now and includes everything you could possibly need to lead an active lifestyle – jackets, trainers, leggings, loungewear. We recently put the Action Shot Women’s Midlayer (£65) to the test and have been wearing it to nearly every workout since! ON THE RUN Missed that important call while out running again? What you need is a fitness armband. No, not the…

BRUSH ON SPF PROTECTION Regularly re-applying your sunscreen is key to protecting skin from premature ageing. But that’s close to impossible without ruining your perfectly applied foundation. The answer is powder SPF to gently brush extra protection over skincare and make-up. Try iS Clinical PerfecTINT Powder SPF40 (£64, isclinical.co.uk). This botanically based, non-irritating formula is suitable for all skin types, with five blendable tints. It has a physical sunscreen to reflect and repel harmful UVA and UVB rays, and protect against blue light. Also contains imperata cylindrica root extract to optimise collagen synthesis and moisture absorption in the skin. Plus, you can refill and reuse the container. 80% …the percentage of skin ageing, including wrinkles and pigmentation, that is caused by exposure to UV rays in sunlight*. GO PLASTIC-FREE WITH LUXURY…

Crave (£1.73, thevegankind.com) Making snacks for people with food allergies, intolerances or preferences that don’t fit in with standard offerings is a bit of a mission at Crave. These savoury snacks are vegan and milk-, lactose- and gluten-free. Choose from smokey flavoured Streakers and pickled onion Monster Feet. Made For Drink crisps (£1.25 for 40g, madefordrink.com) Made For Drink has teamed up with English Heritage to help champion food from England, such as Yorkshire-grown potatoes and Dorset sea salt. Flavours include English Truffle and Dorset Sea Salt. Pea Pops (£1.80, asda.com) Get a helping of plant protein with these snacks made from chickpeas. They use all-natural ingredients and are also popped rather than fried for a lighter, less fatty flavour. The crunchy snacks are also gluten-free and vegan, and contain fewer than…

AYURVEDIC EXPERT Dr Sam Watts is the founder of Mind Body Medical, which helps patients regain health (mind-body-medical.co.uk). Q I have just been diagnosed with diabetes. How would you suggest improving this condition from an ayurvedic perspective? A Diabetes is caused by an aggravation of kapha dosha, which is one of the three genetic constitutions in ayurveda. So, managing diabetes means balancing kapha. Do this by increasing your intake of bitter, pungent and astringent foods, which improve blood glucose profiles. Interestingly, clinical evidence now shows these foods contain a multitude of compounds to improve metabolic health in those with diabetes. Eat bitter, dark green leafy vegetables such as kale and chard, pungent foods such as ginger and garlic, and astringent foods such as pulses, which provide complex carbohydrate delivery without…