Top Santé UK June 2022

20 HOW TO BEAT DIABETES page Lower your blood sugar OAvoid Type 2 OEasy low-carb meals + more! special TRIM YOUR STOMACH 6 easy at-home exercises for a flatter tum 8HERBS LISA TO EASE SNOWDEN MENOPAUSE SYMPTOMS ‘I feel fab at 50’ Stay younger for longer Her tips on with collagen being happy and radiant Better skin Stronger hair CRUSH Healthy joints SUGAR CRAVINGS! JUNE 2022 £4.20 Top advice from our low-carb expert 5HEALTHY TOMATO RECIPES Refreshing, nutritious summer dishes to make now!



WELCOME! pSaegee 40 I hope you’re feeling well? Thank you for picking up Top Santé – the UK’s longest-running health magazine for women (next year will be our 30th SUBSCRIBE & SAVE! anniversary!) For a while now, we’ve compiled a special health section for each issue, focusing on various areas of health that relate to women over When you sign up to Top Santé you get the age of 40. This month it’s again the turn of diabetes, with May and not only 13 issues per year, but also June both having awareness events to highlight the condition. FREE DELIVERY direct to your home. You’ll be in the know with the latest health According to Diabetes UK, more than 4.9 million people in the UK have and wellbeing tips, and right now we have diabetes. What’s more, the organisation says that 850,000 people are a special offer whereby new subscribers currently living with type 2 but are yet to be diagnosed, and, shockingly, will receive a copy of Nadiya’s Fast that the NHS spends at least £10 billion a year on diabetes, which is about Flavours recipe book! 10 per cent of its entire budget! But research has consistently shown that combined lifestyle interventions, including diet, physical activity and FIND US ONLINE: topsante.co.uk sustained weight loss, can be effective in reducing the risk of type 2 by about 50 per cent – so it needn’t be a life sentence. Facebook.com/topsantemagazine Twitter.com/topsanteuk Our diabetes section includes an incredible story from Alice Dogruyol, a Instagram.com/topsanteuk PR consultant who, for much of her life, has struggled with her weight and E: [email protected] was told she was pre-type 2 diabetic, only to discover, thanks to a private blood test, she actually had type 1 (page 48); while Navneeta Gough TOPSANTÉ 3 developed gestational diabetes and shares how she avoided it developing into full-blown type 2 largely by changing her diet (page 62) Finally, it was a pleasure to chat to radio and TV presenter Lisa Snowdon (page 16) for this issue. Beauty and skincare dominated much of our chat – we’re kindred spirits there, as I too am a beauty addict! – as did fitness. Lisa recently discovered a love of weight lifting, which is so important not only for physical health but mental welbeing, too. I hope you enjoy reading it and find some good tips to try for yourself! All the best... 384-- 22˜7 Find Katy on instagram.com/ Editorial Director thehealtheditor This month’s special section looks at diabetes, with tips on how to help you swerve the condition. Starts page 43. Cover star Lisa Snowdon talks all things beauty and skincare, as well as how she stays fit. See page 16.

THE TOP SANTÉ MANIFESTO The team We believe every woman has the ability to maximise her Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, health and beauty at any age, regardless of health history. Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, With a balanced diet, effective exercise and a positive Kent, ME18 6AL mindset, you can stay younger for longer, inside and out. (Please do not send samples to this address) We’ll bring you the latest information on wellbeing, fitness, food and beauty, empowering you to make EDITORIAL informed choices now and for your future health. Editorial Director Katy Sunnassee What’s gone before can’t be undone or redone, so let’s leave it in the past and focus on what can be changed today! Art Director Jennifer Ratcliff Web Editor Lily Smith We’re here to help you, one small step at a time. Copy Editor Angela Kennedy 4 TOPSANTÉ Sub Editor Eve Boggenpoel With thanks to: Beth Fletcher, Sue Parslow, Lizzy Dening, Yvonne Martin, Sarah Sellens, Alison Hardinge, Pauline Cox, Kim Willis, Karen Newby, Amelie Dawson, Lily Smith, Navneeta Gough, Susie Debice, Alice Dogruyol. ADVERTISEMENT SALES Commercial Executive Hannah Lees 01959 543518 , [email protected] PRODUCTION Tandem Media [email protected] Production Manager Neil Hepden, 01233 220245 MANAGEMENT Chief Executive Steve Wright Chief Operating Officer Phil Weeden Managing Director Kevin McCormick Head of Digital Steve Jones Finance Director Julia Mould Retail Director Steve Brown HR and Operations Paul Borsbery Print Production Manager Georgina Harris Print Production Controller Hayley Brown Audience Development Manager Andy Cotton Subs Marketing Director Gill Lambert Senior Subs Marketing Manager Nicholas McIntosh Senior Subscriptions Marketing Executive Molly Walton SUBSCRIPTIONS O 13 issues of Top Santé are published per annum O UK annual subscription price: £54.60 O Europe annual subscription price: £64 O USA & Canada annual subscription price: £64 O Rest of the World annual subscription price: £70 CONTACT US [email protected] UK subs and back issues: 01959 543747 Overseas subs orderline: 0044 (0) 1959 543747 Toll free USA subscription orderline: 1-888-777-0275 Customer service: https://kelseyassist.freshdesk. com/support/home Customer service and subscription postal address: Top Santé Customer Service Team, Kelsey Publishing Ltd, The Granary, Downs Court, Yalding Hill, Yalding, Kent, ME18 6AL. Manage your subscription online at shop.kelsey.co.uk/myaccount For back issues visit shop.kelsey.co.uk/TSA DISTRIBUTION Great Britain – Marketforce (UK) Ltd, 3rd Floor, 151 Marsh Wall, London, E14 9AP. Tel: 0330 390 6555. Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland – Newspread. Tel: +353 23 886 3850 PRINTING William Gibbons & Sons Ltd. Kelsey Media 2022 © all rights reserved. Kelsey Media is a trading name of Kelsey Publishing Ltd. Reproduction in whole or in part is forbidden except with permission in writing from the publishers. Note to contributors: articles submitted for consideration by the editor must be the original work of the author and not previously published. Where photographs are included, which are not the property of the contributor, permission to reproduce them must have been obtained from the owner of the copyright. The editor cannot guarantee a personal response to all letters and emails received. Any correspondence submitted to Kelsey Media may be published. Our published assets include print magazines, digital editions and our websites. If you prefer we do not publish your name and location (town/city), please state DO NOT PUBLISH at the end of your correspondence. See Privacy Notice kelsey.co.uk/privacy-notice. The views expressed in the magazine are not necessarily those of the Editor or the Publisher. Kelsey Publishing Ltd accepts no liability for products and services offered by third parties. For information about our privacy policy, visit kelsey.co.uk/ privacy-policy. for queries regarding Kelsey’s data policy, email [email protected]. Information given is not a substitute for medical advice. Check with your GP before making lifestyle changes. Prices are correct at time of going to press. Facebook.com/TopSanteMagazine @TopSanteUK



JUNE 2022 INSIDE THIS ISSUE... HEALTH 20-page 62 COVER ’Healthy eating reversed COVER PHOTOGRAPH: TKMAXX diabetes special by high blood sugar’ 16 COVER My life in health Discover how Navneeta Gough TV and radio presenter Lisa Find out how to avoid beat gestational diabetes. Snowden shares her skincare and and also reverse the beauty tips, as well as her love of condition, including EVERY MONTH weight training and walking. real life inspiration. 09 Your healthy start 22 Your healthy home Starts page 43. A hidden benefit of a jog, clever Refresh your space with our pick of collagen, plus reducing risk of the best sustainable furnishings Enjoy a hayfever-free dementia with fruit and veg. and wellness products. summer. See page 38. 14 Katy Curates 24 COVER Wellness travel Editorial director Katy Sunnassee Get ready to perfect your poses shares her latest favourite finds with our pick of the best yoga retreats around the UK and France. 30 COVER 8 Ways to help your hormones Medical herbalist Dr Chris Etheridge shares the herbs women in peri- and post-menopause should know about. 34 Return of the mag Katy Sunnassee chats to functional nutritionist Pauline Cox about the role of magnesium in recovering from long covid. 38 Halting hayfever Banish itchy eyes and runny noses caused by hayfever by trying our histamine-busting tips and tricks. 44 COVER Feeling hangry? Nutritionist Karen Newby shares some tips for getting your blood sugar levels back on an even keel. 46 COVER Type 1 vs Type 2 We explain the differences, plus speak to someone who for years fought against type 2, only to discover she had type 1 all along. 53 Reasons to try keto Nutritionist Rob Hobson shares how the keto diet can help you lose weight and avoid type 2 – plus some tasty meals. 58 COVER Going with the currant The humble blackcurrant has many health benefits, including helping you swerve type 2 diabetes and even burning body fat! 6 TOPSANTÉ Facebook.com/TopSanteMagazine @TopSanteUK

SUBSCRIBE TO TOP SANTÉ! 6 issues for just £19.99, plus get a copy of a Nadiya Hussain cookbook! Discover the latest p40 collagen products. See page 79. from the world of wellbeing, Try our delicious tomato from beauty to bras! dishes. See page 90. 98 Women in Wellness In the first of our new series, FOOD Ronia Frasier tells us why life with a narcissist can be really tough. 84 Top nourishment her top tips for quitting Enjoy alfresco dining, lower sugar and optimising your FITNESS blood glucose with mustard blood sugar levels. and wake up to instant 90 COVER Terrific toms 66 Top fitness overnight oats! We celebrate the humble Head outside for a summer of tomato – especially those activity with our round-up of the 86 Crush your sugar cravings grown in the UK – with some latest fitness buys. Nutritionist, keto expert and fabulous recipes. author Pauline Cox, shares 68 6 ways to tone your core These moves from S8 Training will help you get a stronger and more toned tummy – and it only takes 10 minutes a day! 72 ‘I’m redefining old age!’ Alex Rotas’ photography of inspirational ‘older sporty people’ is helping to change the perception of ageing. BEAUTY 76 Top beauty The lowdown on summer’s most exciting new beauty launches. 79 COVER Be a collagen queen Nutritionist Susie Debice helps unpack the science behind collagen, plus what to look for. TOPSANTÉ 7

19TH JUNE FHatahpepry’sDay We have something for everyone this Father’s Day. Whether he’s into farming, sports, cars or photography, we have a subscription for every interest and hobby. SAVE UP TO 58% FANTASTIC SUBSCRIBER BENEFITS Free delivery of every issue, direct to their door · They’ll never miss an issue Save £££ on the shop price · The gift that keeps on giving, all year round SUBSCRIBING IS EASY! VISIT SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/FD22P or call 01959 543 747 and quote ref: FD22P *Calls charged at your local network rate. Order lines open 8.30am-5.30pm, Monday-Friday. Full T&Cs can be found at shop.kelsey.co.uk/terms. Discounts are calculated on the full cover price. For overseas credit/debit card offers, visit our website at shop.kelsey.co.uk. Kelsey Publishing takes your privacy seriously and will only use your personal information to administer your account and to provide the products and services you have requested from us. We will only contact you about our special offers via the preferences you will indicate when ordering and you can update these at any time by emailing us at [email protected] or by calling us on 01959 543 747.

WORDS: LIZZY DENING. PHOTOGRAPHS: GETTY IMAGES AND SHUTTERSTOCK. YOUR HEALTHY JUNE Keep your brain healthy with jogging and good foods, how plants keep your home clean, and more! PLANTS MAKE A HOUSE A HEALTHY HOME Fans of houseplants have long theorised about their health- giving benefits. Now there’s evidence in their favour. Ordinary potted plants have been shown to make a significant contribution to reducing air pollution in offices. Scientists from the University of Birmingham demonstrated that three houseplants (peace lily, corn plant and fern arum) could reduce the level of common pollutant, nitrogen dioxide (NO2), in a room by as much as a fifth. Each plant was put into a test chamber containing levels of NO2 comparable to an office next to a busy road. After an hour, the plants had removed around half the pollutant from the chamber, whether in light or dark conditions, and whether the soil was wet or dry. Converting results to account for average room sizes, researchers calculated five plants could reduce NO2 levels by around 20 per cent in a small, badly ventilated office. Time to visit the garden centre! For more healthy home tips, turn to page 22! TOPSANTÉ 9

‘The summer night is like GAME a perfection of thought’ FOR IT Wallace Stevens Anyone who’s been told that their video game habit is a waste of time will enjoy the news that a special type of gaming therapy has been proven to be of help to stroke patients. The University of Missouri-Columbia has developed a motion-sensor video game, called Recovery Rapids, which helps improve motor skills and arm movements from the comfort of a patient’s home. Not only could this system mean future treatments are more convenient and enjoyable, but it could save health services money too, as traditional rehabilitation therapy is costly. Hope for depression sufferers People with a history of depression should perhaps consider a specific type of therapy to promote self-kindness and relaxation. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) has been NEED TO SOLVE A PROBLEM? JOG ON! shown by researchers from the University of Exeter to help break the Whether you’re grappling with a tricky conundrum or simply feeling the cycle of highly critical thoughts and afternoon slump, going for a run around the block could make all the feelings of worthlessness that often difference. Just 10 minutes of running has been shown by Japanese cause people with depression to scientists to boost brain processing. It doesn’t even need to be a flat-out relapse. MBCT is a group-based sprint, as a ‘moderate intensity’ effort was enough to increase blood flow psychological treatment that helps to the parts of the brain associated with cognitive function. Not only will people change the way they think it help your grey matter, but a swift run was also found to improve mood. about experiences, while learning Race you to the door! skills to reduce likelihood of future depressive episodes. Patients in the study who were treated with MBCT were better able to be kind to themselves, and also experienced greater feelings of relaxation and safety, which is important for healing. 7 ... the number of strawberries that provide your recommended daily dose of Vitamin C.* 10 TOPSANTÉ Facebook.com/TopSanteMagazine @TopSanteUK

HEALTH | NEWS *BRITISH SUMMER FRUITS FIGHT CANCER THE BRAIN WITH COLLAGEN HEALTH DIET If you’ve had successful cancer One way to reduce your risk of treatment, living a full life while staying in remission is likely your top priority, so it’s good dementia is a diet packed with news to hear researchers from Mount Sinai Hospital plant nutrients, according to a in New York have discovered how cancer cells stay new study from the University of dormant in the body. Using high-resolution imaging, Barcelona. Scientists found eating the researchers discovered cancer cells secret type 3 collagen into their environment, and it’s only when levels a diet rich in plant products of this protein fall that the cells become active again. reduces the risk of cognitive By observing these changing collagen levels, the impairment and dementia in scientists could predict the recurrence and spread elderly people. In particular, they of cancer. In fact, when they increased collagen noticed a protective association from cocoa, coffee, mushrooms levels around cancer cells, they were and polyphenol-rich foods such forced into a dormant state. as apples, blueberries, oranges, OTurn to page 79 for our pomegranates and green tea. The feature on collagen. study points to the idea that upping intake of plant-based foods helps provide a mixture of polyphenols and other compounds to keep your brain in good working order as you age. Follow us on facebook.com/top.sante. magazine for regular health news and inspiration! TOPSANTÉ 11

HEALTH | NEWS READING LIST Take control of your body and mind with this diverse selection of empowering new reads. The gut health one The natural skincare one The Gut-Loving Cookbook, Natural Skincare for all by Alana and Seasons: A Modern Lisa Macfarlane Guide to Growing & (Pavilion, £16.99) Making Plant-Based Tuck into more than Products, by Silvana de 65 deliciously simple, Soissons (Pavilion, £20) gut-friendly recipes with this Avoid chemical accessible, easy-to-follow preservatives with this cookbook. Each dish practical guide to creating contains the top three most your own holistic skincare. important markers for a Make small-batch, fresh healthy digestive system: products from 20 easy-grow botanical plants to variety, fibre and ferments. produce more than 30 skincare formulations at home. But this gut-friendly food definitely isn’t boring or Includes Lemon Balm, Lime & Thyme Flower Hand restrictive. From Loaded Fries to Jackfruit Tacos, Sanitizer Spray, Peppermint & Rosemary Foot Cream Sourdough Pizzas and Shepherd’s Pie, to beautifully and Crab Apple, Lemon & Orange Flower Toner. Simple, generous salads and cheeky Kombucha Mocktails, natural products that are good for your health as well there’s plenty to tickle your tastebuds. as being light on your bank balance. The weight loss one The self-care one The Diet Whisperer: The Thriving Giver, by 12–Week Reset Plan, by Sarah Kuipers (Practical Dr Paul Barrington Chell Inspiration, £12.99) and Dr Monique Hope-Ross Do you try to keep (Yellow Kite, £14.99) everyone happy and find it Are you struggling to lose hard to say ‘no’? If you weight? Find out why calorie struggle to set boundaries counting is flawed and why with family, friends or have exercise alone is not the caring responsibilities, answer. Two hospital doctors this book shows you how debunk myths about weight to balance self-care with loss and dieting, backing up caring for others. The suggestions with evidence- stress expert author sets based medicine. You’ll learn out seven principles for how to activate your fat-burning engine, along with meal mastering stress, offering easy, practical steps so you can plans, recipes and advice. Follow science-based wellness learn to thrive. Find out how to reduce anxiety, transform strategies, such as fasting, food timing and body-clock negative thoughts and emotions, understand your needs, harmonising, to lose 12kg in just 12 weeks. become more assertive and replenish your energy. APPY AND YOU KNOW IT TOP OF THE PODS If your job is getting you down, try Stress Stay on top of the latest health & Anxiety Companion (free with in-app news with the BBC’s Health purchases), which uses proven psychological Check. Weekly episodes separate fact approaches to help you manage your mental from fiction, covering the biggest health health at work. There are more than 200 headlines of the week – from psychology to expert-led audio guides, with topics medical breakthroughs. including goal setting, coping with change and how to switch off at the end of the day. Facebook.com/TopSanteMagazine @TopSanteUK 12 TOPSANTÉ

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KATY CURATES… Editorial director Katy Sunnassee shares her latest favourite finds from the world of wellbeing. Follow her at Instagram.com/thehealtheditor. ) ) ) Absolute Collagen Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner (£15, Universal Performance Women’s Zip-Front absolutecollagen.com). With Active Sports Bra (£42, up.clothing). amino acids for a healthy This comfy sports bra features a snug fit hair-growth cycle, and a high level of support, making this duo revamps it perfect for high-intensity thin, fine and flat workouts. The high-quality hair. It has two recycled material is also blends of collagen: antibacterial, meaning it TERREIN Hiking Boot (£180, terrein- the small molecular stays fresher for longer. footwear.com). These boots feature weights penetrate Plus, the zip-front an integrated mini-piston system the hair cortex to makes it super easy which reacts three times faster than strengthen from to put on and the human body and mimics the within, while the remove. It’s comfy function of ligaments and muscles larger weights add enough to wear during to guard the ankle from injury. volume, protection the day, too. Launching online May 10. and shine. ) Pip & Nut X Crosstown Cinnamon Scroll Almond Butter (£3.25, pipandnut.com). Pip & Nut has teamed up with Crosstown to create a delicious almond butter inspired by Crosstown’s cinnamon-flavoured doughnut. The palm oil-free spread is made from Californian almonds, Zanzibar cinnamon and hand-picked Tongan vanilla. This is so delicious – it makes the perfect topping (albeit quite runny) for a sliced apple. 14 TOPSANTÉ Facebook.com/TopSanteMagazine @TopSanteUK

HEALTH | FAVOURITE THINGS Brite Drinks (from £2.50, britedrinks.com). Functional drinks company, Revision D.E.J Brite, has launched a new range designed to ease anxiety. Available in Face Cream (£152, three flavours, the drinks contain adaptogenic ashwagandha, which revisionskincare.co.uk). can help you cope with stress. A great Improve the visible signs alternative to coffee, Brite Drinks are of ageing with this based on a nootropic synergy intensive skin-renewing that, by combining stimulants moisturiser. Inspired with relaxants, helps you feel a by the skin’s ‘dermal- significant improvement in mental epidermal junction’ – the performance and a long-lasting area of tissue that joins energy boost without the jitters. the epidermal and dermal layers of the skin – it’s designed to restore volume and plump the appearance of thinning skin. Plus, the addition of prebiotics promotes a healthy microbiome. ) Tincture London Natural Cleaning Products (from £4.99, tincturelondon.com). This award-winning range of cleaning products is 100 per cent natural, antiviral, antibacterial, sustainably sourced and free from toxins. ) ) WORDS: KATY SUNNASSEE. Rhyme & Reason Colour CBPlus CBD Sun Protect Shampoo & (£14.25, cbplus.co.uk). Conditioner (£8.99 each, Moisturising, protective boots.com). Eco haircare and regenerating, this brand, Rhyme & Reason, sunscreen is formulated creates products that with a 10 per cent contain naturally derived concentration of medical ingredients and are grade CBD isolate, housed in sustainable and provides packaging. The Colour bioactive SPF30 Protect range is perfect protection. Plus, for giving coloured hair a it’s free from radiance boost, thanks to parabens, artificial moisturising babassu oil, preservatives, dyes, along with white tea and fragrances and antioxidants to protect colours, and comes hair against the stress of in fully recyclable colouring and bleaching. packaging. TOPSANTÉ 15

MY LIFE IN HEALTH Lisa Snowdon The TV and radio presenter, 50, shares her skincare and beauty tips as well as her love of weight training and walking for wellbeing. I’m a bit of a beauty junkie and I love LED face masks and have a underneath the brow bone, on my love my beauty routine. Skincare domed one that goes all the way dark circles, and to cover up any can be a lovely way to afford yourself around, with blue, red and yellow redness. I try not to use concealer a moment of self-care, which is so lights. And that is amazing for skin where the skin creases as it can important. Using a cleansing balm rejuvenation, healing, soothing and make wrinkles look worse if it gets gives you the opportunity to slow boosting collagen. I absolutely love a bit cakey throughout the day. down and make a ritual of it, it. It takes around 30 minutes, so I’ll Then I use the Ciaté Dewy Skin massaging it in and doing some deep, listen to a podcast at the same time. Vitamin C Glass Glow Primer (£28, breaths at the same time. Remember ciatelondon.com) and dab it on as a to incorporate your neck as well! At I do my cleansing and serum highlighter to reflect light, soften fine night, I double cleanse – you have to routines religiously, twice a day. lines and minimise pores. It contains if you’ve worn SPF and make-up I am all about increasing moisture, antioxidants so it’s like skincare! – then I layer on some serums and glow and luminosity in a dewy, retinols. I love oils, too! My skincare natural way. Getting older, you I struggle sometimes with the can change throughout the year as sometimes lose that dewiness, so I liquid liner because my eyes have well as throughout the month, due love to use products that pump up the changed a bit and are not so to hormonal changes. symmetrical. I do still Face massage is great ‘Listen, 50 is the new 30! love that flick you get from liner, though, so for your skin as it I’m totally embracing my I attempt to do it if I WORDS: KATY SUNNASSEE. IMAGES: CIATÉ LONDON improves circulation fifties – it feels really good!’ have time. I’m all about and muscle tone. If lashes. The Ciaté you wake up and are mascara in my box looking really puffing, adds lovely length and or tired, use a gua sha thickness as it’s got tiny tool or roller to iron out wrinkles hydration and plump my skin. I also fibres in it. Another way to get that and puffiness – it helps drain toxins wear less base and powder and eyeliner look when you’re a bit older down to your lymph nodes and instead go for highlighters. I teamed is to use eyeshadow: get a thin, flat wakes up the skin. I also do it when up with Ciaté London in January to do brush, dab it into a dark eyeshadow watching TV, working on my neck a limited-edition make-up box that and then dot it along your lash line. and lower face. It’s so good for having contains products that really help add Powder is more forgiving than a liquid a firmer, plumped up complexion. luminosity – I’m all about the glow! but you can create the same illusion. I’d rather sit doing that than be half If you mess it up, you just take your watching TV and half staring down In the morning, after my skincare cotton bud and it’s easily rectified! at my phone scrolling, as that leads routine, I use a tinted moisturiser. If you’re going to do a strong eye, to ‘tech neck’! This is followed by concealer don’t do a strong lip – you can’t do 16 TOPSANTÉ Facebook.com/TopSanteMagazine @TopSanteUK

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both together! My lips get dry so I love Facebook.com/TopSanteMagazine @TopSanteUK using the Ciaté Pump Plump Lip Plumping Gloss (£20) as is adds a really beautiful sheen. Breath work really sets me up for the day. I started doing it during the first lockdown of March 2020, and I continued it as it’s a really nice way to set you up for the day. Because sometimes life is hectic, isn’t it? If you can find five minutes to just sit there, check in with yourself, do a body scan, then focus on your breathing for five minutes and calm it down, that’s a really good start to the day. Especially if you’ve got something big or scary to do, such as an interview or confrontation with your boss. I also really love grounding myself by walking outside with bare feet. It has so many health benefits. If you’ve got even a little bit of grass near you, stand on it barefoot for a few minutes, either at the end of the day or in the morning, or both. It’s especially good if you’re stressed, as it helps calm everything down, lower your heart rate, etc. So that’s good – a good bit of grounding. I always thought you had to run and really pound the pavement to get fit and lose weight. But I absolutely hate running! I do like the feeling afterwards though, but during the run I’ll be thinking ‘this is terrible, why am I doing this?’. I’m now really into weight training, which gives me a real buzz. I never thought I’d be one of those ‘ladies that lift’, but it is amazing. Weight training is good at burning fat and it does build up a sweat. It’s also about coordination so it’s good for your brain as well as your booty! And it helps combat stress and helps you sleep better, too. Weight training is so good for women as we get older. But even if you’re in your 30s, start now and get ahead of the curve because bone density gets worse with age and weights help build strong bones. 18 TOPSANTÉ

HEALTH | CELEBRIT Y INTERVIEW Muscle tone is also crucial three days I was in agony! as, the more muscle you But I loved it as you keep moving for have, the more you will the whole 45 minutes. The trainer’s burn fat and the healthier body was insane – very inspirational. you’ll be. I’ve got some Her bum was insanely pert! weights at home but I’m much more of a gym fan and like to do weights I do intermittent fasting a couple there. They have more equipment, and of days a week. This means I won’t I do a one-to-one training session, so I eat in the morning until, perhaps, know I’m not doing anything wrong midday. But everybody’s different. or going to hurt myself. Having a Some people need to eat first thing, trainer helps as you need to lift in the but this way works for me. I found right way. But it’s super fun once you that by having that slight calorie get going. It’s exciting and a challenge deficit a couple of times a week, it to see how you can progress. helps. Today, for example I started off taking my live bacteria drink first Recently I’ve managed to fit in thing in the morning, for gut health four exercise classes a week. These – that’s something that also gets vary from Pilates to circuits, where affected by the menopause. Then I we’re on bikes, then jumping into have hot water with lemon. I take boxes, doing planks on a ball, a bit of collagen, too, as I think that really TRX stuff and then a bit of weights. I like to mix it up and keep my body guessing. I also did my first BodyPump class when I was working in Dubai earlier this year. For the next ‘If you can find five minutes to check in with yourself, do a body scan, then focus on your breathing and calm it down, that’s a good start to the day.’ Sign up to our newsletter at topsante.co.uk TOPSANTÉ 19

helps with my skin as well as my I love being around plants – I’ve like connecting to the universe. hair, nails, tendons – everything! got them everywhere. There I’m quite of spiritual like that. Then I might have a green tea and are hundreds in my house and go to the gym, then drink lots and I have some in every room. The I grew up in the countryside and lots of water before eating at midday. conservatory is like a jungle! I also would walk in the fields and in the love taking care of them – it feels woods. I love being around big old I also have just two meals a day, good for my soul. And then, trees and seeing birds. I think as I’ve a couple of times a week, and I obviously, being in the garden is gotten older, I’m turning more into try to have dinner earlier. This precious. I moved back to this house my nana. She was always really into means I don’t eat too late at night six years ago and it hadn’t had her gardening, as was granddad and and I try not to eat a heavy meal in that much love in the garden for a my mum and dad. I always try to get the evening. I make lunchtime my while. It needed a whole load of in a walk at the weekends. big meal. If I go out for dinner that landscaping. George [Lisa’s partner] goes out the window though! But I and I did it together and it’s been a It’s also good to put away your do try to limit alcohol if I go out, as it labour of love. Every weekend we’d phone when you’re walking in has so many hidden calories. be digging, getting rid of the prickly nature. Sometimes I’m guilty because bushes, then planting beautiful I take pictures and George tells me Water really helps your skin and colourful plants. When you nurture to put my phone away and just to energy levels, too. I drink loads and care for something in nature look around and take it all in. Those of water to help flush everything it just has this rewarding feeling, moments are so good for your mental through. It also helps you to not feel health. If ever you’re feeling down, as hungry as well. If you’re trying to get yourself out for a walk, out into a avoid snacking, have a big glass of green space; just sit, look and listen water as that can sometimes help. I’ve to what’s going on in nature. always got a bottle of water with me – I use one of those metal reusable I know some people say they are ones. I literally pee all day but I don’t too busy, but try getting up earlier care; it’s good to drink loads! or taking a longer walk to the I’ve been told that sugar is more addictive than crack cocaine! I’m an all-or-nothing person with chocolate so I can’t just have one, I will want to eat loads! Once you’re eating it, your body just wants more. The only way to stop craving it is to cut it out completely. If you do a week without it, you’ll be fine. The first few days are hardest at mid-afternoon, when you want a snack, or in the evening, but I just go to bed earlier. I’ve managed to cut it out a couple of times in the past and the first week is always the hardest. But then life is for living – it has to be about balance. I think there’s also that risk that if you do get too restrictive with yourself, you’ll just want things more. So, you can’t always deny yourself. ‘When you nurture and care for something in nature, it just has this rewarding feeling.’ 20 TOPSANTÉ Facebook.com/TopSanteMagazine @TopSanteUK

Sign up to our newsletter at topsante.co.uk HEALTH | CELEBRIT Y INTERVIEW supermarket. Even if you do just 15 minutes of walking, it’s going to help. I do aim to do 10,000 steps each day. You gotta keep moving! Especially if you’ve sitting at a desk all day. So many of us have offices at home now. We’ve become really stagnant over the past two years. So you’ve got to try to get out – even just for a walk around the block! I try not to regret because that’s such a wasted emotion. But, if I had to look back over the first half of my life and give any advice, it would be to know your own self-worth. So then when you get yourself into situations where you may be around toxic people and it doesn’t feel right, rather than stay with it because you think you don’t deserve better, you’ll be more likely to leave – and save yourself a lot of heartache and sadness. Listen more to your instincts as they are never wrong. Whether it’s a bully at work, a boyfriend, a friend, just check in with yourself. If things don’t sit well with you, know you deserve better. It took me until my mid-forties to learn to love and accept myself for all my quirks and weirdness. Self-acceptance is key as we’re in our bodies for a lifetime. So, I think you have to be kind to yourself. It’s never too late to start looking after yourself. I’m embracing my fifties – it feels really good! Fifty is the new 30! I did a Self-Care Sunday Insta Live about looking after my neck, cleansing and using products to help it, and some people were like ‘I wish I’d done that. It’s probably too late for me now’. But it’s not too late. It’s never too late to start exercising or take start looking after yourself. OLisa is an ambassador for Ciaté London – find the beauty range at ciatelondon.com. Lisa also helped promote Red Nose Day 2022 T-Shirts. The one she is wearing on our cover (£9.99 for an adult, with children’s sizes available) can be found at tkmaxx.com. TOPSANTÉ 21

Healthy SUSTAINABLE SEATING HOME Tormar Handmade Furniture Collection Refresh your space with (from £129, tormar.co.uk) is made our pick of the best to order using sustainably sustainable furnishings sourced wood, so the business and wellness products. has a low carbon footprint. From beds and shelves to chairs and stools, everything has the environment in mind. We love the Wilfred Chair (£925), made from English oak, which combines Scandinavian simplicity with Japanese proportionality. CANDLE CORNER UPGRADE YOUR FLOORS LOHN Candles (from £16, Recork Sustainable Cork Flooring (from £80 per square metre, recork.co.uk) anthropologie.com) are promises to be better for the planet and your heating bills! Thanks to its made with an organic honeycomb structure, with millions of air-filled cells, the cork flooring coconut and soy wax blend provides thermal insulation for a warm-feeling floor, without the need for along with a pure cotton underfloor heating. The non-slip surface has good elasticity, giving you a wick for a clean, even burn. spring in your step and being gentler on your joints. What’s more, cork Each hand-poured candle flooring doesn’t shed any microfibres, meaning it is naturally antimicrobial is inside a printed glass or and hypoallergenic, so your home’s air will be cleaner, too! stamped ceramic container, and is beautifully packaged with recyclable materials. We love the ERDE Candle (from £16), which combines subtle notes of woodsy cedar and a spicy-sweet nutmeg, mingled with fresh figs and vetiver. OFor more tips and candle inspiration, visit thecandleconnoisseur. co.uk. WORDS: LILY SMITH 22 TOPSANTÉ Facebook.com/TopSanteMagazine @TopSanteUK

LIVEN UP YOUR WALLS HEALTH | GREEN LIVING 1838 Wallcoverings Luxury Wallpapers SHINE BRIGHT (from £60 per roll, 1838wallcoverings.com) are made using organic materials including LIFX Clean Bulb (£69.99, lifxshop.co.uk) is real cork and hemp grasscloth. Each design the world’s first antibacterial smart light. It is printed in Lancashire using 180-year-old uses high-energy visible light (HEV) to help surface printing techniques, alongside eliminate bacteria and germs from home the latest digital printing technology. surfaces, and functions as a regular smart Combining rich colour palettes from light with loads of colours to choose from. the earth, forests and oceans, the new You can even schedule the lights to switch Essence Collection (from £105 per roll) on and off at set times with the LIFX app. features seven beautiful designs inspired by the natural world. Sign up to our newsletter at topsante.co.uk KEEP BACTERIA AT BAY Clean Living eco-friendly cleaning products (from £8.99, cleanlivingint. com) use natural and non-toxic biological formulations with healthy bacteria to eat away at bad bacteria and grime. Plus, the refillable aluminium dispenser reduces waste: combine a sachet (from £1.99) with water and get cleaning! ADD AROMATHERAPY… Made By Zen Rove Aroma Atomiser (£55, madebyzen.com) is the brand’s first waterless aroma diffuser. Using nano-mist technology, the Rove transforms your favourite oils into a mist of potent particles, enhancing your wellbeing with soothing scent. Perfect for any space that needs a burst of fragrance. TOPSANTÉ 23

Wellness T R AV E L FIND YOUR FLOW... Get ready to perfect your poses with our pick of the best upcoming yoga retreats around the UK and France. Nurture your health, WORDS: LILY SMITH fitness and wellbeing Facebook.com/TopSanteMagazine @TopSanteUK WHAT: Yoga, Fitness and Meditation Retreat at Ballingdon Hall WHERE: Sudbury, Suffolk WHEN: Various PRICE: From £525 per person (based on two people sharing a double bed in an eco-cabin) Get ready to nurture your mind and body with the Yoga, Fitness and Meditation Retreat at Ballingdon Hall, a healing sanctuary located in 20 acres of grounds, complete with a yurt and eco-cabins. The retreat aims to bring a little balance back into your life while achieving your health, fitness and wellness goals. It features yoga classes, holistic therapies, meditation, bodyweight workouts and more, all led by a team of qualified fitness instructors and therapists. Expect to wake up with a sunrise meditation, sweat it out with a lunchtime cardio session and unwind with an evening flow. Find out more at ballingdonhall.co.uk 24 TOPSANTÉ

HEALTH | TRAVEL Get your zen on WHAT: Wellness Retreats workshops, seminars and classes, at Warner Leisure Hotels including yoga and meditation WHERE: Various UK locations with expert tuition. You’ll also WHEN: Various dates from June be able to enjoy complimentary to September access to the pool and sauna, PRICE: From £449pp based on plus three-course dining and live two people sharing music. Scenic locations include Studley Castle near Stratford- Warner Leisure Hotels is offering upon-Avon, Thoresby Hall in a series of wellness retreats at Nottinghamshire, Bodelwyddan its peaceful country estates across Castle in North Wales, and the UK. The weekend retreats Littlecote House in Hungerford. offer fantastically restorative Visit warnerleisurehotels.co.uk/ days complete with wellness breaks to find out more. Sign up to our newsletter at topsante.co.uk TOPSANTÉ 25

Make a day of it WHAT: Yoga & Spa Day Retreat at Moddershall Oaks Country Spa Retreat WHERE: Staffordshire WHEN: Various (two dates a month until December) PRICE: £120 per person Set in 72 acres of peaceful, private countryside, Moddershall Oaks Country Spa Retreat provides a stunning backdrop to a full day of mindfulness and me-time. On the Yoga & Spa Day Retreat, you’ll be welcomed into the MADE wellness centre to enjoy a healthy drink and breakfast before immersing yourself in full use of the spa facilities. You’ll then be treated to a nourishing lunch, before taking part in a yoga workshop and an energising vinyasa flow class. The day ends with relaxing meditation, followed by a herbal tea. This retreat is the perfect option if you’re in need of a self-care day! Visit moddershalloaks.com for more information. Visit topsante. co.uk to read our full review of Moddershall Oaks! 26 TOPSANTÉ Facebook.com/TopSanteMagazine @TopSanteUK

HEALTH | TRAVEL Yoga in the French ‘Enjoy nourishing home-cooked food, saltwater pool swims and bike rides countryside through the sunflowers.’ WHAT: Hatha Yoga Retreat with Anna Coates Yoga TOPSANTÉ 27 WHERE: The French Retreat, in the Charente region of Southwestern France WHEN: June 30 – July 4 PRICE: From £875pp based on two people sharing (single rooms from £995pp) Get ready to feel rejuvenated with a Hatha Yoga Retreat at a wellbeing and holistic centre in the picturesque French countryside. Staying in a lovingly renovated farmhouse, you’ll experience five re-energising days of twice-daily yoga classes, nourishing home- cooked food, saltwater pool swims, indulgent massages and bike rides through the sunflowers. You’ll also have the chance to visit the local market and quaint neighbouring towns. Visit retreat.fr or annacoatesyoga.com for more information. Sign up to our newsletter at topsante.co.uk

David McCarthy The secret and unhealthy abdominal fat, all while Professor Emeritus Nutrition and is in the science positively retaining essential muscle2, Health, London Metropolitan University without feeling hungry. With more than 30 years of clinical You’ve probably heard at one time research, renowned global scientists So unique is the product, the very latest or another someone say, “I have a and medical journals have showcased clinical testing from North America has slow metabolism and that’s why I the benefits of Almased® for weight shown that when compared to a normal seem to gain weight”. You may have loss and lasting weight maintenance. 2,000 calorie diet, healthy women even thought that it applied to you. Ground-breaking clinical testing has who consumed Almased® burned a Establishing whether this is true and if found that even when compared to a greater number of calories and most so, finding ways to boost it and thereby low-fat, reduced-calorie diet, people significantly, a greater amount of fat3 – burn more calories, certainly appears who used Almased® achieved greater all the result of superior improvements to be a worthwhile exercise. reduction in body weight, body fat to the functioning of the body’s metabolism4. Metabolism is the process by which our body coverts food into essential energy we need to do anything from breathing, moving, to the renewal and maintenance of all our cells. As much as metabolism is linked to weight, nutritional intake also plays a fundamental role in this process. Given these influencing factors on body weight, the question posed is whether we can consume the very best nutrition which optimises our metabolism for the benefit our overall health, wellbeing, and physical form? The answer can be found in Almased®.

Experience the How Almased®benefits you Almased® effect Nourishes Reduces Clinically Over a 32-hour period, nineteen healthy women the body with body fat proven had their calorie intake and calorie output a unique blend without loss measured in a state-of-the-art energy expenditure of soya, yogurt of essential weight loss chamber (An Almased®-only diet was compared muscle mass1. v a fat- to a normal 2,000 calorie diet). The results were and honey. truly remarkable. restricted low calorie diet2. 2000 100 Contributes Supports to weight energy 1950 80 loss when levels and the reduction of 1900 Almased Normal 60 replacing two tiredness and Diet daily meals. fatigue5. 1850 40 Almased Normal 20 Diet 1800 Total Calories 0 Total Fat Burned Burned (kcal/day) (g/day) These first of their kind Provides a Free from Suitable for superior, artificial Non-GMO, findings, confirm how all-essential flavours, fillers, gluten-free, amino acid preservatives & vegetarian Consuming consuming Almased® as a profile for the stimulants. & those with Almased® body to thrive. Diabetes. resulted in... meal replacement results More calories in greater daily calorie burned Increased fat expenditure and greater fat burning Negative fat burning when compared to balance: more fat was lost a normal diet, thus playing Get the same results, today! than consumed. a hugely significant role in Almased® can be used to replace any of your daily meals. Mix Germany's 50g of Almased® with 200-350ml of water or 200ml of low-fat successful weight loss for milk and 2tsp of oil rich in essential fatty acids (e.g. olive, flaxseed, No.1 rapeseed or walnut). Both our 14-Day and Long-Term Plan can anyone taking Almased® in be tailored to help you achieve your own weight loss goal. weight loss product their daily diet. Professor David McCarthy explains that results such as these further underscore Almased®’s global reputation and position as Germany’s No.1 meal replacement for weight loss and long-term weight maintenance without the dreaded yo-yo effect. 020 3463 9769 [email protected] www.almased.co.uk Almased UK AlmasedUK ® *Euromonitor International (2020). 1. Deibert, P et al (2004). Intl. Journal of Obesity; 28(10):1349-52 2. König, D et al (2008). Annals of Nutrition and Metabolism; 52(1):74-78. 3.Oliveira, C et al (2020). Poster presented at: Canadian Nutrition Society 2020 Annual Conference; 2020 May 7-13. 4.Vitamin B12 and Biotin contributes to normal energy-yielding metabolism. 5.Folate contributes to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue. †Reader‘s Digest. Trusted Brands 2020. Germany. Substituting two daily meals of an energy restricted diet with meal replacements contributes to weight loss.

Mmaettneros 8 HERBS TO HELP YOUR HORMONES Dr Chris Etheridge, medical herbalist and chair of the British Herbal Medicines Association, shares the herbs women in peri- and post-menopause should know about. For a low mood Facebook.com/TopSanteMagazine @TopSanteUK ST JOHN’S WORT A powerful herb for relieving stress, mild anxiety, irritability, insomnia, memory fog – all symptoms associated with menopause. Research suggests this herb may treat mild to moderate depression with similar effectiveness as SSRI drugs. The active constituents may have an effect on neurotransmitters in the brain, inhibiting the reuptake of serotonin, dopamine and norepinephrine in nerve cells, blocking gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) receptors and increasing the density of serotonin receptors in the frontal cortex of the brain. TRY IT: THR-registered HRI Good Mood Tablets (£9, hriherbalmedicine.co.uk) 30 TOPSANTÉ

HEALTH | MENOPAUSE For hot flushes SAGE A great herb for alleviating many menopausal symptoms, such as night sweats and hot flushes. Research also suggests sage subtly impacts brain chemistry to reduce menopausal mental health symptoms, such as increased irritability. TRY IT: Try THR-registered Menoforce Sage (£14.25, boots.com) PHOTOGRAPHS: SHUTTERSTOCK. For insomnia VALERIAN TOPSANTÉ 31 Menopause, especially night sweats, can interfere with good quality sleep. Sleep herb, valerian contains active compounds that modulate your GABA and glutamate brain receptors to aid sleep onset, decrease waking up in the night and increasing total sleep. Valerian won’t make you tired if taken during the day, but will support your natural sleep cycle. Also, it will not leave you feeling groggy and washed out in the morning, as sleeping tablets can do. TRY IT: THR-registered Vitabiotics Sleepnite (£10, vitabiotics.com) Sign up to our newsletter at topsante.co.uk

To reduce stress For joint pain ASHWAGANDHA DEVIL’S CLAW Stress levels often rise at the onset of menopause as hormonal levels fluctuate. Ashwagandha helps your body deal with stress more This is a powerful anti-inflammatory, effectively – it’s called an adaptogen. The dried roots contain antirheumatic and pain-reliever, chemicals called withanolides, other steroidal saponins and helpful for reducing pain, aching and alkaloids. Latest clinical research suggests ashwagandha helps stiffness in joints. Research suggests reduce stress, fatigue, poor immunity and anxiety. All symptoms that women aged 50-60 years may be which can pop up during menopause as your 350 per cent more likely to develop body undergoes a big hormonal shift. One osteoarthritis in the hand than men. study showed ashwagandha reduced Devil’s claw can improve mobility. stress levels and improved vitality TRY IT: THR-registered Vitabiotics and motivation. Devil’s Claw Tablets (£11.59, TRY IT: Enjoy hollandandbarrett.com) ashwagandha tea with other relaxing herbs in Pukka Herbs Peace Tea (£3.45, pukkaherbs.com) For liver health MILK THISTLE Used as a liver tonic, anti- inflammatory and antioxidant, milk thistle can support hormonal balance during menopause. It may also decrease the frequency and severity of hot flushes after 12 weeks, according to a study. The active compounds are potent antioxidants called flavanolignans which protect liver cells. Milk thistle may have a positive effect because of its phytoestrogenic activity or its modulation of certain neurotransmitters involved in hot flashes. More research is needed. TRY IT: THR-registered Silamarie Milk thistle (£17.45, bio-health. co.uk) or HRI Milk Thistle (£12.99, hriherbalmedicine.co.uk) 32 TOPSANTÉ Facebook.com/TopSanteMagazine @TopSanteUK

HEALTH | MENOPAUSE For brain health Head to topsante.co.uk to GINKGO read this article BILOBA in full and for During menopause, brain fog more tips. can leave you feeling a bit fuzzy- headed, struggling to remember HOW TO CHOOSE details. Reduce menopause HERBAL MEDICINE memory-loss symptoms with this herb, which has been found to Look for the THR improve concentration, memory logo displayed on and mental flexibility in packs when buying post-menopausal women. herbal remedies over the counter TRY IT: THR-registered and online to be Maximum Strength sure they’re safe Ginkgo Biloba (£37.99, and high quality, hollandandbarrett.com) having been For immunity approved for sale by the UK’s Medicines ECHINACEA and Healthcare Supporting your immune system so it’s in optimal condition Products Regulatory while going through the hormonal shifts of menopause is Agency. Visit bhma. essential. Echinacea has clinically proven activity for the prevention and treatment of upper respiratory infections info for more by boosting immune function. Look for a good-quality information on brand to make sure you’re getting sufficient levels of the THR products. active compounds, including alkylamides. TRY IT: THR-registered Echinaforce Drops TOPSANTÉ 33 (£10.75, boots.com) Sign up to our newsletter at topsante.co.uk

RETURN Q Why is PHOTPGRAPHYS: SHUTTERSTOCK. OF THE magnesium MAG! so important? In the final part of our series on long Covid, AMagnesium is involved editorial director Katy Sunnassee chats to in more than 300 functional nutritionist Pauline Cox about mechanisms in the body and it’s important for the role of magnesium in recovery. building hormones, including progesterone. It’s very 34 TOPSANTÉ important for mood, too, as well as skin, energy and blood sugar, as it improves insulin sensitivity, meaning it helps shuttle the glucose out of your blood and into the cells. Magnesium is very important, but it gets easily depleted if you’re very stressed, have high levels of inflammation, are busy all the time or have a diet that’s lower in green leafy veg – but even if you do eat a lot of leafy veg, our soils are compromised these days and we don’t get as much magnesium in our vegetables as we would 50 years ago. Also, you don’t tend to absorb magnesium as well the older you get, or if your gut is less acidic, meaning you won’t absorb minerals so well. There are several reasons your magnesium levels might be continuously depleting. I have a pretty healthy diet, but I still supplement with magnesium to help my nervous system as I’m always on the go. It helps with sleep and calms the fight or flight response, helping me relax. It also helps progesterone – a calming hormone – and boosts energy, too. Facebook.com/TopSanteMagazine @TopSanteUK

HEALTH | LONG COVID Q Which are the best foods more green, leafy veg into your diet – and it A small for magnesium? uses up all those leftover leaves you might avocado otherwise throw away. contains AMagnesium-rich foods include around 300 green leafy vegetables such as Avocados are a great source of micrograms of spinach, kale and watercress. magnesium, as is wild-caught salmon, magnesium, And I know it’s not easy to get those in – dark chocolate (80 per cent cocoa or depending on sometimes you just don’t want to eat a higher) as well as nuts and seeds. The best the soil it was huge plate full of leaves, especially when nuts are almonds, which have a natural grown in. you’re ill! But there are smart ways you sweetness. I particularly like walnuts as can pack more greens into your diet. well because they’re very high in fibre. A handful of almonds and sunflower seeds Take a handful of watercress or some kale, is great, as these have plenty of vitamin E, add it into a blender with some avocado, which is a potent antioxidant. a little bit of nutritional yeast (a great source of B vitamins) and give it a little pulse You can try grinding up some linseeds, – don’t pulverise it, just roughly chop it. chia, sesame seeds plus sunflower seeds Add a pinch of pink salt. Now, you have and adding to porridge. Also, have a kind of a guacamole that’s much more a little mixed jar of seeds on your shelf manageable to eat then a whole plate for sprinkling on salads, or over yoghurt of boiled kale or salad leaves. It’s a really with some berries. dense source of magnesium now in a very easy to consume form. It’s a lot easier to I like to rotate the seeds and nuts I use digest, too. This is one way to pack far as they all have so many different benefits, and they’re all helping to feed the good gut bacteria, too. Sign up to our newsletter at topsante.co.uk TOPSANTÉ 35

Q How can Q And how about supplementing magnesium? magnesium Which is the best kind to take and how much? be helpful in recovering from AIn a high street supplement, improve your bowel movements, as a viral infection, you might find magnesium it draws water into the small intestine especially one that oxide. This form is very poorly and it helps get everything moving. is lingering? absorbed – only about 10 per cent of If you have some gut sensitivity, it in fact. This means you’d have to though, you might find that it can AWhen you’ve been take tons of it to absorb just a little, make things ‘too loose’. through a stressful so it’s not a very efficient form, plus it time or been really can cause some to have gut irritation. If you’re having issues with unwell, magnesium is key insomnia or anxiety, the best form is to reducing inflammation. Then you have magnesium citrate, threonate as it crosses the blood/ When ill or stressed or just a which is a more absorbable form of brain barrier and can directly help bit run down, your levels of magnesium. Citrate is good if you with insomnia as well as anything magnesium get completely are constipated and you need to that targets the nervous system*. diminished, which can make you feel tired, achy, or anxious, and can cause your muscles to tighten up in your back, neck and shoulders. You can even get migraines and insomnia. When it comes to food, you have to fuel your body in the right way. Your body’s engine is really made up of the mitochondria in your cells – the tiny energy centres – and you need to give them the right fuel. However, when you’ve been through something like Covid or think you have long Covid, your engine is just not firing as it should be. This makes the mitochondria become a little sluggish and less efficient at producing the fuel you need. This can leave you feeling tired and lethargic, and lacking in motivation and drive. So, focusing on the fuel you’re giving your body is the first step, then supporting the mitochondria is also really important. ‘When ill or stressed, your levels of magnesium diminish, which can make you feel tired, achy or anxious.’ 36 TOPSANTÉ Facebook.com/TopSanteMagazine @TopSanteUK

HEALTH | LONG COVID * SCIENCEDAILY.COM/RELEASES/2010/02/100222162011.HTM Q How much that’s great. For me it’s 400mg as magnesium do I tend to have lots going on in my we need per day? mind – I’m juggling and spinning lots of plates. This amount gets me in that AThe RDA for magnesium really deep place. I found the ladies is about 460mg a day. I work with might be taking 300mg I supplement 400mg. When it and not noticing anything, but just comes to things like iron and copper by adding one more capsule they’ll and zinc, you can over supplement, come back to me a week later and but with things like vitamin C and say: ‘Gosh what a difference, it’s magnesium, you can’t really over transformed my sleep!’ So, it’s about supplement. Magnesium is one of finding what’s right for you. those minerals where the body will get rid of what it doesn’t need. So, it’s As I said earlier, blood sugar levels about finding the sweet spot for you. impact how much magnesium you If you find that taking two 100mg use up and then need, as do stress capsules before bed helps you get levels. There are so many variables, the deepest, most restful sleep then but when you find that sweet spot for you, you know it because you feel amazing and sleep so well. Sign up to our newsletter at topsante.co.uk TOPSANTÉ 37

HALTING HAY FEVER Banish itchy eyes and runny noses caused by hay fever by trying out our histamine-busting tips and tricks. HAY FEVER IS AN ‘Regular O Diversify your gut: the more diverse your WORDS: ALISON HARDINGE. PHOTOGRAPHS: SHUTTERSTOCK. over-reaction by your exercise gut microbiome, the better your body works. immune system to a can help O Increase vitamin C intake: this vitamin is normally harmless substance improve a natural antihistamine. Opt for lots of fruit (an allergic reaction). Your your hay and veg high in immune-boosting vitamin C, immune system identifies such as citrus fruits, strawberries, tomatoes, the harmless substance, usually a type of fever kiwi, bell peppers, and dark leafy greens, pollen or spore from a plant, as dangerous symptoms. including spinach. Or take a low-dose and produces an antibody called supplement several times a day. immunoglobulin E, which then triggers Try five O Avoid histamine-rich foods: if you are the production of histamine. It’s histamine 30-minute histamine sensitive, reduce alcoholic drinks, that leads to swelling, mucus secretion, sessions sauerkraut, vinegar, soy sauce, olives, cured itching and burning in localised areas such meats, sour cream, buttermilk, aged cheeses, as the throat, nose and eyes. a week.’ dried fruit, peanuts, aubergine, spinach, tomato, tuna, anchovies and sardines. As these symptoms can easily be confused Bananas, pineapple, papaya and strawberries with a cold, the easiest way to tell the may also trigger histamine release. difference between hay fever and a common O Find out the pollen forecast: know when cold is through your mucus. Hay fever mucus pollen count is high by using a pollen is usually clear and colourless and the nose feels itchy. With colds, the nasal mucous discharge can be green and you may also have a temperature. WHEN DOES HAY FEVER STRIKE? The hay fever season is normally between late February and November but, as this country experiences milder wetter winters, prolonged flowering seasons from native plants lengthen the hay fever season. In fact, the average length of any given flowering or spore season has increased significantly by half a week per year for the past two decades. RELIEVE SYMPTOMS ‘Lifestyle adjustments, such as dietary changes, reducing stress and adjusting your home environment, can make a difference. Supporting your immune system and sleeping well is beneficial, too,’ says nutritional practitioner, Alison Cullen. Here are her tips. 38 TOPSANTÉ Facebook.com/TopSanteMagazine @TopSanteUK

HEALTH | HAY FEVER NATURAL PRODUCTS TO TRY… forecasting app such as avogel.co.uk/health/ 1Two weeks before your 3The hay-band (£11.99, hayfever/pollen-forecast. usual symptoms kick in, hay-band.co.uk) is another O Reduce stress: stress releases chemicals start taking Pollinosan Hay product to have on hand – that exacerbate inflammation, and can Fever Tablets (£10.50, avogel. literally! It works using the worsen nasal allergy by sensitising cells co.uk) twice daily. This can principles of acupressure, in the nasal mucosa. reduce allergic reactions applying pressure to the LI-11 O Avoid dairy products: dairy can significantly. Increase the point on either arm, which is cause mucus formation, making hay fever dosage to three times daily if located at the end of the symptoms worse. symptoms appear or worsen. crease at the elbow. It’s O Drink nettle tea: nettle has a natural suitable for adults and children antihistamine effect. Drinking herbal teas 2Pollinosan Hay Fever Eye over the age of three. or water will reduce the general level of Drops (£12.99, avogel.co.uk) inflammation in the body. are natural drops especially 4Vitalichi Allerg-Eze patches O Exercise: regular exercise can help improve formulated to soothe red, (£28 for 12, vitali-chi.co) your hay fever symptoms. Physically active burning, itchy eyes due to hay can be worn on the skin for people tend to have milder symptoms than fever allergens. Suitable up to seven days in a row those who did little or no exercise, according for contact lens wearers, to alleviate sneezes. to a study. Try five 30-minute sessions of they are preservative exercise each week to benefit. free and contain a 5Add Vitalichi Immune soothing herbal extract Defense AromaFrequency Sign up to our newsletter at topsante.co.uk of chamomile and (£15) to a scent diffuser to hyaluronic acid. bolster your immune system. TOPSANTÉ 39

SUBSCRIBE FOR FREE GIFT! Subscribe to today! 6 issues for £19.99, plus a copy of Nadiya Hussain’s latest cookbook, Nadiya’s Fast Flavours. 6 issues for just £19.99 + FREE GIFT 40 TOPSANTÉ Facebook.com/TopSanteMagazine @TopSanteUK

Subscribing to Top Santé is TOP HEALTH a great way to keep abreast TOP BEAUTY of the latest health news and TOP FITNESS advice, and is a thoughtful TOP NOURISHMENT 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: O Pay just £19.99 for your first 6 issues. O Continue to save 21% after your trial. O Each issue delivered directly to your door for free. O Never miss an issue. O Receive a FREE copy of Nadiya Hussain’s cookbook, Nadiya’s Fast Flavours. DON’T MISS OUT  ORDER TODAY! ORDER ONLINE at SHOP.KELSEY.CO.UK/TSAP622 CALL NOW ON 01959 543 747* Quote ref: TSAP622 *Lines open Mon-Fri, 8.30am-5.30pm. Calls are charged at your standard network rate. Terms & conditions: UK Direct Debit offer only. You will pay £19.99 every 6 issues. Gifts are subject to availability and while stocks last. Savings are based on the standard cover price of £4.20. Offer ends July 31, 2022. Your subscription will start with the next available issue, and you will receive 13 issues in a year. Prices correct at time of print and subject to change. For full terms and conditions, visit shop.kelsey.co.uk/terms. Data protection: We take great care in handling your personal details and these will only ever be used as set out in our privacy policy which can be viewed at shop.kelsey.co.uk/privacy-policy. You may unsubscribe at any time. Sign up to our newsletter at topsante.co.uk TOPSANTÉ 41

ADVERTISING PROMOTION Studying at CNM taught me how to heal, naturally Louise Loughman, student at the College Of Naturopathic Medicine, is learning how herbs and food can heal your body the natural way. ‘I once thought disease was the luck of nutrition, herbs, homeopathy and subject so interesting and easy to of the draw and health was complex. acupuncture. The college’s learn. There is a huge practical But CNM has taught me there are naturopathic approach to solving element attached to the course, which ways to support and nourish your patients’ ailments by looking at the really helps me to grasp the idea body to give it the best chance at whole person rather than just treating behind the theory. There is a optimal health. Having undergone the symptoms really resonated with wonderful atmosphere in the class cancer treatment at age 12, I became me – this is the type of practitioner I and a real sense of unity amongst passionate about natural treatments want to be when I graduate. Other for improving my own health. My colleges I viewed did not emphasise students. After graduating from the belief in the healing power of food this. I know at CNM I will gain the Herbal Medicine diploma, drove me to dive deeper into natural best knowledge and skills to be an I plan to continue my study with health for illness prevention and amazing practitioner so I can make a CNM in the areas of Nutrition and recovery. After my cancer treatment, I difference to my clients’ health. Iridology. My advice to anyone became a client of a herbalist who thinking of studying natural therapies spent three years bringing me back to A TRULY NURTURING at CNM is to go for it – you won’t health, following gruelling chemo. ENVIRONMENT regret your decision! HEALING HERBS Every lecturer I’ve studied with since FREE ! starting at CNM has made each It was during this time I witnessed the ø '$ +3'š +* incredible ability of herbs to bring the body back to balance without any added toxicity. Today as an adult, mother and wife, herbal medicine is the first choice for my entire family for any ailments, general immune boosting or seasonal allergies. CNM really focusses on the healing power CNM has a 22-year track record training EDUCATION Scan the QR code to watch WORDS: LOUISE LOUGHMAN successful natural health practitioners, in AWARDS a CNM talk. Study with the class and online, with colleges across the 2021 UK and Ireland. To find out more, visit No.1 training provider cnmcourses.com or call 01342 777 747. for natural therapies. 42 TOPSANTÉ Facebook.com/TopSanteMagazine @TopSanteUK

Helping you DIABETES SPECIAL BEAT DIABETES! With Diabetes Type 2 Prevention Week on May 23-29 and Diabetes Awareness Week on June 13-19, our 20-page special is dedicated to the condition. Discover the difference between types 1 and 2, how blackcurrants can help, and how one woman avoided a type 2 diagnosis. PHOTOGRAPH: SHUTTERSTOCK. Sign up to our newsletter at topsante.co.uk TOPSANTÉ 43

FEELING HANGRY? Unstable blood sugar can leave you feeling weak and irritable. Nutritionist Karen Newby shares some tips for getting back on an even keel. DO YOU GET FILL UP ON PROTEIN IMAGE: SHUTTERSTOCK. shaky, clammy or feel faint if you’ve not One of the best ways to swerve blood-sugar spikes is to load eaten for a few your plate with protein. Eating protein is akin to putting coal hours? Perhaps you onto a fire in terms of energy – the flames don’t burn as brightly become irritable as they would with wood or petrol but they kick off more heat and angry if you go too long between and last for longer. This provides a slow, drip feed of energy, eating? If so, these are all common and also increases heat in your body, which helps with feelings signs of low blood sugar. of satiety. Eating sugar, by way of contrast, is like putting petrol onto a fire – the flames burn super bright and kick out loads of When you eat something sugary, heat, but they don’t last as long and the flames diminish much including refined carbohydrates such faster after the initial burst, which is like what happens to your as cakes, biscuits, bread, pasta or rice, it leads to a surge in your blood sugar. blood sugar when it quickly dips. Your body responds by producing high levels of insulin, a hormone First responsible for getting the sugar drink of (glucose) out of your blood and into the day your fat or muscle cells. On waking, have a cup of hot But what often happens is that water and lemon instead of tea or high spikes of blood sugar are often coffee. The lemon juice will help followed by steep lows, which is stimulate your digestive juices. Also, when you get that ‘hangry’ feeling, caffeine affects your blood sugar as it meaning being angry and hungry. stimulates the release of cortisol and Your brain keeps blood sugar tightly adrenaline – aka puts you into stress controlled – it doesn’t like it too high mode – which releases glucose from or too low, and if it falls too low, your body releases the stress hormone your liver and increases your cortisol to bring it back into balance. blood sugar. If you do want a Too many blood-sugar lows lead to cuppa, go for fresh mint irritability, anxiety and low mood. tea or non-caffeinated They also drive you to eat less healthy foods as your brain is in stress mode, herbal teas. driving you to grab something sugary super quick to bring your blood sugar Facebook.com/TopSanteMagazine @TopSanteUK back up. So, you are on a blood-sugar ‘roller coaster’ that is stressing your body if you continually eat sugary, high-carb processed foods. 44 TOPSANTÉ

BREAKFAST LIKE A CHAMP DIABETES SPECIAL Eating protein at breakfast will massively help with your afternoon Find out more about energy. High-protein foods include eggs, lean meat, oily fish, white fish, Karen Newby and organic yoghurt, pulses, tofu, nuts, seeds and quinoa. Some breakfast her work helping perimenopausal women cereals also now have lower levels of sugar, which you could top with at karennewby.com. coconut or almond yoghurt. To make your porridge less carb-heavy and increase the healthy fats and protein, try adding linseeds, chia seeds and a handful of nuts such as almonds and walnuts. Add cinnamon too (this helps stabilise blood sugar) and finish with a dollop of full-fat organic yoghurt. Other great breakfast meals are eggs any which way – shakshuka, kedgeree, scrambled, etc. Add an avocado for healthy fats. If you’re peckish later in the day, have a small handful of trail mix or falafel, or chopped cucumber or apple dipped in hummus or spread with nut butter. Almond and coconut milk yoghurts are also good snacks. If you need a sweet treat, opt for a bar of dark chocolate with super-high levels of cacao, as it should have less sugar in it than a bar of milk chocolate. Sign up to our newsletter at topsante.co.uk TOPSANTÉ 45

EXPLAINING TYPE 1 Type 1 diabetes is much rarer than type 2 attack, blindness or nerve damage. Type 1 – only about eight per cent of people diabetes is often diagnosed in childhood but with diabetes have type 1 diabetes, the disease can occur at any age. Genetics according to Diabetes UK (diabetes.org.uk). may make you susceptible, and research Type 1 is a rare, incurable, autoimmune is ongoing into whether viruses, such as disease where your blood sugar is too high human enteroviruses, trigger it. because your body can’t make insulin hormone. It is not triggered by poor diet SAVE A LIFE or lifestyle choices, or a high BMI. If you notice a type 1 diabetic friend BALANCING ACT appearing confused, trembling, perspiring, dizzy, slurring their words or nearly passing A life-long disease, type 1 diabetics are out, they may be having a hypoglycemic insulin dependent and require multiple daily episode. As it’s potentially life threatening, injections of insulin every day to survive. If you could save their life by giving them sugar insulin injection quantities are miscalculated, to eat or drink! Eating a handful of sweets, too much results in dangerously low blood drinking a small can of full-sugar fizzy drink sugar (hypoglycaemia) which can be fatal or a glass of fruit juice can stop a hypo. unless you quickly elevate levels by Thankfully, hypos are more manageable with consuming sugar. Too little insulin constant blood sugar devices such as the means blood glucose becomes too high FreeStyle Libre or Dexcom, which sound an (hyperglycaemia), over time causing heart alarm when blood sugar falls too low. TYPE 1 VS WORDS: ALICE DOGRUYOL. IMAGES: GETTY. TYPE 2 6' 3h23'$#(ô$1$-\"$a Freelance writer and diabetic Alice Dogruyol looks at both types of diabetes and then shares her story, over the page, of being diagnosed with one... and then the other! 46 TOPSANTÉ Facebook.com/TopSanteMagazine @TopSanteUK

DIABETES SPECIAL Sign up to our newsletter at topsante.co.uk EXPLAINING TYPE 2 With type 2 diabetes making up about 92 per cent of diabetes cases, it’s the one you usually hear about. It’s a metabolic disease with your body unable to effectively use the insulin it’s producing. Insulin is released into your blood when glucose levels rise, such as after eating. Insulin helps process glucose into cells for energy, and regulates levels in the bloodstream. In type 2 diabetes, your cells become resistant to insulin, so excess glucose circulates in your blood, which is bad for health. Over time, high blood sugar damages your body, often starting with the feet and eyes, even leading to toe, foot or leg amputations and sight loss. Type 2 diabetes is usually triggered by unhealthy diet and lifestyle choices in people genetically predisposed. New research shows that dietary and lifestyle changes can put type 2 into remission. Turn the page to read how Alice thought she had type 2 only to discover it was type 1 all along... TOPSANTÉ 47

Why I gave up trying to reverse type 2 diabetes’ Writer and PR consultant Alice Dogruyol, 44, spent years yo-yo dieting and trying to stave off type 2, only to learn in her 40s she had type 1. AS I STRUGGLED ‘I took my GP’s 800-calories-a-day diet. I lost lots with fluctuating words seriously of weight, but much to my dismay, weight over the and read every in October 2018, despite 18 months years, I always had book I could find of my best efforts, I was officially a worry I had the on reversing type diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. potential to eat myself The trigger had been pulled. into type 2 diabetes. So, I kept a close 2 diabetes.’ eye on my diet, fitness and blood Somehow, my efforts to reverse glucose tests. But, in March 2017, type 2 diabetes had failed. I was just before my 40th birthday, I was devastated and full of self-loathing. horrified to find I’d tipped into the I didn’t want to tell a soul, and I was pre-diabetic range. My GP gave me more determined than ever to put a stern talking to, I remember her it in remission without anyone ever worlds clearly: ‘You are pre-diabetic knowing. I was given a drug called but you can stop this from turning metformin to help improve insulin into diabetes if you lose weight. sensitivity and reduce blood glucose. Imagine you have a loaded gun I bought myself a home blood pointed at your head and your lifestyle and diet choices can pull glucose finger-prick monitor, the trigger, or not.’ and I was on my way. And the low-carbohydrate strategy was MISSION TO SAVE going well, the weight was MY HEALTH continuing to drop off. I left feeling shocked, confused, DANGER ZONE terrified and ashamed of myself for having got into this situation. I didn’t Seven months after my diagnosis, think my diet or lifestyle were that I had a period of overindulgence. I bad. I didn’t consume junk food, missed being able to eat whatever fizzy drinks or alcohol. Other people I wanted and didn’t feel great, even around me had horrible dietary habits after all my diligent dieting. I was and wider waistlines yet they didn’t losing faith in my diabetes type 2 have diabetes. reversal plan. I gave myself some time out and permission to eat whatever I took my GP’s words seriously I wanted. Little did I know how and read every book I could find on dangerous this would be. I developed reversing type 2 diabetes. I continued an unusually ravenous thirst, extreme with alcohol abstinence, reduced carbs tiredness and sugar cravings. I’d never massively, tried a ketogenic diet, experienced anything like it. The practiced intermittent fasting, tried thirst came on fast, within 24 hours green juice fasting as well as the I became trapped in a vicious cycle of drinking water and running to the 48 TOPSANTÉ Facebook.com/TopSanteMagazine @TopSanteUK

bathroom day and night. My vision DIABETES SPECIAL began deteriorating, sometimes so Sign up to our newsletter at topsante.co.uk blurry I couldn’t see words on my computer screen. I went out and bought some prescription glasses to try and help. A blood test confirmed that my blood glucose level was very high. The GP’s advice was to get back on my low-carb diet, keep taking the metformin and keep losing weight. KICKING OUT CARBS I knew that I had to do something drastic to turn things around – I didn’t want to go blind! So, I decided to give up carbohydrates completely. I threw every carb in my kitchen into a bag to give to my neighbour – all the healthy wholefood carbs I’d been eating, such as lentils, oats, brown rice, even fruit and frozen berries. I filled my fridge with keto-friendly foods, containing as close to zero carbohydrates as possible, stocking up on healthy fats and protein, instead. Slowly but surely the thirst and bathroom visits reduced, and my eyesight, energy and focus improved. I wouldn’t let even a crumb of carbohydrate into my mouth, not a splash of teriyaki or soya sauce on my salmon. It was hard, but it worked. I felt like I was winning. DIABETES BLOOD TESTS If you’re worried about diabetes, ask your GP about the following blood tests: O HbA1c shows your average blood glucose level for the past two to three months. A normal HbA1c reading should be below 42 mmol (6 per cent). ‘Mine was 84 mmol when diagnosed with type 1,’ says Alice. O Fasting serum glucose test gives a current snapshot of your blood glucose level. A normal level is between 3.9 and 5.4 mmols (70-99 mg/dl). O (Type 1 only) GAD Antibody – The range is from 0-10.9. ‘My diagnosis was more than 2,000!’ says Alice. O (Type 1 only) IA2 Antibody – The range is from 0-7.49. ‘Mine was more than 4,000.’ O (Type 1 only) Zinc Transporter 8 Antibody – The range is from 0-9.9. ‘My result at diagnosis was 907.40!’ Alice adds. TOPSANTÉ 49

But, I found sticking to a clean ‘I asked the NHS for a blood test ketogenic diet difficult. The carbs but was told it wouldn’t be offered started to creep back in. Even so, my weight continued to drop. as it was an unnecessary test.’ FRUSTRATION HITS I’d lost around five stones but was still feeling awful. I started sobbing down In March 2020, I got Covid very badly the phone. I’d tried everything to – I was ill for six weeks. My breathing reverse this condition but nothing deteriorated so badly I was on the was working. I got kind words of verge of going to hospital. Thankfully, motivation to stick to my diet and with large doses of vitamin C, vitamin perhaps I was suffering from lock- D, zinc and other home-health hacks, down blues and maybe I should try I recovered. I didn’t have long Covid therapy or antidepressants. I knew symptoms, but my blood glucose I wasn’t suffering with depression, so levels became more difficult than ever made a phone appointment with the to manage. Even on no carb days diabetic nurse. She suggested a new I would wake up with an inexplicably drug to stop the body metabolising high blood sugar reading. My sugar. I explained I avoid sugar and weight continued to reduce, but carbs already, but I was willing to I still wasn’t feeling good. My breath try anything. I asked if there could be started smelling funny and I had an anything other than type 2 diabetes unpleasant feeling in my tummy and wrong with me. She said it was very throat. I put it down to being on a unlikely but I could test for type 1 low-carb diet and I used mints and diabetes to put my mind at ease. mouth wash to mask it. I then asked the NHS for a blood test but was told it wouldn’t be offered As the first lockdown Christmas as it was an unnecessary test. approached, I started to get really fed up. I hadn’t seen a GP face-to-face Facebook.com/TopSanteMagazine @TopSanteUK for more than a year. I was taking metformin as prescribed. I was trying my best not to eat carbs and was losing weight steadily, doing all the things the experts said. But I felt like I was getting nowhere with my type 2 diabetes reversal plan. In frustration, I gave myself a break at Christmas to enjoy eating carbs. GORGING ON CHOCOLATE I craved a family-size bar of good quality milk chocolate and some white crusty French bread and butter. After the first glorious bite of chocolate, I was hooked. I devoured the whole bar. Over the next hour, my blood glucose soared to more than 25 mmol. My hands started throbbing, sending shooting pains up my arms. I felt like I was dying. After an hour of feeling like this I called my GP and managed to get an emergency phone call with a doctor I’d never met before. He listened to my whole diabetes story, how I had done everything I was supposed to, how the metformin didn’t seem to work, how 50 TOPSANTÉ