Innholdsfortegnelse for December 2023 i Top Sante

As we move from autumn into winter, it’s important to bolster our immune systems, which is why we’re focusing on that very topic in our mini section on immunity this issue (starting page 43). Extra vitamin C is always at the top of my list, and vitamin D is crucial too – especially now the sun isn’t strong enough for our skin to make the vitamin (which is really a hormone), so a supplement can be a good idea. But you know what else helps support your immune system? Rather than something you take, it’s something you want to take away, and that’s sugar. High levels of sugar can cause inflammation, according to our resident low-carb specialist Pauline Cox (page 88), plus our interview with Brian Clement (page 50) also…

SPICED SCENTS This dreamy EARLEY+DAUGHTERS December Candle (£20, earleyanddaughters.co.uk) features a warming blend of orange, clove and cinnamon. Hand-poured in small batches, all ingredients are non-toxic, sustainable and vegan-friendly. LET STRESS MELT AWAY Using deep touch pressure therapy, the three-kilogram Sleepdown Gravity Weighted Blanket (£44.99, amazon.co.uk) features individually stitched pockets to evenly spread a comforting weight over your body, relieving stress and promoting restorative sleep. We love the glow in the dark star and moon print – perfect for a cosy night in. Rise and shine With shorter days, darker mornings and less sunshine, winter can wreak havoc on your body clock. Reset your circadian rhythm and brighten up your days with the Beurer TL45 Perfect Day Daylight Therapy Lamp (£89.99, johnlewis.com). Featuring three different colour temperature settings, the lamp…

LOCATED ON THE ADRIATIC coastline at the entrance to Boka Bay in Herceg Novi, Montenegro, near the medieval towns of Perast and Kotor sits One&Only Portonovi Resort, one of the region’s most luxurious hotels. Famed for its stunning setting, sandy beach, and ultra-luxurious accommodation, it is also home to one of the world’s leading and most exclusive wellness retreats: Chenot Espace. The retreat is named after Henri Chenot, a man who is considered the godfather of wellbeing. Throughout his life he was deeply involved in the study and practice of alternative and holistic therapies and obsessed with detoxification, disease prevention and longevity. He developed his own wellness approach, combining principles from traditional Chinese medicine with Western medical practices, and created the Chenot Method, which is used in every Chenot centre…

IF YOU ARE TIRED OF THE treadmill and jaded from the gym but crave lean muscle, increased flexibility and improved posture, ballet-inspired workouts are worth a whirl. And with Margot Robbie apparently being a fan, ballet is the on-trend workout (pink attire optional) to get you into great shape. Whether or not you have ever pointed your toes, you can embrace this unique form of exercise as a sustainable and enjoyable health and fitness regime for a lifetime, no matter what your age. Ballet fitness classes have increased in prevalence since the 1940s when Lotte Berk, a German dancer whose ideas form the foundations of ballet workouts, founded a technique combining dance moves and other forms of conditioning to rehabilitate her back injury. There is no dancing involved, just ballet-inspired…

LOVE YOUR GUT Supercharge your gut health with Modern Milkman Kefir Yoghurt (£2 per pint, themodernmilkman.co.uk) delivered to your door in reusable glass bottles. The creamy, fermented pouring yoghurt contains probiotic good bacteria to help keep your digestive system in balance and support immune function. Plus, it’s packed with vitamins and minerals, such as calcium for bone health. Blend into smoothies, curries and pasta sauce, dollop on granola or enjoy straight from the bottle. CARB-CONSCIOUS BREAD Freshly baked bread taste without the carb-heavy load? Try The Keto Shop LoCho Low Carb Loaf (£3.79, theketoshop.co.uk). A typical loaf of bread contains 47-55g of carbs per 100g, compared to LoCho’s less than 6g per 100g. Each loaf has the taste and texture of fresh bread for guilt-free carb satisfaction. A CHRISTMAS CUPPA COUNTDOWN!…

NOVEMBER 2023 COVER STORY Julia Bradbury INSIDE Expert advice for navigating all that menopause throws at you OCTOBER 2023 COVER STORY Jess Ennis-Hill INSIDE Health and exercise tips to boost your brain health SEPTEMBER 2023 COVER STORY Myleene Klass INSIDE Improve your gut with our special section, plus sleep better now AUGUST 2023 COVER STORY Tess Daly INSIDE Why keto eating helps you lose weight, plus haircare award winners! JULY 2023 COVER STORY Davina McCall INSIDE Feel forever young with our bumper special anti-ageing section JUNE 2023 COVER STORY Denise Van Outen INSIDE Recipes, exercise tips and advice to manage type 2 diabetes MAY 2023 COVER STORY Lisa Faulkner INSIDE Walk yourself well with our 2-week walking plan, plus kit review APRIL 2023 COVER STORY Dr Julie Smith INSIDE Sleep…

FIRST UP I HAVE A BONE to pick… with mainstream health journalists – in fact most mainstream media (MSM) outlets. In some situations I even feel ashamed to tell people I’m a journalist, namely when talking to holistic health practitioners – those who go down the natural, largely drug-free line – because I know a lot of them have, at some time or other, been targeted deliberately and had their names tarnished, all for daring to say “there is another way”. I’m all for people having choice. If you want to take medication, it is there for you. If you don’t want to, you don’t have to. I get angry when people in the medical profession, and some health journalists, get on their high horses about “alternative practitioners” labelling them…

HEALTHY LIFESTYLE BEATS DEPRESSION Offering welcome empowerment against a debilitating mental health condition, researchers say adopting healthy habits can reduce your risk of depression. Scientists from the University of Cambridge examined data from almost 290,000 people, including 13,000 with depression, and identified seven healthy lifestyle factors linked to a lower risk of depression. These are: moderating alcohol consumption, healthy diet, regular physical activity, enough sleep, frequent social connection, never smoking and avoiding sedentary behaviour. Interestingly, having a good night’s sleep of 7-9 hours made the biggest difference, reducing risk of depression by 22 per cent. People who adopted all the healthy lifestyle habits were 57 per cent less likely to develop depression. Further tests suggested that poor lifestyle choices negatively impact your immune system and metabolism, which in turn increases…

Relax beneath stormy skies WHAT: Storm-watching Experience at The Headland Hotel WHERE: Newquay, Cornwall WHEN: Ongoing offer PRICE: From £300 per night WEBSITE: headlandhotel.co.uk If you love a good storm, this is the spa package for you! Staying in The Headland Hotel, located on the cliffs of the rugged Cornish coastline, you’ll have front row seats for the exhilarating storms that often hit during autumn and winter. Safe from the brooding grey skies and the crashing ocean waves, there’s no better spot to embrace the thrill of nature’s fury while getting cosy. Alongside breathtaking panoramic views of the stormy Atlantic Ocean, this luxury package includes full use of the spa and leisure facilities, including heated outdoor vitality pool, along with a signature spa treatment. You’ll also enjoy three nights’ accommodation…

‘Give yourself the gift of health and wellbeing this Christmas with a subscription to Top Santé magazine! We’ve got a fantastic offer on this month for new subscribers, and being a member of our tribe means you’ll always receive the magazine direct to your door every four weeks. A subscription also makes a great gift for that person who already has everything they need but yet wants to learn more about ways to stay well. I hope you’ll join us and prioritise your health for 2024! All the best,’ REASONS TO SUBSCRIBE ● Enjoy one whole year of Top Santé  ● Get each issue delivered directly to their door ● Ensure they never miss an issue ● Receive our fantastic e-newsletter for free every week ● Save…

IT IS AT THIS TIME OF YEAR that we often accept that the inevitable seasonal colds are headed our way! However, you can heavily influence the health of your immune system through diet and lifestyle choices. Your immune system is like an internal army, constantly on watch in the body, looking out for bacteria, viruses and rogue cells such as cancer to destroy. This army needs to be silent but resilient, ready to pounce when needed but not engaged in a full-on war all the time. When inflammation, which is part of your immune system’s “attack” response, is switched on for too long, tissue breakdown can occur, leading to joint pain, skin damage and premature ageing. There are plenty of vitamins and minerals that will keep your body strong. Here…

I got involved with Pour Moi’s Own Your Confidence campaign for lots of reasons. One is that I come from the world of girl power: I lived it and breathed it growing up as a kid, long before the Spice Girls came along, and I just don’t think we celebrate the female body enough without criticising it, or without saying, “Oh, I’m just wearing this old thing”. Every woman deserves to feel confident, no matter her shape or size, and I think it’s important to get that message across. That’s why I made sure my mum and eldest daughter Phoenix were involved, and why I also made sure there was no airbrushing or retouching. What you see is what you get – a bit like how I am in general…

GARLIC GOODNESS! Garlic is well known for its characteristic taste and host of health benefits, especially around immunity – it’s antibacterial and antifungal. But when heated slowly over a number of weeks, the bulb darkens in colour and becomes known as black garlic. The process changes the taste, making the garlic sweeter and chewier – many eat it raw – and also alters its chemical composition. Among other things, the heating process increases the amount of a natural chemical called S-allyl cysteine (SAC), which animal studies have shown can potentially make the garlic good for neurons in the brain, act as an anti-inflammatory and protect your liver. ● If you don’t fancy chewing on raw garlic, try Fito Black Garlic 400mg 1% SAC (£8.99, naturboutique.co.uk). Always read the label.…

COSY COVER-UP Stay toasty warm in sustainable style this season wearing the new Craghoppers CO2 Renu Full Zip Fleece (£85, craghoppers.com). Also available in a Half Zip Fleece (£80), these advanced insulating microfleece layers provide outstanding warmth and feature contrasting zips, two zipped handwarmer pockets, and a security pocket to keep essentials safe, as well as elasticated bound hems, cuffs and collars to keep out the elements. Even better, both tops are made using award-winning CO2 technology blended with recycled polyester fibres recovered from waste carbon that would have otherwise been emitted into the atmosphere. Available in UK sizes 8-20 in a variety of colours. GET IN GEAR Wahoo Fitness, the leading endurance-athlete fitness-technology company, have introduced the KICKR BIKE SHIFT (£2,699.99, wahoofitness.com). This new model retains key features of…

BEST ACNE TREATMENT Winner Delo Rx The Youth Matrix Activator Advanced Anti-Aging Skincare (£165, delorx.com) ‘This is a firm favourite of mine. The packaging is a long, slim, pump-action tube, which is easy to carry around for travelling or fitting easily in your handbag. It has a faint cucumber fragrance with a light consistency to the cream, which absorbs well and leaves my skin feeling fresh. I have always worried about moisturisers leaving my skin greasy and more prone to breakouts, but this product does the opposite.’ Charlotte, 46 Highly commended PMD Beauty PMD Clean Acne (£209, uk.pmdbeauty.com) ‘This is a great cleansing and exfoliating device. I used the bristled side with my cleanser and it acts like a nice facial massage and helps with reducing puffiness. Leaves a lovely…

HIGH FIBRE Ditch conventional, sweets and biscuits and choose a fibre-rich, low-sugar option. I love these Nourish Chocolate Coconut Macaroons (£5.29, sowandarrow.com). Coconut is packed with antibacterial medium chain triglycerides (MCT) as well as gut-friendly fibre. Plus they contain less sugar than most snacks, and high levels of antioxidants. GO DARK! Dark chocolate contains many health benefits, including high levels of magnesium and immune-supporting copper. Cocoa is exceptionally high in antioxidants, particularly if you choose raw, too. Ombar 90% Cacao (£16.99 for 10, ombar.com) is an ideal swap for conventional chocolate as it contains just 10 per cent sugar, of the coconut variety. SWAP SWEET FOR SAVOURY Crisps add to inflammation as they’re usually cooked in vegetable oils, so try swapping them for a pack of crunchy, flavoursome, low-carb seedy…