Issue 4

Improve Your Health

Live your best naturally healthy life

Improve Your Health1 min read
Your Great Gut Guide
Sometimes the easiest answers come from the simplest links. Take gut health for example. Happy belly = happy brain and body. More variety of beneficial bacteria in your body = more wellbeing benefits. See? A simple system... with a rather complex com
Improve Your Health1 min read
Improve Your Health
Managing Editor, Women’s Health and Fitness Bookazines Katherine Watt Art Director Jennifer Ratcliff ADVERTISEMENT SALES Tandem Media Business Development Director Richard Rowe, 01233 228750, richard.rowe@tandemmedia.co.uk Account Managers India May:
Improve Your Health3 min readDiet & Nutrition
WHAT’S NEW FOR Gut Health
Set yourself up for the day with Lizi’s Digestive Health Granola (£3.70, sainsburys.co.uk). It contains 1 billion cultures and more than 4g of fibre per 50g serving. And if porridge is more your thing – oats are packed with beta glucans and soluble f
Improve Your Health1 min readDiet & Nutrition
Tried & Tested: Kombucha
Fermented foods have made a comeback in recent years, which is in no small part down to their reputation as a provider of ‘good’ bacteria and contribution to a healthy digestive system. Kombucha – a fizzy, fermented black tea – is at the forefront of
Improve Your Health2 min readDiet & Nutrition
What Supp?
JSHealth Skin + Digestion and Detox + Debloat (£29.99 each for 60 capsules, uk.jshealthvitamins.com) will keep your digestive system functioning properly. The digestion one uses a combination of vitamin C, burdock and turmeric to support the gut and
Improve Your Health8 min readDiet & Nutrition
Restore To The Core
WHETHER IT’S A new wardrobe or a fresh set of make-up, a revamp can go miles towards helping you feel better on the outside – but what about the inside? Just as your outer self needs an occasional restyle, your hard-working digestive system should al
Improve Your Health3 min readDiet & Nutrition
THE GREAT GUT evolution
DID YOU KNOW, microbes (with a few very rare exceptions) can only survive if fed with carbs? In contrast, animal cells run on fats AND carbs. This dualfuel ability brings huge evolutionary benefits. For example, humans switch to carbohydrate burning
Improve Your Health3 min read
Health From The OUTSIDE IN
‘Stress can have a big impact on your gut and it’s all to do with the gut-brain axis – the constant two-way communication between your gut and brain,’ says ‘gut health doctor’ Dr Megan Rossi (theguthealthdoctor.com). ‘Typically, when you feel stresse
Improve Your Health3 min read
Healthy Gut = Healthy Brain?
WHEN YOU think of Parkinson’s disease you might naturally consider it a purely brain-based condition. But latest studies suggest that the gut may have an important role to play. ‘We are increasingly finding out more about the gut microbiome in relati
Improve Your Health1 min readDiet & Nutrition
5 Ways To Be Gut Smart
Dr Rangan Chatterjee is one of many doctors to now promote how vital gut health is. More recently, he looked at Parkinson’s research with probiotic brand Symprove. Here are his top tips: 1 Avoid gutharming highly processed foods, additives and sweete
Improve Your Health4 min readDiet & Nutrition
Can You Eat To Beat Stress?
WITH RECENT EVENTS IN the world, it’s no surprise that research published by Ordnance Survey earlier this year showed a worrying increase in mental health conditions, with one in five experiencing some form of depression (doubling from one in 10 befo
Improve Your Health2 min read
Stress SOS!
Research has shown that gut has its own ‘brain’, and is extremely responsive to stress. Over the years, you can develop strong reactions to certain foods once you are stressed, and these can cause not only digestive imbalances, but increase anxiety a
Improve Your Health3 min read
Lifting The Lid On LEAKY GUT
LEAKY GUT – OR increased intestinal permeability as it’s known in the medical world – is a situation where the lining of your gut doesn’t work as it should. ‘Your gut lining is made up of a single line of cells. It’s designed to let water and nutrien
Improve Your Health2 min readDiet & Nutrition
6 Ways To Protect Your Gut Lining
Get your vits and mins. ‘Deficiencies in vitamins A, D and zinc have been linked to leaky gut,’ says Sarah. Stock up on dairy products, fish and liver for your vitamin A hit, try shellfish and wholegrains for zinc, and fortified foods, oily fish, som
Improve Your Health3 min readDiet & Nutrition
EAT To Beat IBS
AT THIS TIME OF year, many of us fill up on immune- boosting veg, such as garlic and onions, to ward off colds. However, for people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), simple carbs from foods such as these don’t always sit well in their stomachs. Th
Improve Your Health1 min readDiet & Nutrition
What Are Fodmaps?
FODMAP means: fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides and polyols. These are all types of carbs, including simple sugars, that are found in a surprisingly wide variety of everyday foods. Oligosaccharides consist of chains of fruc
Improve Your Health2 min readDiet & Nutrition
Dodgy Gut Or IBS?
IBS IS A CONDITION that affects almost twice as many women as men for reasons largely unknown, although it’s thought that the changing hormones in the menstrual cycle may have something to do with it. In some, IBS improves after menopause when hormon
Improve Your Health3 min read
HAPPIER On The Inside
YOUR GUT IS A VERY clever system that plays a huge role in keeping your body healthy and your mind well. It’s largely thanks to the millions of microbes that work together in your intestines to create harmony, including a diverse range of bacteria, f
Improve Your Health2 min read
5 Ways To… BOWEL HEALTH
‘Going without breakfast means your gastrocolic reflex isn’t triggered at its most alert time,’ says gastroenterologist Peter Whorwell. The reflex to poo is usually prompted when you put food in your stomach, but if you don’t do this in the morning,
Improve Your Health5 min readDiet & Nutrition
WHAT’S YOUR gut FEELING?
WHEN YOU’RE up and down on your personal hormonal rollercoaster you probably don’t give much thought to your gut health – but it turns out that the friendly bacteria in your intestines have a huge impact on just how bumpy that rollercoaster gets. ‘Yo
Improve Your Health5 min readDiet & Nutrition
Your Healthy Heart Diet
Anger, hostility and bitterness all raise blood pressure. If you feel overwhelmed by these emotions, seek help from a psychotherapist or cognitive behavioural therapist to help you get to the root of your issues and release them. HEART DISEASE kills
Improve Your Health3 min readDiet & Nutrition
The Power Of 3
Tucking in to the rough stuff can lower your risk of heart disease. In a US study of 4,000 heart attack survivors, those who ate a high-fibre diet reduced their risk of dying early compared to a control group. Why the connection? Firstly, fibre can h
Improve Your Health2 min readDiet & Nutrition
Ask The Expert
Dr Lucien Harthoorn, R&D Director at Clasado Biosciences, the manufacturer of Bimuno® Q What are prebiotics and probiotics – and how do they differ? A As increased research shows just how much gut health links to better wellbeing, we’re all aiming to
Improve Your Health3 min readDiet & Nutrition
A Slimming Probiotic?
ABOUT THREE quarters of a billion pounds is spent on probiotic products in the UK alone each year. Now, new research is increasingly revealing health benefits beyond the digestive system, including specific strains of bacteria that can apparently enc
Improve Your Health1 min readDiet & Nutrition
3 More Friendly Bacteria For Weight Loss
People with naturally high levels of these fat-busting bacteria had smaller waistlines, lower blood sugar, insulin and cholesterol and were able to lose weight more easily than people with low levels. Polyphenols from grapes and cranberries were show
Improve Your Health8 min read
Eat to BEAT BELLY FAT
MIDDLE AGE SPREAD. Belly fat. Bloating. Whatever you call it, we now know why so many of us are prone to a seemingly everexpanding tum. Cutting edge science has revealed that the rate at which fats are stored and removed – our ‘lipid turnover’ – decr
Improve Your Health1 min readDiet & Nutrition
The Mycobiome Diet Basic Rules
The diet is uncomplicated and easy to follow, with a pick and mix approach of foods to eat daily, those to eat a few times a week and details of foods to avoid (such as candida-loving sugars). You’ll include plenty of mycobiome-friendly vegetables (t
Improve Your Health5 min readMental Health
EAT Your Way To HEALTH
YOUR GUT – IT GETS butterflies when you’re excited, rumbles when you’re hungry and might actually be the headquarters for much of your body’s health. Overwhelming research says a healthy digestive system, with balanced levels of the trillions of bact
Improve Your Health2 min readDiet & Nutrition
8 Gut Healing Foods
They tend to get less attention, but prebiotics are just as important as probiotics, as they feed the friendly flora in your large intestine. Oats are a great source of prebiotic fibre – go for the least refined possible, so organic steel-cut rather
Improve Your Health6 min read
Just the TONIC
Tonics date back hundreds of years and were traditionally taken at the turn of the seasons, usually from winter to spring or from summer to autumn, to restore health and vigour. Essentially, a tonic is a medicinal, herbal preparation formulated to re
Improve Your Health1 min read
‘My Energy Levels Went Through The Roof!’
Suzy Ryder, 35, from London, was prescribed a blood tonic by Chinese medicine practitioner Duncan McGechie of Acubody. ‘I went to see Duncan because I just didn’t feel right. I was tired all the time and wasn’t sleeping well. My skin was poor and I h
Improve Your Health4 min readDiet & Nutrition
Super Soups
YOU MIGHT not find many benefits from a student-style sachet of soup in a mug, but when it comes to rustling up your own, there are plenty of ingredients that good gut bacteria will find very yummy. In turn, this gives your immune system any extra st
Improve Your Health6 min read
EAT TO STAY STRONG From The Inside Out!
NEVER HAS IT been a more appropriate time to address your immunity – including the vital role your gut has. Through millions of years, gut microbes, which make up your magical microbiome, have altered along with us, fed by whatever we eat. But, due t
Improve Your Health3 min read
Walking for GOOD GUT HEALTH
‘Always remind yourself your body is a part of nature, so a walk outside is intrinsically therapeutic – including for your gut health,’ says Abigail Ireland, a nutritionist and peak performance strategist (abigailireland.com). ‘When your nervous syst
Improve Your Health2 min read
Yoga For Gut Health
During times of anxiety your parasympathetic nervous system can shut down or become less efficient, as your body plunges into ‘fight or flight’ responses. As this system is responsible for good digestion by increasing intestinal activity and relaxing
Improve Your Health3 min readDiet & Nutrition
How To Shrink Your Tum!
● Take feet shoulder-width apart, toes slightly turned out. ● Hold a weight in both hands, close to the chest. Keep your back flat, head up and eyes forward. ● Squat low to the ground and push back up, arms reaching above your head, then lower. TIP:
Improve Your Health7 min readDiet & Nutrition
THE flat Tum PRESCRIPTION
WHAT IS IT A virtual juice detox, yoga and healing retreat over five days. HOW IT WORKS This home retreat offers the choice of 19 live yoga classes for complete beginners to advanced practitioners, which are also recorded so you can do them at a time
Improve Your Health5 min read
Your Good Gut HOLIDAY
IT’S SAID THE ROUTE OF good health begins in the gut. This was certainly the philosophy of Dr Franz Xaver Mayr, who more than a century ago founded the first centre for modern Mayr medicine in Austria. He was clearly ahead of his time, as his unique
Improve Your Health4 min readDiet & Nutrition
"The Key To My Improved Health? STOMACH ACID!"
WHO WAS THIS tired, fatigued, anxious person I saw in the mirror? When did my tolerance to the challenges of life become so short and snappy? This is exactly where I found myself a few months after giving birth to my second child. I’d worked as a hea
Improve Your Health2 min read
Focus on APPLE CIDER VINEGAR
APPLE CIDER VINEGAR IS experiencing a bit of a as people become more clued up on its benefits for internal health. But, as an essential ingredient, it’s nothing new. In Ancient Greek, physician Hippocrates prescribed apple cider vinegar and honey for
Improve Your Health1 min read
Simple To Make
Early apples will be falling from trees now, so use them to make your own apple cider vinegar. ● Core, peel and roughly chop three apples, put them in a sterilised bowl or jar, then mix in 3 tsp brown sugar, and water to cover. ● Place a paper towel