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Our weekly look at the world of healthy living. If you would like to look through our archive, please select a date from the drop down menu. If you would like to receive our weekly updates by e-mail, please enter your address in the box below.
ALL SORTS
Any mention of Liquorice is often quickly followed by the words “All Sorts”. But Liquorice isn’t just a chewy treat; it’s been used for many centuries to treat a wide range of ailments...(continued)
We couldn’t think of a greener and more luxurious gift to give this Christmas than a truffle tree – that is a British-grown oak sapling impregnated with the exquisite Summer, or Burgundy Truffle (tuber aestivum/uncinatum), a native truffle species greatly valued for its powerful aroma. What better way to help offset your carbon emissions or to please an eco-foodie. They are available as a single sapling from £37.50, or in a grove of 20 trees for £399.90, if you are feeling particularly generous or feel you have flown a few too many times this year.
NUTRIENT OF THE MONTH
NIACIN
As the winter nights close in, temperatures drop and biting winds pick up, it’s imperative to keep your skin hydrated, protected, and glowing. OSKIA products contain lots of fabulous ingredients which target each of these aims, but this month we’re focussing on just one – Niacinamide. Niacinamide is what our body converts niacin into when metabolised, so while we look at the skin benefits of niacinamide, Thomasina Miers has chosen a great source of niacin for our recipe of the month. Niacinamide is a fantastic all-round skin care ingredient, in that it acts in several ways to have a real benefit on your skin. It belongs to the family of the B vitamins, being one of the principal forms of Vitamin B3 (the other is nicotinic acid). Internally, it acts as a precursor to co-enzymes (facilitators of enzymatic reactions) essential for numerous metabolic pathways. These co-enzymes play several crucial functions but in particular they play a key role in metabolism of glucose, cellular energy production and synthesis of lipids. Typically, the levels of these co-enzymes decrease with age, but studies have shown that the topical application of Niacinamide can reverse this decline.
Niacin is therefore a key vitamin required for healthy skin condition. It was recognised in the early 20th century as the vitamin that prevents pellegra, an epidemic disease with cutaneous lesions...(continued)
SANTA'S LITTLE HELPERS
If traipsing around amongst the millons during the crush of pre-christmas sales isn’t really your idea of fun, fear not, specialist help is at hand. Thankfully there are a number of supper personal stylists and shopping experiences that can take away the pain and leave you feeling celebrity status. We were lucky enough to have the pleasure to meet a number of the country’s top fashion helpers. Forget Santa’s little helpers – these are the ones you want.
BEAUTY BOOSTING RECIPES
In connection with our desire to glow this Christmas, our recipe this month features one of our favorite ingredients, NIACIN (Vitamin B3) or NIACINAMIDE. A vital skin health nutrient and key anti-ageing topical ingredient, Niacinamide is clinically proven to increase skin hydration by 67%, fibroblast production by 20%, collagen secretion by 54% and evens-out skin tone and reducing hyperpigmentation by reducing the transfer of the melanosomes to the surrounding keratinocytes by up to 68%. Thomasina Miers warms our cheeks with her delicious SPICY SWEET POTATO AND FETA FRITTATA recipe - a welcomed escape from plum pudding and turkey sandwiches.
Thomasina says: “Sweet potatoes are a rich source of niacin but more importantly are incredibly delicious. Serve this frittata with a green salad, full of mint, coriander and basil leaf to complement the chillied sweet potato. I love to eat this at room temperature, but it is hard to have the patience to wait for it to cool down!”
WINTER SKINCARE TIPS....Now that the snow has been howling down our streets we must take extra care of our skin. Icy cold wind strips away at your natural oils leaving your skin unprotected, causing increased transepidermal water loss and dehydration, leading to chapped skin and fine lines...(continued)
ALL WRAPPED UP One of the biggest sources of waste each Christmas is wrapping paper and Christmas cards (although how pleased do we feel with ourselves when we actually get around to sending them!). More than 8,000 tonnes of Christmas paper is used each year - the equivalent of approximately 50,000 trees - and a staggering 744 million cards were sent out last year in the UK alone, according to Friends of the Earth. Being an internet nation, we should really be sending e-cards, but if not, please follow the example of Dame Judi Dench and recycle your cards via The Woodland Trust, which will have collection boxes at branches of WH Smith, TK Maxx and M & S throughout January. Last year it collected 82m cards across the UK.