insideKENT Magazine Issue 76 - July 2018 | Page 135

HEALTH+WELLNESS
WELLNESS TRENDS WITH
STAYING POWER
TRENDS ARE EXACTLY THAT: TRANSIENT FADS THAT COME AND GO; ANYONE REMEMBER LIFE
BEFORE JUICE FASTS? NO, ME NEITHER, BUT ‘SOUPING’ SOON STOLE ITS CROWN AS THE GO-TO
DETOXING CLEANSE. SIMILARLY, THERE WAS A TIME WHEN THE MOST HEALTH-CONSCIOUS AMONG
US WOULDN’T BE SEEN DEAD WITHOUT A CARTON OF COCONUT WATER, BUT NOW IT’S ALL
ABOUT KOMBUCHA - PRONOUNCED ‘KOM-BOO-KA’, IT’S A SPARKLING DRINK MADE BY FERMENTING
BLACK OR GREEN TEA WITH BACTERIA AND YEAST. HEALTH IS A HOTBED OF TRENDS THAT, LIKE
OR LOATHE THEIR OFTEN SHORT-LIVED STAYING POWER, MOST OF US FALL HOOK, LINE AND
SINKER FOR. WE’VE ROUNDED UP THE BIGGEST WELLNESS CRAZES THAT HAVE SUNK THEIR TEETH
INTO 2018 AND LOOK SET TO SOAR. BY POLLY HUMPHRIS
THE NEW VEGAN
There was a time not so long ago when ‘true’ vegans would look
down their noses at anyone who even so much as looked at an
egg with longing, but times, they are a changin’. Adapting rather
rapidly to become more of an overall philosophy of health rather
than a rigid ‘diet’, new veganism accommodates pegans – paleo
vegans; flexivegans, who choose to eat animal free, part time;
and, the latest subgroup, ‘veggans’ – vegans who choose to eat
eggs (as long as they’re cruelty free) to add extra protein to their
diets. The rules of veganism are no longer hard and fast, which
won’t please the purists, but does mean that many more people
can subscribe to veganism’s commendable ethical values.
SEAWEED
Move over quinoa and take a bow kale, the superfoodie’s must-have ingredient
is now…seaweed. Underwater and a little slimy it may be, but high-quality
seaweed is on the lips of every nutritionist out there and is being lauded for
its massive density of nutrients and minerals. Chefs are starting to use seaweed
as a healthy option in place of salt, and its bioactive goodness is being leapt
upon by skincare brands for the functional, cellular-level role it plays in keeping
our skin, hair and nails healthy. It’s even usurping courgetti’s position as the
go-to carb substitute – try Seamore’s ‘I sea pasta’ seaweed tagliatelle; you’ll
be very pleasantly surprised.
CLEANSING OILS
Even if it’s been your skin’s best friend for a decade, it’s time to ditch the
foaming facial wash in favour of an oil cleanser. Now for the science
bit…remember being taught that ‘like dissolves like’ in chemistry? An expression
explaining how some solvents work, ‘like dissolves like’ refers to polar and
nonpolar solvents and solutes: water is polar, oil is nonpolar; water will not
dissolve oil. But, oil will. Using a spruced-up, natural plant oil to cleanse your
face therefore, will tackle any dirt and oil on your face directly — much more
effective than water-based cleansers that need surfactants to create a lather
to clean your skin. Simples.
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