olivemagazine
type: channel
link: https://www.olivemagazine.com
date: 2025-12-09T10:53:13.000Z
update period: hourly
update frequency: 1
update base: 2000-01-01T12:00+00:00
items: It’s a man’s world – and it’s bad for our health
items: I’m a health editor about to turn 50. Here’s what I wish I could tell my younger self
items: I’ve been a health writer for 25 years – these are the most useful tips I still stand by
items: Detox diets are out – but do UPFs mean we are still at risk from toxins?
items: I tried mindful eating – this is what I discovered

It’s a man’s world – and it’s bad for our health
type: item
date: 2025-12-09T10:53:13.000Z
creator: Rosalind Ryan
subject: Guides
subject: Premium wellbeing
description: From drug tests to getting a diagnosis, here’s how women have it harder than men when it comes to our health. But when can being a woman actually work in your favour?
encoded: Other articles you might find interesting include our exploration of whether we're going backwards on body confidence, why we don't need to worry about testosterone in our diet, and 7 ways your diet can ease hormone symptoms. If you’ve not seen the viral video ‘Female Body’ by Canadian musical comic Farideh, go and watch it right now. It’s a hilarious, honest and heartbreaking look at how women are often dismissed by their doctors – and an absolute banger. Farideh says she was inspired to write it after struggling to get a diagnosis of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) for 10 years. “I was told I was making it up or I’d just put on a lot of weight because I was fat,” she says. But an incident with her husband in their local A&E made her even more determined to write the song. “He was struggling to lift up his hand or walk up the stairs, which was really weird, so I thought we should take him to the ER,” she says. “But I started to prepare for that trip like he was a woman – I was saying ‘They’re probably not going to believe you’ and ‘You’re going to have to assert yourself’ but the complete opposite happened. “He walked into that ER, and it was like he was Beyoncé! The nurses rushed over to help him. The doctors were like ‘We’re going to run this test, and we’re going to run that test’. No one thought he was making it up. No one thought he was being silly. No one told him he was just anxious because he was a busy dad. And it made me realise no woman on earth would get the same treatment.” The heart of the matter Luckily, Farideh’s husband was fine, and she ended up creating an anthem for all unheard women across the globe. And that’s a lot of women; even though it’s 2025 we are still getting the short end of the stick when it comes to our health. The publication of <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Invisible-Women-Exposing-World-Designed/dp/1784706280/ref=sr_1_1?crid=GVN5VKCEHMKM&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.rnVE971KQg8HvK2K3u_oRywHM9SxpMMVf35SM9FYrddQGwrWEQbLrEwkBQHdV9DVzPonCh…

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I’m a health editor about to turn 50. Here’s what I wish I could tell my younger self
type: item
date: 2025-09-18T15:10:04.000Z
creator: Rosalind Ryan
subject: Wellbeing
description: Whether it’s attitude, knowledge or both, much of what shapes us in midlife would have been invaluable in our twenties too. Our writer shares her advice – and that of other experts – around everything we wish we’d known when younger
encoded: There’s something about celebrating a big birthday that makes you look back and take stock of your life. My 50th is on the horizon and it’s made me realise how much I’ve learned along the way – and how much easier life in my twenties would have been if I’d known then what I know now. Some of these are external, like buying a property when you could still get a 100% mortgage. But some are internal, such as knowing your worth or when to say no. So here’s all the advice I wish I’d had in my twenties. From beauty tips to setting boundaries, I hope there’s something here that you find helpful, whether you’re 25 or still feel like you are. Food should be fun, not functional I turned 20 in the mid 90s, slap bang in the era of skinny chic and the Atkins diet. Food wasn’t something to savour, it was just a collection of nutrients: carbs – bad; fat – worse; vitamins – what? I thought I was fat (sidenote: you are never as fat as you think you are) and would often skip meals. Jenny Tschiesche, nutritionist and cookbook author, says she felt the same pressure in her twenties. “I wish I hadn’t focussed so much on my weight – I equated being slim with being healthy,” she says. “But health isn’t about the number on the scale. It’s about strength and energy, and supporting your body for the decades ahead.” Luckily, Jamie Oliver came along in 1997. He made cooking cool but also made us understand that food was a pleasure to enjoy. Today, I love the fact that so many young men and women love to cook, and are far more knowledgeable about what they put into their bodies. But there’s still a risk we can see food as fuel, not fun. Jenny says: “You should be eating in a way that supports strong bones, a healthy metabolism and steady energy, so prioritising whole, nutrient-dense foods like colourful vegetables and lean proteins. But don’t lose sight of the bigger picture – eating is about nourishing your body and enjoying life, not checking off a tick list.” In other words, eat the damn bur…

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I’ve been a health writer for 25 years – these are the most useful tips I still stand by
type: item
date: 2025-07-16T15:28:33.000Z
creator: Rosalind Ryan
subject: Wellbeing
subject: health trends
subject: Premium wellbeing
description: In the world of health and fitness, trends come and go but some advice never changes...
encoded: I started my career as a news journalist, working in frantic newsrooms and reporting on key events. But my heart was always in health – I enjoy writing about things that benefit people, rather than simply letting them know what’s happening. So 25 years ago, I switched to health and fitness, looking at food, exercise, mental health, relationships; you name it, I wrote about it. I tested bizarre exercise classes – including a pirate-based pilates class called (wait for it…) 'Pirraahhhtees', interviewed world-leading experts and investigated supplements, while a never-ending stream of gadgets passed across my desk. Throughout the past couple of decades, I’ve seen the same trends repeat themselves, and seen even more fads fall by the wayside. But there are some incredibly helpful bits of info I’ve picked up that I still use in my daily life. So here are the top 10 most useful things I’ve learned. 1. Do exercise you enjoy Yes, you’ve heard this a million times before but finding an exercise you want to spend time doing isn’t easy. We get so caught up in thinking we ‘should’ be doing something – like cycling or yoga or weight training – we ignore what we actually like doing. If you really don’t want to go for a run, no amount of articles telling you how great it is will convince you. I recommend trying different types of exercise. Try doing things with a friend to see if that changes the way you feel. Tell yourself you’re Louis Theroux and you’re investigating a new gym class. But don’t beat yourself up because you never want to do boxercise ever again. I’ve learned I like running with a friend, yoga by myself and strength-training classes, but it did take me some time to figure that out. 2. If you need special shoes, clothes or gadgets, it’s a fad Every now and again, a new bit of kit turns up which claims to make exercise better for you. And that’s when my alarm bells start ringing; any activity that claims you need a particular item to make it ‘work’ sounds expensive a…

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Detox diets are out – but do UPFs mean we are still at risk from toxins?
type: item
date: 2025-04-30T14:13:19.000Z
creator: Rosalind Ryan
subject: Wellbeing
subject: health trends
description: The 90s and noughties saw us obsessed with detox diets – short, sharp cleanses designed to ‘remove’ toxins from our bodies. These have been debunked, but do toxins still pose a risk to our health?
encoded: Have you ever tried a detox diet? Read on to explore the rise and fall of detox diets, and whether we really need to worry about toxins in our bodies. Find other ways to boost your health with our green smoothie recipes or homemade takeaway alternatives. Or, read our article on the healthiest diets from around the world. If you didn’t pluck your eyebrows razor-thin, cover yourself in body glitter or go on a detox diet, did you really live through the 90s? Although fashions have changed, the trend for detoxing has continued. In 2006, Beyoncé famously followed a detox diet that involved drinking a tonic made with lemon juice, maple syrup and cayenne pepper, and juice cleanses are still touted as a way to rid yourself of toxins – and a few extra pounds – today. Now, experts say detox diets are not a good way to lose weight, and could even be dangerous – but what about those toxins? Does today’s diet, packed with ultra-processed foods, mean that we should still be wary of toxins building up in our bodies? We take a look at the evidence for and against following a modern detox diet. The rise – and rise – of detox diets Detox diets have been around since the 1940s, but they really took off in the late 1990s. The theory was that we needed to cleanse our body of toxic waste – built up over periods of overindulgence (like Christmas) or from years of following a poor diet – and flush out environmental pollutants, such as exhaust fumes or cigarette smoke. Detox diets vary, but can often involve: fasting for a few days and only drinking water or fruit juices cutting out major food groups like wheat and dairy avoiding ‘toxic’ foods, like caffeine and alcohol using a detox kit, with various supplements and powders to support your diet The supposed benefits are clearer skin, stronger hair and nails, more energy, less cellulite, improved digestion and weight loss. In fact, this was the unspoken goal of any detox diet: although many were advertised to decrease bloating or sluggishne…

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I tried mindful eating – this is what I discovered
type: item
date: 2025-01-15T17:16:20.000Z
creator: Rosalind Ryan
subject: Guides
subject: health spotlight
subject: health trends
subject: healthiest diet
subject: healthy
description: Always eating lunch ‘al desko’ or catching up with a box set over dinner? Mindful eating can reset your relationship with food, so you feel happier and healthier – and it could even help you lose weight
encoded: Want to know more about eating mindfully and how it could possibly lead to weight loss? Read on to discover what happened when we gave it a go. Next, read 5 tips for a mindful evening routine, mindful kitchen therapy projects to try and find out how to stop stress eating. I couldn’t believe it – I was struggling to finish my second slice of beans on toast. Normally, I’d bolt the whole lot down before jumping back on the computer, but within a few days of practising mindful eating, I was feeling far more satisfied with my food. I’m not a fan of fad diets, and tend to eat fairly healthy food anyway, but after months of dodgy digestion and fighting the 3pm energy slump, I knew something wasn’t right. If it wasn’t the type of food I was eating, maybe it was the way I was eating it? Then I heard about mindful eating; a way of eating that comes from the wider practice of mindfulness. Slowing down and paying attention to what you eat, and focusing on how you feel while eating it, can help you build a better relationship with food. Research shows mindful eating could also help you maintain a healthy weight. After reassuring my husband that I wouldn’t be eating endless salads or counting out grains of rice, I decided to try mindful eating for seven days. I was surprised at how easy it was – and the results at end of the week. What is mindful eating – and why should you try it? First things first: mindful eating isn’t a diet. It could even be called an ‘anti-diet’ as you’re encouraged to think about how and why you eat, rather than what, when or how many calories to eat. Mindfulness means being aware of the present moment and paying attention to your thoughts, feelings and environment in a non-judgemental way. With mindful eating, you bring that awareness to your food and the experience of eating, and to the signals your body is sending you, like hunger. By focusing on internal cues – such as the taste or feeling full – rather than external ones, like how much food is on your…

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