Review: Seven Seas Perfect7 Supplements

AD – we were sent a selection of these Seven Seas Perfect7 supplements for review purposes.

This year I’ll be 40 and although I try and look after myself as best I can, I’m well aware that I’m starting to age. I hate taking loads of tablets so I was looking for a good all rounder, something that would suit someone of my age and something that would help me fend off creakiness for a little while longer. I was sent some Seven Seas Perfect7 to try out.

Seven Seas Perfect7 comes in two different kinds, one for men and one for women. I tried the Seven Seas Perfect7 Woman which contains a blend of Marine Oil with Omega-3, plus essential multivitamins and minerals. The specially developed formula encourages the effective absorption of nutrients to support you from the inside as you get older.

Seven Seas Perfect7

Seven Seas have identified 7 key needs for women and have developed Perfect7 Woman to try and meet those specific needs. Perfect7 Woman has been scientifically designed to support:

Skin & Nails – Zinc helps to maintain normal skin and nails
Hair – Biotin contributes to the maintenance of normal hair
Energy – Magnesium contributes to energy yielding metabolism
Brain – DHA contributes to normal brain function
Vision – Vitamin B2 contributes to maintenance of normal vision
Heart – EPA & DHA contribute to the normal function of the heart
Hormonal Activity – Vitamin B6 helps to regulate hormonal activity

Seven Seas Perfect7 comes as a 30 day duo pack. It contains two different tablets to take each day with water. There is one slightly squashy marine oil tablet and one brown speckled tablet. They are shaped like little bullets and although they’re not small, I managed to swallow them easily. I hate taking tablets and often gag them back up, but these were fine for me.

I’ve been taking the Seven Seas Perfect7 for a little over 3 weeks now, although it’s probably too early for me to notice much of a difference, I have noticed that my normally brittle and flaky nails are a bit stronger than they have been for a while and my skin is glowing a bit more, several people have commented about that recently.

I find the tablets easy to take and as they are a good all rounder, containing the following vitamins and minerals.

Vitamin D
Vitamin E
Vitamin C
Thiamin (Vitamin B1)
Riboflavin (Vitamin B2)
Niacin
Vitamin B6
Folic Acid
Vitamin B12
Biotin
Pantothenic Acid
Magnesium
Iron
Zinc
Copper
Manganese
Selenium
Chromium
Iodine

The marine oil tablets contain both fish oil and gelatin making them not suitable for vegetarians which is a shame. I would like it if a vegetarian version of these supplements were available so veggies could take advantage of the benefits of Perfect7.

For me Seven Seas Perfect7 is worth sticking with, in two tablets I can get pretty much everything I need to supplement my diet and hopefully see me into middle age in a more sprightly fashion.

You can find out more about Seven Seas Perfect7 on their website.

Glue Ear – Another operation for the small boy?

*Personal, meandering blog post alert*

This afternoon we are taking the small boy to hospital for a consultation about his glue ear. Almost exactly two years ago he had his first operation to have grommets put in his ears to alleviate the problem. At the time it was very apparent that he was starting to struggle and fall behind his peers, even at the tender age of 3.

I remember him coming round from his anaesthetic, he started chattering away and he’s not stopped since. In the months following he seemed to come on in leaps and bounds, making up for lost time and we looked forward to a problem free future for him.

Regrettably that was not to be. About a year after his operation we suspected that he was starting to struggle to hear again and his ear infections, caused by the glue ear were becoming more frequent. Thankfully he was still having regular-ish appointments with ENT and following a hearing test last year they said they needed to keep an eye on him.

In December they tested him again and he had “significant hearing loss”, they sent us away to consider our options. Really there are only two options; let him suffer repeated infections, pain and discomfort as well as see him struggle at school, or have new grommets put in and his tonsils and adenoids taken out.

Today we go to the hospital to speak to the consultant. Yes we’d like him to have the operation please. Yes can you do it asap please. Yes we understand the risks and yes we’ve both tormented ourselves over making this decision. It doesn’t make it easy and it’s not something any parent wants, but we know that he needs this to be done. I just hope this will be an end to it for him. Poor lamb.

Glue Ear - Another operation for the small boy

Kids Health: The Smart Kids range from Bioglan

Like most parents I have a niggling worry that despite his love of broccoli that somehow my boy is lacking the essential nutrients he needs in order to thrive. Last October he had to take a week off school and was really quite poorly, he had a very nasty ear infection and spent the week on the sofa looking miserable. I’m keen to make sure he’s as healthy as possible so his body can fight off future infections. I was interested to try the Bioglan Smart Kids range of supplements and to see how my boy liked them.

bioglan

We were sent the full range to try, here’s what the small boy thought…

Smart Kids Omega 3 Brain Formula
These supplements contain Omega 3, B Vitamins and Iron which all play a vital role in transporting oxygen to the brain and the rest of the body, as well as contributes to the normal cognitive development of children. I tried these first and they are little gummy capsules which you chew and they have a squirty liquid inside which tastes of citrus. I really didn’t think he’d like these very much, but once he’d bitten into one he enjoyed it. Half the battle is getting kids to take the tablet and this is a little bit different.

Smart Kids Fussy Eaters Multi
These multivitamins have been designed for fussy eaters, they contain a wide range of essential vitamins and minerals. The tablets are small, chewy and taste of red berries, they’re also a bit fizzy in your mouth, these were my favourite. I warned the boy that they were fizzy and he made that lovely “sherbet face” you get when you eat something slightly sour. I’d be very happy to take these and I think he would too.

Smart Kids Happy Tummies
These were his very favourite, though he was skeptical at first. They are strawberry yoghurt balls designed to boost your child’s live culture intake and provide their tummies with the good bacteria they need. He loved these so much he would happily eat them as sweets and kept demanding more, which we didn’t give him obviously.

Smart Kids Superfood Shake
This is a very different product and I was looking forward to trying it out with him. I don’t know a child who doesn’t love a milkshake so this is potentially a great way to get some extra nutrients inside them without much fuss.

The milkshake is apparently packed with lots of hidden fruit and veg. It’s simple enough to make, just mix it with milk, but it doesn’t dissolve like normal milkshake powder so you do need to whisk it. He did drink it and say it was yummy, but he did take his time over it and I thought it smelt a bit veggie. I’m not sure it’s something he’d drink every day, but as an occasional boost when he’s run down I think it would work well.

bioglan

I like the fact that the Smart Kids range from Bioglan has thought about different ways to help supplement and boost kids’ diets. I’d like to see more of the yoghurt ball style of supplement because that’s what our boy likes the best; but all kids are different and differently fussy and I think there is something for everyone in this range.

Bioglan supplements are widely available from a range of retailers.

Note: We were sent this selection of Bioglan Smart Kids supplements for review purposes. All images and opinions are our own.

Dealing with chronic back pain

I live with chronic back pain. Since November 2012 there hasn’t been a day I haven’t had to take painkillers. It could make me really unhappy if I let it, but I refuse to be beaten down by my chronic pain.

Specifically I had a problem with my L2/L3 disc which is in my lower back. I had a discectomy which is the surgical removal of herniated disc material that presses on a nerve root or the spinal cord, in my case it was pressing on both. I was unlucky and the disc herniated again a few months later and I needed a second surgery. Then five months after that it completely herniated, though that hasn’t been surgically removed. I now have no disc and I am always in pain.

I am used to the pain now, the creeping numbness in my lower body worries me more than the actual pain. I can’t stand for long, I can’t bend well and I can’t lift anything. I’ve not picked my son up and swung him around since he was two, and when he falls over I can’t scoop him up for a cuddle. These are the things that bother me more than my pain.

Dealing with chronic back pain means that in order to be able to have some level of functionality you need to make some changes in your life. It would be very easy for me to sit down and stuff myself with painkillers and just waste away. I could get benefits and financial support, but I’m choosing to do what I can, whilst I can and hope that the help I may need in the future is still there for me. I am unable to work in a “proper job” and so I am now a freelance copywriter working from home

These are some of the things I do to be able to function alongside my pain levels. I know that some days I just need to wave the white flag and take the pills and go to bed, but thankfully those days are few and far between.

Prescription Pain Relief
Chronic back pain needs a proper pain management plan. I have a lovely GP who listens and makes good suggestions. When I was having my surgeries I was on all the pain relief humanly possible, and having lived in that dreamy fog for nearly a year I am quite keen to be on the lowest dose of whatever I’m on. I don’t want my body to get used to the really hard stuff and then have nowhere to go if my pain increases.

Find a GP who will listen and support you and your choices. It may take a few months to get the medication and dosage right so you can find a balance between pain management and not feeling drunk all the time.

I shy away from straight codeine now, having had to go through codeine withdrawal. I take a prescription co-codamol, I also take naproxen which is like ibuprofen, and occasionally a diazepam which helps to relax me when my muscles are twitching or going into spasm. I’ve tried a lot of different medications, some worked, some didn’t. Some gave me thrush, or were too strong or not strong enough. Everyone is different, but once you find what works for you it will make a big difference to managing your pain.

chronic back pain

Exercise
I know everyone says exercise will help but a lot of the time if you’re in pain the thought of doing some exercise is the last thing you want to do. For people like me with chronic pain and mobility issues, exercise is relative. For me I can’t do the hour long Zumba class I used to love. I don’t want to go to the gym. The exercise I do must be within the limits of what I am capable of and must not leave me feeling worse off than when I started. It’s got to loosen my stiff body a bit and it’s got to throw a couple of those happy exercise endorphins at me if possible.

The thought of schlepping off to the swimming baths does make my heart sink, but once I’m in the warm water, bobbing about, having a gentle swim, feeling weightless in the water and raising my heart rate a little, it makes me feel much better.

Walking is also high on my agenda. I have been in terrible pain and not been able to put my own shoes on without help, but I’ve forced myself to go for a short walk around the block and returned home feeling a little looser and better for some fresh air and a change of scenery. I try and walk daily now, I have a Fitbit which helps to motive me. I know my limits, anything over 12,000 steps is going to hurt the next day but I aim for a daily minimum of 7,000.

Some people find Pilates or Yoga useful, find what works for you and how far you can push yourself within your limits. You don’t want to be sore the next day, that’s just counterproductive, but there will be something you can do and it does help.

Positive Mental Attitude!
A lot of people say to me that they don’t know how I cope with living with chronic pain. But what other choice do I have? I refuse to let chronic pain get the better of me, I’m still alive and I’ve still, for now at least, got working legs, a brain and importantly a sense of humour. I’m a stubborn old bean and having an attitude, though not necessarily a perky, positive attitude has for me been one of the biggest things which has got me through the last three years.

I’m a great believer in fake it till you make it, and honestly it’s working. I might turn up at the school gates with a spring in my step looking bright eyed and bushy-tailed, but that’s largely the result of a lot of carefully timed medication. Speaking to a lot of the mums, some have known me for 18 months or more and most had literally no idea about my chronic pain.

People say it must get me down, it probably does but not enough so I’d recognise it. I just know when I have to rest, take my pills and behave myself for a few days. Having a positive mental attitude about my situation has been one of the most helpful things in dealing with my chronic back pain. Like I said, it’s not about being perky, for me it’s about being resolute. I can’t change what’s happened, I can’t fix it in the future, this is how things are and I’ve got to make the best of it.

Good Diet
When you take pain medication you need to make sure you eat regularly and you eat well. A lot of the painkillers like codeine (which is notorious for this) will bung you right up. If I ever take codeine I always take a senna tablet to try and negate the side effects, but a high fibre diet with lots of veggies will stand you in good stead.

Keep your fluids up – drink plenty of water, this will also help with the codeine constipation problem. During the year of my operations, getting out of bed and going to the toilet was all the exercise I was getting, such were my intolerable pain levels back then.

If your general health is as good as you can get it then managing your chronic back pain is easier. I know if I’m ever ill it can throw off my medication schedule and lead to greater pain levels which can take days to correct.

Heat/Freeze Patches
When my lower back is feeling especially stiff and sore, rather than upping my medication I have found that sticking on a thermal patch for the day can really help ease the pain, and the focussed heat on the right spot helps to “fix” whatever is making my pain levels worse than usual. I have tried a few brands but I like the Deep Heat ones the best. I’ve recently tried using their cold patches too. It depends on what kind of pain you’ve got and what you feel would work best on it, but I really recommend thermal patches as a non-medicinal way to manage your pain.

chronic back pain

Deep Heat also have other products you could try. I like the roll on muscle massage lotion which is good for a quick hit of relief instead of wearing a patch for a few hours.

TLC
Take good care of yourself. Pain is exhausting, both mentally and physically, so every day you’ve got to look after yourself. Run a nice hot bath with a drop of herbal bath oil in it, have an early night or a lie in, treat yourself to a massage or a relaxing beauty treatment.

It’s a rare day I get to have a proper treatment these days, mainly for financial reasons, so I am now the master of at home pampering. I particularly rate Nelson’s Arnicare Arnica Bath & Massage Balm which you can use as a bath oil, but I think it is rather excellent to massage in. The balm is made with Arnica combined with evening primrose, sweet almond oil, lavender and grapefruit. It’s not heavily scented, but fragrant enough to relax you. The oil sinks in beautifully and leaves no residue, I love this for soothing aches and pains and it’s excellent value for money too.

chronic back pain

Living with chronic back pain can be all about utility, what has to be done in order to function, but you need to look after yourself. Relaxing and being pampered is for me one of the best things I can do for my back. I find that an occasional visit to the sauna or steam room can really help, the warmth penetrates my aching bones and I feel looser and much better for it. Sure, a spa day would be lovely, but your local authority swimming pool will probably have a sauna or steam room you can access for a couple of pounds.

When you’ve got chronic back pain you can feel like life is best lived wrapped up in cotton wool, I don’t hold that opinion. Ok so my trampolining days are behind me, but it’s not going to stop me living my life and enjoying myself. I know what makes me feel better and I know what makes me feel worse, so as long as I operate within those parameters I can walk the line between pain management and a normal life.

When it comes to chronic back pain there are lots of ways to manage it, these are some of the things which work for me, they may not work for you. It’s a case of trying things out and seeing how they affect you, some will make you feel worse, some will make you feel better.

For me the key has to not let my pain dominate my life. Yes I’ve had to change my job, the way I work and how I spend my days in order to live a more functional life, but I am very happy with what my life is like now. I think my chronic back pain has given me a better perspective and a greater appreciation for things. There are upsides to everything and for me it’s better to focus on the positives. Chronic pain is really bloody awful, but it doesn’t have to define you.

Health & Fitness – Squat Challenge March 2016

I’ve become a bit frustrated with myself of late, I need to exercise but it’s hard to find the time and the inclination. I live with chronic pain and like most people I have good and bad days, so it can be hard for me to absolutely commit to doing Pilates every Thursday, or to go swimming each Monday, because I never really know how good, or not so good I’ll feel. That’s at least one of my excuses, so I’m sticking to it.

I’ve decided to set myself a squat challenge for March. I’ve seen these kind of challenges before and they’re pretty much designed for reasonably fit and healthy people, not for slightly wonky people like me who make a noise when they stand up. Now I’m no fitness instructor, I have no qualifications (consider this a disclaimer of sorts), but I know from various Pilates and Yoga classes, and from my rehab physios that doing squats is pretty good for me and my condition, which is basically a ruined spine, nerve damage and constant pain. Yay me.

Even though I can’t always feel my legs, I feel happier when they are feeling strong, so I know that squats will help this, as well as helping to give me buns of steel.

Why do squats?

A quick search of the internet throws up many many good reasons for including squatting in your daily exercise regime, these include –

Buns of steel – you get a nice toned bum!
Squatting can work your lower body, helping to strengthen your quads, glutes, hamstrings, calves, lower back (yay) and even your abs and as a result squatting will help you burn fat.
Squatting helps to strengthen your muscles, joints and ligaments and improved the flexibility in your ankles, knees, hips and back .
Improves core strength and stability.
Squats can also (apparently) help to combat cellulite and firm up your thighs.

I’ve created this Squat Challenge for me to do in March, it starts off super-easy. I’m pretty sure I can do 10 squats with no trouble at all, but the thought of doing 70 squats in a day sounds like it might hurt, but by slowly increasing the number of squats I do each day seems to me to be more doable. I’m not going to pressure myself to do them all in one go, I might break them up into sets of 10 or so and do them each time I go in the kitchen. I’ve printed off my Squat Challenge calendar so I’ll just stick that to the fridge and cross them off as I do them.

If you’re not sure how to to do squat correctly then the video below is great and gives tips for people like me how have mobility and stability issues. I always make sure I’m near something I can grab should I lose my balance, and like she says in the video, you can always add weights to help make things more challenging once you’ve got the posture right.

Like I said, I’m no health and fitness expert, but I’ve devised this Squat Challenge just for me and my physical limitations and needs, but you’re welcome to join me during March in my quest for buns of steel. Who’s in?

You can download my FREE Squat Challenge Calendar here.

Health: 8 benefits of drinking sour cherry juice

After reading about the benefits of drinking sour cherry juice I have decided to give it a try to see if it makes me feel any better. It is no hardship for me, as I love cherry juice with something of a passion, so a small glass twice a day is actually something I really look forward to.

Sour cherry juice is different to cartons of juice you might buy from the supermarket. You only need 30mls of this highly concentrated juice which I dilute with water to make a refreshing drink. It certainly puts a spring in my step after I’ve drunk it and it makes me feel really great, it’s hard to describe but I feel super-healthy for about an hour afterwards and I’ve only been drinking it for a week now.

What are the benefits of drinking sour cherry juice?

A glass of juice is one of your recommended five a day. Drinking one glass means I’ve made a start on my fruit and veg portions for the day.
Optima sour cherry juice is made from high quality Montmorency cherries which are packed with powerful antioxidants known as flavonoids. These are a type of antioxidant which is known to fight infection and can have a positive impact on the function of your immune system.
Research by the Macrothink Institute in 2012 revealed that the antioxidants in sour cherry juice can reduce pain and significantly reduce inflammation from osteoarthritis. As a chronic pain sufferer I think that this is worth trying out.
Sour cherry juice is naturally high in potassium, which helps to maintain your blood pressure, nerve impulses, digestion and heart rate. A glass of cherry juice contains about 10% of your daily allowance of potassium.
Cherries are an excellent source of vitamins A and C.
A 2007 study in America looked at the effect of sour cherry juice on rats and they found that including sour cherry juice in your daily diet could lower cholesterol, lead to reduced abdominal fat storage and help to protect against metabolic syndrome.
Some recent research in America had indicated that sour cherry juice may help improve the quality and duration of sleep, reduce the severity of insomnia and increase overall sleep efficiency.
A 2014 study by Northumbria University found that cherry juice promoted faster recovery from exercise, maintained muscle function and reduced the incidence and severity of exercise-induced inflammation.

cherry juice

I’ve been trying out the Optima Montmorency Cherry Juice. It is a 500ml bottle and I have approximately 60mls a day, a little goes a long way. The ingredients are Montmorency Cherry Juice Concentrate (99.8%) and the preservative: Potassium Sorbate, so it’s not packed full of sugar or chemicals. Each 30ml serving of the juice contains 78 calories, but you can dilute this down as much as you want.

As someone who lives with chronic pain, I am constantly taking pain killers including anti-inflammatory medication and I really struggle to get to sleep every single night. If all of these health benefits are true, then for me drinking sour cherry juice is a no brainer, and I love how it tastes too, so it’s an easy, pleasurable thing for me to do and one which could potentially promote my own good health.

Making the most of the winter daylight hours

When the clocks change each autumn everyone seems to start hunkering down for the winter. The heating goes on and we all trudge off to work or school in the morning gloom, returning when it’s dark and living in something of a twilight world. It’s miserable and this kind of dark, dank wintery misery even has a medical name – Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD. For SAD sufferers there’s one thing which can really help – sunlight, or simulated sunlight.

I don’t have SAD, but I do have the winter blues, it’s not officially medically recognised, but is characterised by sufferers saying “Meh” whenever they open the curtains between November and March. There are a few things I do to try and perk me up, but there’s no known cure other than a four month holiday in the sun.

If the weather isn’t too grim I try and get outside during daylight hours, if only to the local coffee shop for a brew and a biscuit. Fresh air and daylight are good for the soul, as is the tiny amount of Vitamin D the weak winter sun will give you while you’re outside.
Keeping warm and active helps stave off the winter blues a bit, getting out for long walks at the weekend with the family is a good way to get some fresh air and exercise, and makes me feel less cooped up.
During the day I try and flood the house with natural light, opening curtains and blinds wide, so even if it’s raining outside I can still enjoy natural light. I hate having electric lights on during the day as it makes me feel closed in, natural light is for me always preferable.

We have large skylights in our kitchen and in the room I work in, these are brilliant for providing bags of natural light all year round, and were probably the thing which sold this house to me, having a light, bright house is very important.

velux

Equally important as lots of natural light is the ability to shut that light out at night, or when the summer sun is strong. VELUX are a well known company who design and sell a range of blinds for skylights. All of our skylight windows have been fitted with pull-down VELUX blinds and during the heat of summer I know I couldn’t use those rooms without them.

The winter blues aren’t enough to send me to my bed for three months, but I do try and look after myself a bit more, enjoy any breaks in the weather to get out and about, and to make the most of the natural light available for the sake of my mood and my electricity bill.

How do you stave off the winter blues?

Flower Essences for Emotional Well-Being

I love my local Holistic Health Centre, Healthyspirit. I’ve had a few treatments there, most recently I had the amazing Warm Bamboo Massage, but I go regularly for juices and delicious veggie lunches at their Hub Vegetarian Cafe and to buy candles, supplements and health food from their shop. Last week I booked myself in for a Flower Essences Consultation, I wasn’t really sure what to expect, but I’d read a little about the power of flower essences and was intrigued.

I met up with Sharon Curran in the Crystal Room at Healthyspirit. Sharon is a wonderful, calming woman who really (really, really) listens and puts you at ease immediately. She told me a bit about the origins of flower essences and about the work of Dr Edward Bach. He discovered and explored the power of flower essences, leading him to develop his famous range of essences which are widely available today.

During the session we talked at length about what my problems were, we discussed my physical health and how that made me feel (ruined spine, chronic pain, I feel very tired and almost hopeless at times) and my mental and emotional health (dealing with trauma, anxiety and depression, alongside my feelings of incredibly low self worth). Sharon listened to everything I said, we explored some areas in more depth so she could find the right combination of essences for me (she had over 300 in her trusty box).

As a result of our consultation Sharon prescribed me a blend of the following essences:

Grass of Parnassus
This essence strengthens your ability to stand in your full power without feeling apologetic, embarrassed or unworthy. It helps you to see your innate beauty and purity despite whatever else you may have come to believe about yourself.

Inner Child – Self Worth
For loving and valuing yourself unconditionally. This essence will help you develop more self-worth, perhaps by shining a light on where you are being unkind or unloving towards yourself so you can transform your beliefs/habits and thus help you to become more of who you really are, easily and effortlessly.

Gorse
This will help ease feelings of hopelessness and despair to promote new hope and vision for the future.

Olive
This helps those who feel that their reserves of energy are completely depleted and that they have nothing left to carry on with. It helps to restore mental vitality.

Star of Bethlehem
This essence helps to transform shock or trauma of any kind, whether immediate or in the past. It assists the body on an energetic level to mobilise its self-healing abilities.

Sharon made me up a small bottle of my unique prescription of essences. There was enough for around a fortnight for me to take three times a day. The Flower Essences are there to support my emotional wellbeing. The essences are apparently very subtle but very potent in their effect and can touch deep places within your being, helping to balance and restore mind, emotions and spirit.

Sharon is an incredibly inspirational woman, I left the session feeling full of light and love, not a feeling I’ve been familiar with for a long time. During the consultation I shed a few tears, but I feel they were cathartic tears because someone had listened to me and understood me. Since the consultation I have been dutifully taking my prescription, I’ve loved myself a little bit more and I’m trying to let the light into the dark places.

I’d love a series of sessions with Sharon, I’m planning to book another Flower Essences Consultation with her soon. She also offers a bespoke soul coaching service for women which incorporates coaching, mentoring and healing using flower essences. She told me I was a beautiful child of the universe and I am.

For more information about Flower Essences Consultations at Healthyspirit visit their website. You can follow Sharon and read her inspirational tweets on Twitter @SoulCoachSharon.

Celebrating World Oral Health Day with White Glo

We were sent some White Glo toothpaste for review purposes. All images and opinions are our own.

As a child I neglected my teeth and from the age of 11 to the age of 24 I didn’t go to the dentist at all, I’d developed quite a bad phobia and it was only when one of my front teeth was visibly rotting that I found a dentist who was used to dealing with anxious patients. Over a period of three or four months he repaired all the damage my neglect had done leaving me with 11 new fillings. Since then I’ve gone back to him every six months and he’s kept my teeth looking good and in good health.

One of the things my dentist says every time is how good I am at brushing my teeth, they are always clean and mostly plaque free which is half the battle when it comes to oral hygiene. I usually brush with an electric toothbrush in the mornings and a normal toothbrush at night. I rinse once a day with whatever mouthwash is knocking around in the bathroom cabinet and I use a leading brand of toothpaste for sensitive teeth.

We were sent some White Glo Sensitive Forte+ to try out for a few weeks to see how we liked it. Each White Glo toothpaste pack contains a toothbrush, and a little packet of Dental Flosser toothpicks. Research shows that old brushes lose their cleaning and stain-removing properties over time, so it makes sense to change your toothbrush as regularly as your toothpaste.

Celebrating World Oral Health Day with White Glo

I was a bit sceptical about the benefits of changing my toothpaste to White Glo, toothpaste is toothpaste right? Hand on heart my teeth haven’t felt this clean in ages. I don’t know if it’s the toothpaste or the new, softer bristled toothbrush.

The sensitive White Glo toothpaste I tried was minty without being overpowering. I could feel it was slightly abrasive on my teeth which is the same as every whitening toothpaste. My mouth felt really clean and zingy afterwards.

The toothbrush was shorter and softer than what I am used to. I wasn’t convinced that the soft bristled brush would clean my teeth as well, I was really wrong. The soft bristles seem to clean better and my teeth feel and look cleaner; I’m totally sold on the soft brush now.

White Glo’s premium fluoride-enriched toothpastes use “micro polishing particles” to remove discolouration and yellowing on tooth enamel. They say that results are visible in two weeks. It’s at this point I rue the day I forgot to take a “before” picture9; but they’re definitely better and I am going to continue using it.

White Glo is available in five formulas; Professional Choice, Coffee & Tea Drinkers, Smokers, Sensitive Forte+ and 2-in-1 with Mouthwash. The White Glo toothpastes retail at around £3.99-£4.99; which is comparable in price to my regular brand, but you get a toothbrush and toothpicks with White Glo.

White Glo is available from Boots, Boots.com, Superdrug, Amazon, ASDA and Morrisons. I will definitely be changing over to White Glo now, it’s been years since my mouth felt so clean. I’m very happy (despite the look on my face in the picture above).

Note: We received a sample of White Glo to try for review purposes. All images and opinions are my own.

Review: EnvirOmega – Omega 3 for Vegetarians

As a vegetarian I have for a number of years been concerned about my diet lacking Omega 3. Omega 3 has so many health benefits and getting enough when you’re a pretty strict vegetarian can be problematic. I was sent a box of Efamol EnvirOmega to try out, which is a vegetarian Omega 3 supplement.

Omega 3 is most commonly found in oily fish, which is why it is recommended that people eat two portions of oily fish a week and for strict vegetarians this can be a real problem, so I’m pleased to find a supplement suitable for vegetarians.

Omega 3

EnvirOmega Omega 3 supplements can help to maintain normal brain function (DHA) and are made from algal oil. The algal oil in the capsules is from a specially cultivated plant source and the capsules contain a combination of Omega 3 fatty acids from marine mirco algae which are a good vegetarian source of DHA.

EnvirOmega comes in a box of 60 and are fish-free algal oil capsules. Each capsule is about 1cm long and is a soft, liquid filled, easy to swallow tablet. They don’t taste of anything in particular and are quite pleasant to take. The dosage is one capsule per day for adults.

Omega 3

I have taken them for a couple of weeks now and I think it’s too early to tell if they’ve had much of an impact on me, I think if I took them consistently for a few months I’d hope to notice some improvements. But it is good to know that I’m doing what I can to ensure that my body and brain are receiving the Omega 3 they need to function.

If you’re a vegetarian and you’re concerned about your Omega 3 intake, then it’s worth having a look at what supplements are available. These Efamol Enviromega Fish Free Brain Capsules are currently available for £11.99 for a box of 60.

Note: I was sent a box of capsules free of charge for review purposes, all images and opinions are my own.