Editor’s letter: June/July Healthy

Healthy Sampler

As the body positivity debate rumbles on and becomes, at either end, more extreme, what role does a general women’s health magazine play? It’s a relevant question for this issue – our traditional get-ready-for-your-beach-holiday one.

With millennials set to become the fattest generation of Britons, Britain the third largest nation in Western Europe, Cancer Research pointing out that obesity is now the second biggest cause of lifestyle-related cancers in the UK and the latest NHS figures revealing weight-related hospital admissions have risen by 18 per cent over the past year… we’d be irresponsible to ignore the health risks of being significantly overweight. Clue: our name is healthy (not anything specifically linked to weight or slimming) and it’s from this angle that we approach.

We, in the main, speak for a huge group of pretty regular, average women (and – full disclaimer – we on the editorial team are those women) who put on a bit of weight over Christmas, try to lose it afterwards and, for summer, try to fit exercise into busy schedules, and sometimes succeed and sometimes don’t, try to eat well in the main but don’t feel guilty if a bit of cake slips through. It’s a simple, common sense approach, but sometimes the journey to get there can feel anything but.

What that looks like this issue is: an upbeat feature about how fitness gains are more interested in fun than abs (p32); an in-depth investigation into the Government’s new calorie counting obsession (p46); a frank conversation with presenter Jameela Jamil about why she’s leading the post-body-positivity movement (p40); an expert piece busting weight-loss myths (p72); and our usual selection of delicious, nutritious recipes, including a focus on fermented foods (p112). You’ll also find our usual health features, natural beauty section and wellbeing content. I hope you enjoy the issue – let me know what you think.