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<p>I have personally tried all of the products below – or given them to a trusted associate better qualified than myself – because I never want to recommend a dud.
I hope you find them suitably delicious or helpful, and that they make your life better in some way. That’s what wellbeing should be about!</p>
<img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/30/2025/07/Emma-Hartfield-7e91e42.jpg" width="900" height="990" alt="Emma-Hartfield" title="Emma-Hartfield" />
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<h3 id="antioxidant-rich-olive-oils-832a102f">Antioxidant-rich olive oils</h3>
<img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/30/2026/07/healthy-olive-oils-cbcea05.jpg" width="4032" height="2688" alt="healthy olive oils" title="healthy olive oils" />
<p>Extra virgin olive oil is a key part of the <a href="/health/why-are-mediterranean-diets-so-healthy" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mediterranean diet</a>, shown to contribute to a longer, healthier lifespan. Personally, I’d never dream of eating cottage cheese or tomatoes without it. Here are some of my favourites, all of which offer a high polyphenol content – believed to provide many of the health benefits.</p><p>Olive oil sommelier and <a href="https://www.citizensofsoil.com/" target="_blank" rel="sponsored noopener noreferrer">Citizens of Soil</a> founder Sarah Vachon has three tips for choosing a healthy EVOO:</p><ol><li>It must have a container that blocks out the light</li><li>Check the harvest date to ensure it’s as recent as possible</li><li>A bitter flavour, with a peppery hit at the end and plenty of plant aromas are the attributes of a healthy, high quality EVOO.</li></ol><p>Pictured above, left to right:</p><p><a href="https://www.back2roots.uk/product-page/high-phenolic-pgi-lakonia-ultra-evoo-organic-500ml" target="_blank" rel="sponsored noopener noreferrer">High Phenolic Ultra extra virgin olive oil PGI Lakonia organic</a><br>£24/500ml (822mg/kg of polyphenols)</p><p><a href="https://ourpopoli.com/products/500ml-extra-virgin-olive-oil" target="_blank" rel="sponsored noopener noreferrer">Popoli extra virgin olive oil</a><br>£18.90/500ml (649mg/kg polyphenols)</p><p><a href="https://www.groveandmuse.co.uk/products/laudemio-frescobaldi-tuscan-extra-virgin-olive-oil" target="_blank" rel="sponsored noopener noreferrer">Frescobaldi Laudemio extra virgin olive oil</a><br>£25/250ml (734 mg/kg of polyphenols)<br>Also available from <a href="https://prf.hn/click/camref:1011lTzCi/pubref:bbcgoodfood-1016077/%5Bp_id:1100l436987%5D/destination:https%3A%2F%2Fwww.selfridges.com%2FGB%2Fen%2Fproduct%2Flaudemio-frescobaldi-extra-virgin-olive-oil-250ml_554-83023464-FRLAUD14%2F" target="_blank" rel="sponsored">Selfridges, £26.49/250ml; </a><a href="https://click.linksynergy.com/deeplink?id=fCcqUDB%2FB0M&mid=50008&u1=bbcgoodfood-1016077&murl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.fortnumandmason.com%2Flaudemio-frescobaldi-extra-virgin-olive-oil-500ml" target="_blank" rel="sponsored">Fortnum & Mason, £39.95/500ml</a></p><p><a href="https://www.citizensofsoil.com/products/health-club" target="_blank" rel="sponsored noopener noreferrer">Citizens of Soil olive oil</a><br>£30/500ml pouch (779mg/kg polyphenols)</p><hr><h3 id="sweet-treat-64e213ce">Sweet treat</h3>
<img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/30/2026/07/Pip-and-nut-stuffed-bar-copy-8c18565.jpg" width="4320" height="2880" alt="Pip & Nut Stuffed oat bar" title="Pip and nut stuffed bar copy" />
<p>Sometimes only a sugar hit will do. We can’t pretend too much of that is good for us, but combining it with 6g of protein, wholegrains and unsaturated fat does help. More importantly, these new cinnamon bun-flavoured, gooey nut butter flapjack delights are so delicious that I had to hide them from my younger child, as neither of us could get enough.</p><p><a href="https://www.pipandnut.com/products/stuffed-oat-bars-range" target="_blank" rel="sponsored noopener noreferrer">Pip & Nut Stuffed oat bars</a>; 15 bars for £19.<br>Also available at <a href="https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pip-Nut-Peanut-Stuffed-Chocolate/dp/B0H754NKTZ/?tag=bbc00-21&ascsubtag=bbcgoodfood-1016077" target="_blank" rel="sponsored">Amazon, £19/15 bars</a> and <a href="https://waitrose.pxf.io/c/1236178/872508/12163?subId1=bbcgoodfood-1016077&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.waitrose.com%2Fecom%2Fproducts%2Fpip-nut-almond-butter-stuffed-cinnamon-bun-oat-bars%2F981724-1-2" target="_blank" rel="sponsored">Waitrose, £3.40/3 bars</a></p><hr><h3 id="sleepytime-drinks-84428e0d">Sleepytime drinks</h3>
<img src="https://images.immediate.co.uk/production/volatile/sites/30/2026/07/Sleepytime-drinks-7ebce49.jpg" width="4032" height="2688" alt="Bedtime drink products" title="Sleepytime drinks" />
<p>The unbearable heat has made me desperate to find something to help me sleep, which felt like a good time to try out some of the ‘functional wellness’ drinks around at the moment. While it doesn’t feel fair to judge whether they work at improving sleep in the middle of a heatwave, these were the ones I most enjoyed the flavour of…</p><p>Pictured above, left to right:</p><p><a href="https://www.myovacare.com/products/magnesium-nightcap-hot-chocolate" target="_blank" rel="sponsored noopener noreferrer">Magnesium Nightcap by MyOva</a>, £36/30 servings</p><p>This brand specialises in hormonal health supplements, so if perimenopause or your menstrual cycle causes sleep issues, it could be a good one to try. There’s a regular cocktail of ingredients, including sour cherry extract, magnesium biglycinate (the right type for relaxation), lavender, camomile and reishi mushroom. It’s strongly flavoured with cocoa and works in hot or cold milk, which I particularly appreciated when my bedroom was 28 degrees at midnight.</p><p><a href="https://tomparkercreamery.com/our-range/" target="_blank" rel="sponsored noopener noreferrer">Tom Parker Creamery Bedtime Milk</a>, <a href="https://ocadoretailltd.pxf.io/c/1236178/2854492/33128?subId1=bbcgoodfood-1016077&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ocado.com%2Fproducts%2Ftom-parker-creamery-bedtime-milk%2F652340011" target="_blank" rel="sponsored">Ocado £1.75</a></p><p>It doesn’t sound like it should work as a concept – and I really don’t know how it manages it – but this fully shook me with how tasty it is. Lavender, valerian and camomile milk? How…?</p><p><a href="https://spacegoods.com/products/astro-dust-starter-kit" target="_blank" rel="sponsored noopener noreferrer">Spacegoods Astro Dust chai, £29</a></p><p>A combination of ashwagandha, adaptogenic mushrooms and other sleep-inducing or improving ingredients like magnesium, tryptophan and camomile, this is a tasty, sweet chai-flavoured drink with no added sugar or artificial flavours. It’s third-party tested and the starter kit comes with a nifty little whizzer to make sure it’s perfectly mixed.</p>
