12 minute read
11 HEALTH
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AN INTERVIEW WITH ANITA TÓTH
DIPLOMACY&TRADE (D&T) Please, tell us your story: how did you end up founding a cosmetics brand? ANITA TÓTH (AT) A few years ago, I had a complete lifestyle overhaul and changed my eating habits. Despite maintaining an active lifestyle and a healthy diet, I realized that I also needed to focus on what I was putting onto my body. I tried dozens of skincare products but couldn’t find any that worked for me; it was then that I decided to create my signature product. I sought to use unrefined, organic ingredients which were efficacious but also as environmentally conscious as possible. The packaging was key too; I wanted something unique. The rest you can say is history; the concept behind ANITATOTH was born.
D&T When did your products debut? AT We launched the ANITATOTH website towards the end of 2018. In February 2019, we set up our first pop-up store at the New York Palace, Budapest - something we hope to be doing a lot more of in the future! D&T Who were the first people you asked to test the lotions? What were their first impressions? And, how has the Hungarian market reacted so far? AT The first people who tested the products were my close family and colleagues. The feedback was amazing. They adored how they enriched their skin. When it comes to skincare, women tend to spend a lot of time pampering their face, and forget to continue with their body. I personally believe that we should be nourishing our bodies from top to toe. Moisturizing all over is essential to give the skin the boost it needs to stay healthy. We launched our brand presenting a Body Lotion in two divine scents – Chocolate and Sweet Lavender. We’re still at an early stage in our journey and we are thrilled to have already built a loyal customer base. The fact that our products have received such brilliant feedback so far, is very motivating.
D&T Are you planning to introduce new products such as makeup or a broader spectrum of skin care in the near future? AT Absolutely! We will be expanding our range and launching facial products soon.
D&T Are you planning to go international? AT We are a Hungarian cosmetics brand and couldn’t think of a better place to launch than where there is such an emerging market for health-conscious enthusiasts. Naturally we want to grow, and our next plan is to expand internationally. We can’t wait to share our products with the rest of the world!
D&T How many people work with you (including product development, sales, marketing, even web design) on the brand? AT It’s hard to give an exact number as the brand is constantly evolving, and as a result, so is our team. Right now, I would say our team is comprised of 10-15 people.
D&TProducts reviews speak highly of the packaging of the lotions – why did you go for this particular design and the colors white and gold? AT I wanted to design a distinctive product that looked exclusive and luxurious. This was not only important from a branding perspective, but a means by which we could stand out among our competitors. We also wanted something that would make a stylish addition to any bathroom cabinet! The unique hexagonal design incorporates airless technology to preserve product freshness while minimizing oxidization and external contamination.
D&T How do the products work on super sensitive or extra dry skin? Can they heal contact dermatitis? AT Our Body Lotions are extremely nourishing and hydrating. The organic ingredients we use within the formulas are tested in laboratories, though we have not tested our products for contact dermatitis. If someone has this specific skin condition, I recommend asking a dermatologist, or at least trying a test patch only on a small area on the skin first, to see how they react.
D&TDo you have any beauty tricks to share with us (while isolated because of the COVID-19 pandemic)? AT I truly believe that nutrition and exercise is extremely important right now. We need to nourish our bodies inside out. Of course, washing hands correctly is essential, as is hydrating the skin afterwards.
D&TAs an ambassador for a Hungarian organic skincare product, do you feel any pressure to perform? AT I love what I do, and I feel extremely passionate about it. It is important to listen to customer’s feedback and reviews, so that the brand can further grow and flourish.
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Maria Mattheisen has turned her passion for health and wellbeing into a career, becoming a culinary nutrition expert as well as Hungary's first natural juice therapist. Not long ago she proudly presented her first book titled ‘Juice – What Your Body Desires.’
DIPLOMACY&TRADE (D&T)In your book, you stress the importance of fresh, hydraulic pressed raw juices for the immune system. What led you to discover this? MARIA MATTHEISEN (MM) Fresh juice in general came to my attention over ten years ago, shortly after my youngest son was born. He was only a few months old when it was discovered that he had several serious food intolerances. I was looking for options and enrolled in a nutrition school, where I was introduced to juicing. I immediately felt this was the answer I was searching for, as I was determined that there must have been something that could be done about intolerances and that A JUICE A SZENVEDÉLYEM. son’s case. I started making juices with Holisztikus Juice-Terapeutaként tudom, hogy lehet ezt nagyon tudományosan is csinálni – vannak helyzetek, amikor muszáj is –, most azonban az volt a cél, hogy a rather good quality masticating “slow” útmutatót kapjanak azok is, akik a frissen préselt levek fogyasztásával szeretnének tenni az egészségükért, de nem tudják, hogy hogyan kezdjenek hozzá. juicer. Once I became a juice therapist, we Egy baráti összejövetelen “útmutatásom mellett” gyerekek és felnőttek egyaránt ismerkedtek a zöldségek és gyümölcsök préselésének technikájával és Mattheisen Mária D&TWhat is the difference between a juice and a smoothie? MM Juicers and blenders are made to do very different tasks. A juicer separates the liquid from the pulp. Although consuming fiber is very important, the juice itself is what we absorb and that is what nourishes our cells. On the other hand, a blender is chopping all the ingredients placed in it at a high speed, in other words liquefying them, basically doing what our teeth should be doing by chewing. There are a few ingredients such as mangos, avocados or bananas that we simply cannot juice, those can be blended with freshly pressed juice. D&TIs it true that there is a relationship between hemoglobin and carrot juice? MM Dr Norman W. Walker mentioned that the carrot juice molecule is exactly analogous to that of the blood molecule in his book, which was published in 1936. This statement was taught to us in the juicing courses as a very important fact. D&TWhy shouldn’t we just eat fruits and veggies? MM There is absolutely nothing wrong with eating them, however the sad truth is that we simply just don’t do it! Juicing is a very effective and fun way of consuming at least the recommended daily amount. Unlike most forms of cooking, juicing does not destroy any of the nutrients in our produce. Juicing makes it easier to consume a greater volume of produce than we ever comfortably consume in a raw form as it removes the fiber from the produce. We could call it almost self-digested as the body almost immediately absorbs the nutrients. This saves the energy required for digestion and allows the body to rest while cleansing. Raw juice also supplies the body with water while providing all the necessary phytochemicals, enzymes, minerals and vitamins. D&TYou don’t like to be referred to as a ‘health coach,’ a title you may use ever since you graduated from the largest nutrition school in the world, the U.S.-based Institute for Integrative Nutrition. Instead, you prefer to be called a ’Health mentor’. Can you please summarize what exactly your profession is? MM Health coach is written on one of my certificates, and I am also a certified juice therapist and a culinary nutrition expert. However I do identify with being called a health mentor. A mentor is someone who offers knowledge, expertise and advice to the less experienced. In an informal way I guide my clients, provide them with science-based information, letting them make decisions regarding their own health. Having said that, most of the time we do have goals to reach, but at the end of the day, the ultimate goal is very simply their optimal health. The relation between us is open-ended. I do not take on too many clients. Just as many as I can focus on properly. They can message me, call me at any
they must be reversible, at least in my Időnként azon kapom magam, hogy egyfolytában az ivólevekről beszélek. Baráti beszélgetések alkalmával is majd’ minden apróbb egészségügyi problémára a JUICE A VÁLASZOM.
bought a hydraulic press for the business. kísérleteztek az ízek kombinálásával. Gabit megkértem, hogy hozza magával fényképezőgépét és dokumentálja ezt a jókedvű délutánt. Ennek eredményeként született ez a könyv.
JUICE Mattheisen Mária AMIRE A TESTED VÁGYIK..
FIND OUT WHAT YOUR BODY DESIRES!
AN INTERVIEW WITH MARIA MATTHEISEN
reasonable time with a question or for guidance. D&TDisease prevention and personal health have never been more in the spotlight than today. Do you have any suggestions on how to stay as healthy as possible, once we return to our ‘normal lives’? MM When I removed the majority of non-nourishing food from my diet my physical and mental health improved, then I added the juices and some supplements, such as K2 D3 vitamins, iodine, magnesium, and the improvement was so great that I know that I never want to return to my old diet. Charlotte Gerson said in a documentary called Food Matters – which by the way was a real eye opening film – “You cannot heal selectively. You cannot treat one disease and leave two untreated”. When you nourish your cells with vital elements you cannot channel it and say oh this is going in for my eczema and not for my intestines. Whatever you put in your mouth is either fighting a disease or feeding it. So I would say avoid anti-nutritional foods, which for example contain colorings, additives. Eat healthy fats, good quality proteins and preferably starchy carbs. Regular physical activity is also key to optimal physical and mental health.
D&T Does your new book offer the key to eternal youth? MM Oh, I would not say that eternal youth exists, but you may always turn to natural juices for their anti-aging effects. Irrespective of our chronological age, we should stay healthy and biologically efficient.
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GRAPE SEEDS FOR A HEALTHIER LIFE
THE STRESS RELIEVING EFFECTS OF THE GRAPE Wine is not the only way to utilize grapes, there are alternative modes of processing and exploiting their values. Grape seeds and skins are processed to make oil and microgranules which both have health benefits.
The Gere Attila Winery in Villány farms its vineyards organically, without chemicals. The health of their grapes and environment protection are high on their list of priorities. They’ve been processing grape seed and grape skins in their facility since 2010.
Grape seed oil The oil extracted from the seeds of perfectly ripe black grapes is extremely rich in bioactive antioxidants and vitamins A, B, C and E. It can be used both internally and externally. Ingesting grape seed oil might protect blood vessels, cells, the eyes, strengthen veins, aid memory and increase the levels of good cholesterol. It can be used to dress salads, or it can be served simply with bread and sea salt. With its high smoke point it can be used in cooking. There is one thing you should be careful about and that is getting the portions right, because grape seed oil has a more intense flavor than other widely used oils. If you prefer more neutral aromas, use two doses of regular oil and one dose of grape seed oil. Applied on skin it might neutralize free radicals, enhance collagen production and rehydration, flatten out wrinkles and make your skin softer and tighter. No wonder that it’s one of the pillars of the Andrea Gere Skin Care product line which debuted last autumn. Another benefit is its ability to make dry and dull hair look silky and shiny again.
Black grape seed and black grape skin micro-granulate It was Hungary’s Nobel-prize winning scientist, Albert Szent-Györgyi who first reported on the health benefits of grape seeds pointing out that grape seeds might contain the highest concentration of antioxidants in nature. First, the seeds are pressed to extract the oil and then the pressed cakes are worked into granulates in mills. Pulverization is essential because this is the way to bring the active ingredients to the surface; whole seeds even when chewed do not have the same positive effect. Researchers from the University of Pécs have conducted tests on Gere grape seed and skin granulates. Their research has demonstrated that the most potent antioxidant ingredients found in grapes are present in the Gere products. (Further health enhancing ingredients found in grape seeds: boron, bioflavin, vitamin P, potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, and some trace elements as iron, copper, molybdenum, manganese, etc. These together with the polyphenols protect the nervous system.) The therapeutic properties in treating heart disease, protecting blood vessels and their anticancer potential have made grape seeds popular but they can have numerous other health benefits, so it is advisable to consume them regularly.
The best way to consume grape seed and peel extracts These products are great supplements to a healthy breakfast mixed in yoghurt, kefir, porridge, muesli or granola. Adding 3-4 tablespoons to the dough will make your home-made bread not only look excitingly purplish but also increase the complexity of its flavors. Grape seed can be used in the same way to make milk-loaves or focaccia, practically any kind of pastry. And if you want something truly extraordinary, why not cover your chocolate bonbons in grape seed granules instead of cocoa powder? The simplest way to consume grape seed granules is, of course, by ingesting them packed in capsules.
Regular consumption of Gere Grape Seed Oil and Black Grape Skin and Seed Microgranulates have numerous proven health benefi ts and can assist in preventing diseases.
