DITCHING calorific and fatty foods for healthy options is great for our bodies – and waistline.
But can alternatives taste as good as the real deal? Some do . . . and some don’t. I tried a selection and found the best of the bunch, while our Beauty Editor put brow serums to the test.
Health
With Jane Atkinson
SUGAR – I was amazed by this from Bonraw. Derived from the fibres of woody plants, it looks and tastes like sugar, only a bit softer and fluffier.
I used it in recipes and nobody noticed. This replacement, widely known as birch or xylitol, is good for your teeth too.
No bitter aftertaste, 40 per cent less calories than white sugar, no additives or bleaching. Bonraw Silverbirch natural xylitol, £4 for a 225g recyclable tub, ocado.com.
KETCHUP – I preferred this to the best-known brands. Real Good Tomato Ketchup contains just 5.7g of natural sugar and 0.32g salt per 100g – that’s not bad when some ketchups have 22g of sugar and 1.8g of salt.
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Made with all-natural ingredients, it is a bit thicker, darker and less sweet. I love it – and now I serve up to the whole family, with no complaints.
£2.20 for a 310g squeezy bottle, realgoodketchup.com.
COOKING SPRAY – Nothing tastes better than a dollop of butter but at 102 calories per tablespoon, it soon adds up.
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The Groovy Food Co’s butter-flavour spray is a great alternative at just one calorie per squirt.
Dairy-free, good for baking, frying, roasting and more.
£1.99 for a 190ml bottle (that lasts for ages), groovyfood.co.uk.
Beauty
With Gabriella Stein
BUDGET – Bare Minerals Strength & Length serum-infused brow gel (£18, 5ml, bareminerals.co.uk): Promises fuller brows in eight weeks.
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The textured wand allows easy application, coating every hair. Red clover and potent peptides help thicken brows.
I used it twice a day, morning and night, but can’t say I noticed a huge difference. Clean, vegan, cruelty-free and available in three tinted shades as well as clear.
MID – RE:BROW booster serum, (£50, 10ml, rebrow.co.uk): Infused with nettle leaf, rich in vitamins and minerals, to strengthen hairs while pea sprout and ginseng stimulate follicles to reactivate hair growth.
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I applied it nightly with the soft brush applicator and brows were noticeably thicker and longer after eight weeks.
A micro-needle roller – bought separately for £15 – helps the product sink deeper into the hair follicles and skin for better results. My favourite of the three.
LUXURY – Rapid Brow enhancing serum, (£37, 3ml, escentual.com): Aims to nourish and thicken brows in 60 days.
Blend six ingredients including keratin, sweet almond extract and polypeptides.
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I used it twice a day and there was a noticeable difference in the thickness of my brows after around six weeks.
The tube doesn’t last that long, so you need to buy it more often than the other ones here. But it does work.