Zest Magazine

Reviewed by Dietitian, Juliette Kellow BSc RD

Fact File - Zest

Issue reviewed:	June 2005
Pages:	154, 37% Advertising
Circulation:	110,764
Cover Price:	£2.90

Content

A mixture of health, beauty, food and fitness, including a reader lifestyle makeover, alternative health, relationships and emotional issues.

Overall view

The name sums this magazine up really well. After reading it you’ll probably have a new zest for life and feel motivated and inspired. The magazine has a lovely start with a round up of what’s happening that month and is well structured with clear sections for health, beauty, food and fitness, interspersed with other features. The design is fresh and inspiring and the photography is beautiful.

In Detail

The features are well written with lots of facts, figures and expert advice. There’s a good mix of real life and expert opinions. In fact, the magazine includes experts throughout, including a problem page on embarrassing health issues. There’s also some celebrity content but it doesn’t dominate the magazine and is usually backed up with expert opinion.

The features themselves are not as original as they could be – for example, there are stories on things to do in your lunch hour, celebrities in bikinis, what to do to reduce your risk of serious health problems such as heart disease, breast cancer and osteoporosis, the benefits of being single, how to use summer to boost your sex life and spa treatments at home.

Despite enticing potential readers with a line that says ‘Get Bikini Slim!’ on the cover, there’s no specific diet – simply an exercise workout to help shape up all those bits that are on display in a bikini.

There are a few surprises including a feature on the prejudices sometimes experienced be people wanting an abortion, superstar foods for different conditions and herbal remedies to boost energy levels.

Finally, although there are a lot of adverts, these all tend to be well suited to the magazine and don’t distract from the editorial content.

Who it will suit

Zest is aimed at younger women who want to look and feel good and ooze with confidence.

Juliette's Verdict

If you want a magazine with ‘feel-good’ factor to help lift your spirits and keep you motivated, Zest will do the job. 8/10