This is what I use to keep my skin healthy...

Divine Green Smoothie

You can make this and other smoothies in advance, drink them anytime of day and grab them for on the-go. Smoothies are pretty much the best fast food on the planet.

What you need:

2 cups spinach

1½ cups cold coconut water, filtered water or non-dairy milk (coconut, hemp, or almond milk)

2 tablespoons tahini

½ cup frozen grapes

1 tablespoon flax meal

Blend the whole lot and enjoy.

9 Tips to Naturally Improve Your Digestion

Believe it or not, many chronic health issues can stem from poor digestion and the inability to absorb nutrients. There is another factor involve that many doctors would dismiss, simply due to the fact that there is no ‘scientific clinical evidence’. Before we crack on with the tips, just a small rant about that...

Just because there is no randomised placebo controlled, gold standard trial, which let’s face it can be manipulated to say whatever they want to say, does not mean it wouldn’t work. Rant over!

We are talking about your emotions. This is not woo woo stuff as I see plenty of evidence staring in my face in family members and clients who have digestive upset but will not acknowledge there is a problem and carry on with a typical British stiff upper lip or they are aware something wrong but have no idea how to deal with it. You can eat as much healthy food as you like, take the best supplements and load your body with superfoods, but if you don’t sort out what is going on in your head and your gut (the second brain), you may well find that your gut issues never really get resolved.

Dr Smith, a certified doctor, gastrointestinal vascular surgeon and Medical Advisor at the University of Miami Department of Surgery, sums it up nicely “Virtually every illness in the body has some psychological emotional element. This certainly includes the intestinal tract ranging from swallowing difficulties, abdominal pain, IBS and diarrhoea.”

Here are some general guidelines for keeping your gut in tip top shape:

1) Find time to de-stress. Ladies, please don’t try to be super woman and think you can resolve every one else’s problems as well as your own whilst looking after the kids, the house, your partner, whilst holding down a full-time job plus look after your parents... I think you get the message.

2) Cut out foods you suspect you are intolerant to

3) Find time to exercise no matter what – please do not give the I’m too tired excuse. You might be, but exercise gives you energy! Even 5 minutes. Every one has 5 minutes to spare.

4) Avoid using alcohol as a relaxant. It is probably doing more harm than good.

5) Chew, chew, chew your food, Many people suffer with digestive issues simply because they think their stomach has teeth which will do the chewing for them.

6) Fizzy sugary energy or sports drinks are just that – sugar, avoid at all costs

7) Avoid eating protein and starches together, so no more steak and chips, fish and chips, steak pie and mash etc. Eat at your own digestive peril!

8) Get as much sleep as you can. If you have insomnia and are used to not sleeping and being tired all the time, I completely understand as I used to be like that.

9) Meditate. If you cannot do this because your mind wonders all the time, try a moving mediation such as yoga. Meditation is re-balancing and brings an inner calm to an otherwise hectic busy life.

Try just one of these and see how you get get.

How to Reverse Anaemia

Anaemia is when there are a reduced number of red blood cells or haemoglobin in the blood.

As a result, there is a reduced amount of oxygen available to the cells of the body. This means that with less oxygen, the body cannot carry out its normal everyday functions i.e. breaking down and re-building muscle. A person with anaemia might also feel dizzy or light headed due to the reduced amount of oxygen to the brain. Tiredness is also a common symptom.

Anaemia comes about as a result of anything that causes a reduction in the production of red blood cells. This can include vitamin and mineral deficiencies, poor absorption due to digestive issues, thyroid disorders, inflammation, infections or other illnesses and heavy menstrual bleeding. Anaemia can cause heavy periods and heavy period’s leads to anaemia - it’s a vicious cycle. Anaemia can also be hereditary. Other symptoms to look out for are headaches, irritability and difficulties concentrating. Because anaemia can go unnoticed, it is only really diagnosed via a routine health screen.

So what causes it? In a nutshell, a lack of iron in the blood. A basic check to see if you might have anaemia is to look inside the lower part of your eye lids, the part known as eye bags! The colour should be heavy pink to red. If it is pale, there is a chance you might be iron deficient. To confirm this, get a check up from your GP.

The great thing about anaemia is that it is easy to rectify as most of the time, it is mainly due to nutrient intake or absorption problems. The best and easiest way to increase iron intake is through what you eat. Prescription iron supplements can cause constipation and because the iron contained within them is inorganic (artificial), it just passes straight through the body. Our bodies only recognise what is natural, which is why it is so important to feed ourselves with nutrient dense, unadulterated food and drink.

To reverse anaemia, fix your digestion and eat foods and herbs high in iron:

Nettle. Contains vitamin C which aids iron absorption, apricots, bananas, whole grains and green leafy vegetables are also good sources.

Before supplementing, get a blood test first. If tests show you are seriously anaemic, then a liquid supplement for the short term (3-4 months) would be a wise idea. The aim is to get most of your nutrients from high quality nutrient dense foods, which is why a healthy digestive system is so important. For vegetarians and particularly vegans, it is important to supplement with vitamin B12 to prevent another form of anaemia known as pernicious anaemia, which carries a greater neurological risk.

Other foods rich in iron include:

- Read meat

- Poultry

- Seaweed

- Dark green leafy vegetables 

- Dried fruit

Highly refined foods, carbonated drinks, alcohol and tea and coffee are bested avoided as they rob the body of nutrients.

Creamy Roasted Vegetable Soup

Now we are moving into autumn, how about a nice warming soup for the colder months? As much as we dislike the cold, its one of the seasons we all have to grin and bear until next summer (can't wait!), let light up the dark evenings with this luscious hearty soup. This recipe is gluten, dairy, soya, nut and seed free.

Serves 2

1 courgette (zucchini), chopped

1/4 butternut squash, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

½ yellow onion, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon sea salt/ black pepper

1 cup dairy-free milk

ROAST THE VEGETABLES. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place vegetables on a baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and sea salt. Roast vegetables for 20 minutes.

PREPARE THE SOUP. Place roasted vegetables into a blender and blend, slowly add in the milk to get a creamy consistency. Once you have your desired consistency, season and serve.

Difficulties sleeping?

Do you recall the days when you slept like a baby? Perhaps it’s such a long time since you last had a good nights sleep, you can’t actually remember. Don’t worry, as you are among the estimated 31 million people in the UK who suffer with disturbed sleep. The trouble is, when you don’t sleep well, you are knackered for the rest of the day.

Sleep is designed to restore and replenish you. When you are sleeping, your body isn’t. There is a hive of activity that takes place only when we are resting. You could call it a daily house clean and this cleaning is further enhanced by what you put into your body in the way of food and drink.

To prevent this article getting rather long, I’ll explain what happens (when we sleep) in one sentence. When you sleep, your body repairs tissue, organs take a break or complete detoxification cycles and your mind filters everything that has happened that day.

A lack of sleep causes memory loss, tiredness, fatigue, poor concentration, feelings of anxiety and dull skin. Furthermore, there is research to show that a lack of sleep can lead to weight gain.

So, if you are not sleeping through the night, whether this is difficulties getting to sleep or waking up and not being able to nod back off, here are some tips that will help you...much of this you probably already know, if so, why have you not done anything about it?):

Avoid stimulants. You knew that already right? Having a mug of tea or coffee, eating chocolate or soft drinks will only hinder your ability to sleep. That’s why they are called stimulants!

Make a list then forget it until morning. How many times have you gone to bed thinking about what you need to do the next day? Yes, we have all been there. Write out your ‘to do’ list then place it somewhere where you can grab it when you wake up.

Get some down time. Now this one is will be very difficult for most people. If you are constantly glued to your phone, you have a phone addiction. Have a digital detox each night by turning off your phone, laptop, TV and any other devices one hour before your turn in. Read a book, preferably one that’s not action packed or have a warm bath.

Brown Rice Salad

This is a really nice simple recipe that utilises left over brown rice. Full of gentle fibre that perfect for the bowels!

Ingredients

Cooked brown rice

Carrots (cut into strips - julienne)

Pitted raw black olives (cut into halves)

Sun dried tomatoes (soaked 1 hour or use fresh cherry tomatoes)

1/2 avocado (cubed)

Dressing

Dash of extra virgin cold pressed organic flax, hemp or olive oil

Splash of lemon Juice

Nori flakes (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper

Put all ingredients into a bowl, add seasoning and the oil and toss until well coated.

Serve as is or portion out two tablespoons and place on a bed of mixed green leaves (spinach, watercress, rocket etc.)

Valerie’s notes: For a variation on the above recipes, substitute brown rice for red or wild rice or quinoa. Wild rice and quinoa can be sprouted to make the rice dishes 100% raw.