Eat something raw at the start of every meal

Natalie Savona (Nutritionist)

By eating foods in their natural state, you can access their valuable nutrients more easily. So, without going to extremes, begin every meal with something raw — for example, a kiwi at breakfast, a stick of celery or some chopped cucumber with lemon juice and olive oil at lunch and supper.

The skincare guru Dr Howard Murad insists raw fruit and vegetables hydrate the skin better than water, leaving it looking plump and youthful. Drink fresh juice every day Invest in a juicer and use it every morning. Drink the juice on an empty stomach, so that vital vitamins, minerals and other antioxidants are absorbed into your system. Use whatever you have — a combination of carrot, apple, beetroot and ginger is packed with energising nutrients, while the antioxidant betacyanin in beetroot helps detox the liver and maximise immunity. For a skin boost, try betacarotene-rich cantaloupe melon, cucumber, carrot and mint.

Eat essential fats and take a powerful antioxidant supplement daily

Eat healthy fats every day to keep cells well oiled — so they can hold onto water — and you will notice dry skin soften within a fortnight. Eat milled hemp and flaxseeds daily, sprinkled on porridge or yoghurt, use their oils in smoothies and salad dressing, and snack on pumpkin and sunflower seeds. These also contain zinc and vitamin E, which give the skin an antioxidant boost. To top it off, take a good antioxidant supplement, such as Nature’s Plus AgeLoss (£23.95 for 60 tablets, from Victoria Health; 0800 389 8195). This potent formula contains superoxide dismutase, an enzyme that neutralises harmful free radicals and increases resistance to oxidative stress, one of the factors in ageing.

Eat two portions of green vegetables daily

Green vegetables are packed with detoxifying nutrients. From humble vitamin C to the glucosinolates in broccoli and kale, green veggies contain a spectrum of antioxidants that make your skin firm, keep the liver efficient and protect against illness. A happy liver means more energy, clearer skin and brighter eyes. Enjoy two servings of green veg daily (in addition to your usual five portions), especially seasonal spinach, broccoli, rocket, asparagus and watercress. Try asparagus dipped in poached egg yolk for breakfast, rocket and parmesan as a starter, or spinach zapped in the microwave with supper .

Eat eggs and sardines weekly

Eggs are a nutrient-packed, high-protein food that have been wrongly maligned for their cholesterol content. We need some cholesterol to make sex hormones, along with the stress hormones necessary for handling our busy lives. Eggs are also good brain food, as they are packed with choline, which is needed for healthy brain cells, and to make the memory messenger acetylcholine. You can eat up to seven eggs a week, boiled or poached, but not fried or scrambled. An egg is only as healthy as the chicken that laid it, so buy organic. Sardines also contain choline, so eat them at least once a week, grilled with lemon juice, or even out of a tin, on toast.

Chuck out all foods containing trans fats

Banned in Denmark, compulsorily labelled in America and linked to cardiovascular disease — trans fats must go. On a trans-fats-free diet, you will eat less of the junk that clogs your gut, leaving you feeling sluggish and bloated. In the long term, you also help to stave off high cholesterol. M&S and Waitrose have phased trans fats out of their own-label foods, so follow suit. Most “manufactured” foods contain them, including margarine, cakes, pies, biscuits, some vegetable oils and ready meals, as well as cheap chocolate, other confectionery and ice cream. Watch out for hydrogenated fats on labels, as this is the nutritional term for trans fats. For more information, go to www.tfx.org.uk, an informative, anti-trans-fat resource site.

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