H A N N A S I L L I T O E

DON’T FEAR THE FAT

The eighties have a lot to answer for. Aside from dodgy perms and the rubik’s cube, this decade is solely responsible for kickstarting our fear of fats. The decade saw an upsurge in fitness with celebrities such as Jane Fonda leading our obsession with health, beauty and youthfulness. More people than ever before spent money on diets, health club memberships, and home fitness equipment. Large corporate food manufacturers cottoned on, and soon ‘Low Fat’ versions of everything began appearing in supermarkets. These miracle foods seemed to be a dieters dream, but what were they replacing all that non existent fat with? Sugar. We were all so excited that the fat had disappeared, we never thought to question the potential damage refined sugar would inflict on our collective waistline.

 
As the addition of refined sugar increases in the foods we consume, so the obesity crisis continues. Coincidence? There is a shift in thinking. We’re...

Drink your way to clear skin

Nicole Richie has declared herself a ‘juice fanatic’, Colin Farrell is often papped with his green smoothie in hand and rumour has it blended greens were the secret behind Kate Middleton’s pre-wedding diet. But before you dismiss liquid kale as simply the latest bikini body trend, it’s worth exploring the true benefits of juicing, which extend far beyond weight loss.

The incredible advantages of extracting liquid nutrients from specific fruit, veg and herbs, are the very precise health complaints the process can target. Struggling with insomnia? Add a few sprigs of tarragon to your favourite juice, it helps relax the nerves and regulates the circulatory system inducing a restful nights sleep. Juicing ginger can settle an upset stomach and relieve the pain of PMT. And starting the day with a green, alkaline juice, rich in dark, leafy vegetables can have a miraculous affect on your skin.

Internal inflammation is so often the common...

Eczema is a non-infectious, inflammatory skin condition. It often comes in bouts with genetic predisposition, environmental allergens, temperature, stress and food possible aggravates.

Nutritionists agree that there’s a potential link between consumption of dairy products and skin conditions. This doesn't mean that everyone with eczema has an allergy to dairy, but there is a chance you may see some benefits from eliminating it.

In order to digest lactose (the sugar found in milk) our body must produce the enzyme, lactase. As humans we lose all traces of this enzyme from the age of two. Many people are labelled as having milk allergies, but in reality, we’re all lactose intolerant to some extent.

One theory suggests that because the body develops antibodies to milk, consuming it creates an immune response that presents as eczema lesions. Worsening of the skin can be immediate - reddening 1 hour after consuming dairy, or delayed - 6 to 24 hours after milk’s ingested....

Five In Season Spring Foods 

Finally it feels as though a seasonal change is in the air. For a short while at least it seems like we have a temporary reprieve, a break from the rain and the first glimmers of spring.

As the weather gets warmer I feel I can finally begin dreaming of replacing rich, creamy soups with light summer salads. Eating with the seasons is not only more cost effective and better for us, it supports local business and has a less damaging impact on the environment too.

With large supermarkets commonly importing anything and everything from around the world, it’s tough to remember what eating seasonly really means. Here are just a few of the best of British spring time ingredients and their awesome health benefits.

Kale

Loaded with all sorts of beneficial compounds, kale is definitely one of the healthiest and most nutritious plant foods in existence. A member of the cabbage family, kale comes under the bracket of cruciferous vegetables such as cabbage,...

I have hand selected all of our retreat locations personally and I host each retreat myself. My book Radiant is focused on healing skin from within and that is absolutely key to our retreats. Whilst each retreat is set in a beautifully peaceful location, the yoga we practice and the food we serve is focused on restorative healing. I struggled with eczema and psoriasis for over 20 years and finally cleared my skin through a complete lifestyle change. It's really important to me to be able to share that with you, and doing so by taking you out of your regular environment and creating a space where you can begin to focus on the changes you need to make to get well again can be hugely beneficial. Above all, I understand the feelings of self consciousness associated with skin problems and really wanted to create an environment you'd feel comfortable and relaxed in. That's exactly what our retreats offer. 

Whether you're an accomplished yogi, or have never practiced yoga ever in your...

Nightshades Vegetables and Skin

 
The potential problems associated with fruits and vegetables of the nightshade family can be a little difficult to understand, after all we were brought up to believe that fruit and veg were good for us, right? There’s a little bit of science involved when it comes to explaining the potential problems nightshades can cause, but I’ll try and keep it simple.

 
Edible plants that come under the ‘nightshade’ banner are not advisable for those of us struggling with autoimmune skin conditions such as psoriasis. They’re also worth temporarily eliminating if you suffer from rheumatoid arthritis, to establish whether or not they’re exacerbating your condition. Now, before you rush to the fridge and bin all your tomatoes, it’s important to emphasise these are not a problem for everyone, nor relevant to every skin complaint. When it comes to problems with nightshades, I’m referring specifically to...

The kitchen staples you need to bin ASAP

Every good cook needs a well-stocked kitchen and having certain, essential ingredients to hand enables us to concoct simple, fresh meals in no time. We all know preparing food from scratch is infinitely better for us than reaching for those processed ready meals, but what if the go-to ingredients we keep neatly stacked at the back of the kitchen cupboard are actually doing us more harm than good?

 
Tinned Tomatoes

Whilst tinned tomatoes count as one of our five a day and offer a versatile base ingredient for simple pasta sauces, those of us suffering from any form of autoimmune illness would do best to avoid them.

 
Tomatoes are a nightshade and nightshades are a botanical family of plants, more technically called Solanaceae. The reason why nightshades are problematic for so many of us is due to their lectin, saponin and / or capsaicin content.

 
Overconsumption of these edible species can actually be poisonous to anyone, but...