Body Works
So: your body works brilliantly without you paying any attention to it all your life… until suddenly it doesn’t. You wake up one morning and your skin looks tired; you have 21 annoying ailments (including stiff joints, flabby belly, indigestion, lack of energy); you’re exhausted and can’t find joy in life. And you’re not sure how you got here.
A clue: your body is a system, compiled of sub-systems that interact in the most beautiful way. When one part of the ecosystem gets out of whack, it has a knock-on effect on another. The symptoms show up in strange places: who would think an intolerance to a food or chemical could be due to an overworked immune system?
To age youthfully, you have to pick up on those symptoms and do something about them. Quickly. Before your complex, interactive body starts to get overburdened. You have to find out what the symptoms mean.
In the interests of youthing, opposite is an outline of the most important nutrient-delivery and emission organs. I’ve concentrated on food and waste processors, those you need to look after to help your body live in the most youthful way possible.
CYY BREATHING
This is a breathing detox: do it twice a day, or more if you are feeling stressed or low in energy. It has a triple youthing effect: it’s calming, it increases the involuntary muscle contractions in the gut (peristalsis) and also oxygenates the blood. This helps food to be broken down into its nutrient parts more efficiently and for these nutrients to be better distributed via the blood to all areas of the body. But be warned: this exercise can make you feel quite high, it’s amazing what a bit of oxygen can do for the system!
This breathing process will take just a few minutes, and you can do it anywhere.
STEP 1 Let all the old breath out, exhaling slowly from your lungs.
STEP 2 Breathe in deeply through your nose (the gateway to the brain), count to 10 as you are breathing, being aware that you are filling up your belly rather than your lungs.
STEP 3 Hold your breath for a count of 10.
STEP 4 Exhale slowly from your mouth, counting to 10.
STEP 5 Inhale once more from your nose for 10 counts, hold for 10, then exhale for 10.
Repeat the breath five times more.
IMPORTANT YOUTHING ORGANS
THE INSIDE STORY
In my line of business you get a bit obsessed with the workings of the human digestive system. It’s complex and does amazing things, such as process a chemical wonderland of fats, carbs, proteins, vitamins and minerals on a minute-by-minute basis. Such as get rid of unhelpful wastes and toxins. And produce 90 per cent of the body’s feel-good serotonin hormone. And be home to more immune cells than the whole of the rest of your body. This is where the chemistry of life happens.
For good youthing, we need to get the gut stuff right. It is fundamental to nutrient absorption, hormonal integrity, alkalising, detox, a robust immune system… the whole lot.
But clients often tell me they don’t know the first thing about how the body turns the food it eats into the nutrients it needs. So, here’s a brief guide to food’s short (and not so sweet) journey through the processing factory that is our digestive system.
LUNCH AND BEYOND…
You’re hungry. It’s lunchtime, saliva is flowing and you take a bite of your houmous salad sandwich. What happens next? Basically, five simple steps:
STEP 1 CHEW: your jaws move and teeth bite, your tongue pushes food around, the enzymes in your saliva start the process of breaking down the carbs in your bread. After 10–40 chews (more is better for youthing!), the food is a soft pellet called a ‘bolus’.
STEP 2 SWALLOW: the bolus slips into the food pipe (oesophagus). Using 50 pairs of muscles and nerves, it takes a few seconds to be pushed down into your stomach.
For good youthing, we need to get the gut stuff right. Digestion is fundamental to nutrient absorption, hormonal integrity, alkalising, detox… the whole lot.
STEP 3 LIQUIDISE: the stomach is like a washing machine: a seething mix of muscle power, enzymes and gastric acids that turn food into a soupy consistency called chyme, made from amino and fatty acids. Food starts to be broken down into nutrient parts in the stomach while the acid kills bacteria, too. Food stays in the stomach for up to four hours (protein takes longest to process, but veg juice can go through in 20 minutes), then heads to the small intestine.
STEP 4 ABSORB: this is the miracle part. In the first bit of the small intestine (called the duodenum), the pancreas releases enzyme-rich juices that further break down protein, as well as carbs and fats. The liver and gall bladder produce and release enzyme-rich bile, which helps the absorption of fats. Intestinal juices join the party. All are alkaline, so neutralise stomach acid. It takes chyme about four hours to pass through the 22ft-long small intestine, during which time specific nutrients (vitamins, minerals, glucose, fatty acids, amino acids) are grabbed by tiny, highly specialised ‘fingers’ (called villi) and absorbed through the walls of the small intestine into the bloodstream. You are being fuelled.
STEP 5 EXCRETE: what’s left moves into the five-foot-long large intestine. Any remaining absorbable nutrients – especially vitamin K – are extracted through the walls of the large intestine; meanwhile digestive mucus and gut flora get mixed in. This waste is pushed down the intestines by muscular contractions (peristalsis) and eventually (24–72 hours later) comes out as faeces.
There you have it
WHAT ARE ENZYMES?
Your body can’t absorb that houmous sandwich per se, it has to break it down into individual nutrients first (that’s amino acids, glucose, fatty acids, vitamins and so on). Digestive enzymes make this happen. They are food processors that turn big food molecules into smaller food molecules so the body can use them. Each type of enzyme has a specific job:
Proteases break down proteins to produce amino acids
Lipases break down fats to produce fatty acids and cholesterol
Carbohydrases break down carbs to produce glucose or simple sugars
Lactases break down milk to produce lactose (milk sugar)
Enzymes are mostly produced in the pancreas and small intestine, but the salivary glands and stomach also make some more that kick off the breakdown of (respectively) carbs and proteins.
ENZYME POOR?
If your digestive enzymes aren’t in great shape, you may notice some symptoms:
food allergies or intolerances
bloating and gas after eating
a stone-in-the-stomach feeling
undigested bits of food in your faeces
floating or greasy-looking faeces
poor wound healing
Boost production by eating enzyme-rich foods including raw veg, fruit, seeds and nuts, especially pineapple, papaya and sprouted foods. Juicing sprouted and raw foods ensures good enzyme activity. You can also buy digestive enzymes in supplement form from health food stores.
ANTI-YOUTHING BUSTERS
When digestion and elimination are underperforming or weak, the body becomes nutrient-deficient and stressed; pretty soon you’ll notice unexpected early signs of ageing. These can range from lined skin, broken veins and weight gain to low energy and immunity, stomach problems, inflamed joints and brain fog. And then there’s low mood, disturbed sleep and ‘heat’ issues (heartburn, acne, burning eyes, acid tummy…).
To bust the anti-youthers and get back on track, see if you suffer from any of these symptoms and follow the youthing strategies below:
ANXIETY
Anxiety is anti-youthing: it over-stresses the adrenal glands, exactly the wrong prescription for healthy cellular functioning. A whole range of symptoms can come with it: tension headaches, backache, palpitations, breathlessness, dry mouth, dizziness or stomach upsets. Changing your diet can help, by eliminating stimulants and smoothing out sugar and lactic acid levels in the blood.
GO CYY: try cutting out caffeine, alcohol and sugar. Beef up your intake of B vitamins, calcium and magnesium by eating leafy green veg, beans, whole grains, seeds, sea vegetables, nuts, mushrooms, lentils and oatmeal. Sing while making food!
RECIPES TO TRY: Avocado mousse wrapped in spinach; Thai fish curry; Banana bread.
BRAIN FOG
Sometimes you get fuzzy thinking, poor concentration or memory loss. That’s brain fog.
GO CYY: eat foods with vitamin D (the lack of which is linked to dementia: oily fish or egg yolk. It gets harder to synthesise vitamin D from sun as you age, so you can take cod liver oil supplements or eat foods fortified in vitamin D (try juice or yogurt).
RECIPES TO TRY: Salmon and salsa ‘sandwiches’ with quinoa; Scrambled egg breakfast muffins; vegetable juices.
Food insensitivities and allergies can be a factor not just in coeliac disease and other chronic digestive problems, but also in anti-youthing disorders such as depression, skin problems, joint pain, fatigue and low immunity.
EYES
Puffy bags under the eyes may be to do with oedema (swelling), showing the kidneys need help.
GO CYY: eat antioxidant-rich foods low in potassium and phosphorus (as these are hard for the kidney to process). These include all veg and fruit, especially those which are red or purple all the way through (red peppers, red cabbage, raspberries, blueberries). Eat fish and eggs for protein, avoid alcohol and salt. Drink cucumber juice.
RECIPES TO TRY: vegetable juices; Gazpacho; Split pea dhal; Blackberry pastilles.
If your eyes are bloodshot, yellowish, or have dark brown shadows underneath, your liver needs support.
GO CYY: for a serious boost, give up alcohol and get foraging – eat nettles (soup or pesto), parsley, drink dandelion tea – also try milk thistle tea.
RECIPE TO TRY: Chia tabbouleh. Or try making your own nettle pesto.
If your eyelashes or brows are thinning, it can show your metabolism has slowed, you’re stressed and your adrenal glands and thyroid need support.
GO CYY: eat sea vegetables, seafood.
RECIPES TO TRY: Cod Provençal; Quinoa maki rolls.
FATIGUE
An unnatural degree of tiredness is youth-sapping, you never have get up and go. If you sleep OK, instead look at your diet, as you may be adrenally stressed.
GO CYY: to support the adrenals, give up sugar, caffeine, alcohol and refined carbs, they give a fast ‘false’ energy that, in the long-run, wipes you out. To wake your body up, drink lemon juice with ginger in warm water or as a tea first thing in the morning; then have two alkalising ‘dense green drinks’ a day: juice up chlorella, barley grass, wheatgrass, spinach, kale, sea vegetables, ginger and perhaps add cayenne pepper (whatever you have around). Chewing on natural liquorice sticks a couple of times a week is good, too. Drink calming teas: camomile, lemon balm. Do your CYY Breathing. And then work out what your stress is and do everything possible to minimise its effects.
ARE YOU ALLERGIC?
Food insensitivities and allergies can be a factor not just in coeliac disease and other chronic digestive problems, but also in anti-youthing disorders such as depression, skin problems, joint pain, fatigue and low immunity. The most common are to wheat, soy, dairy, nuts, shellfish, sugar and alcohol, but some people are allergic to citrus fruits, fish or even artichokes.
How do you know if you are allergic or intolerant to any foods? If you feel tired all the time, get a lot of respiratory sniffles, or feel generally under the weather, try an elimination diet; it can help pinpoint problem areas. Eat only hypoallergenic foods such as sweet potato, brown rice, broccoli, cabbage, courgette, avocado, sea fish (non-farmed), banana, apple and pear for a week. Your symptoms might disappear by day five or six.
Now gradually re-introduce other foods (one every couple of days) to see if symptoms recur; that way you will know which foods cause you the problem.
ARE YOU INFLAMED?
Chronic inflammation happens when the body can’t properly switch off its immune response. ‘Inflamm-ageing’ can damage healthy tissue. It puts the body on an ageing fast-track and you need to nip it in the bud. Symptoms may include:
Ongoing joint or muscle pain
Allergies, food intolerances, asthma
Gut disorders
Skin problems: lines, acne, eczema, dry eyes
Constant fatigue, exhaustion
GO CYY: de-inflame your body. Up your omega-3s (oily fish, linseed/flaxseed, chia seeds, nuts), add turmeric and ginger to food or juice, avoid foods to which you may be intolerant (gluten, soy, dairy, sugar, processed foods, alcohol). Eat alkaline (green veg) and organic if you can, including sprouted food and green juices. Reduce stress: breathe, relax!
RECIPES TO TRY: Jolly green giant alkaliser, Scrambled eggs with turmeric, Courgette spaghetti with squid;.
RECIPES TO TRY: Mixed seed crackers; Salmon and salsa ‘sandwiches’ with quinoa.
FEET
If you notice very rough, dry skin on the heels you may need to support your thyroid (which is pretty much always a good idea anyway).
GO CYY: eat seaweed, seafood and vegetables for iodine, and selenium-rich sunflower seeds, eggs and grains.
RECIPES TO TRY: Popcorn with seaweed salad, my sushi rolls.
GLUTEN INTOLERANCE
If small blisters appear on your arms, legs or buttocks, it could be a sign of gluten-intolerance.
GO CYY: stop eating gluten – in wheat, barley, buckwheat, rye, spelt and commercially baked goods and cereals – for a couple of weeks. If the blisters go, you may need to readjust your diet long term.
RECIPES TO TRY: Crustless roast vegetable tart; Blueberry chia pancakes; Avocado and spicy tofu nori rolls.
GUT PROBLEMS
Do you suffer from general digestive problems (bloating, diarrhoea, constipation, gas), fatigue, allergies, athlete’s foot, dandruff, skin problems (including eczema), mood swings, irritability, sugar cravings, or low immunity? Then you may have candida, a chronic yeast infection due to overgrowth of Candida albicans in the gut.
GO CYY: avoid sugar (honey, syrups, most fruits, alcohol), and dairy (to cut out lactose), processed food, preservatives and additives, all of which contain sugar. Avoid yeast and mushrooms (except those listed). Avoid rice cakes! Eat veg; fish; whole grains; legumes; garlic; shiitake and maitake mushrooms. Try probiotics to restore good bacteria, and oregano, caprylic acid and grapefruit seed extract to kill candida.
RECIPES TO TRY: Red lentil and cashew soup; Cod Provençal; Cauliflower and vegetable paella.
If you feel you aren’t digesting food properly, are burping, or feel heavy or tight after a meal, it may be because you have low stomach acidity. Test: take a spoon of cider vinegar in water before a meal. If your stomach burns, that’s good. If not, your stomach acidity may need a boost, so take the vinegar solution before every meal for a while.
GO CYY: Make sure you chew food properly to start the digestive process. Eat therapeutic, digestion-friendly spices (fennel, cardamom, pepper, horseradish, ginger), and foods high in digestive enzymes, such as pineapple and papaya.
RECIPES TO TRY: Moroccan spicy lentil stew; Quinoa maki rolls; Carrot, pear and ginger slice.
fine lines above the eyebrows can signify gut stress. A detox can clean your intestines.
GO CYY: try a four-day cleanse: take out anything inflammatory (dairy, wheat, sugar, meat, alcohol, caffeine) and eat nutrient-dense, high-fibre veggies instead. Add probiotic foods (miso, sauerkraut) and drink lots of water. Take psyllium husks to help cleanse and add a L-glutamine supplement to heal the gut and increase youthfulness.
RECIPES TO TRY: Gardener’s pie; Tomato jellies; Butternut and carrot soup.
slow transit time in the gut can be an issue; in other words, if you are not passing a stool at least once a day, you could find yourself with anything from bowel pockets to diverticulitis to IBS.
GO CYY: figure out if you are dehydrated, if you eat too little fibre, or too many processed foods. Good recipes to choose from are anything containing chia seeds.
RECIPES TO TRY: Quinoa porridge with pear and cinnamon; Mixed seed crackers; Quick berry jam with chia seeds.
HAIR
If it’s dry, splitting, greying, receding, falling out, or you have dandruff, you may need to increase vitamin B-12 and iron. Or it may be that your gut is not absorbing nutrients properly. Also look at stress levels and thyroid function if you have thinning hair.
GO CYY: for vitamin B-12: eat liver, sardines, trout, salmon. Vegetarians can try eggs and nutritional yeast (buy B-12 fortified varieties). For iron: eat edamame beans, dark green leafy veg (kale, watercress, spinach), lentils, quinoa, kidney, pinto and black-eyed beans, potatoes, eggs, beetroot, sesame seeds, dried fruit.
RECIPES TO TRY: Salmon and salsa ‘sandwiches’ with quinoa; Beetroot, sweet potato and quinoa burger.
ARE YOU ACIDIC?
If you eat too many acid-producing foods you may experience:
Dry, wrinkled skin; dull (sometimes falling out) hair; thin nails that split easily
Joint stiffness, osteoarthritis, gout (due to a build up of uric acid)
Tiredness, low mood, mental slowness, lack of energy
Digestive disorders
Weakened bones, osteoporosis
GO CYY: to alkalise your body so you start to feel young again, eat 80 per cent alkaline food to 20 per cent acid-forming foods. That means wolfing down green veg, sprouted foods, nut milks, seeds, legumes (chickpeas, lentils), beans, avocado and olive oil. Avoid red meat, dairy, caffeine, sugar, preservatives and alcohol. (And see for an acidity case study.)
RECIPES TO TRY: Nutty white soup; Steamed Asian fragrant fish with sesame broccoli.
INSOMNIA
Sleep deprivation is seriously ageing. It affects metabolism and energy levels. You feel hungrier and eat more sugary and fatty foods but are also less tolerant to them, thus increasing the risk of obesity and diabetes. Cortisol levels are higher, accelerating the ageing process. Memory is impaired, healing less efficient, the immune system falters. Skin starts to look older, lined and less taut.
Some foods contribute to insomnia: caffeine, soft drinks, alcohol, or a diet high in sugar and refined carbs, which triggers the ‘fight or flight’ response, keeping you on alert.
GO CYY: don’t eat too late; by 7.30pm on normal days. Avoid natural stimulants (see above). Eat foods high in tryptophan, a sleep-inducing amino acid. Try spirulina, spinach, oily fish, eggs, pumpkin seeds, almonds, bananas, chicken and turkey. Keep stress low (exercise and do CYY Breathing, to reduce adrenal overload). Aim for eight hours sleep and go to bed before 11pm so your body can detox when it should. If you can’t, catch up through naps.
RECIPE TO TRY: Indian fish curry.
JOINT PAIN
this may be caused by over-acidity creating an inflammatory response. So alkalise, alkalise, alkalise.
GO CYY: juice and eat green leafy veg, eat legumes and non-acid forming grains (amaranth, buckwheat, millet or quinoa). Take anti-inflammatory turmeric (in juices or stews). Avoid acid-forming meat, dairy, sugar and alcohol.
RECIPES TO TRY: Cauliflower and vegetable paella, Split pea dhal, Moroccan spicy lentil stew.
LIPS
If dry or cracked, your gut may be irritated or inflamed. Cracks at the side of the mouth may indicate a vitamin B-12 deficiency.
GO CYY: for vitamin B-12: eat liver and oily fish. Veggies can try eggs and nutritional yeast (B-12 fortified). To soothe the gut: eat veg and fruit (bran or high-fibre cereals can be harsh on an inflamed gut). Eat ginger and turmeric and drink ginger and peppermint teas.
RECIPES TO TRY: Salmon and salsa ‘sandwiches’ with quinoa; French onion soup.
LOW IMMUNITY
If it takes 10 days for a cut to heal, if you get low-grade infections (colds, sniffles, cold sores) all the time, or if you’ve recently taken a course of antibiotics – which can kill off the protective, friendly bacteria in your gut – then your immune system definitely needs a boost. Good immunity is crucial for good youthing: there are 100 trillion bacteria living in and on your body and keeping them in the right balance is what makes your immune system robust.
GO CYY: 70% of the immune system is in the lining of the intestines, so get gut flora in shape by eating fermented foods and natural yogurt which contain rebalancing Bifidobacteria and Lactobacillus probiotics. Up your intake of garlic, enriching greens (chlorella, spirulina), oily fish and seafood, pumpkin seeds, eggs, mushrooms and brazils (all high in selenium and zinc). Look to your vitamins too: foods high in vitamins B, C and D (green veg and citrus) will help. During and after a course of antibiotics, always take probiotic supplements to restore gut and immune health.
RECIPES TO TRY: Gardener’s Pie, Aromatic mackerel and fennel salad, Chia tabbouleh.
LOW MOOD
If you’re feeling low, you may notice extreme fatigue, poor appetite, insomnia and inability to concentrate. Nutrient deficiency can lead to depression and a nutrient-dense, fibre-rich diet can help sort it out; after all, 90 per cent of the body’s serotonin is produced in the digestive tract.
GO CYY: avoid alcohol. Check for food allergies. Up your B vitamins (especially B-12 and folic acid), and omega-3 fatty acids by eating nuts and seeds (especially brazils and hemp seeds), nutritional yeast (B-12 fortified), beans, lentils, asparagus, oily fish, chlorella and spirulina. And don’t forget to exercise for those ‘happy hormones’.
RECIPES TO TRY: Waldorf salad with mayonnaise; Juice twice daily; Almond butter.
NAILS
If ridged or pale, it may show iron or calcium deficiency.
GO CYY: for calcium: eat seaweed, kale and deep green veg, parsley, watercress, almonds, brazil nuts and pecans. For iron, see ‘Hair’.
RECIPES TO TRY: Beetroot salsa; Avocado, cauliflower and spicy tofu nori rolls.
If you have white spots on your nails, you might like to look at boosting your levels of zinc.
GO CYY: eat pumpkin and sesame seeds, pecans, brazils and walnuts, salmon, root ginger, whole grains, rye, oats.
RECIPES TO TRY: Special guacamole; Pecan pies.
PMS (PRE-MENSTRUAL SYNDROME)
Distressing, but quite common. You may get spots, breast tenderness, bloating, swollen hands and feet, irritability, pelvic and back pain, mood swings and low energy. In the vast majority of cases, eating CYY will diminish symptoms and leave you feeling energetic all month. A very youthing way to be.
BRUSH YOUR SKIN
I can’t say it often enough: daily skin brushing is one of the best youthing tools. It rejuvenates you inside and out. It leaves skin soft and smooth (you’ll notice a difference within a week). It stimulates the lymph (good for immunity and detox) and increases the blood supply to the gut (good for improved digestion and nutrient transfer).
HOW TO DO IT: use a soft bristle brush. Starting on the soles of the feet, briskly brush skin in a clockwise circular motion towards the heart. Cover the whole body (except the face). This will take two to three minutes a day: do it before a shower or bath. Lather yourself with shea butter to finish and make your skin super smooth.
GO CYY: stop eating salt and animal fats (dairy and meat) and eat fibre- and B vitamin-rich leafy greens, beans, lentils, nuts, whole grains and root veg. For hot flushes, avoid ‘heating’ meat, salt, sugar, alcohol, garlic or onion.
RECIPES TO TRY: ‘Cheesy’ kale crisps; Aubergine-coconut rolls.
SKIN
If wrinkled, dry or with fine lines: you’re probably not getting enough omega-3. Or you are dehydrated and lacking in silica and collagen (take these as supplements).
GO CYY: eat more oily fish and seeds. Drink at least eight glasses of water a day (not including coffee and tea).
RECIPE TO TRY: Octopus salad.
Red spots may signify too much meat, salt or sugar.
GO CYY: go veggie for a month; cut salt and refined sugar.
RECIPES TO TRY: Salad bouquet; Turmeric marinade; Chia tabbouleh.
White spots may be dairy- or mucus-related.
GO CYY: if you eat cow’s milk, try goat’s or sheep’s instead. Or cut out dairy for a few months and see if skin improves.
RECIPE TO TRY: Gardener’s pie.
If pale, you may have anaemia due to lack of iron or B-12.
GO CYY: for foods rich in iron and vitamin B-12, try drinking 125ml of wheatgrass juice daily and see ‘Hair’.
RECIPES TO TRY: Cauliflower maki rolls. (Also see for a case study about improving skin.)
SWEATING
If you sweat a lot, you may need to strengthen the lungs, so they can help the skin. You might also need potassium, as it can be lost through sweat. The liver may be overheating, so avoid sugar, salt, red meat and alcohol.
GO CYY: eat cruciferous veg, onions, garlic, spring onions and potassium-rich avocado, beans, tomato, spinach, banana. Do CYY Breathing twice daily.
RECIPES TO TRY: Potato pancakes; Spelt pizza with spring onions, artichokes and rosemary.
VEINS
Broken ‘spider veins’ in legs, chest or face and ‘popping’ veins in hands or legs can show a lack of flavonoids.
GO CYY: eat buckwheat, apples, asparagus, figs and citrus to raise flavonoid levels and strengthen venous integrity.
NB: if you suspect varicose veins (deep raised veins which can be seen through the skin), consult your GP.
RECIPE TO TRY: Fig slice.
DE-STRESS IS BEST
Join a yoga or pilates class
Do CYY Breathing
Refuse to work during weekends and evenings? Get eight hours’ sleep (starting at least one hour before midnight)
Try hard not to be anxious (meditation and mindfulness can help)
Laugh a lot
DISCLAIMER
Please note that the information is for educational purposes only and should not take the place of medical advice. We encourage you to consult your GP or health care provider about your interest in, questions about, or use of food and what may be best for your overall health.