Now keep your glow for ever!

JUICING is super-fashionable at the moment — everyone seems to have a trendy blender on their kitchen worktop. Yet for me, it’s not a fad but something I’ve been doing for 30 years or more.

I’ve found them enormously beneficial for my well-being as well as for my looks.

Not only do fresh juices taste delicious, they’re also an excellent way of increasing our intake of the skinfriendly vitamins and minerals that will keep us looking and feeling good.

Juices give us an intense hit of nutrients and act as an internal cleanser and a tonic to help give us clearer, more youthful-looking skin.

More and more, we are learning that a poor diet contributes to many chronic illnesses. Fresh vegetable and fruit juices are brilliant for boosting health and vitality, so are great when you’re recovering from illness.

They’re also a clever way of getting extra nutrients into children and teenagers. While for older people, juices are easy to digest and can be an excellent boost.

I like to have a juice-only day once in a while — I would recommend once a month if you can.

Also ideal if you’re on a weight-loss regime, juices are relatively low in calories and are pretty much fat-free, but still satisfying, so they help keep those hunger pangs at bay.

Just make sure when you’re dieting that you use many more vegetables than fruit in your juices so you don’t consume too much sugar.

You can of course buy juices, but it is far better to make your own. You know exactly what’s in them for a start — some ready-made juices can contain additives and preservatives. Making your own also means you can tailor your juice to your own needs.

You should ideally consume a juice within a few hours of making it so you get the best of the nutrients. After that, juices start to lose their fresh enzyme activity and some of their vitality.

JUICING — MY TOP TIPS

USE raw ingredients, or organic if possible. If you can’t buy organic fruit and vegetables, give them a good wash in warm water with a mild detergent, then rinse well, and dry.

GO for 70 per cent vegetables with 30 per cent fruit as a general rule, so you don’t take in too much sugar. Fruit alone can cause a sugar rush, so be sure to mix the sweetest fruits such as grapes and pineapple with green vegetables for a better balance.

DON’T glug your juice down in big gulps. Serve in small glasses and take your time to savour and sip it — try to ‘chew’ your juice to get your digestive enzymes flowing.

VARIETY is key. Choose from a wide range of veg and fruit and go for different colours — dark green veg, purple berries, orange carrots.

TO BE sure you are getting different nutrients, remember the darker the colour, the more nutrients the piece of fruit or veg contains.

HOW TO MAKE YOUR SUMMER GLOW LAST

AUTUMN is always a season that makes me smile. Because it’s when, as I wander through country lanes, I see the hedgerows are packed full of beautiful orangey-red rosehips.

Rosehips are our skin’s secret weapon. Their oil, which is a thick, greenish- gold colour, is rich in antioxidants ( most notably vitamin E) and essential fatty acids.

In fact, the oil’s packed full of so many plant compounds that even scientists haven’t properly identified them all yet.

Known to be anti-inflammatory, it tackles scar tissues and stretch marks as well as restoring lost moisture and helping keep skin plump and smooth.

It also contains trans-retinoic acid, a form of vitamin A, which helps remove the top dead layer of skin cells, revealing fresher, brighter skin underneath.

Clinical studies also show that rosehip oil can reduce ‘age’ spots, areas of hyperpigmentation and improve the appearance of fine surface facial lines. No wonder it’s one of my favourite moisturising ingredients.

THE potent powers of rosehips have been recognised for thousands of years — their seeds have been discovered by archaeologists in Neolithic settlements, suggesting they were used for cosmetic or medicinal reasons.

So how to use this extraordinary elixir? You can apply it neat to problem areas such as scarring. The older the scar, the longer it will take to work but, applied daily, you should notice a visible difference after about a month.

Use a little neat rosehip oil on your face overnight. Your skin will feel smoother, plumper and more radiant.

You can also boost the power of your moisturiser to tighten or soothe skin with this inexpensive tip. Simply take one of the following skin- saving natural ingredients and add it to your cream.

First, avocado oil. This is readily available from supermarkets and health food shops. Pop a dash into your cream for a moisture surge, or you can also use it neat on your face for an even more concentrated effect.

You can also use evening primrose oil or vitamin E to soothe acne and smooth wrinkles.

How do you get hold of the latter two boosters?

It’s easy: buy the vitamin supplement capsules, pop one with a pin, and squeeze the golden liquid inside into your moisturiser. It’s a highly effective way to enrich your body or face cream for a low price.

After these six weeks, your skin should be looking smoother and more radiant than ever before — and you should be bursting with health and vitality! But to keep your skin its radiant best, try to make these the healthy habits of a lifetime, not just for six weeks.

Please do your best not to go back to old eating habits and foods laden with synthetic additives and refined sugars.

Stick to wholesome, traditional and unprocessed ingredients, with plenty of vegetables and some fruit.

Keep your fluid intake high by sipping pure, filtered water throughout the day, and by all means enjoy the odd cup of coffee or tea (and a glass of wine with supper in the evening), but try not to overdo it.

If you’re heading out to a party, keep in mind that clear spirits are the purest for the skin, so vodka mixed with a fresh juice is by far your best choice, with plenty of water alongside.

Just following my plan for six weeks should have transformed your skin — imagine how youthfullooking you could be if you kept it up long-term . . .