FIT FOR PURPOSE

EUROPEAN HEALTH RETREATS

at her quirky chateau in Chalabre that combine her always-delicious vegan, sugar and wheatfree (often raw) meals with breathing and meditation sessions, lake swimming and oodles of time to relax in the walled garden. From October you can also come to do a private, gentle detox and just relax.

Next retreat: July 8-12. From £675 per person sharing. See yobabalounge.com

Ayurveda Parkschlösschen Germany

An elegant art deco building on the edge of the quiet riverside town of Traben-Trarbach, Parkschlösschen (below) is the most civilised place I’ve found outside India for Ayurveda programmes and treatments, including Panchakarma, the highly effective detox therapy. Come to tackle a health issue or just rejuvenate. Europe’s largest Buddha Museum is nearby.

From €875 (£720) per person sharing for a two-night Taking a Break retreat including full board, a consultation and three treatments. See ayurvedaparkschloesschen.de

Fashion DNA Yoga Wellness Retreat Portugal

You can learn how to choose clothing for your shape and lifestyle while relaxing on this intriguing

mountain of chopped fruit, banana bread (a staple of the gut makeover), coconut kefir (packed with far more bacteria than those sugary probiotics), nuts and seeds and eggs (from Cugó Gran’s own hens) for a protein fix to keep you feeling full for longer. To drink, there’s freshly pressed juice such as beet leaves, celery, peppers and watercress, and “tea” – infusions of ginger, lemon or mint.

Lunch, meanwhile, might be a Spanish tortilla or steak and prawns grilled on the barbecue and served with salads such as beanshoot, pepper, green beans, papaya, fish sauce, lime, ginger and tamari, along with tomato, basil, parsley, garlic, olive oil and lemon juice as condiments. new retreat from the reliable team at HHH Health Retreats. Based at a comfortable four-star hotel on the Algarve, the weeklong break will mix yoga, Pilates, holistic treatments, gourmet healthy food and “Fashion DNA” sessions with Monica Giliati, a senior fashion stylist from the Canadian image agency Les Effrontés.

Runs Oct 30-Nov 5. From £1,595 per person all-inclusive, except for flights. See hhhhealthretreats.com

Ibiza North Shore Retreat Ibiza

This new retreat (above) features sessions with

For dinner each night there’s a three-course gastronomic feast featuring starters such as garlicky gazpacho or beetroot rolls stuffed with peas, walnuts and Roquefort, followed by seared sea bass with cauliflower purée mixed with freshly made chicken stock (very good for the gut apparently) and a tomato sauce made with lemon, garlic, basil, parsley and olive oil with asparagus and baby corn on the side. Desserts are just as inventive. It’s surprising what you can do with a coconut and raw cacao.

As the week speeds by, I notice that my nose isn’t running. Diagnosed with rhinitis years ago by my GP, I can scarcely eat hot or cold food or take exercise without my nose streaming. Alan Dolan, the “Breath Guru” who brought transformational breathing therapy to Britain, and yoga classes with respected UK teacher Jax May. Based at a private villa, your week will also include a daily massage, gourmet health meals, Mauli products in your bathroom and walking, kayaking and star gazing sessions.

Runs Oct 15-22. From £3,000 per person all-inclusive, except for flights. See knowles lifestyle.co.uk Suddenly it stops – something that wasn’t even on my wish list. I’ve more energy, I’m sleeping well, I’m sure my stomach is getting flatter… I’m determined to continue with the four-week plan when I get home.

On the last morning, however, I wake with two angry red patches on my neck and an itchy eye. Jeannette starts to tick off the ingredients from dinner the night before: a mixed salad to start, seafood bouillabaisse, broccoli, potatoes – and a chocolate cake made with almond flour, eggs, cocoa powder and raspberries. Her face pales. She looks at me as though there’s been a death in the family.

“It must be the chocolate.” And on that frankly devastating news…