Eat In Tonight

Boost your immune system and improve your resistance to disease by increasing your antioxidant levels. Their presence in your diet and levels in your blood may prove to be the best marker yet of your power to prevent disease.

The most important are:

• vitamin A - found in meat and fish
• vitamin C - abundant in raw fruit and vegetables
• vitamin E - found in seed foods
• plus beta-carotene - found in red, orange and yellow fruit and vegetables

Fast-releasing sugars create a state of stress in the body, stimulating the release of cortisol. So avoid eating white bread, sweets and breakfast cereals or other foods with added sugar.

Slow-releasing carbohydrates - fruit, whole grains, beans, lentils, nuts and seeds - on the other hand, provide an ‘even keel’ of consistent energy.

2 shots light white rum (or aged rum)
½ shot freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ shot sugar syrup
½ shot chilled mineral water

Glass: Martini
Garnish: Lime wedge

Shake all the ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled glass.

Tasting notes: a deliciously simple, clean, refreshing sour drink

serves 6

for the garnish

Grate the beetroot and carrot. Melt the butter in a large pan. Add the beetroot, carrot, onion and celery and cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally until softened but not brown.

Add the tomatoes and garlic and cook for a further 10 minutes until the tomatoes are very soft.

Pour in the stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil. Tie the parsley, bay leaf and cloves together in a piece of muslin or a piece of new J cloth and drop into the pan. As soon as the soup comes to the boil, cover then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove the muslin bag and season with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Mix together the horseradish sauce and soured cream. Ladle the soup into serving bowls, then drizzle over the horseradish soured cream.

The healthiest diet has a large proportion of raw or lightly cooked food, so serve something raw with every meal.

For a healthy vegetarian diet don’t rely solely on cheese and eggs as sources of protein. Include plenty of beans, soya, lentils, seeds, nuts and whole grains, such as quinoa, millet and brown rice.

serves 4

Soak the split peas or lentils for a couple of hours, then drain and place them in a saucepan with 500ml water, the ginger, turmeric, salt and ghee. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the dhal has reached a purée-like consistency.

Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onions and cook over a low heat until they are transparent. Add the garlic and cook for another couple of minutes, then stir in the mustard seeds. When the seeds begin to pop, add the garam masala and continue stirring for a few minutes until they are fragrant. Add the dhal to the pan, sprinkle with the coriander and stir through. Serve with the lemon wedges and the heated chapatis.

Studies have shown that people who eat little and often are healthier than those who just eat 1 or 2 large meals a day. In practice this means having breakfast, lunch and dinner plus a couple of snacks of fruit in between.

12 fresh mint leaves
2½ shots bourbon whiskey
¾ shot sugar syrup
3 dashes Angostura aromatic bitters

Glass: Collins
Garnish: Mint sprig and slice of lemon

Lightly muddle (only bruise) mint in the base of the shaker. Add the other ingredients, shake with ice and strain into glass half filled with crushed ice. Churn the drink with the crushed ice using a bar spoon. Top up the glass with more crushed ice and churn again. Repeat the process until the drink fills the glass. Serve.

Tasting notes: when making a mint julep it’s important to only bruise the mint. Crushing the leaves releases the bitter inner juices. Be sure to discard the stems, which are also bitter. This drink is better if the shaker and its contents are placed in the fridge for several hours prior to mixing with ice. This allows the mint flavours to infuse into the bourbon.

Your daily diet should include:

• 1 heaped tablespoon of ground seeds or 1 tablespoon of cold-pressed seed oil
• 3 servings beans, lentils, quinoa, tofu (soya) or ’seed’ vegetables
• 3 pieces of fresh fruit such as apples, pears, berries, melon or citrus fruit
• 3 servings of dark green, leafy and root vegetables
• 4 servings of whole grains