EAT MORE fresh fruit and vegetables. This was the mantra of Ireland's recent Healthy Eating Week, and is further endorsed by Mary Moloney, lecturer in Nutrition and Dietetics at the DIT in Kevin Street: "You should eat four or more portions of fruit and/or vegetables every day, raw or cooked." Also, anti oxidants, which may help to prevent heart disease and certain forms of cancer, are available in summer fare like lettuce, tomatoes, oranges, strawberries and raspberries, says Mary.
She has, however, a word of warning to those who are planning to barbeque meat in, the back garden: "Be sure the meat is cooked all the way through. If sausages and hamburgers are not cooked properly, they can cause food poisoning." Mayonnaise must be stored in the fridge and put away quickly after use. Left out too long in hot weather it can go off and cause stomach upsets.
For those who are taking sun holidays, Mary stresses that your fluid consumption should double or even triple, and this does not mean drinking endless bottles of beer: "Alcohol has a diuretic effect, so drinking a lot of it in a hot climate can actually cause dehydration."
Geraldine Doyle, a macrobiotic and wholefood counsellor (as well as a shiatsu practitioner and yoga teacher), recommends taking a seasonal approach to food to improve your health: "It is better to stick to food that is seasonally available rather than imports. Also, in winter, dishes like casseroles with hardy root vegetables have a warming effect, but in summer, you'll find your body wanting lighter, more expansive food like a stir fry, or a salad of light greens."
Referring to the Shiatsu based Five Element Cycle theory of food, Geraldine notes that certain tastes are considered more appropriate for certain seasons: "In winter, we relate best to salty tastes, like miso soup, which nourish the kidneys. In summer, we need more foods with a bitter taste, to nourish the heart and small intestine, like red fruit and curly endive."
She notes that if people have over stimulated their kidneys during the winter with too much caffeine, they may lack the energy they need to be ready for the more energetic spring and summer period: "If we haven't nourished ourselves properly during the winter, we will find ourselves still trying to shake off winter colds and consequences of jaded kidneys are lower back pain and an inability to sleep, accompanied by dark circles under the eyes. When the kidneys aren't working well, adds Geraldine, its also puts a strain on the heart.
The problem of stress and lack of sleep - particularly prevalent at this time of year for exam candidates - can be counteracted by oats, either in the form of porridge or in drops (Avena Sativa) to be diluted in water, believes Mary Berkery, a specialist in natural approaches to health and beauty who has just given a series of talks on Live at 3.
She runs a "detox day" to prepare for summer - a programme which you can also try at home - where she recommends ingesting nothing but fruit juice in the morning and vegetable juice in the afternoon, with a light vegetable broth in the evening. "Drink lots of spring water and herbal tea, take rests, go for walks, do some gentle stretching. Finish the day with a body brush to get rid of surface dead skin and improve circulation, and then take a warm bath scented with juniper or lavender oil, both of which are good for clearing the mind," says Mary.
Colonic irrigations (a form of enema involving several gallons of water, beloved of many celebrities, including Princess Di) are available from a clinic in Ireland, situated in the west. The practitioner involved emphasises that colonic irrigations are only recommended for certain bowel disorders such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome, and then only as part of an overall treatment which also involves standard medication, homeopathic remedies and dietary adjustments.
"It is not good to make the bowels lazy - they ought to do the work themselves," says Jan de Vries, a naturopath who has five clinics in the UK, one in Belfast, and another in Dublin, and the author of How to Live a Healthy Life. He feels that colonic irrigations are good "once in a while, but not too often".
He recommends Linoforce, a natural remedy based on linseed, to help with regular and effective elimination. Cooking with ginger and garlic, and eating natural yoghurt, are other tips for keeping the bowels healthy.
"You should concentrate first, not on beauty without, but on beauty within," concludes de Vries.