With such a wide variety of health and beauty treatments available at all spa LONDON locations, there’s sure to be one that’s right for you, whether you need to clean out your pores with an exfoliating scrub and sauna or enjoy a moisturizing facial to give your face the healthy glow it deserves this summer. But health and beauty treatments alone aren’t enough to keep your skin and body healthy. You need to drink plenty of water to keep your body and skin hydrated and you need to get as many vitamins and minerals as you can from healthy food. The best kind of food in any country at any time is seasonal fruit and vegetables. Eating seasonably is goof for your body because it means you are getting fresher and more natural food but it is also good for the environment because the food has not traveled across the world to get to your plate, nor has it been grown intensively in artificial conditions.

Plums are ripe and juicy by mid to late August in the UK. Know in Latin as Prunus domestica, plums have been the subject of repeated health research for their high content of unique phytonutrients called neochlorogenicand chlorogenic acid. This acid works as an antioxidant which is great news for your skin. The acid is classified amongst what are called phenols, they prevent the damage caused by an oxygen radical called superoxide anion radical, and have been shown to help prevent oxygen-based damage to fats, such as the fats that make up some a lot of our brain cells or neurons, the cholesterol and triglycerides circulating in our bloodstream, or the fats that make up our cell membranes. That means its good for your brain as well as your skin!

Plums also contain a lot of vitamin C which may be the reason why they help the body to absorb more iron. Iron is good for repairing damage and Vitamin C is great for all round health and prevention of cold and flu. In fact, Vitamin C is great for most things; it helps your body absorb vitamin D which is essential for healthy skin. Research has shown that eating fruit and veg with lots of vitamin C in them is associated with a reduced risk of heart disease, stroke and cancer.

Cherries are closely related to plums and have many of the same health benefits but a very different flavour.  If you are eating them early in season while they are still tart, then they have the added benefit of facilitating a good night’s sleep. Tart cherries contain melatonin, a hormone that helps make you feel sleepy. They also contain potassium which is great for controlling your blood pressure and balancing potassium and salt levels.

RASPBERRIES

As well as being rich in anti-oxidants, raspberries can potentially help to fight obesity. The metabolism in fat cells can be increased by the phytonutrients  they contain, especially rheosmin (also known as raspberry ketone). Increasing enzyme activity, oxygen consumption, and heat production in certain types of fat cells,  means raspberry phytonutrients like rheosmin might decrease the risk of obesity and fatty liver.

Animal testing involving cervical, breast, colon, esophageal and prostate cancers has demonstrated that raspberry phytonutrients can reduce inflammation and oxidative stress, thereby helping to prevent the reproduction of cancer cells.

Fresh cos lettuce or Romaine lettuce is the perfect ingredient to a summery salad this August. One of the most nutritious types of lettuce, Cos lettuce contains both vitamin-C and beta-carotene content which work together to prevent the oxidation of cholesterol. Great news for your heart. Cos lettuce is high in fibre which aids digestion and helps to maintain a healthy digestive tract. Cos lettuce is also rich in Vitamin A and K, potassium and folic acid.