Knowledge centre

Hormones are the mechanism our brain uses for telling our bodies what to do, there is no other line of communication. They decide how you feel, how you think, how much energy you have, what shape your body is... everything. So, whether you're one of the millions of people in the UK managing a chronic hormone condition or not, keeping them nicely balanced is a good idea. The official advice on how best to manage your hormone levels is, as with many health issues, by 'maintaining a healthy, balanced diet', but we all know achieving this vague level of perfection is easier...

How did maca go from fields 4000 ft up in the Andes to the packet of powder you take in your smoothie? 

It’s like the old saying: you don’t know what you’ve got till it’s gone. The thought of your periods stopping for good, never to return, may seem utterly exhilarating at first – after all, who would actually miss all that drama? But as the time gets closer, the whole affair can actually feel a little bit scary. Sure, you’re hardly going to shed a tear when the curtain comes down on the monthly cramps and sprints to the midnight pharmacy for tampons and paracetamol. Never having PMS again for the rest of your life may sound like absolute bliss, but...

You’ve undoubtedly heard about it, but there’s a lot more to collagen than meets the eye. Yes it can give you a pair of pouty, bee-stung celebrity lips if you’re not afraid of needles (or pain – let’s be honest, injecting anything into your lips hurts like hell), but there are other ways to benefit. Edible collagen products can improve skin strength and elasticity, keep joints healthy and maintain hair, nails, bones and teeth – things we all want to keep looking their best, especially as we get older. So what is collagen exactly? Well, it’s a structural protein and the most...

Fat, so often maligned, is actually an incredibly valuable nutrient. It’s a concentrated source of energy, providing more than double the energy of protein or carbohydrate. It’s also the carrier for the fat-soluble vitamins A, D, E and K . But, perhaps most importantly, it provides your body with fatty acids. Fatty acids come in four flavours: monounsaturated, polyunsaturated, saturated and trans fats. Diets high in saturated and/or trans fatty acids have been linked with a range of health problems, including coronary heart disease. But the other two types; monounsaturated and polyunsaturated, are considered ‘healthy’ fats: • Polyunsaturated fatty acids consist of...