The 7-day anti-ageing detox

Detox yourself healthy

Natural ageing is unavoidable, but stress and overindulgence can put additional unnecessary strain on your body, especially your skin's tone and elasticity.

Your skin is the second most important detoxification organ after your liver, and anything your liver can't handle gets shunted there, leading to spots, dull skin, wrinkles and eye bags. That's where this seven-day skin and body rejuvenating detox plan comes in.

Nutritionist Charlotte Watson, author of 100 Foods to Stay Young (Paragon Books, £9.99), says, 'Anti-ageing detoxification is all about helping your cells remove toxins and absorb the antioxidant nutrients found in foods such as fruit, vegetables, nuts, seeds, oily fish, herbs and spices.

'These all protect your skin from the ravages of UB light, pollution, sugar, smoking and fried and processed foods.'

Antioxidants can also help regulate your immune system, leaving you less at risk of infection, and protect against degenerative diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

Peppers: vitamin-tastic

This seven-day anti-ageing detox includes plenty of foods rich in youth-giving nutrients. Try and incorporate them in your diet on a daily basis. They include:

• red pepper: packed with twice the vitamin C and nine times the carotene of green peppers, they also contain folate to keep your skin looking young, and vitamin A to stop the damage from UV light (age spots and wrinkles). Plus antioxidants to keep your heart healthy.
• iceberg lettuce: swap dark-leaf salad for good old iceberg lettuce once in a while - just one cup gives about 15% of your recommended daily intake of vitamin A to keep your vision sharp.
• quinoa: a brilliant source of protein, for youthful looking skin and strong bones.
• eggs: a good source of complete protein, they also contain fatigue-fighting vitamin B12, vitamin A and lutein to keep your eyes strong. Eggs are also one of the few dietary sources of vitamins K and D which help strengthen bones.
• leafy greens: every cell needs coenzyme Q10 to produce energy for cell growth and maintenance, and it's also an antioxidant. Production of this coenzyme slows down as we age, so make sure you eat lots of leafy green vegetables to counteract it.
• cashews and walnuts: good sources of copper, low levels of which can lead to premature grey hairs, as copper aids the production of melanin, the pigment that gives hair its colour.
• lean protein: chicken, turkey and fish all promote cellular repair. Lean protein helps boost collagen to keep your skin plump and clear, keep your thyroid functioning well and also control your appetite.
• berries: help keep cellulite at bay by boosting your circulation. This can prevent dimply areas looking puckered by plumping out the cells, encouraging blood and lymph flow.
• brown rice: a rich source of vitamin B1 (thiamine), which is essential for healthy circulation and helps prevent wrinkles and loss of elasticity. Brown basmati contains 20% more detoxifying fibre than other types.
• cinnamon: reduces cholesterol, glucose and triglyceride levels, inhibits the growth of bacteria and boosts brain function. Plus it's an antioxidant that curbs cell damage, helping you to stay looking young.
• Mediterranean herbs: oregano has up to 20 times the antioxidant activity of most other herbs. Basil, rosemary and parsley have anti-inflammatory properties to ease asthma and bowel inflammation.