Overhauling my diet with the experts

I wouldn't have thought a girl could get tired of facials, but turns out I was wrong. This month I want something different from a spa. So luckily the just-launched ESPA Life at one of London's newest hotels, the Corinthia, has popped up to provide it.

The Corinthia is big - 294 rooms in the former Ministry of Defence building in Whitehall - and so the spa is big, stretching four vast marble floors below ground. I half expect to come across the platform at Embankment tube as I descend its great depths.

I'm booked in for a Nutrition and Diet session, which is one of the Complementary & Alternative therapies offered here - others include Naturopathy, Traditional Chinese Medicine and Osteopathy and Cranial Osteopathy. All are charged at £145 for an initial 55-minute consultation (£135 for Osteopathy), with each 25-minute follow-up session £80 (£90 for Chinese Medicine). The spa team includes acupuncturists, herbalists, osteopaths, physiotherapists, personal trainers, spa therapists and naturopaths.

I meet naturopath Hannah who takes me through a full nutrition consultation, asking questions about my eating habits - what I eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner, how much water I drink, how much alcohol, what snacks do I eat - questions about my bowel movements, my skin condition, my general health, my family background, my food likes and dislikes and - phew - a whole lot more. It's extremely detailed but there is a strange fascination in talking about myself at great length. It's even more fascinating afterwards when Hannah swiftly devises my ideal diet plan, full of lots of practical suggestions to make my daily intake healthier, boost my energy and support the bits of me that need supporting. There's much of interest to learn here, and I can put it all into immediate use - try some of her tips for yourself.

Top tips to improve your diet

Snack frequently - it's a great way to keep energy levels constant throughout the day, and prevent the slumps which start the sugar cravings (giving a false boost that encourages an even greater slump after the initial high). She suggests snacking on raw carrots and celery sticks with a hummus dip, blanched broccoli and mange tout; fruits like apples, bananas, kiwis and mangos, or half a cup of berries such as blueberries, strawberries or grapes; oatcakes or rye crackers with almond butter. Hard-boiled eyes are a great source of protein and are great snacks on the go, prepare in advance and keep in the fridge, then grab one to take with you on the days you don't have time to make breakfast.
Replace your normal breakfast cereal with a smoothie a few times a week. Use your choice of fruit (frozen fruit is ideal as you can always have some handy), add rice milk, protein powder, cold pressed flaxseed or linseed oil and a packet of pro-biotics to make it a 'power' shake.
Swap regular dairy butter for nut butters such as almond or cashew. Apparently you can also buy apple butter - fancy!
Take probiotics to support the good bacteria in your gut and keep the bad bacteria at bay.
Don't deny yourself treats ,but opt for healthier versions; swap buttered popcorn for air-popped popcorn lightly drizzled with olive or flaxseed oil, change your normal packet of biscuits for arrowroot, digestives or ginger snaps,and ban regular crisps in favour of baked tortilla or beetroot crisps.
Start the day off with a cup of boiling water and half a lemon to kick start the liver and boost energy.
Add supplements to your diet to give support in the areas where you need it most. After taking all my details Hannah recommends I add B vitamins to my diet - these are 'super' vitamins that help lower cholesterol (currently mine is a bit high), support adrenal glands (I suffer from a hormone imbalance condition), help with stress response in the body and protect the nerves. She also recommends magnesium, which will increase the benefits of the calcium supplements that have been prescribed by my GP for my calcium deficiency. It's a good idea to see a nutritionist, your GP or visit ESPA Life to get your own tailored vitamin recommendations, a pharmacist will also be able to advise.

Facilities at the Corinthia

In addition to a detailed dietary plan and lots of supplementary info on wheat/gluten and dairy-free diets, this programme offers a hi-tech body reading from the Bio Impedance Analysis (BIA) machine which, as well as measuring weight, also takes the body's fat, muscle, bone and water readings for a more accurate insight into how your body is performing. I tried it earlier this year in the Aldemar Royal Mare Thalasso spa in Crete (read the story here), and it identified my low calcium levels. A trip to my GP on my return confirmed it, and set me on my supplement programme.

As well as the Complementary Therapies and Lifestyle Programmes including month-long Optimum Vitality (£2,535), Women's Health (£1,575) and Sleeping (£1,350) plans, the spa also offers a full menu of more conventional treatments and is a luxury choice for a pampering spa day. The downstairs pool area is nothing short of beautiful with plush white couches and a simulated blazing fire between the jacuzzi and pool.

The hotel itself is a testament to good taste and design, with cool crisp white marble throughout and a stylish outdoor courtyard with open fireplaces overlooked by wrought-iron balconies and a roof garden. Dining rooms also have street entrances and include The Northall, with a three-time Michelin-starred chef and huge windows looking out towards the mighty Embankment bridge, and the Italian Massimo, with a stylish Art Deco feel and marble seafood bar. Next door, the Piano bar was the music room in the pre-Ministry days when the building was the Metropole hotel, with a grand piano cleverly built into the long bar.

Information and booking

For full details of all Alternative and Complementary Therapies, Lifestyle Programmes and spa treatments visit ESPA at the Corinthia here. The Corinthia hotel is located at Whitehall Place, London SW1A 2BD; for information and booking visit www.corinthia.com or phone 020 7930 8181.

See last month's spa review - a restorative body treatment

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