On her new book

Gillian's new book is an encyclopaedia of conditions and healthy eating

Not content with promoting a healthy lifestyle and diet, Gillian turned her attention to eating for different stages in life and to help combat everything from niggles to serious illness in her new Food Bible: The Complete A-Z Guide To A Healthy Life. The book is also an encyclopaedia of conditions, from arthritis to varicose veins, that people can delve into when something’s amiss for advice.

“You can learn from the action plans how to shift the conditions through food," Gillian explains. "If you never have your eyes tested you don’t know how well you can see. If you don’t give yourself the opportunity to improve your health and lifestyle you have no idea what the pinnacle of health is like.”

So for example, say you're suffering from PMS, what can you eat to help?

“It’s to do with a lack of B vitamins. You can take isolated vitamins or eat foods that contain high levels of Bs - even something as simple as brown rice is a very good source. Nettle and dandelion tea get rid of bloat. And just before your period, keep away from sugar and refined foods to keep your blood sugar levels even. A lot of women get PMT because they cut good fats out of their diets. It’s one of the worst things you can do to your body as a young woman because you need good fats for weight control, metabolism and your cycle, so you should eat avocado, seeds and nuts. Two herbs, agnus castus, which is fantastic for helping regulate hormonal balance and breast pain, and milk thistle just before menstruation, which gives support to the liver, can also make a difference.”

Thanks Gillian. I make lengthy notes and promise my ever-patient colleagues that next month, I’ll be totally zen. Watch this space...

Gillian's book is out now.