Ferguson - Juice: 100 nourishing recipes and my juice-fast plans to cleanse, heal and revitalise

By simply consuming the right natural ingredients you can change the way you look and feel.

Naturopathic nutritionist Rosemary Ferguson has created 100 powerful recipes to overhaul your health from the inside out. Whizz up one of Rosemarys juices or smoothies for an instant boost. Follow her simple detox plans for 1, 2 or 3 days to tackle your health head on. And learn about the power of plants so you can create personalized combinations to suit your tastebuds and revitalize your body.

I want this book to inspire you and to help you understand why good nutrition is so important. I am truly passionate about healthy eating, but definitely not evangelical. Small changes can make big differences to your feeling of wellbeing and energy levels.

I grew up surrounded by complementary medicine, in a family of homeopaths and kinesiologists. My grandmother owned one of the first health food shops in the country, inspiring a general awareness of alternative therapies in my family.

I worked as a model for a long time after leaving school, and met some pretty amazing friends and people. Whilst the fashion industry is often blamed for portraying a not always positive body image, it is actually where I began to learn about health foods. Most of the people I came into contact with were health conscious and cared about what they ate, and I soon learnt about all sorts of wonderful foods and supplements.

Becoming a mum places a very different perspective on food, especially when youre trying to create a balanced meal to satisfy a harsh six-month-old food critic. This often resulted in hilarious trials and errors or being berated by friends for trying to feed the kids lentils and quinoa, which, for all their early protests, they now love! My long-suffering family became guinea pigs for my food interests way before I decided to pursue it as a career.

I am now a practising nutritional therapist and naturopath. I write columns for magazines and websites and have a clinic on Londons Harley Street. I love my job! Changing the way a person eats can have a profound effect on their health, and I am truly grateful to be able to be a part of that process.

My philosophy is pretty straightforward I really do believe that a bit of everything is good for the soul and Im definitely no angel. I love a good night out, and a bit of trash food now and then.

Juices and smoothies are a fantastic way of boosting the intake of nutrients into your diet. I like to think of them as nutrient vehicles.

Raw fruit and vegetables, nuts and seeds are a big part of my diet. The thinking behind eating raw is that when food is cooked, some of the nutrient values are diminished. By juicing or making a smoothie with raw ingredients, the enzymes and other phytochemicals stay intact and the micronutrients such as vitamins, minerals, enzymes and phytonutrients are preserved in a higher concentration, giving you a more nutrient-dense food. The amount of fruit and vegetables you can pack into a juice means you could get your 5-a-day in a single glass!

Many of todays chronic conditions such an inflammation, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), bad skin and lethargy can be signs of a digestive system that is in trouble. The gut is our tank, where we put the fuel to run our body. It is where absorption of the nutrients that make us work happens and if it is under par, then we feel under par. Juices can include specific nutrients that are aimed at healing the gut and making it work more efficiently, nutrients such as glutamine, which is fantastic for inflamed stomachs and wonderfully soothing, and is found in cabbage. Not only do juices help resolve problems on the inside, but you will see the benefits on the outside too glowing skin and bright eyes, whilst feeling more energetic and vital.

Juice fasting gives the digestive tract a rest and a chance to cleanse the bowel. To help you do this, I have included detox plans for 1, 2 and 3 days. Chewing, eating and digesting food uses a huge amount of energy every day, so by taking a break and drinking nutrient-rich juices and smoothies for a day or three, you can free up energy for your body to heal other issues.

Both juices and smoothies are alkalizing to the body. The Western diet and stressful lifestyles are very acid forming, creating a condition called acidosis in the body. This is when the pH becomes overly acid and it can wreak havoc in the body, causing premature ageing, eczema, mood swings, psoriasis and fatigue, the list goes on. The body works really hard keeping an alkaline state, so giving it a helping hand by regular juicing and increasing cleaner foods is important. Reducing dairy, red meats, processed foods, alcohol and coffee and eating a more vegetarian, vegan diet, high in fruit, vegetables and whole foods, encourages a better acid/alkaline balance.

Juices and smoothies are similar in that they both use raw produce as the base of a nutrient-dense drink. The difference is that juices have the pulp removed and smoothies dont.

Juices are a great vehicle that I use to deliver a boost of phytonutrients, which are extremely easily absorbed by the body.

Smoothies are more substantial than juices and have a higher fibre content because they use the whole fruit or vegetable. Using a blender to make a smoothie also allows you to add in serious nutrient boosters, like seeds, avocados, flaxseed oil and all sorts of supplemental powders. Simply put all the ingredients into the blender and blend away its so easy!

Breakfast is a really important meal, but people often struggle to find time to sit down and eat properly. A smoothie can be a great choice. Substantial and full of nutrition, it is a great start to the day. It is also really useful during detox days if you are struggling with just juices. Smoothies are a way to remain on liquids, but have a little more sustenance to get you through the day.

There have been concerns about the high sugar content in juices and smoothies. This worry mostly comes from shop-bought drinks that are meant to be amazing, but have actually been found to contain a high concentration of sweet fruits, or added sugar, or are made from concentrate or syrups. This can cause all sorts of problems including weight gain, insulin intolerance and, in serious cases, tooth decay.

It is true that some fruits (and vegetables) have a high natural sugar content, so in the book you will see that I use lots of low-sugar ingredients, such as kale, celery and cucumber, to counter this. As your taste buds get used to the flavours, you will be able to enjoy juices containing less sugar, opting for the more savoury recipes in this book and adding fewer sweet fruits to your own juice and smoothie concoctions.

I also use many fruits that have a high soluble fibre content. Soluble fibre does not get removed during the juicing process and it slows the absorption of any sugars into the bloodstream and therefore avoids a sugar spike. You can always have a handful of seeds with your juice as this slows absorption too.

A lot of the juices in this book are actually aimed at balancing your blood sugar and helping any insulin intolerance issues. A stable energy level is the ideal and that is what this book is hoping to achieve.