Radiance - The Juice Cleanse Co.

We catch up with Kaori Murphy - Colonic Hydrotherapist at the Hale Clinic, to find out more about why juicing and colonics go hand in hand, and some top tips for better digestion.

Kaori works with busy individuals, some of whom have digestive issues and struggle with low energy and high stress. She supports them in achieving their health goals by assessing the individual needs and implementing nutritional advice, cleansing and stress management.

Kaori is an experienced colonic hydrotherapist and nutritional therapist with extensive knowledge of various digestive and hormonal issues. Before she became a complementary health practitioner, she was a vegan chef in Osaka and London. She loves healthy foods and she is always trying different dietary programmes and creating healthy recipes.

R: We've been recommending colonic hydrotherapy to clients for years. In your opinion, how does a treatment enhance the effects of a juice cleanse?

K: A juice cleanse prepares and helps the build-up of waste matters get soften and ready to eliminate from your body. It particularly helps make a colonic session easier and effective, especially if a fibre supplement is taken together as it bulks up the stool.

Juicing is like a detergent; a fibre supplement is like a brush and a colonic works like water to flush out the waste. I often see clients whose diet is a full of acidic and processed food. Their waste matters tend to be hard and take a long time to hydrate and sometimes almost nothing will come out during a colonic session.

R: There are lots of misconceptions about colonic hydrotherapy - what would you say to someone who is nervous about trying it, or perhaps embarrassed to talk about it?

K: People who have never had a colonic before,  tend to be nervous as they don’t know what it involves and how they may feel. It’s best that you get a recommendation of a practitioner from friends and family who had it done. It’s also essential that you speak to various practitioners that belong to a reputable colonic association such as Association of Registered Colon Hydrotherapists (ARCH) first and then chose whomever you feel most comfortable with. I speak to a lot of people who are considering a colonic for the first time. I explain the procedures and make sure that there are no contradictions and give advice in terms of preparation. Everyone has different needs and reasons why they are thinking of have it done.

R: That's great advice. From your experience in digesive health, do you have any tips for our clients on how to keep things moving day to day?

K: If I were to pick three generic tips but very vital tips for digestive health, that would be 1) Stress Management 2) Drinking plenty of water. 3) Eat slowly and chew foods well.

In my practice, I often see clients with a long term high stress, which is the number one contributing factor for many health issues, so putting stress management in place is very crucial for optimum health, especially digestive health. Our digestion only works when we are relaxed!

What I also notice that many people don’t drink enough water. Our body is made up of 50-65% is water, so drinking 6-8 glasses of water daily is necessary. Those who drink tea, coffee and alcohol are required to drink more water as they are diuretic. Chewing is vital for healthy digestion yet oftentimes overlooked. The action of chewing breaks down foods into smaller particles. I see undigested foods come out during a colonic session for people don’t chew foods well. If you are not chewing foods well, it creates gas and you tend to feel more bloated as the foods are not digested properly and this will lead to bacterial overgrowth. Ideally each mouthful should be chewed at least 30 times.

It’s hard for to give you more specific nutritional tips for digestive health as everyone is very different and unique. Some people benefits by having lots of fibres in their diet and others feel very bloated. Some people feels better on Paleo diet which is based on various proteins, vegetables, fruits and void of grains and dairy products. Others feels great on vegetarian diet which is high in fruits & vegetables and whole grains void of animal produce.

If people tend to get bloated, it’s best that they keep a food diary and identify what foods that may be causing the issue and avoid them. They may be sugar, wheat, gluten, milk or dairy products. You can also consider trying low FODMAP diet which is focused on avoiding fermentable carbohydrates.

For clients interested in booking a consultation with Kaori, the Radiance team are happy to put you in touch. Alternatively they can call the Hale clinic directly on 020 7631 0156. 

Despite the fact that they are *everywhere*, we are usually not fans of snack bars, unless they are homemade. As with breakfast cereals you are typically looking at sugar heavy recipes and in our view you're better off eating an apple and a handful of cashew nuts. Sometimes you want something more sophisticated though, and for this we will always reach for a Love Raw snack bar. The Rosehip & Lemon flavour is divine! We caught up with Love Raw's founder, Rimi Dabhia, to find out what she's doing differently.

First of all congratulations on the beautiful new packaging for your range. With this change, what is your message about what Love Raw stands for?

Thank you so much, it’s been a huge transformation for us from our previous style of branding. LoveRaw is about food being in its purest and most natural state; no preservatives, no flavourings, no additives. We like keeping it simple and real.

Why is it important to you that your bars are organic?

When I lived in Spain I immersed myself into organic living. It was on my doorstep: farmers markets; even growing my own produce. I felt great, physically and mentally. We always use organic where we can however with some ingredients it’s difficult due availability and price fluctuations. 

Which additives or fillers should we be looking out for on other bars that cheapen the product or make it less healthy?

Any refined or added sugars. If the bar is majority dried fruit it should be sweet enough. Dates are a common base ingredient for bars, they bind the bar well and give a natural sweetness however some brands use dates as a filler as its the cheapest ingredient. You will be able to taste this as the dates and sweetness will over power the other ingredients. Also look for natural flavourings; these can be made up of up to 100 ingredients and the extracts and essences used are not so natural.

There’s a huge debate over the level of sugar in modern Western diets. We totally agree that there is far too much. But it’s reached the point where we now find many people scared to eat a piece of fruit or, in our case, drink a juice containing any fruit. As your bars are sweetened with dried fruits like dates and figs, what’s your take on this?

Over the years there have been waves of negative press against elements of foods; carbs, fat, now it's sugar. I also agree there are so many foods unnecessarily with added sugar. When the media go against something, they portray an extreme case. Our bodies, especially the brain needs glucose/sugar. However everything should be consumed in moderation and when your body needs or craves it. The bars are more a of convenience food, have one when you have missed breakfast, pre/post gym, when you're on the go. As cliche as it sounds, eat them as part of a balanced diet with fruit, vegetables, healthy fats, carbs. 

We were thrilled to catch up with the wonderful Lisa Franklin recently at one of our partner events with Silver Linings Retreats. At Radiance we love treating ourselves to a facial, and Lisa's Clinic Prive in Knightsbridge is the ultimate place to do just that. The Lisa Franklin Clinic is all about the detail, and her whole team are passionate about their clients experiencing the very best in service and skincare results. 

We love Lisa's philosophy, which is to treat skincare in a preventative way using advanced cosmeceutical products without harsh chemicals or treatment downtime. Below, Lisa and our team talk beauty boosting foods, social conscience and our new secret weapon for perfect make up!

A: What are your skin-boosting foods, and are there any big no-no’s we should all avoid?

L: A healthy diet has always been important for skin and general health along with drinking plenty of good quality water throughout the day. There are plenty of skin boosting foods, but as it’s June look for Kale, in season in the UK from now until the end of the year Kale has over 100% of your daily value of Vitamin C and A in half a handful so is a perfect anti-ageing ally. Full of nutrients that absorb and neutralise skin damaging free radicals created from UV light, great for supporting the skin against the effects of the strong summer sun.

A: We know you have been awarded the prestigious Butterfly Mark - can you tell us more about why that is important and what it means?

L: It’s important to me that Lisa Franklin is committed to positive social and environmental issues as I always wanted my brand to be luxury and conscience and the Butterfly Mark recognises the fact we are committed to these values. Sustainability is one of the biggest challenges we face in the beauty industry today and although some strides have been made over recent years, for example the banning of microbeads, there is plenty more to be done. I always want Lisa Franklin to be vocal around these issues.

A: We tried your Pro-Effect Luminescent Base recently and it was just incredible - we've never felt anything so luxurious. Can you tell us more about this product?

L: It is a multi functional product, an anti-ageing serum offering a perfect canvas for makeup application. Active ingredients increase skin firmness and the appearance of deep wrinkles to visibly smooth and plump the skin surface. Powerful antioxidants neutralise damaging free radicals, improve elasticity and support healthy cell turnover. Diamond powder convert UV light to blue light (photoluminescence) leading to youthful looking skin as the appearance of shadows, wrinkles, pigmentation and discolouration are diminished. A second skin effect adds a luxury comfortable cushion feel forming a base for makeup whilst allowing the active ingredients to be absorbed into the skin.