It’s time to ease up on heavy winter root vegetables and switch to light spring greens instead.

Why not make a pot of fresh strong green soup with nettle and garlic to flush out your liver and boost your vitality levels? Or you could throw together a salad containing watercress which is brimming with both zinc and calcium, minerals crucial to boost your energy.

A new study has found that dieting provokes cravings for ‘forbidden’ foods like chocolate.

Psychologists at Hertfordshire University found that dieting is counterproductive as it increases cravings for foods slimmers tend to avoid. So don’t diet but lose weight by eating healthily and also exercise.

Q: What is hemp oil? I keep hearing about it. Is it healthier than olive oil?

A: Say the word hemp and most of us think of the illegal drug. The hemp plant cannabis sativa is a member of the Cannabaceae family to which marijuana also belongs.

However, all hemp used in the production of hemp oil has had the tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) ingredient with hallucinogenic properties removed.

Hemp oil is rich in omega 3, 6 and 9 fatty acids which our bodies don’t produce naturally but which are crucial for healthy circulation, cell growth and the immune system.

A good balance of these omegas has been linked to helping maintain a healthy heart and brain – especially in unborn babies – and relieving conditions such as PMS, eczema, psoriasis, even improving children’s behaviour and concentration. Hemp oil can be used in cakes and biscuits as well as in dressings (mix equal measures of olive oil and hemp oil to enjoy the benefits of both) or drizzled over vegetables.

There’s no need to replace olive oil with hemp – olive oil also has health boosting benefits of its own – just start including it in your diet.