Former fashionista Jenna Zoe trained as a nutritionist when conventional medicine failed to help her candida and chronic hormonal imbalances. For Jenna, eating only fresh plant foods – veg, fruit, whole grains, nuts and seeds – proved the answer. ‘I tried vegan eating for a month in 2009,’ she explains. ‘Almost immediately I slept much better and my digestion improved, so I decided to keep it up but told myself I could stop any time I wanted.’ Jenna had three criteria: ‘Foods had to be whole and minimally processed. I had to love how they tasted. And they had to really suit my system so I felt not just OK, but amazing.’ Jenna’s vegan experiment might well have failed because of her craving for sweet things if a chef  friend hadn’t devised ‘the best chocolate chip cookies ever’. The recipe, below, is included in Jenna’s first book, Super Healthy Snacks and Treats. ‘We all get those rumbly tummy moments and it’s so tempting to go for snacks with no nutritional value. These snacks taste delicious and give you a quick energy fix.’ The book has recipes for every time of the day, from breakfast and power snacks, to teatime treats and party food.

Super Healthy Snacks & Treats by Jenna Zoe is published by Ryland Peters & Small, price £14.99. To order a copy for the special price of £10.99 including p&p call Macmillan Direct on 01256-302699, quoting reference GLR 8SV.

JENNA'S CHOC CHIP COOKIES

Makes about 16

125 ml almond milk 2 tbsp ground flaxseed or linseed 285 g sieved spelt flour 75 g unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably raw) 1 ¹/₄ tsp bicarbonate of soda 125 ml sunflower oil 190 g granulated sweetener 1 tbsp vanilla extract 175 g dark chocolate chips

● Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas 4, grease two baking sheets and line with parchment or foil.

● Mix the almond milk with the ground flaxseed or linseed; set aside to thicken for a few minutes.

● Mix the sieved flour, cocoa powder and bicarbonate of soda in a large bowl, and stir in chocolate chips.

● Add the sunflower oil, sweetener and vanilla extract to the milk-seed mixture and stir thoroughly.

● Leave for five minutes to thicken again then pour it into the bowl of dry ingredients and stir to combine. Set aside for 10-15 minutes and it will firm up.

● Pinch off walnut-sized pieces, roll them into balls in your palms then flatten into discs about 1cm thick.

● Arrange on the baking sheets with space to spread.

● Bake in the preheated oven for about seven minutes. Let them cool slightly and harden on the sheets then gently transfer to a wire rack.

● They will still be gooey soft in the middle, and will keep in an airtight container for up to four days.

 

HEAD LICE ADVICE

A reader asks what to use for children’s head lice. Pharmacist Shabir Daya says: ‘Picksan No Lice Preventive Spray offers protection for at least seven hours. If the lice take hold, wash hair with Picksan Lice Stop Shampoo, which contains natural ingredients to dispatch them effectively, then slather on conditioner and comb through wet hair with a special fine-toothed comb.’ Repeat every few days until your child’s hair is lice-free.  They're available for £7.95 each for 100 ml at www.victoriahealth.com - buy here.

 

SNUFF OUT THE SNIFFLES

October signals the start of colds and flu in my household so it’s back to my tried-and-trusted supplement – 10 Day Get Well, Stay Well/£26.50 for 60 capsules, from www.victoriahealth.com - buy here. This blend of herbs, medicinal mushrooms and nutrients to strengthen and support the immune system has proved an indispensable investment through autumn and winter. Take two capsules daily to ward off the lurgies, and double that if you get the first sign of an infection.