While our summer is currently a bit of a wash out, many of us will still be getting plenty of sun this season by heading to warmer climates. Most people returning from a holiday in the sun feel refreshed and happy, which could be due to the sun's ability to boost our levels of serotonin, our body's own natural mood lifter. The sun also helps us to produce vitamin D which is now known to have cancer protecting properties, and there is increasing evidence that it can play an important role in the prevention of some common cancers such as breast or prostate (see www.sunarc.org for more on this). Vitamin D is also important for good immunity and bone health.

So sunbathing could actually be good for us! But it must be done sensibly and in moderation, and you should take precautions to avoid getting burnt at all costs. Sunburn can increase your risk of skin cancer and causes permanent skin damage. So what can you do to protect your skin?

• Wear a sunscreen but shop carefully as a recent survey suggests that although sunscreens can protect us from the sun's UVB rays, many creams do not provide sufficient protection against UVA rays. UVA can cause irreversible damage by penetrating the skin and increasing the production of free radicals, which are known to have carcinogenic effects. The Times article lists some sunscreens which provide good UVA protection such as Environ's RAD Antioxidant Sunscreen.
• Avoid the sun when it is at its strongest by staying in the shade and wearing lightweight, long sleeved tops and trousers.
• Eat plenty of anti-oxidant rich fruit and vegetables - anti-oxidants help to mop up dangerous free radicals.
• Think of a rainbow when choosing anti-oxidant foods, i.e. go for colourful foods such as broccoli, spinach, beetroot, carrots, tomatoes, peppers, berries, mangoes, apples, apricots, peaches and melon.
• For a skin protective diet why not add some delicious berries to your morning cereal or yogurt, have a daily fresh vegetable juice and increase your fresh salad intake?

I asked one of my recent clients to write about her experience about Metabolic Balance in her own words. She's in her early 40's and has been absolute joy to work with!

"I decided to follow the MB eating plan to rebalance my metabolism and get my body in better overall working order - and with two main aims in mind. Firstly, with a view to losing the two stone I had put on since having had my first child and having unfortunately experienced a number of miscarriages trying to have a second one. Secondly, with the aim of getting my body fit to cope with trying to have another baby and avoid having another miscarriage in the process.

As eating plan aims to reduce your insulin levels, keep cravings at bay and encourages your body to keep any weight loss from coming back, I thought this plan to be a good choice for me personally.

Month one of the eating plan was focused and challenging. However, because the weight loss was rapid I was spurred on to keep going. I lost 9lbs within the first couple of weeks. Since the first month I have kept to the principles of the eating plan but not stuck rigidly to the plan itself but I have still continued to lose weight. Overall I have lost 17lbs and dropped two dress sizes. I have lost 4 inches on my hips, 3and a half inches on my waist and two inches on my thighs. Wow! I've never been on a diet in my life and this was certainly the best one to go for. The great thing about the eating plan is that you can follow it again properly for an amount of time to lose some more weight when you want to.

I am happy with my weight loss to date and have wanted to let both my body and my emotions get used to the weight loss before trying to lose more weight again. I am now following it again for a month and hope to lose about half a stone - I will then leave it there for a while and see how I feel in a couple of months. I have to be honest and admit that I feel that the weight loss was relatively easy to achieve. I am the sort of person who loves eating, is always out socialising and drinking, and hates feeling deprived. I genuinely believe that if I can do it, anyone can!"

Instead of a 'real' recipe, I thought I'd share with you an easy lunch that would be suitable for most of my Metabolic Balance clients. The quantities would vary slightly according to your personal details, and you may not have all of the items listed on your personal plan, but for those of you who are wondering what sorts of meals you might be having on the plan I hope this gives you some inspiration and ideas!

Serves 1

Salad base
90g of baby spinach leaves
20g of cucumber, cubed into small pieces
20g of green olives

On the top
130g of cooked prawns
2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp of grated ginger
1 clove of crushed garlic
1/2-1 finely chopped red chilli (according to taste!)
Dash of fish sauce

Mix the oil, ginger, garlic, chilli and fish sauce in a bowl. Add the prawns and coat them in the marinade.

Assemble the salad in the meantime, and add the prawns together with the marinade on top. Enjoy!

Sanna Anderson is a Nutritional Therapist trained at the Institute for Optimum Nutrition, a leading establishment in the field of nutrition education.

Sanna spent the first 10 years of her career in the financial industry enjoying the challenges of the corporate world. She's always been a keen cook and is passionate about good food, but it wasn't until experiencing the dramatic effects of a diet change on her own health that she realised the impact good nutrition can have on the quality of life.

She is now sharing this knowledge at her nutrition consultations and through this newsletter and believes that good nutrition is the corner-stone of health and well- being. She is passionate about making healthy food appetising and easy to prepare and her approach is to work with her clients' unique circumstances to help them achieve their goals.

Clinic locations:
The Wyndham Centre, 86 Hatton Garden, EC1N 8QQ
12 Albert Road, South Woodford, E18 1LE