"Once you understand the make up of the foods that you eat and what happens to those foods during the digestive process, by making minor adjustments to your eating habits you will shed pounds. Many symptoms, not just weight gain can be indicative of chemical imbalances within the body. The pH Diet has been devised to help rebalance your internal system," Bharti Vyas, Holistic Beauty Therapist

For the past 25 years Bharti Vyas has been a pioneering and influential voice in the field of health and beauty. Bharti's knowledge of nutrition and its importance on our health and well-being, comes from her Indian heritage and years of first hand experience as an holistic therapist.

Bharti decided to write the pH Diet with top nutritionist Suzanne Le Quesne, because so many of her clients were depressed, not only at their inability to lose weight but also by other symptoms, including Liver spots, premature wrinkles, poor memory, resistant fat, bad skin, mood swings, tiredness, brittle nails and hair, aching muscles and joints, frequent infections and candida (thrush), dull skin. " Symptoms such as these are your body's way of getting your attention, I believe, what we eat has a profound effect on the way we look and feel and if we eat foods with an understanding of what they are doing for us, can we truly boost our health and energy levels." Says Bharti Vyas

Bharti and Suzanne make the diet easy to understand and follow, with 40 simple recipe ideas on top of food lists and charts.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What about Atkins and other high protein diets?

Not a good idea! A high protein diet is acid forming.

What about a high carb diet?

Again, beware! Refined carbs such as sugar, bread and pasta are a no-no.

Why are lemons on the superfoods list - aren't they citrus and therefore acidic?

If a food tastes acid this doesn't mean it's acid forming. So weirdly enough a lemon is good - an alkaline forming food. And dairy is bad - acid forming.

What's so special about the ABC foods?

These are foods that should be eaten very regularly, and here's why:

Almonds - they actually lower your LDL cholesterol. Interestingly most other nuts are acid-forming. Buy these in their natural, unroasted, unsalted state and eat them every day as a snack

Broccoli - this is the big anti-cancer missile. It also speeds up the removal of oestrogen from the body.

Cabbage - everyone should eat cabbage or pak choi (Chinese cabbage) at least once a week. It's anti-bacterial and anti-viral, heals stomach ulcers and fights cancer. Make the gravy with the cabbage water as your granny told you - and get back into coleslaw!