IBS is a common condition affecting millions around the world, it can be frustrating as diagnosis is often delayed and sufferers are left with lots of questions about how to manage their symptoms and stop relapse.

Your thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland in your neck. It produces hormones that are labeled on blood tests as T3 and T4. These hormones are needed for all cells in your body to function normally. Your thyroid specifically regulates your metabolism, growth and development. It also has a key role in regulating cholesterol and blood pressure. Thyroid issues lead to inflammation and physical stress on the body.

It’s estimated that 20-30% of adults and up to you 40% of children suffer from hay fever. For most hay fever sufferers symptoms, including itchy watery eyes, sneezing, coughing and headaches, can start in March and continue right through to September.

Over the last few weeks, supporting our immune system has been top of mind or most people. For most of us, the immune system is an abstract thing, we generally know that it helps us fight infection from pathogens including bacteria, viruses, and protozoa (e.g. malaria, toxoplasmosis).

The human body is exposed two sources of cholesterol - those we produce and those we eat when consuming animal products. The amount we produce in our own body is far more significant than the cholesterol we consume.

A food intolerance can occur when your body has difficulty digesting certain foods. When this occurs over time, large food particles (proteins) may enter the bloodstream.

When food particles enter the bloodstream, the immune system can sometimes identify these food protein particles as “foreign” and produces IgG antibodies to “attack” the food in question. This response is your immune system’s natural defence mechanism to ward off harmful invaders in the body which can create inflammation.

It may not be particularly warm outside, but you know when you need a drink of water – and fast. You're excessively thirsty, perhaps even feeling a bit dizzy or lightheaded. Even if you haven't been exercising vigorously, your muscles may feel weak, your back may hurt and your joints and muscles may feel stiff. You're not imagining things; your body is simply signaling how dependent it is on water.

If you are anything like me you are sick to the gills of hearing segments on non dairy milk, skinny detox teas and eliminating food groups.

The volume of misinformation or misrepresented information in the media is mind boggling.

With that in mind, I want to share 3 things with you about achieving a balanced diet.

First, there is no such thing as foods that are good and foods that are bad, I don't believe demonizing food groups. Healthy eating can mean different things for different people. For example, I don’t tolerate dairy well and I’m allergic to eggs. So for me that is not going to be healthy.

But generally we consider a healthy to mean that 80% of the time, we eat good quality fruit and vegetables, protein and carbohydrates.