Christina Agnew, co-founder of Radiance Cleanse, the UK’s premier juice detox delivery service talks to StyleNest about her cleansing tips, health advice and daily routine.
Christina Agnew talks nutrition, energy and lifestyle and shares her detox secrets and how she balances being a working mum. Designed to promote a healthy glow inside and out. With a variety of cleanses on offer from the Green Cleanse, Signature Cleanse, Bespoke Cleanse and the latest addition of the Beauty Boost Cleanse, there is a cleanse to suit each and everyone.
What first inspired you to take an interest in nutrition and want to help women and men maintain a healthy lifestyle?
My aunt, Midi Fairgrieve. After working for many years as a nutritionist in Scotland, she founded a juice cleanse retreat company called Detox International in Spain. She taught me that good nutrition is the foundation of good health and also introduced me to the power of juice cleansing.
What is the new Beauty Boost Cleanse?
The cleanse was carefully formulated with input from an expert dermatologist and was tested on other experts in skin health. Like all of our cleanses, it is organic and the juices are cold-pressed. Additionally, it contains a range of nutrients that are particularly beneficial for the skin, including vitamins A, C and E as well as essential fats from our unique dairy-free nut milk.
What are the main benefits of doing a juice detox?
The idea behind a juice cleanse is to give your body and mind a break and allow your body to heal itself as nature intended. It gives your digestive system a rest from a constant intake of food whilst ensuring that you are still nourished with juices made from fresh fruit and vegetables. It allows you to step back from your normal diet for a few days, to cleanse your palette and get back on a healthy eating track.
What should one consider before doing a detox?
Try to pick a quiet period to cleanse, allowing you to thoroughly relax and take care of your body through the process. Take the time to prepare for the cleanse by eating lighter and healthier as this will help reduce any detox symptoms. Consider asking friends or family members to cleanse at the same time as you for added motivation and support. Lastly, don’t cleanse without consulting your doctor first. If you have any kind of medical condition, have never cleansed if you are pregnant or breast feeding.
Can you tailor packages to suit individual requirements?
Absolutely – yes. We have a Bespoke Cleanse exactly for this purpose. We have many clients with dietary or health requirements and we have an experienced team ready to tailor make your juice cleanse to fit. Clients also use this option simply because they either love or don’t like certain juice ingredients.
You are a working mum, how do you balance work and play?
It’s hard. I think a particular difficulty with having your own business is that there is never really an off switch; there is always more work that you could be doing. So I try to create set working hours and when those are over I stop and it’s family time. Whether I am working or playing with my son I try to always to give that my fullest attention.
Mum’s often struggle to piece together a healthy meal. What advice would you give mums who want to prepare timesaving nourishing meals for the family?
Sign up to a home-delivery box scheme. I order weekly from Abel & Cole and it’s fantastic because they include recipe cards for quick, healthy meals and pretty much everything you need for the recipe will be in your box.
Do you think it’s important to introduce homemade healthy foods from a young age?
Yes – 100%. The nutritional content will far exceed something that you buy in the supermarket that has a shelf life of 3 months – even if it’s organic. Moreover, home cooked food tastes different than processed food and you want your kids’ taste buds to recognise the real stuff. By feeding children well in the early years you are setting them up for life.
When we are feeling run-down and lethargic, it’s a hard battle to not reach for a chocolate bar. What inspires you to stay motivated?
Knowing that it won’t do me any good; it means a short boost and then another slump. I try to ask myself what is really going on with my body. It’s totally fine to have the odd chocolate bar when you’re feeling run down but if you’re doing it regularly to prop yourself up then you need to address the underlying cause of that, including by improving your nutrient intake.
Do you have you have any guilty pleasures? (we won’t tell….our secret)
Definitely a hot bath at the end of the day with OSKIA’s massage candle, a Dr Alkaitis face mask, a glass of red wine and a trashy magazine. I also love American teen dramas like 90210 and Gossip Girl.
When you are not busy juice boosting, what do you enjoy doing in your spare time?
Generally anything sporty and outside with nature. We are lucky to live right beside Richmond Park so I spend a lot of time there.
What best advice would you give to new mums wanting to shift the baby weight quickly?
Well first of all try not to put too much pressure on yourself. You need a certain amount of time after you’ve given birth for your body to recover and to care for your newborn, especially if you are breastfeeding. Wait at least six weeks, then go for a postnatal MOT with a physiotherapist before beginning an exercise regime. After that, get outside with your buggy for a buggy fit class in your local park or simply grab a few of your NCT friends and go for a brisk walk at lunchtime whilst your babies are sleeping.
Detox diets are subject to media scrutiny, if you could change one misconception about detoxing what would it be?
That it’s not a diet. There are many valid reasons to do a cleanse other than to lose weight.
What advice would you give readers who want to start their own business?
Do it now. Yes, you need to do your research and be prepared, but if you have a great idea and spend too long just thinking about it someone else will do it first.
When you are not busy working, what do you enjoy doing with the family?
My son is a total water baby so we can quite often be found at the pool. We also travel up to Scotland to see my family as often as possible and I love nothing more than heading out for a long walk there with our LittleLife backpack.
What is your daily regime?
I always start my day with a mug of warm water and freshly squeezed lemon, plus 1/2 tsp of turmeric and cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne – try it. Then I make a fresh green juice. My favourite recipe contains cucumber, celery, fennel, apple and lime. If it’s nice weather, I put my son in the running buggy and we go up to Richmond Park. After that I’ll have some coconut water to rehydrate and a big smoothie. At the moment I love a combination of banana, blueberries, avocado, coconut butter, spinach and hemp protein powder (it’s also great as a pudding for kids, but don’t add the protein powder). Sometimes I’ll have a latte mid morning but I try to make it at home with almond milk instead of cow’s milk or soya milk, though failing that it is Costa. For lunch in the summer I’d make a salad of green leaves, chopped tomato, quinoa and pine nuts with pesto. I drink a cup or two of green tea in the afternoon; Teapigs’ Mao Feng is fantastic. If I haven’t been for a run in the morning then I let my son watch TV for 20 mins before his bath while I put on one of my Tracy Anderson DVDs in the living room (she does a fantastic post pregnancy workout). Dinner is either a dish based around beans or pulses, or fish with steamed vegetables and rice and some kind of spicy sauce for my husband. I don’t drink much but I am partial to a glass of Malbec if it’s been a long day. I try to have an ‘electronic sundown’ and don’t check my phone or emails for the last hour before I go to bed.
With the Olympics and the Jubilee London is the place to be this year. Do you have a secret London address book? Where are your favourite places to visit/eat/shop?
My new favourite place to eat lunch in the centre of town is 42Raw. It’s a raw food cafe that originated in Copenhagen and is based in the gorgeous surroundings of the Royal Academy, so you can check out an exhibition while you’re there. After that I would head up to CONTENT Beauty & Wellbeing in Marylebone and fill up on their cult natural and organic skincare products like Dr Alkaitis, Live Native, OSKIA and Amala. Another great store in that area is Monocle; although it’s tiny it has a really cool edit for gift shopping. Book lovers should go to The Idler or Lutyens & Rubinstein, both in Notting Hill. On the other side of town, I love Tea Smith, a loose-leaf tea house in Spitalfields where they are obsessed with water temperatures, while Monmouth in Covent Garden is the best place for coffee. If I felt like afternoon tea I would always go to Brown’s Hotel, especially for their TEA-TOX menu created by nutritionist Amelia Freer. My dinner choice would be Nopi, as I adore Yotam Ottolenghi’s cooking, and I’d finish the day at the Experimental Cocktail Club.
A three day Radiance Cleanse programme starts at £215 and a five day programme £345.