Why Jasmine Hemsley swears by scraping her tongue every morning

We talk to Ayurveda advocate Jasmine Hemsley about the wellbeing benefits of tongue scraping, oil pulling and salt baths

Jasmine Hemsley, food and wellness expert, TV presenter and author of new cookbook East By West, is an ardent fan of Ayurveda and incorporates yoga and meditation into her hectic daily schedule. Here, Jasmine Hemsley talks us through her usual daily routine...

5.30am Having a morning structure is really important to me. It’s your time to check in with yourself health-wise. I live by Ayurveda and start with tongue scraping, to get rid of bacteria. A healthy tongue is soft and pink.

5.45am This is when I oil pull with sesame or coconut oil – I like Georganics. I hold the oil in my mouth while I shower. It pulls out bacteria and helps to break down plaque while nourishing the mouth.

6am Time for ten minutes’ stretching or yoga. Depending on my schedule, I’ll meditate later on the Tube for ten or 20 minutes.

6.30am I apply natural skincare – oil cleansers and hot flannels from Twelve Beauty, Alexandra Soveral or MV Organic. My rule is to buy three expensive things and use them sparingly. Soap must be natural, too, and I never use shower gel.

7am Breakfast is always light, like a buckwheat porridge slow cooked overnight, or stewed apples with cloves and cinnamon (great for the bowels).

9am I’ve started using the Pomodoro Technique, a time-management method that helps you focus. It involves setting a timer to go off every 25 minutes as a reminder to take a break. I’ll put the kettle on or check Instagram, then go back to work ten minutes later.

11am If I feel stressed, I go off and make a cup of tea without my phone. See if you can actually stand there while the kettle boils without doing anything else. Taste your tea, slurp it, feel the texture. You go back to your desk renewed.

1pm If I am going to eat raw food, it will be at midday when my digestion (referred to in Ayurveda as Agni) is at its peak. When I’m travelling or feeling run down, I’ll take probiotics, vitamin C and a melatonin supplement.

6pm I love a wet dinner like a soup or broth. It’s best not to eat supper too late or have a large meal. If you wake up at 2am, it’s probably because you’ve gone to bed with undigested food in your stomach.

7pm In the evenings, I potter and try to put stuff straight. I’m a constant work in progress – there’s nothing perfect about my life, but I’m OK with that.

9pm Salt baths are so relaxing and the benefits are so tangible that I’m no longer a ‘shower and run’ girl. I have a lot of eye masks, but I don’t have trouble sleeping, I just find them very comforting and they block out the city street lights.

East by West: Simple Recipes for Ultimate Mind-Body Balance by Jasmine Hemsley is out now, published by Bluebird (£25)