What's your normal idea of 'comfort food'? Pot Noodle and a Twix? Jar of Nutella and a spoon? Bottle of Pinot Grigio and a straw?

Whatever your personal 'Friday night pig out' treat is we're pretty sure it won't have any connection to Ayurvedic medicine, which is all the more reason to get yourself down to the Ayurvedic Food Festival for a bit of TLC: tender, loving cuisine.

The festival, which kicks off today, is designed to show how a change of diet can go some way to preventing those three big, scary killers of modern society: diabetes, cardiovascular disease and, everyone's favourite, stress.

Leading Ayurvedic doctors will be on hand to guide you through seminars and there are cookery demonstrations galore, so if you get nothing else out of the day at least you'll get some free grub.

But be warned, this is no 'eat your own body weight in seaweed' fad. The essence of the Indian philosophy of Ayurveda is "nothing is right for everyone and everything is right for someone", so you'll be expected to put some thought into this one, and the results probably won't include 'nip down to Hakkasan for a quick bit of dim sum'.