Moinhos Velhos lotus markBook Now
Freshly pressed juices in the garden at Moinhos Velhos

From the valley

Blog

Nutrition, fasting & wellness notes

Thoughts from our nutritionist, our facilitators and our own archives — on juice fasting, yoga, Chinese medicine and life in this valley near Lagos.

Richard on the Native Yoga Toddcast
LatestNews3 November 2025

Richard on the Native Yoga Toddcast

Our acupuncturist and facilitator Richard sat down with Todd McLaughlin to talk yoga, Traditional Chinese Medicine, and the pull of a slower life in the Algarve.

Read the post2 min read
Nutrition2 October 2024

Ed's New Book: Nutrition in the Kitchen

Our head nutritionist has spent ten years answering guests' questions about food. Now they're collected in one place, alongside the plant-based recipes he's become known for.

Read more2 min read
On Celebrity Guests (and Why We Never Say Who)
News9 August 2024

On Celebrity Guests (and Why We Never Say Who)

Yes, well-known people have stayed with us over the years. No, we're not going to tell you who — and here's why that's non-negotiable.

Read more2 min read
News18 June 2024

Richard on the Integral Yoga Podcast

A longer, more personal conversation with Avi Gordon — on burnout, identity, and the decade-long path that led Richard and his colleagues to Moinhos Velhos.

Read more2 min read
Fasting5 September 2023

The Truth About Fasting

The three misconceptions that stop most people from ever trying a fast — and why, done with care, fasting tends to feel calmer than people expect.

Read more2 min read
Candida: Friend, Foe, or Neither?
Nutrition14 March 2023

Candida: Friend, Foe, or Neither?

Guests often arrive worried that fruit juice will 'feed' candida overgrowth. Our nutritionist walks through what the evidence actually shows.

Read more2 min read
Wellness15 February 2023

Working With Yin and Yang on the Mat

A deeper look at how your constitution — not just your mood — shapes which yoga style actually serves you, drawn from years of acupuncture practice.

Read more2 min read
“If you need a re-set, some space and time to come alive again in a supportive, genuine, good-hearted environment — go. One of the best things I’ve ever done for myself.”
Ruth — guest review
Wellness20 January 2023

Yin or Yang? Finding Your Practice

Why the yoga style you think you want is sometimes exactly the wrong one — and how to tell whether you're actually in need of rest, or movement.

Read more2 min read
Nutrition30 September 2022

What Does a Healthy Diet Actually Look Like?

Cutting through the noise of competing diets to the handful of principles that genuinely hold up — built around vegetables, fruit and whole starches.

Read more2 min read
Are You Breathing Right?
Wellness12 August 2022

Are You Breathing Right?

Five simple breathing techniques Richard teaches here — from a quick nervous-system reset to a longer practice combining breath, movement and visualisation.

Read more2 min read
Wellness3 June 2022

The Flexibility Myth

The most common reason people say they can't do yoga is also the least accurate. Richard on why flexibility was never really the point.

Read more2 min read
The Silence of Yoga
Wellness6 May 2022

The Silence of Yoga

Richard on why the Heart, in Chinese medicine, is described as the quietest voice in the mind — and why deep relaxation is the only way to actually hear it.

Read more2 min read
Reading the Push and Pull of Relationships
Wellness12 April 2022

Reading the Push and Pull of Relationships

Richard's simple framework — vibration and the body's seven chakras — for making sense of why some relationships feel effortless and others feel like friction.

Read more2 min read
Understanding Calorie Density
Nutrition18 January 2022

Understanding Calorie Density

A pound of oil and a pound of vegetables can differ by up to forty times in calories. Our nutritionist explains why that single idea makes calorie-counting almost unnecessary.

Read more2 min read
Richard's New Book: Understanding Human Nature
Wellness10 November 2021

Richard's New Book: Understanding Human Nature

Twenty-five years of yoga, Chinese medicine and community life at Moinhos Velhos, distilled into one guide — named among 2021's best self-published books.

Read more2 min read
Why the Seasons Change How You Feel
Wellness21 September 2021

Why the Seasons Change How You Feel

Richard on the Chinese medicine view of the seasons — why summer pulls you outward, winter pulls you in, and why the changeovers can be the hardest part.

Read more2 min read
Nutrition22 July 2021

Are Citrus Fruits Really 'Acidic'?

Oranges, tomatoes and other sharp-tasting fruits get labelled 'acid foods' more often than they deserve. Here's what actually happens once they're digested.

Read more2 min read
Fasting1 April 2021

Is Moinhos Velhos a Religious Retreat?

A question we're asked often enough to answer properly — on faith, spirituality, and why the temple holds so many different traditions at once.

Read more2 min read
The Quiet Power of Ginger
Nutrition9 February 2021

The Quiet Power of Ginger

A staple of our juice menu for years — here's what the research actually says about ginger's effects on blood sugar, inflammation and recovery.

Read more2 min read
Nutrition11 August 2020

Lectins: Should You Really Be Worried?

Beans, grains and tomatoes have all been cast as dietary villains because of the lectins they contain. Our nutritionist explains why the science doesn't support the panic.

Read more2 min read
Nutrition20 May 2020

Why Nutrition Science Is Harder Than It Looks

Our nutritionist Ed on why so much dietary advice contradicts itself — and the difference between genuine evidence and a headline built to travel.

Read more2 min read
Juice or Water: Why We Choose Juice
Fasting16 March 2020

Juice or Water: Why We Choose Juice

Purists will tell you a 'real' fast means water only. Here's why we've built our entire programme around juice instead — and never offer water fasting.

Read more2 min read
Juice Fasting, Explained
Fasting2 March 2020

Juice Fasting, Explained

Why juice, rather than food or water alone, sits at the centre of everything we do — for the body, the mind, and a little further still.

Read more2 min read
In Memoriam: Parameshwara
News24 January 2020

In Memoriam: Parameshwara

Remembering Frank Jensen, co-founder of Moinhos Velhos, who passed away in January 2020 after building this valley into what it is today.

Read more2 min read
The 21-Day Process: A Story From Our Archives
Fasting15 May 2005

The 21-Day Process: A Story From Our Archives

In 2001, our co-founder Frank Jensen spent three weeks attempting to live on nothing but light. What he took from it shaped the retreat we run today.

Read more2 min read
Chat with us