There are bookoos of products out there to exfoliate, slough, moisturize, lift, revitalize, invigorate … your skin. You could spend a mortgage plus lots of precious time in pursuit of perfection from a bottle. They’ve got one thing right – we do have a lot of control over the way skin looks and feels. But there’s a simpler fix than a chemical peel. Before you go spend a fortune on products, evaluate your grocery list. Good skin starts with diet. Skin cells are constantly dying, shedding and making new ones. The foods you eat provide the building materials for healthy skin cells. So each day is sort of like a fresh start for better looking skin. Give your body what it needs and it will return the favor. With these good for your skin foods you’re on your way to glowing…
1. Green tea – antioxidents in green tea eliminate cancer-causing free radicals, it reduces inflammation which makes skin look puffy and red, and reactivates dying cells
2. Salmon – essential fatty acids in salmon make up our cell membranes and keep them strong and functioning properly to keep out harmful substances, allow nutrients in and move waste out of our cells. Omega-3 fatty acids reduce inflammation
3. Blueberries – antioxidents and phytochemicals eliminate inflammation and free radicals
4. Carrots – vitamin A is required for building new, healthy skin cells
5. Avocado – good fat, with essential oils that soothe red skin
6. Almonds – vitamin E moisturizes skin and protects against premature aging
7. Mango – vitamin A repairs damaged skin cells and helps build new ones
8. Spinach (or anything else green and leafy) – vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals to oxygenate skin cells and improve circulation
9. Walnuts – Omega-3 fatty acids counter act inflammation to keep skin from looking red and puffy
10. Water – keep cells hydrated and move out toxins
[…] So what’s the benefit of swapping cream cheese for cashews? Going raw, or following a raw foods diet means eating only living foods (ie. foods that have not been cooked, pasteurized, subjected to heat above 115 degrees). In its raw state, food has 100% of its nutrients and enzymes in tact. But when food is cooked, its nutrient count goes down and the heat kills enzymes. So to get the maximum nutritional benefits of the food, raw foodies say: Eat it raw. Enzymes are what help you digest your food. Without the enzymes in the food, our bodies’ own reserve of enzymes is called in to action to get to work digesting. And that requires energy. But when you only eat raw food, the body can save its enzymes and its energy. Take a carrot for example. Any given carrot has the enzymes in it required to digest itself. So for your body to digest that carrot, the amount of energy required from the body is zero. That means the energy saved can go toward more important things, like making new skin cells to give you that glow. […]