Beautiful Skin begins at breakfast
Beautiful healthy skin starts at your mouth; specifically what you put into it. All the creams and lotions in the world will not replace proper nutrition when it comes to the appearance of your skin.
According to Dr. Wechsler, stress is skin’s enemy. There are foods that we can eat to soothe stress and thus distress our skin. Dr. Wechsler lists 7:
1. Berries- anti oxidant packed
2. Guacamole- B vitamins
3. Nuts- loaded with vitamin E and B ( no more than a handful, nuts are high in calories)
4. Oranges- Vitamin C
5. Salmon and other fatty fish-omega 3 fatty acids
6. Spinach- folate
7. Dark chocolate- antioxidant flavonols in dark chocolate (check labels; you want 70% or more cacao)
What you drink also affects your skin. In her list of nutrients to fight aging, Becky Hand, Licensed and Registered Dietitian lists hydration as a key to looking healthy and younger. Of course you cannot beat pure, clean water but green tea which contains polyphenols that have anti-inflammatory properties that benefit skin should also be a daily supplement. If you do not like the taste of green tea, brew up an ice tea mixture using 3 green tea bags and 4 bags of black tea. Add a little lemon or mint leaves and you will not taste the green tea at all. Aim for at least 3 cups or glasses of tea per day.
If you do nothing else for your skin, quit smoking and limit alcohol. “Smoking and alcohol are two major threats to the skin besides the sun’s infamous UV rays. Tobacco and other related chemicals are regarded as skin aging accelerators and one of the main causes of aging skin. The skin can show signs of smoking in less than 10 years. This may sound like a long time, but people usually start smoking at age 15 or 16. So, by your mid-20s your skin could be permanently affected.”
High consumption of alcohol will dehydrate the skin. In time skin will become less firm and dry. Dewiness is a hallmark to healthy skin; too much drinking has the opposite effect. Lastly, totally avoid fried foods.” Skin that has lasting beauty and ageless beauty just cannot be maintained on a diet of fatty, greasy, fried foods,” according to author John Russell.
Few of us are able to eliminate all evils from our diet. The key is to start out slowly and change one thing at a time. Erika Volk, LA certified personal trainer and creator of, “Fit Girl,” a unique training program that incorporates exercise with life style changes gave this example: “Remember when you switched from whole milk to skim? At first it was like drinking watered down milk. Eventually you got used to skim and you may now have a preference for it. Aim to make one simple change each week and in no time you will reap the benefit of younger, radiant skin and as a side benefit a healthier you.”
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