Best Foods for Your Skin: Part One
What is the best food for your skin? There are many foods that if eaten regularly as part of a well-balanced diet will help your skin look great. However, certain foods stand out and can provide tremendous benefits to your skin and complexion. Here's part one in our series!
Berries
Berries such as blueberries, blackcurrants, blackberries, strawberries raspberries and cranberries, and strawberries are good for your skin! Generally, berries help the body make collagen which helps keep your skin smooth and supple. Berries are full of antioxidants that are very effective in neutralizing free radicals that can lead to skin cell damage and premature skin aging.
Blueberries and other berries are an excellent source of vitamin C, vitamin E, riboflavin, and both soluble and insoluble fiber.
Brazil Nuts
Brazil nuts are an excellent food for the skin! Why? It’s simple: Brazil nuts are a terrific source of selenium. Selenium improves the elasticity of skin, helps to battle skin infections, and is thought to help control acne. Selenium is necessary for the production of glutathione, which neutralizes free radicals in the body that can lead to the breakdown of collagen and elastin in the skin.
Brazil nuts are also a good food for skin health because they contain zinc, which helps with skin inflammation problems, skin cell growth, maintenance of collagen and elastin, and dry skin related problems such as eczema and psoriasis.
Additionally, Brazil nuts and other nuts contain essential fatty acids (good fats!) that help to prevent skin dryness and the powerful antioxidants vitamin A and vitamin E, which contribute to anti-aging of skin and good overall skin health. Other great sources of fatty acids include flaxseed and walnuts!
Carrots
Carrots are a good food for skin because they are a terrific source of beta carotene which becomes vitamin A in the body. Carrots are also a good source of vitamin C. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that protects against free radicals and also aids in skin collagen formation, helping skin stay looking young and plump.
Vitamin A aids in the development of skin cells and the maintenance of proper skin cell health. A deficiency in vitamin A can lead to dry skin, so eat plenty of carrots!
This is a little known fact, but eating carrots can even be a natural sunscreen, providing a SPF factor of 2 to 4 in people with light colored skin.
Another great food for beta carotene and vitamin C is sweet potatoes. In addition, sweet potatoes contain vitamin E which helps the body regenerate vitamin C and therefore is necessary in order to maximize the effectiveness of vitamin C. Foods that contain high quantities of vitamin C and vitamin E are very effective antioxidants for skin protection.
Pomegranate Juice
Pomegranate juice contains anthocyanins that act to strengthen the walls of the blood vessels that supply nutrients to the skin. Ensuring that these walls stay strong can prevent them from becoming spider veins!
Salmon
Salmon and other oily freshwater fish play an important role in skin health. Salmon contains a high amount of omega-3 fatty acids which the body can’t make on its own. These fatty acids improve the skin in several ways. First, they decrease the occurrence of clogged pores. Second, they reduce the body’s production of inflammatory agents that can lead to skin damage. Finally, they reduce skin dryness and related problems such as eczema, and improving skin’s elasticity.
Omega-3 fatty acids are responsible for healthy cell membranes. Omega-3’s prevent harmful substances from entering the cells, but allow essential, necessary nutrients in. Because these substances strengthen the cell membrane, they help to keep water in and keep the cells hydrated. This helps the skin maintain its proper moisture level resulting in plump, younger looking skin.
Salmon is also high in selenium, another important nutrient for skin health.
Stay tuned for Part Two in our series on the Best Foods for Your Skin!
Secrets for looking younger: Part two
Whether it's fair or not, we're all judged by how we look... That makes each of us want to look as young as possible. Did you realize there's plenty you can do to look young without spending a lot of money? Here's part two in our series of free secrets for looking younger. Enjoy (and stay young!)
- Get a good night's sleep. When we’ve had a good night’s rest, we show it. There are few things that can age you overnight more than a bad night of sleep. A bad night of sleep can leave your eyes puffy, your skin sallow and can even make your skin sag.
- Human Growth Hormone. Is Human Growth Hormone the ultimate tool in the battle against aging? Some experts say that it is! It’s also controversial and expensive. If you’re interested in learning more about Human Growth Hormone – including its potential to help you reduce your body fat, increase your muscle tone, enhance your sexual performance and put you in a better mood – talk to your physician!
- Don't Overpluck Your Eyebrows. This one is simple, but, once you hit your 30s, you'll want to be careful not to overpluck your eyebrows since eyebrows are less apt to grow back if you excessively pluck.
- Whiten your teeth. Yes, our teeth can age us. Over time, teeth can turn yellow from coffee, tea, red wine and smoking. Luckily, there are main very effective over-the-counter products that you can use to help whiten and brighten your smile. You’ll be amazed at how much younger you’ll look with whiter, brighter teeth!
- Stand up straight. Posture is very important! Think about all of the models and attractive women you’ve seen. Do they slouch? No, they stand up straight and confidently. Additionally, standing up straight will make you look ten pounds thinner in seconds and it will make you look five years younger as well.
- Protect your skin. To keep skin looking young and beautiful, it’s important to protect it. Always keep your skin protected when you’re in the sun by wearing a lotion or sunblock with at least a sun protection factor (SPF) of 15.
- Find a good relationship – and stick to it. Studies show that people in a relationship tend to live longer than others.
- Find a church, synagogue or other place or worship. Studies show that people who attend worship services regularly tend to live longer than people who don’t.
- Keep your memory and mind in tip-top shape. Get out of your daily routine and give your brain a challenge! If you’re right handed, try to do daily tasks with your left hand – your brain will be challenged and get strengthened. You can also do a crossword puzzle or play a brain-challenging game.
- Keep learning. Just because you’re not in school any longer doesn’t mean you can’t make learning a life-long activity. It keeps you young at heart and helps keep your brain active and strong! This could be as simple as reading a book about a subject that interests you or could even involve taking a class about a language you’ve always wanted to learn.
- Spend time with family & friends. Strengthening your relationships can help keep you feeling younger, plus some studies have shown that people with more friends tend to live longer!
- Consider Professional Options. There are many non-surgical professional options to help you restore your youthful looks. If you’ve tried everything else, talk to your dermatologist or health care professional about the options available to you! They likely include exfoliation, chemical peels, micro-dermabrasion and laser resurfacing.
- Restore Your Hormones to Your Younger Levels. Loss of energy? Loss of libido? Loss of stamina? These symptoms often drive patients into the waiting rooms of anti-aging doctors. They're also the typical symptoms of declining hormone levels and the reason that hormone replacement therapy is the number one weapon to battle aging! Experts say that the production of estrogen, progesterone and testosterone in women and testosterone in men decreases rapidly after about age 35. Many physicians prescribe hormone therapies for their patients and report tremendous results. Discuss your options with your physician!
Secrets for looking younger: Part one
Of course you want to look younger -- who doesn't? If you're looking for some no-nonsense tips on how to look and feel young, this series is for you! Here are our free tips to help you look younger!
- Eat a diet low in fat and high in complex carbohydrates. Your diet is key to looking and feeling younger. The standard advice from the United States government is to eat at least five servings of fruits and vegetables and three servings of whole grains each day. Doing so gives you a good dose of vitamins and minerals and other micronutrients. You should also drink five to eight glasses of water each day. In total, you should consume no more than about 35 percent of your daily calories from fat, with about 20 percent of those calories from unsaturated fat (e.g., 1 percent milk, olive and canola oil), approximately 15 percent from protein and the remaining calories from carbohydrates, with an emphasis on complex carbohydrates like oatmeal, whole wheat bread and wild or brown rice. Overall, you should try to maintain a healthy weight – being just 10-20 pounds overweight can increase your risk of heart problems and diabetes.
- Build endurance and strength with exercise. Experts say that regular aerobic exercise is a must for anyone who is committed to slowing the aging process. Multiple studies show that exercise helps to fight the loss of stamina, balance, muscle strength and bone density that increases with age.
- Maximize Your Intake of Antioxidants. Free radicals contribute to the onset of age-related diseases and antioxidants help to neutralize free radicals. Since our ability to create antioxidants on our own decreases as we age, it’s imperative to make sure that we get plenty of antioxidants! Consider eating foods high in antioxidants along with a supplement. You can eat dark-colored vegetables like tomatoes, carrots, squash and spinach for carotenoids and blue and purple berries for flavonoids. Since foods contain many classes of antioxidants that work together synergistically, they are the best source of antioxidants. Of course, we don’t always eat like we should which is why you should consider taking a supplement – discuss it with your doctor or nutritionist!
- Consider a Wrinkle Cream. (Yes, really!) Today there are many clinically-proven wrinkle reducers on the market. Find one that works for you – and use it! Many of them contain special skin plumpers along with antioxidants to help keep your skin supple and to reduce the appearance of wrinkles.
Why we age
So, why do we age? Sure, aging is a fact of life – but what causes it? Well, there are many different theories as to why we age. Here are three of the most popular:
- The Genetic Theory. We all have a “genetic clock” set to go off – that is, we’re pre-programmed with a set genetic lifespan. Scientists aren't sure on the exact timing and what accounts for variations among us. We do know, for example, that the children of long-lived parents also tend to live a long time. We also know that women around the world tend to outlive men. On the other hand, genes can hasten our demise. Recently, National Institutes of Health researchers identified a gene that could account for the late onset of Alzheimer's disease, a condition that robs millions of Americans of their memory and independence.
- The Free Radical Theory. Free radicals, which are byproducts of everyday chemical reactions in the body, are usually destroyed by antioxidants such as vitamin E and vitamin C before they can hurt our cells. However, as we age, our body's ability to make the enzymes that help produce protective antioxidants diminishes. Our diet – a key source of antioxidants – also changes with age. Seniors as a whole are generally poor eaters. When this happens, free radicals can run through your body unchecked. To date, free radicals have been implicated in more than 20 age-related diseases, including cancer, heart disease, macular degeneration and Parkinson's disease. As an extra whammy, free radicals also attack collagen and elastin, the substances of connective tissue that keep our skin moist and elastic. The loss of this elasticity and tone results in sagging skin and wrinkles.
- The Hormonal Theory. Hormones affect many, many things in our bodies. In fact, menopause, andropause, osteoporosis and heart disease are at least partially triggered by the reduction of hormone production that starts in our 30’s and continues as we grow older.
Make Your Own Anti-Aging Skin Treatments
You're probably visiting NoPlasticSurgery.com because you want to look and feel young and beautiful! We try to provide plenty of helpful free information to help you do just that! We've had several requests from users who wanted to find a do-it-yourself recipe guide for making their own anti-aging skin treatments. We tracked one down!
Now you can make your own natural & organic skin care products! Whether you want to treat wrinkles, crow's feet or saggy skin, the Do-It-Yourself Skin Care Recipe Guide is what you're looking for!
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