The weather is turning again and soon it will be hot and sunny! That’s very good, but it requires a little bit more care for your skin. Not that you shouldn’t take care of your skin all the time, it
The weather is turning again and soon it will be hot and sunny! That’s very good, but it requires a little bit more care for your skin.
Not that you shouldn’t take care of your skin all the time, it is just more obvious if you get burnt or have dried out skin from the sun.
Two of the most important things you can do for the health of your skin and body is to drink lots of water and eat good food. Certain foods are best for the health of your skin, and we are going to take a look at them now.
Everything that you eat becomes part of you. Think about that for a minute — What choices are you making to build the tissues of your body?
If you eat junk, well, you are giving your body junk for raw materials in which to build new cells, and sooner or later it will show.
One of the most important constituents of a healthy skin diet is to consume low fat, organic milk products which have an abundance of Vitamin A.
This is doubly important if you are compromised by having diabetes or a thyroid condition because many people with those conditions do not convert beta carotene to Vitamin A very well.
Low fat organic yogurt is an especially good choice because not only does it contain Vitamin A, it also has acidophilus, a bacteria which helps digestion and helps keep your gut clean which will be reflected in clean looking skin.
Foods like berries, pecans, artichokes, prunes and plums — dark colored fruit with lots of antioxidants and phytochemicals — are great foods for your skin. These nutrients help fight off free radical damage from the sun, as well as other harmful elements in the environment such as pollution.
Fatty foods such as salmon, walnuts, canola oil and flaxseed all contain good healthy fats that are essential to build strong cell membranes.
This allows for nutrients to pass into the cells and to help keep harmful toxins out. Healthy cell membranes also hold water in your skin, resulting in more youthful skin.
The essential fatty acids in these fatty foods, especially Omega 3 from the foods listed, should be expeller processed or cold pressed to get the most out of them.
If they are not labeled as such, most likely solvents have been added and high temperatures have been used in order to process them. That means the benefits are essentially gone.
Any fat, whether it is healthy or not, is high in calories. So, remember that you only need approximately two tablespoons a day. Not more!
Selenium is a mineral that has powerful antioxidant effects and is terrific for maintaining healthy, youthful looking skin. You can find selenium in Brazil nuts, turkey and some whole grain cereals.
Green tea (my personal beverage of choice) is essential for healthy, good looking skin. It has anti-inflammatory properties and is protective for the cell membrane.
There is even evidence that it can help prevent cancer. Either drank as tea or applied to the skin as a soothing wash, green tea is mighty.
Water — especially water with lots of good minerals — is still supreme when it comes to the health of your skin and your whole body! Every cell of your body depends on water for its structure and nutrients. You should have an ounce of water for each half pound of body weight that you carry. So if you weigh 100 pounds, you should drink 50 ounces of water a day.
Those are the things you should do to maintain healthy skin. What shouldn’t you do?
Don’t smoke, don’t forget your sunscreen (30+ SPF, applied every 2-3 hours), don’t stay up all night. Get 7-8 hours of sleep every night, don’t stress.
Exercise, do yoga and don’t forget to use good simple skin care products, and give it time to work. Here’s to looking good!
• Jane Riley, M.S., B.A., C.P.T., Certified Nutritional Adviser, can be reached at janerileyfitness@gmail.com, 212-1451 or www.janerileyfitness.com.
