Health And Beauty Tip - Don't Starve Your Skin!
To win the battle against the effects of time and the
environment, we need to do more than just apply lotions and
creams to our faces. No matter how sophisticated the ingredients
grow, those anti aging creams only improve the appearance of the
dead layers of skin on the surface. To reach the deeper, living
cells, we need to nourish ourselves from within.
Juices are an great way to get vital antioxidants,
phytonutrients, and vitamins in fruits and vegetables we
normally would not eat regularly. For example, pomegranate juice
has been found to prevent the thickening of the arteries if
drunk daily, as well as slow down the oxidation of cholesterol.
And new research indicates it may have a much stronger
antioxidant effect than red wine and green tea. Beauty foods
like these can be a very effective tool in improving the way our
skin looks and feels.
Antioxidants are an excellent way to slow down the aging process
on our skin. There are a variety of antioxidants found in fruit
and vegetables. These include polyphenols, flavanoids, and
proanthocyanadins. Proanthacyanadins help capillary walls stay
strong, which is important in making sure all the right
nutrients and oxygen get to our cells. If our cells are starving
because of nutrient transportation problems, they are not going
to be healthy, or look good. Blueberries and blackberries are
rich sources of proanthocyanadins, so that's a great excuse to
make these delicious fruits part of a regular diet. If you can't
get fresh berries, or they're too expensive, try frozen berries
as they still retain their nutritional value.
Paul Bedson, who utilizes traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) in
his approach to the body, suggests these juices for good skin
health:
* Carrot, celery and lemon juice
* Cucumber, lettuce, and pineapple juice
* Half a glass of cucumber juice with half a glass of water
TCM sees healthy skin function in relation to how well the other
organs of elimination function. The skin is considered an organ
of elimination as it excretes about one quarter of the body's
wastes through perspiration. The other organs of elimination are
the kidneys, the lungs, the liver and the bowels. The rationale
behind considering the excretory organs as a whole when
addressing skin health, is that if one of the organs is
overloaded, or not doing its job properly, it throws the whole
system of excretion out of balance, placing greater stress on
the other eliminatory channels. So juices, food and supplements
that support these other channels of elimination should also
lead to a corresponding improvement in the skin.
Herbs that support the eliminatory channels, and thus indirectly
the skin, include burdock, cleavers, nettles, goldenseal, yellow
dock, and milk thistle, or st marys thistle.
References: Paul Bedson, The Complete Family Guide To Natural
Healing (Hinkler Books, 2005)
Erica Angyal, Gorgeous Skin In 30 Days (Lothian Books, 2005
http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=62044-tesco-pom
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