Beauty Find & Share: Women's Health - Special Beauty Bonus side (April 2011 issue)

Apr 14, 2011

Krystal C.

Beauty Find & Share: Women's Health - Special Beauty Bonus side (April 2011 issue)
I'm all about fruits and veggies - and if you are too, than this article will probably make you tweak your current grocery shopping list to include some of these known skin feeders. You don't have to change your whole diet, but try to substitute your regular meal and snack habits once in a while with something a bit more multi-tasking for your body and skin!

Excerpt from the Women's Health - Special Beauty Bonus side
Beauty From The Inside Out (page 5) (click link for full article)

1. Blueberries and Pomegranates
Both of these fruits are bursting with antioxidants called anthocyanins, which help protect you from fine lines and dryness by neutralizing the free radicals that weather your skin. Plus, their high vitamin C content enhances the production of collagen, which keeps your skin nice and plump. (And weighing in at less than 100 calories a cup, they have the opposite effect on your waistline.)

2. Dark Chocolate
Chocolate contains high levels of flavonoids, potent antioxidants that can help protect your skin from sun damage and amp up blood flow to your tissues, keeping skin nourished and glowing. Look for chocolate that's at least 70 percent cacao (it has more antioxidants), and use restraint. If you've been known to take down a giant chocolate bar in one sitting, buy individually wrapped nuggets instead and stick to one or two (about one ounce) a day.

3. Spinach
Spinach is another powerhouse of vital nutrients and antioxidants that help fight inflammation and free-radical damage - precursors to fine lines and wrinkles. It's also loaded with a kind of antioxidant called lutein, which helps eyes stay healthy and bright. Most important, spinach is an all-star source of vitamin A (beta-carotene), which helps speed up skin cell turnover and keeps skin supple. (And from this beta-carotene, your body generates its very own retinol, which makes skin firm and resilient). All this and it's nearly calorie-free: One cup of raw spinach has just seven calories and 55 percent of your RDA of vitamin A (700 IU). For variety, swap spinach for kale, collard greens, and Swiss chard - all of which have similar look-pretty powers.

4. Walnuts
Smoother skin, healthier hair, brighter eyes, and stronger bones. Eating just one ounce of walnuts (about 14 halves) by themselves or in your salad, pasta, or dessert will supply you with your daily dose of the nutrients (namely omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E) that are responsible for these radiant results. Other top nuts include hazelnuts, pistachios, and almonds.

5. Yogurt
Eating one cup of plain low-fat yogurt knocks off nearly half of your RDA of calcium with about 450 milligrams of the nutrient - and calcium is key for strong nails and teeth. Plus, eight ounces is packed with two grams of zinc (25 percent of the RDA), which helps calm skin inflammation, treat rosacea, and prompt regeneration of cells.

6. Tomatoes
Whether this red fruit is sliced, diced, stewed, or simmered, it helps protect skin against damage from the sun and other environmental factors thanks to its key ingredient, the antioxidant lycopene. Lycopene is actually highest in cooked tomatoes - yet another reason to opt for a red sauce over a cream-based one. Healthy fats aid the body's absorption of lycopene and other nutrients, so eat one serving of tomatoes a day with a drizzle of olive oil, a splash of vinaigrette, or a slice of avocado.

7. Kiwis
Vitamin C can help stimulate collagen synthesis, repair damage to skin-cell DNA, and keep blood vessels and hair follicles strong. A single kiwi has nearly all the vitamin C you need in a day but only 42 calories.

8. Edamame
Research shows that the isoflavones in soy foods - including tofu, soy milk, and edamame - can ease inflammation and stave off collagen breakdown, leaving skin with a more even tone and fewer wrinkles. There's no RDA for soy, but a serving per day is both safe and helpful. Add soy milk to your morning cup of coffee and toss half a cup of boiled edamame into a salad or pasta dish.

9. Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, and Butternut Squash
Beta-carotene, which your body converts into skin-smoothing retinol, thereby helping to protect your skin from past and present sun damage.

10. Green Tea
Antioxidants, called catechins, can help prevent certain skin cancers and stave off sunburns. The variety of tea with the highest concentration of catechins is called matcha. For all the pretty perks, drink two cups a day. If you aren't into tea, try sprinkling green matcha powder (available at health-food stores) into a yogurt parfait or homemade smoothie. And if you're trying to cut down on caffeine, worry not. With just 26 milligrams of caffeine per six-ounce cup, green tea has about half as much as a cup of black tea.

Links to article can be found on my blog: http://beautybykrystalc.blogspot.com/2011/04/beauty-find-share-womens-health-special.html

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