HEALTH & BEAUTY

FOODS THAT CAN MAKE YOUR SKIN LOOK YOUNGER

Looking great and having a clear complexion is easier than you think. All you have to do is include the right foods in your diet and behold… you can achieve that healthy, glowing, younger-looking skin!

Here is a list that you must include in your diet:

OMEGA-3 fatty acids.

What it can do to your skin. Improve skin health by helping to alleviate symptoms related to skin disorders like acne and psoriasis.

Other Benefits. It fights bad cholesterol and elevates good cholesterol. It reduces the incidence of bone loss and improves mental health. It also helps prevent cancer. Colon, breast, and prostate cancers have all been correlated with low intakes of omega 3s.

Best sources. Oily fish such as sardines, tuna and salmon are good sources of EFAs, as are nuts and seeds and their oils, organic eggs, prawns and soya beans. A quick way to increase your intake is to use sesame, rapeseed, walnut, soya bean or flax oils in the kitchen. At the same time, you should reduce your intake of saturated and processed fats because these can cancel out the beneficial effects of EFAs.

Antioxidants

What it can do to your skin.  Antioxidants have a major role in destroying free radicals, that damages collagen which is responsible in keeping the skin plump and elastic.

Other benefits.  Antioxidants protect us from minor infections and can also help prevent more serious, degenerative diseases such as cancer and heart disease.

Best Sources.  Uncooked, highly colored fresh fruit and vegetables are the best places to find high levels of antioxidants. Choose from: berries (strawberries, raspberries, blackcurrants); black grapes; Brazil nuts; broccoli; carrots; cherries; chestnuts; hazelnuts; kale; raisins; papaya; peas; peppers; prunes; spinach; sweet potatoes and tomatoes.

  

Vitamin A
What it can do to your skin.  Involves in forming new skin cells, vitamin A helps keep skin supple and is vital for healthy eyes and hair. Dry, flaky skin can indicate a deficiency.

Best sources.  Whole milk and butter, liver, oily fish and eggs. It can also be manufactured by the body from beta-carotene.

Vitamin E

What it can do to your skin.  This works with selenium and has a powerful action against free radical damage. It also helps the skin retain moisture. Premature wrinkles, pale skin, acne, easy bruising and slow wound healing may indicate a deficiency.

Best sources. Vegetable oils, nuts and seeds, peanut butter, wheatgerm, wholegrains, avocados and sweet potatoes.

Beta-carotene

What it can do to your skin. It helps to protect us against the ageing effects of sunlight.

Best sources.  Dark green vegetables (spinach, broccoli, watercress) and orange fruit and vegetables (apricots, mangoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and tomatoes).

Selenium

What it can do to your skin.  Protects cells from free radical damage and helps counter dry skin. Works with vitamin E to support the immune system, so can help fight infection.

Best sources.  Cereals, meat, offal, seafood, cheese, eggs, mushrooms, Brazil nuts, molasses, beans, wholegrains and wheatgerm.

Vitamin B ComplexWhat it can do to your skin. B vitamins help to release energy from food for skin metabolism and have a role in keeping skin moist and smooth.

Best sources.  Milk, oily fish, poultry, red meat, offal, eggs, bananas, soya beans, wholegrains, wheatgerm, peanut butter, fortified breakfast cereals.

Zinc

What it can do to your skin.  Vital to the immune system and the manufacture of collagen, zinc also speeds up healing. Lack of zinc can lead to stretch marks and stubborn blemishes. A dull complexion, white spots on fingernails, and dandruff are signs of deficiency.

Best sources.  Seafood, red meat, offal, turkey, cheese, brewer's yeast, eggs, nuts, wholegrains and mushrooms.

Vitamin C
What it can do to your skin. Vitamin C is essential for the production of collagen, the elastic tissue in skin that declines with age. Smoking, stress and sun exposure can drain vitamin C from the skin, leaving it vulnerable to damage.

Best sources.  Peppers, potatoes, peas, kiwi fruit, lemons, strawberries and tomatoes.

Iron

What it can do to your skin.  Important for the formation of hemoglobin, the red pigment in blood. A pale complexion and dark circles under the eyes may indicate a deficiency.

Best sources.  Red meat, liver, seafood, eggs. Less absorbable iron is found in green leafy vegetables, dried apricots and fortified cereals.

______________________________________________

JUICING YOUR WAY TO HEALTH

Hi, Guys! Today, we'll talk about the latest craze to hit the fitness world called JUICING. A lot of people and self-proclaimed health buffs are raving about the benefits of doing the juice therapy. There are a number of celebrities, like actors and models, who attest to the effectiveness of this diet trend in helping them to either shape up or slim down. But before we join the bandwagon, let's take a closer look at this current toast of the town called JUICING.

I read that juicing first became popular in the early 90's when many believed that it helps in reversing the aging process and cure chronic diseases like cancer.

There is no convincing scientific evidence though that drinking extracted juices have more benefits than eating whole foods. Juicing, as the name suggests, involves extracting juices from fresh fruits and vegetables as the main part of the diet. This process removes the pulp from the fruits and vegetables, which results in less fiber intake. That is the same reason why there are some people who are not convince of this diet since fiber intake is important to one's health. Although, there are some proponents who suggest eating the pulp which helps in keeping the fiber in one's diet. A diet high in fruits and vegetables has shown to reduce risk of having cancer. There are also claims that it improves skin complexion, metabolism and overall health condition. Aside from that, juicing is said to enhance the immune system and prevent or treat a wide variety of conditions.

On the other hand, overuse of juicing or consuming too much of certain juices can cause severe diarrhea, sometimes claimed to be "cleansing" by proponents who believe that toxins are removed from the body during this process. Also, the juices from fruits and strarchy vegetables such as carrots or beets can contain a lot of sugar, which may be harmful for diabetics and can contribute to weight gain. Overall, however, juicing is considered safe when it is used as part of a halthy diet. Commercially juiced products should be pasteurized to kill harmful germs, which can cause serious infections in some people whose immune system has been weakened by cancer. Relying on this type of treatment alone and avoiding or delaying convetnional medical care for cancer may have serious health consequences.

If you think JUICING is right for you, you can refer to the FOOD section of this blog to get some JUICING recipe. Remember, regardless whether this is just a fad or not, everything should be done in moderation.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

WRINKLES: CAUSES, TREATMENTS AND ACCEPTANCE.

Okay, so you wake up one morning and head on to rinse your face. After washing, you pause for a while to admire how blessed you are to have such a gorgeous reflection. And then suddenly, without any warning, you get the shock of your life when you see wrinkles and fine lines and then you realize you’re not that blessed after all.

But wait! There’s no need to panic as all normal beings experience this. And as we grow older, these facial lines will really start to appear. Wrinkles and fine lines will be part of our lives. The best thing to do is to understand them and deal with them the best way we can.

Wrinkles and fine lines are folds and creases that develop on different parts of our skins especially because of age or perhaps some damage caused by different environmental factors like sun exposure, air pollution and even stress. Over the years, our skin will gradually loose its flexibility, elasticity as well as its volume or thickness. The result of this development is the skin sagging causing those telltale wrinkles and fine lines that become so obvious to everyone who meets you.

So what causes wrinkles??? There are numerous factors that are responsible for the formation of wrinkles and fine lines. These factors contribute to the drop of collagen fibers that are responsible for the firmness and elasticity of skin. These factors include poor dietary habits, stress, exposure to the sun, lack of exercise as well as smoking.

Looking for a Cure. There’s no need to be overly frustrated about having wrinkles because there are different treatment methods that are available nowadays. The treatment procedures begin from the very simple but effective ones using different anti-wrinkle creams and lotions to the very complex and invasive surgical procedures and the modern laser treatment methods. It is advisable to seek an advice from your dermatologist.

Acceptance. At the end of the day, you just have to accept the reality that we do grow old. And those wrinkles represent more than just lines on our skin, but the years filled with both happy and sad experiences that have made your life richer. True beauty is more than just skin deep. Real beauty is about having substance. There’s beauty in all things… even in wrinkles. You just have to find it.

______________________________________________________
FACE CLEANSING: DOING IT PROPERLY

Washing your face is not as simple as using water and soap. To properly care for your skin, one very basic thing that you should know is proper face cleansing.

Face cleansing means to clear the skin by using anti oily chemicals or natural products that help in cleansing face. Cleansing the face may involve several steps. Face cleansing at home has been made possible by best cleansing products like astringents and face cleansers.

Here's a very simple step to follow in washing our face.

The best way to perform cleansing is to perform cleansing at night. Wash your face properly and then apply use a facial cleanser to remove make-up and dirt. Rinse face with water. wait for 5-10 minutes. Apply a toner or astringent all over the face to clean skin and tighten pores. Leave it on for 20 minutes. Rinse your face again. Apply a moisturizer. Leave it on. Wash face in the morning.