Healthy Foods for Healthy Skin

You are What you Eat:

Healthy Foods for Healthy Skin
 

We often think of lotions, creams, and soaps for bringing out the best in your skin. Did you know that what you eat also affects how your skin will look and feel? Below are some great foods to help keep your skin looking young, prevent premature aging, reduce your risk of skin cancer, and bring out the best in your skin.

Water: Drinking water helps to keep your skin hydrated. Hydrated skin helps move nutrients around and removes toxins. Try to drink eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day.

Green tea: Green tea has anti-inflammatory properties that may help reduce the health risks from ultra-violet light. It may also reduce the risk of skin cancers. Try drinking a cup of green tea every day.

Vitamin A, C, and E: All three of these vitamins provide antioxidant properties which are helpful to your skin. There are many factors that can damage your skin including the sun, air pollution, and cigarette smoke. Antioxidants help to repair the skin from these and many other irritating agents.

• Vitamin A is vital for skin health. It is necessary for the maintenance and repair of skin tissue Great sources of Vitamin A include carrots, sweet potatoes, and cantaloupe. Low-fat dairy including yogurt, low fat cheese, milk, and cottage cheese also provide a great source of Vitamin A. The healthy bacteria in yogurt also help with digestion which is beneficial for your skin.
• Vitamin C fights premature aging by reducing the damage caused by free radicals from the sun, smoke, and pollution. Some great food sources include kiwifruit, oranges, strawberries, bell peppers, broccoli, and cauliflower.
• Vitamin E also protects skin cells from ultra violet light, smoke, and pollution that produce cell damaging free radicals. It also helps reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Food sources include sunflower seeds, almonds, peanuts, peanut butter, wheat germ, and tomatoes.

Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids: Fatty acids act as a barrier to harmful agents and also act as a passageway for nutrients to get into your skin and waste products to get out. The healthier your cell membranes are, the better they can hold moisture. Fatty acids can be found in salmon, tuna, flaxseed and walnuts.
Healthier cell membranes → moisture in your skin → softer, younger-looking skin.

Selenium: Selenium helps to protect your skin from sun damage and delays aging by protecting skin quality and elasticity. Selenium can be found in whole wheat bread, muffins, and cereals; turkey, cottage cheese, tuna and Brazil nuts.

Enjoy a variety of healthy foods that contain the nutrients above to help your skin and overall health.

Your skin will thank you!

Another link to an article on limiting sugar in your diet

Attached is a link to an article on limiting sugar in your diet.

Enjoy the article.

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2013/03/18/2907855/healthy-eating-tame-the-sugar.html

March is National Nutrition Month

March is National Nutrition Month® - Eat Right, Your Way, Every Day

March is National Nutrition Month and the topic for 2013 is “Eat right, your way, every day”. This is a great topic to embrace the idea that we all have different eating styles and food preferences. This year’s National Nutrition month theme encourages you to make healthy food choices that include your favorite foods, eating style, and cultural background. Below are some tips to reach your nutrition goals.

v  Every morning, eat a breakfast that contains protein and fiber. Starting your day off right with a healthy breakfast will help provide your body with energy and will help you to make healthy food choices for the rest of the day.

v  Try to limit your intake of fried foods. Instead try to bake, broil, grill, and lightly sauté your favorite dishes.

v  Try a new fruit or vegetable each week and incorporate new healthy foods into your favorite recipes.

v  Use healthy recipe substitutions for some of your favorite family recipes. For example:

o   Use low-fat sour cream or plain Greek yogurt instead of regular sour cream in a recipe.

o   Use half the oil recommended in a recipe.

o   Use canola oil rather than vegetable oil in your recipes.

o   Use 1% milk instead of cream when making dishes that call for cream.

v  Try to find time in your schedule for exercise. Go for a walk, bike ride, or just walk around your office at work. Find an active activity that you enjoy, and make it part of your daily routine.

v  Drink plenty of water throughout the day. Try to limit your intake of soda and sugary drinks which just provide excess calories and sugar. Add lemon or lime to your water for a great taste, drink caffeine free tea, and/or drink seltzer water for a refreshing drink.

v  Do not skip meals. This leads to overeating at a later time in the day.

v  Use herbs and spices when cooking. They add a lot of taste and nutrients to your favorite foods.

v  Try to cook more, and eat out less. This allows for more control over what you are eating.

v  Remember, it is ok to have a treat now and then, just remember not to make it a daily habit and remember that portion control is always important.

Link to an article on Sugar and sugar substitutes

Many of you have questions about sugar substitutes and whether you should be using sugar –vs- Stevia –vs- Aspartame –vs- another sweetener. Attached is an article from the mayo clinic to give some clarification about the sugar substitutes available today.

 Enjoy the article.

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/artificial-sweeteners/MY00073