Add these healthy eating foods to your beauty
detox diet plan and get Ultra Beautiful in no time
Add these eight beauty superfoods to your diet this week!
As well as being yummy, strawberries are a vital food in the Ultra Beauty diet.
Strawberries are truly glow-foods for your skin, since they’re packed with skin-plumping vitamin C, antioxidants, flavonoids, minerals and fibre.
The vitamin C in strawberries helps the body grow and repair its tissues, according to the University of Maryland Medical Centre. It also helps to make collagen, an important protein needed by the skin to give that plump and youthful look, preventing wrinkles and sagging. In fact, if you don’t get enough vit C you can get scurvy which is what happens when collagen is so low that connective tissues break down.
Vitamin C also limits the damage induced by ultraviolet light exposure, says studies at Oregon State University. Although the vitamin isn’t a “sunscreen” (because it does not absorb light in the UVA or UVB spectrum), its antioxidant activity protects against UV-induced damage caused by free radicals.
Being water-soluble, vit C is not stored in the body so it is essential to make it a part of your daily diet. Other potent sources for snacking on or putting in salads are kiwi fruits, oranges and red peppers.
2. Vitamin E power in almonds
Saying no to those Krispy Kremes in plain view of your desk is much easier if you have a yummy alternative in your drawer. Stash a bag of almonds for the afternoon munchies and you’ll be giving your body a huge dose of protein, calcium, Omega-3 acids and vitamin E that together promote a lean body and luminous skin.
As we know, Omega-3 acids regulate blood sugars, reduce blood pressure, help reduce body fat, maintain muscle mass, increase energy levels and skin radiance. Your body can't make these essential fatty acids and, after walnuts, almonds are the best nut source.
Almonds are a brilliant source of a major nutrient that the skin needs: Vitamin E. It is the most abundant antioxidant present in the skin but is easily destroyed by pollution – that’s the reason why people who work in cities can have a greyish look.
Almonds also contain magnesium which, in addition to helping cells produce energy and protein, is believed to counter the effects of stress hormones, which can make you age faster and exacerbate acne.
3. Avocado for soft skin and weight loss
 |
| This Pret salad with avocado and crayfish is perfect |
There’s more to avocado than guacamole. The fats in avocado will help to improve skin tone, keeping it smooth and soft. Avos contain over 25 vital nutrients including vitamins (A, B, C, E, and K) and minerals such as copper, potassium, iron, magnesium and phosphorus.
Omega-9 fats help reduce redness and any irritation, and these super fats are also important for repairing damaged skin cells.
All these wonderful things combine protect your skin from wrinkles and other signs of ageing; and in addition, the vitamin E helps guard against photo-aging from sun exposure, and the high levels of vitamin C which, as we said above, is involved in the creation of elastin and collagen for maintaining your skin’s elasticity and firmness. Step aside, oranges!
If you’re one of those people who avoid avocados in salads because they’re high in fat, then you’ll be surprised to find out that they're actually good for weight loss. Research has shown that the monounsaturated fatty acids in this superfood are more likely to be used as slow burning energy than stored as body fat.
4. Green tea for detox energy
Once a rare specialty item associated with Chinese herbal medicine, green tea is now a staple in the coffee and tea aisle at your local supermarket. Swap your coffee for a cup of green tea and get a load of skin-and-bod-loving benefits.
The medicinal properties of tea are attributed to flavonoid phytochemicals called polyphenols. The polyphenols found in tea mainly belong to the subtype called catechins. Green tea has more catechins than black tea (about 25% versus 4%). The main catechins in green tea include gallocatechin (GC), epigallocatechin (EGC), epicatechin (EC), and epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG).
Current research indicates that EGCG can prevent collagen breakdown and reduce UV damage to skin.
The drink’s catechins help fight damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals are molecules that are missing an electron - they are inherently unstable, and always trying to steal an electron from the other molecules around them.
Free radicals can form in your skin for a variety of reasons, including exposure to toxins. However, the most common cause of free radicals in skin cells is UV radiation from sunlight, which causes up to 90% of all signs of premature aging.
If you’re worried about those years of sun tanning, the good news is green tea’s antioxidant effects may help prevent skin cancer. A 2003 study published in the American Chemical Society discovered that green tea prevents skin cancer by blocking a harmful enzyme, the appropriately named junk-2. A 2007 study revealed that those who drank two or more cups a day had a 65% lower risk of developing squamous cell carcinoma. Interestingly, the same study noted that drinking tea with lemon boosts its anti-cancer properties.
If you’re trying to lose weight, definitely start sipping tea as part of your program: Overweight or obese exercisers burned off three more pounds and 7 percent more belly fat when they drank green tea instead of another beverage with the same calories, according to a new multicenter study.
Getting rid of excess water weight is one way to lose weight, and provide a slimming effect. The diuretic effects of green tea have been used for centuries to help the body get rid of any extra fluid it’s not using, helping you to get that slim silhouette and light feeling.
Green tea boosts exercise endurance – those catechins are at it again! Here they’re helping the body to burn up fat as fuel, so your muscles can take more punishment at the gym. Being able to exercise more means you’re burning more calories, leading to a caloric deficit, and an increase in lean muscle mass.
 |
| Green tea will make you jump for joy in a sea of balls |
 |
| One of my favourite brands - Clipper |
The EGCG in green tea also helps to fight inflammation in the body, and therefore diseases and conditions that are brought on by it. As Ultra Beautiful followers know, inflammation is our number one enemy of the skin, responsible for a range of grievances like sagging, uneven tone, dull skin, and wrinkles – as well as a range from chronic conditions like arthritis to cancer. That’s why it’s a good idea to combine green tea with a diet that is high in anti-inflammatory foods.
5. Salmon – the all-round wonder food
Salmon contains essential fats and powerful antioxidants such as the carotenoid, astaxanthin (that gives it the pinky red colour), that have important anti-inflammatory properties. Salmon is also probably the world's most healthy source of protein. It is rich in long-chain omega-3 essential fatty acids - the most beneficial kind - which protect heart health, inhibit inflammation, act as natural anti-depressants, increase feelings of well-being, and help keep skin young, supple and radiant.Women are notorious for not eating enough protein, and the first place this shows is in the face. If you at lots of stodgy white carbs, this will make your skin dull and puffy.
Wild salmon is better than farmed because it is leaner, and contains more of the omega 3s, and no added chemicals. Personally though, I think farmed is better than nothing (and much cheaper), so I make sure I drain off all the fat from baked salmon, and for smoked, I blot it on kitchen roll before serving.
 |
| Salmon sushi makes a great lunch |
Salmon, along with the humble sardine, are the source of these wonderful beautifying benefits:
- Radiant, glowing skin
- Contoured cheeks and jawline – for high cheekbones!
- Strong hair and nails
- Decreased body fat
- Improved brain function
- More energy
- Reduce acne, and acne scarring
- Reduced symptoms and severity of chronic skin conditions such as eczema
 |
| Baked salmon, lemon and asparagus is PERFECT for your skin |
6. Pineapple to heal
So you’re grabbing lunch in the local supermarket to take back to work, and dithering over a dessert that probably goes something like this - yoghurt? Banana? I really want a bag of Percy Pigs!
 |
| Pineapple is yummy and easy to buy from most supermarkets' chilled sections |
Do your skin a favour and pick up one of those little pots of pineapple chunks, and you’ll end your meal with a nutrient powerhouse of vitamins A and C, antioxidants, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, iron, sodium, potassium, dextrose, sucrose, and the enzyme bromelain.
Fresh pineapple is the main source of bromelain, a combination of digestive enzymes and proteins that will fight inflammation in the body. Bromelain helps accelerate the healing of wounds and sports injuries, because of its healing effects to the cells.
The same principle applies to your skin – its boosts production of collagen, firms and sloughs off dead skin cells. It plumps and smoothes, making wrinkles less visible. Eat it every day and you’ll see age spots and uneven skin tone reduced. Plus, the water content and vitamin C makes skin more elastic and look hydrated.
7. Oats – the best beauty grain
 |
| Top with berries for extra vitamins |
double whammy of skin calming nutrients and slow release energy. You probably know that oatmeal's a fibre-rich superfood that does an all-star job of sopping up cholesterol and speeding it out of the body – but its collection of iron, manganese, phosphorus, calcium, Vitamins B and E, and silicon also promote glowing skin. Silicon is crucial for healthy skin to maintain collagen levels. Oats have also been found to contain a chemical which helps cells renew themselves and promote anti-ageing activity, and has huge calming properties – great if you have redness or irritation.
 |
| Simple rolled or old fashioned oats are best |
Top with cinnamon or berries for extra antioxidant power!
8. Orange foods for a natural glow
 |
| Baked sweet potatoes are EZ and a great winter dinner |
Orange coloured foods are another group of champions on the skin health front. Pick 'n' mix doesn't come into the equation here, though! It’s orange coloured fruit and vegetables only, and they will give your skin a beautiful, natural colour that no amount of fake tan will achieve!
 |
| Do away with bronzer and get the glow naturally |
A compound called beta-carotene gives the orange colour to foods such as carrots, sweet potatoes and mangoes, and that also goes straight to your skin, mildly colouring it with a gorgeous glow. The beta carotene also serves to protect the proteins in our skin that keep it supple, which adds a nice anti-ageing benefit to the mix too. Increasing your intake of these foods will help keep the skin smooth, as well as provide a natural SPF to protect from the sun.
The great thing about many of these foods is that they are portable or quick and easy to prepare. Snack on raw carrots during the day or bake some sweet potato wedges in the oven at night. Simple, quick, and easy!
To really enhance the positive effect of orange foods, combine them with something fatty. A little humous with raw carrots, or some olive oil drizzled on a sweet potato, will go a long way in aiding the body's absorption of the beta carotene.
 |
No comments:
Post a Comment