Anti Aging by Feeding Your Skin

Feeding your skin from the inside to keep it looking young and healthy isn't just about eating healthy foods - it's also about choosing the right food for your skin type and about vitamin and mineral supplementation.

Nutritional studies consistently show how important a role food and daily supplementation of vitamins play in maintaining healthy skin and a good complexion.

For anti aging it is also important that your diet is anti-inflammatory.

In his book, The Wrinkle Cure, author Dr. Nicholas Perricone, highly recommends the use of an anti-inflammatory diet that includes vegetables, fruits, and plenty of fish.

Anti Aging by feeding your skin

"By altering the way we eat," says Dr. Nicholas Perricone, "we can control and eliminate inflammation."

Dr. Nicholas Perricone is not alone in his belief that inflammation speeds up the aging of the skin and actually promotes the formation of wrinkles.

If this is true then all anti aging products on the market today become questionable when it comes to their long term effects. They may in fact be accelerating the aging of the skin instead of preventing it.

Now I found this extremely interesting because I was already coming to this conclusion from my own experience with various anti aging products. Up until six months ago I was still using the same moisturizer I have used since I was seventeen.

Taken in by clever advertising I decided to try several products to see if the results were better than relying purely on a healthy diet. Since using the anti aging products on my face there has been significant alterations to my complexion, although the overall color and smoothness looked good in the mirror. At first I was pleased with the results.

However, I recently had some photographs taken and I was horrified to see that the skin on my face looked totally different to the skin on my body. It looked tougher, shinier and older and veering more towards polished leather than well moisturized skin.

The reason it showed up in a photograph is because of the flash used, as skin ages it loses its ability to reflect light. The skin on my face was not reflecting light in the same way as the rest of my skin.

Needless to say, I have returned to just using my normal moisturizer. And now I have read the following statement by a cosmetic scientist, I am glad I have.

Gisele Mir, a cosmetic scientist and founder of the holistic skincare range Mir says this about anti aging products:

"There is no miracle ingredient that will take years off your appearance. The only miracle is that the cosmetics industry has managed to persuade us otherwise for so long. In my opinion you can harm your skin by using anti-aging products. I believe many of these products accelerate aging rather than prevent it.

'Retinoids irritate the skin, so there may be dry and flaky skin, and sometimes itching, soreness, redness and a tight feeling. Some specialists think retinoids work simply because they irritate the skin, aggravating normal skin repair that will smooth wrinkles.

'AHAs cause irritation, which may make the skin swell slightly, padding out fine lines. AHAs also induce a peel, giving a smoother surface but making the skin susceptible to UV damage.

'We have absolutely no idea what the long-term effect of using these substances will be. The incidence of skin sensitivity has significantly increased in recent years and I believe the cosmetics industry is partly responsible. Some anti-aging products contain vitamins, but in my opinion these have little or no value. Ensuring your diet contains the right balance of minerals and vitamins will benefit your body as a whole."

Inflammation is your body's natural response to irritation.

Feeding Your Skin With Healthy Eating

Feeding your skin with healthy eating and choosing the right foods for you will ensure that this normal process is minimized.

Nutrition educator Mary Meck Higgins believes fish contributes fatty acids that help protect the skin from sun damage ("The Good Skin Diet." Bella, Jan/Feb 2003, p. 14).

Studies have shown that people with beautiful skin later in life have usually kept to a diet high in fish and other anti-inflammatory foods.

Nutrients to look out for that will feed your skin are:

Vitamin A (egg yolks, nonfat milk)
Beta-carotene (dark-colored produce)
B vitamins (poultry, fish)
Vitamin C (strawberries, cantaloupe)
Vitamin E (salmon, extra-lean meat)
Selenium (wheat germ, whole grains)
Zinc (seafood, soybeans).

So if you are like me and you want to have a smooth, clear, radiant complexion well into your old age then it's important that you make the right decisions now, because this will make all the difference to your skin in the future.

When you take back control by using the right skin treatment regimen, habits and diet, there is no reason why your skin can’t look beautiful for many years to come.

Powerhouse Foods for Feeding Your Skin

Blueberries

Feeding Your Skin Image 3 Beauty-Secrets 4 U Blueberries are packed with antioxidant phytonutrients called anthocyanidins; because of this blueberries can neutralize free radical damage to the collagen matrix of cells and tissues. Anthocyanins have been shown to greatly enhance the effects of vitamin C, improve capillary integrity, and help to stabilize the collagen matrix (the ground substance of all body tissues).

They work their protective magic by preventing free-radical damage, inhibiting enzymes from slicing the collagen matrix, and directly cross-linking with collagen fibers to form a more stable collagen matrix. Collagen is the mesh of fibers that support your skin and give it its plumpness and firmness.

Blueberries are also an excellent source of vitamin C, manganese, and both soluble and insoluble fiber like pectin and vitamin E.

Vitamin E & Raw Wheat Germ

Vitamin E is found naturally in raw wheat germ and is one of the most valuable of all the nutrients when it comes to feeding your skin.

In our modern world of convenience foods the process of flour milling and refining removes the raw wheat germ to create white flour. It has a short life and will go rancid quickly so raw wheat germ has no place in commercial food products that are required to sit on the shelves for days or even weeks. Instead it is replaced with over 700 chemicals and poisons that are designed to prolong the shelf life of the product.

You can buy raw wheat germ from health food shops in dry flake form and you should store it in an air tight container to keep it fresh. Wheat germ has a pleasant nutty flavor and can be sprinkled liberally over cereals, salads, into sandwiches and added to your favorite smoothie. Be creative and add it to your diet to boost your levels of vitamin E.

Feeding Your Skin with Vitamin C and Vitamin E Together

These two vitamins together are essential for healthy glowing skin. Vitamin C helps to fight against wrinkles and fine lines by producing collagen. Vitamin E helps the skin look younger by protecting it from UV rays and by eliminating harmful free radicals.

Here is a list of Vitamin C and Vitamin E Rich Food:

Foods Rich in Vitamin C:

Papaya
Orange
Broccoli
Strawberry
Kiwifruit
Cauliflower
Lemon
Cranberry Juice
Potatoes
Tomato
Grapefruit

Foods Rich in Vitamin E:

Sunflower Seeds
Almonds
Olive Oil
Sunflower Oil
Corn oil
Blueberries
Hazelnuts
Wheat Germ
Pine Nuts
Avocado
Salmon

If you change your eating habits and include these foods in your diet along with good quality protein and slow release carbohydrates you will soon see a huge difference in the appearance of your skin and your whole body.

'Liz Earle's Skin Care Secrets' is what every woman needs - an indispensable guide to having naturally beautiful skin, throughout your life.

Having had bad eczema from an early age, she then worked as a beauty journalist for many years and now with a multinational, award-winning beauty brand.

Liz Earle has the experience and wisdom needed to offer her knowledge and secrets on how to protect and nurture your skin.