Your Diet For Better Skin

I strongly believe that whatever is in our diet shows in our health. This is never more evident than in the condition of our skin. Ever heard of carb face? I have. Just think of any person (even yourself perhaps) that consumes lots of white flour products, junk food, sugar, processed foods, etc., and you get a pretty good picture of carb face. Now you choose. Do you want to be a person with carb face or not. Ummmm, let me think for a minute. The minute is up. Not. Since you have made the decision to not be a person with carb face I will now tell you that it will not be easy. But, it is definitely do-able. And you can obtain better skin in the process.

First of all your diet should include taking a supplement every day. We just can't do it with diet alone anymore.

For a great supplement and the one I personally take click here.

Essential fatty acids are the protectors of our skin cells. They are responsible for our cell membranes. The cell membranes act as barriers to keep harmful things out and work as passageways for nutrients to come into the cells and to allow waste products to go out of the cells. This membrane holds water into the skin for proper hydration. When ingested the fatty acids are converted into a skin healthy hormone like substance called prostaglandins.

Good sources of essential fatty acids:flax seed oil, soybeans, nuts, salmon are good sources of omega 3 and omega 6 just to name a few.

A GREAT SOURCE OF ESSENTIAL FATTY ACIDS:

Read about Dr. Mercola's Krill Oil here.

--In addition replace those carbohydrates and processed foods with whole fresh foods. Do this because the quality of the food you eat is in direct proportion to your skin health. You want to support your body with a diet that feeds you correctly. Try more vegetables, whole grains, nuts, seeds, lean meat, fish, and fruits.

--Make it an absolute must to have some raw vegetables everyday.

--Eat food high in the antioxidant beta-carotene. Dark leafy vegetables, carrots, apricots, peaches, are all good sources.

--Eat sulfur containing food such as eggs, garlic, onions, and asparagus.

--Drink water. You should be drinking filtered water. Go for 2 quarts daily. A great place to start is with the right filter.

--Switch to herbal teas. Caffeinated drinks and alcohol are diuretics. Chamomile tea is known to soothe several skin conditions such as dermatitis and eczema.

--You need foods high in Vitamins A,B, and C.

--For recipes and further knowledge please read this book:

--A simple way to tackle the change over in diet is to simply add a salad for lunch. Make this what your lunch is centered around. How about adding tuna or chicken to that salad. Make your dressing one that is based on olive oil.

For breakfast eggs, whole wheat toast and alternate that with a breakfast of whole grain cereal.

For dinner again center it around that salad. Use dark leafy vegetables like spinach in it. Add some beta-carotene in the form of carrots for color. Add some sunflower seeds. Even chopped eggs on those days you have eaten cereal for breakfast. Add some tomatoes for their high vitamin C content. Watch your portion sizes. Experiment with some vegetables you have never tried before. Add a small amount of whole grain to dinner by adding brown rice or other whole grain. Add some protein by eating lean meats and fish.

For snacks choose a handful of nuts with some herbal tea. Herbal tea and fruit make a terrific evening snack. A veggie tray is nice to have on hand for a quick snack. The main thing is to be creative, collect recipes, and make some of your own favorite recipes. It's not easy passing up the pies, cakes, and other goodies especially when everyone else around you is enjoying them, but if you choose NOT to have carb face this is the route you will have to go. Do it for the sake of your skin.

And you knew it was coming--the things to avoid. These things should not be a part of your diet for dry skin:

--sweeteners

--sugar

--soda pop

--coffee with sugar

--pizza

--TV dinners

--packaged meats,

--canned foods

--chips

--cookies

--pasta made from white flour

--white bread

--fried foods

--animal fat

--highly processed food

These are merely suggestions. Please avoid these for the good of your skin. Treat yourself once in awhile and then get back on your diet for dry skin to help yourself. No one else can do it for you. It really does all start on the inside.