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You are here: Home / Archives for skin

skin

Boosting Collagen for Youthful Glowing Skin

September 15, 2018 by Joni Leave a Comment

natural collagen boosters

chart showing collagen loss as we age

As we age, our bodies go through changes that often cause us to look or feel tired, achy, and less energetic. One of those changes is that, once we hit our 30s, our bodies begin to produce less collagen, and that trend continues as we age.

Supplementation is helpful but be very careful on the quality. This is the brand I trust, Organixx.

Collagen helps our skin look fuller; when we produce less collagen, our skin loses that fullness and looks thin and/or more wrinkly. But what we eat can help! The best foods for boosting our body’s production of collagen are:

  • Fish: Fish with healthy Omega-3 fatty acids – such as salmon – help keep our skin cells healthy. That’s because healthy skin cells contain a protective, fatty membrane that helps promote plumper skin. Whenever possible, choose wild salmon. King salmon has high fat content and a buttery texture. Coho is milder and often lighter in color.
  • Fruits and veggies (water-based): In addition to containing high percentages of water, watermelon, cucumbers and celery also contain sulfur, a necessary mineral in order for our bodies to produce collagen. They also help you stay hydrated, which also adds to the suppleness of our skin.
  • Dark leafy greens: Dark green vegetables — such as kale, Swiss chard, collards, and spinach — contain vitamin C, which promotes collagen. They also contain antioxidants, which help prevent collagen from breaking down. You can make a dark, leafy green salad, add cucumbers and celery, and top it off with salmon for a collagen-boosting meal!
  • Berries: Yes, all of your favorite berries help fight free radicals and increase collagen production levels! Hello, blackberries, raspberries and blueberries!
  • Red and orange vegetables: Yes, color does matter! Red veggies (such as tomatoes, red peppers and beets) contain lycopene, a natural antioxidant. Experts also believe that lycopene protects the skin from sun damage, so it’s like getting a two-fer: fighting free radicals and the enzymes that break down collagen, while boosting collagen levels! And don’t forget about the orange vegetables, too! Carrots, yams, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, all are high in vitamin A, a natural restorative vitamin that helps reverse damaged skin and regenerates collagen. Fall is the perfect season for roasting these veggies!
  • Garlic: Garlic is a well-known longevity food for many reasons! When it comes to collagen, garlic is one of the best sources of sulfur (and you may remember from an earlier bullet, our body needs sulfur to produce collagen). Garlic also contains taurine, which help builds damaged collagen fibers.
  • Egg whites: Egg whites actually contain collagen! They are also high in lysine and proline, which both help support your body’s collagen production.
  • If you don’t eat eggs: Nuts also contain lysine. The highest source is macadamia nuts, but walnuts and almonds are also good choices.
  • White tea: Research shows that white tea protects the structure of collagen, and stops the enzymes that break down collagen. Brew white tea as you would any other tea, and you can drink it warm or cooled. Forgo the sugar or honey, however, as sugar not only breaks down collagen, but it adds to other age-related symptoms such as achy joints.

Now that you know what to eat to boost collagen production, try some of my favorite Age-Busting Recipes!

Salmon with Red & Orange Vegetables

Cilantro Coconut Quinoa Seafood Stew

Filed Under: Body Tagged With: anti-aging, collagen, skin

5 Surprising Beauty Foods

March 24, 2015 by Joni Leave a Comment

Beauty Foods

Beauty foods?!? Yep, BEAUTY foods. Get you glow on without all the toxic muck from the ‘beauty’ industry. Heck, you can grow your own beauty foods in the backyard, balcony or kitchen window sill!

All fresh fruits and vegetables contain magical powers when it comes to shiny hair, clear skin, and strong nails. However, the ones I’ve chosen below are perhaps not as well known for their powerful beauty benefits. Try and include these foods into your diet if you want to look your best without the need for botox or other unnatural remedies.

1. Red Peppers. All red and orange colored foods contain beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant. Red peppers are particularly beautifying due to the minerals A, C, and K. Vitamins A and C can help prevent cell damage that leads to premature ageing, and they can also reduce inflammation, which can cause a puffy-looking face. Pepper also has Vitamin K, which is an excellent property for protecting our cells from damage.

2. Spinach. All leafy greens are actually very powerful in terms of being a beauty food because of the chlorophyll they contain. There are also loads of other phytochemicals and fiber in spinach that help build blood that is super clean and which will show through in your skin.

3. Turmeric. This yellow-colored, Indian spice has a load of powerful antioxidant qualities. Turmeric assists in protecting our cells from free radical damage and also contributes towards cleaning up metabolic waste in our systems. It is also great as a liver flusher to get rid of any poisons and chemicals which are stored there.

4. Pumpkin Seeds. Wow, these really are powerful. What don’t pumpkin seeds have in them?! The humble pumpkin seed contains high levels of zinc, calcium, potassium, magnesium, and vitamins B, C, and E. Pumpkin seeds are also a great source of amino acids and omega-3 fatty acids, all essential for healthy cell maintenance. Make a handful of pumpkin seeds a regular part of your diet, and you will definitely notice a change in your appearance.

5. Parsley. Next time your plate is garnished with parsley, don’t push it aside. This is a pretty powerful herb when it comes to anti-aging, as well as purifying and cleansing the body. It contains vitamins A and C as well as anti-oxidizing flavonoids that protect our cells from free radical damage. Parsley also helps to purify the blood, kill bacteria, aid digestion, and cleanse toxins from the liver.

The best thing is that all these foods are easy to incorporate into your diet. Add turmeric to juice and combine the other foods with some other fixings to make a great, beautifying salad. Who said that beauty was hard to keep?

Looking for more tips? Check out my tips for Sexy Summer Legs!

Smoothie Slim Down

 

Filed Under: Body, Healthy Eats Tagged With: anti-aging, antioxidant, featured, food allergies, greens, natural, parsley, pumpkin seeds, skin, vegetable, veggie

Sexier Summer Skin

July 1, 2014 by Joni 2 Comments

MCT

5 Natural Ways to Diminish Dry Skin

You can’t hide that dry flaky skin behind the winter wardrobe any longer. Summer is here and that means more skin showing and hopefully glowing. Good news is  – there are simple solutions hiding in your kitchen to help you say bye-bye to dry, scaly, itchy skin. Ready?

1. First things first. Ditch the lotions with petroleum based or mineral oils. Seriously, in the trash with any personal care product with carcinogenic potential. Our skin is our largest organ and needs to be treated with TLC.

2. Exfoliate regularly. You should include dry brushing into your normal daily hygiene routine. In addition, find a wonderful sugar or salt based body scrub enriched with moisturizing oils and fabulous essential oils that leave you feeling smooth and silky. Here’s a tip: It is a near orgasmic experience to feel your skin after using a body scrub to shave!

3. Turn down the heat. I know hot showers feel good on tired aching muscles, but it is best to take cooler showers if you are battling dry skin. Cold water helps “close” pores. This keeps your skin looking smooth and healthy while not drying your skin out as hot water showers can do. The cold water helps keep your hair shiny and your skin soft, rather than itchy, ashy and dried out. Here’s a tip: Always end your shower with cold water. There are countless studies which show that cold exposure improves immunity!

coconut oil and skin
Say goodbye to dry skin!

4. Consider coconut oil. It is versatile. I cook with it and use it on my skin and hair! Coconut oil is said to help exfoliate the outer layer of dead skin cells, making your skin smoother. Here’s a tip: if you have someone opposed to slathering their dry, flaky skin due to the girlish nature of lotion (aka: The Mr.) fill a jar with coconut oil and they will use it!  And if the skin is itchy, add a few drops of lavender essential oil. Works wonders! Speaking from experience here.

5. Feed your skin from the inside out. Make sure you are getting enough omega-3 fats from a quality source. Due to their anti-inflammatory properties, omega-3s help calm irritated skin as well as aiding in the prevention of cellular dehydration. Speaking of cellular hydration, make sure you are drinking enough clean filtered water every day and eating lots of organic fresh vegetables.

Start implementing these loving changes and I can guarantee your skin will love you right back! Do you have any tips to share with us?

Filed Under: Body Tagged With: coconut oil, natural, skin, skincare

6 Reasons for Dry Brushing Your Skin

June 13, 2014 by Joni Leave a Comment

dry brushing

Did you realize that our skin is our largest organ? Think about that for a minute. How well do you protect and give it the loving attention it needs? Our skin takes fabulous care of us! It functions as both protection and a mode of elimination. Dry brushing is a method of daily hygiene that has many benefits – below you find just a few!

Dry Brushing Benefits
  1. Removes dried, dead cells that block the pores. Daily brushing allows the skin to breathe easier and increases its ability to eliminate the waste products of your metabolism.
  2. Increases circulation of the blood and lymph vessels that lie close to the surface of the skin. The blood, fluid, and its contents are returned to the heart for redistribution or elimination.
  3. Increases the nutrients to the skin. By clearing out stagnant materials, there is an increased oxygen/carbon dioxide exchange, and other nutrients, vitamins, minerals, enzymes, etc… are brought to the area.
  4. Removes waste products of cellular metabolism through blood vessels.
  5. Decreases the workload on the rest of the body.
  6. Warms the skin.

Convinced you should add this to the daily regimen?

dry brushing tools
Always opt for natural bristled brushes.
Tips to get started dry brushing:
  •  Always use a natural bristled brush. (Just say NO to synthetic!)
  • Use a firm upward stroke. (Brushing toward your heart facilitates better blood and lymph circulation through the body, which doctors agree is important for better health.)
  • Start at your feet and work up the entire body front and back. (Concentrate on areas where lymph nodes are prominent; back of knees, inner thighs, under arms. Avoid brushing the more sensitive skin around your breast!)

Once you make this a habit, you will be rewarded with softer skin and better functioning lymph system.

Happy Brushing!

Filed Under: Body Tagged With: detox, health, healthy, holistic health, skin, skincare

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