Is eating your way to beautiful skin possible? I think it is.

After all, your skin is your largest organ and its health is an inside out job, despite the myriad of over-the-counter skin care items for sale.

While it’s good not to overdose on the sun, and emollients are useful, I’m here to tell you that a healthy diet is just as important, and perhaps even more essential, if you want your skin to be healthy.

What nutrients should you be focusing on for an eating-for-healthy-skin plan?

Glad you asked!

1. Include antioxidant-rich foods with strong concentrations of vitamins C and E.

They help reduce free-radical damage that contributes to aging skin. Eat red bell peppers, broccoli, citrus fruits, mango, strawberries and raspberries. Foods high in vitamin E include peanuts, almonds, sunflower seeds and hazelnuts.

2. Include foods containing the B vitamin biotin, which forms the foundation of our skin, hair and nails.

Eat liver, oats, turkey, Brazil nuts, potatoes, avocados, bananas, legumes, and kefir (a yogurt drink).

3. Vitamin A helps maintain and repair skin tissue, so eat carrots, sweet potatoes, mangos, spinach, dried apricots, milk, egg yolks, and mozzarella cheese.

4. Foods rich in lean protein provide skin benefits too. Eat yogurt, cheese, turkey, chicken, lean beef, and sardines.

5. A good combo to think about for optimizing the skin’s structure and function is: water, antioxidants and omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3’s are found in fish, healthy oils and nuts.

Focus on these 5 steps for healthier skin and let me know how it goes!

shelli

What’s almost as good as an outdoor alpine climb for losing weight?

How about omega-3’s?

I read that due to factors such as chronic stress, age-related hormonal fluctuations, and exposure to environmental toxins, 65% of American women have low levels of the appetite-suppressing hormone leptin.

That’s a lot of women!

It’s relatively easy to correct.

Just consume more omega-3 fatty acids. These healthy fats elevate leptin levels and increase the body’s sensitivity to it. Consume three daily servings of omega-3 rich foods like salmon, tuna, sardines, walnuts, chia seeds and flaxseed oil.

Keeping your leptin levels in a healthy fat burning range is important whether you’re losing weight or maintaining a healthy weight.

shelli

Do you think of licorice as candy or as a cure? Do you even think of licorice at all?

If not, I’m hoping this blog post will change that.

Tutankhamen was buried with it to guard him from evil spirits.

Greek and Roman soldiers chewed it to quench their thirst as they marched through the desert.

Even the Karma Sutra recommended drinking it with milk and sugar as an aphrodisiac.

The root of glycyrrhiza glabra, which we know as licorice, is a very extensively used and scientifically researched herb.

There are published reports of its effectiveness with ulcers and it has been shown to soothe bowel and kidney irritation, cleanse the colon and strengthen the liver. Especially when taken as a tea, it has been shown to be helpful in treating sore throats and bronchitis.

When used topically, the acid in the root provides relief from canker sores, eczema and psoriasis. It is also a natural anti-inflammatory and also acts as an anti-arthritic.

You’ll find the real thing, (not the candy variety), at health food stores which usually carry both natural dried licorice root and licorice herbal supplements and extracts. Be sure to consult with an herbalist first because as with many things, consuming more is not necessarily good.

HOW TO MAKE LICORICE TEA

Licorice tea is made by decoction, the customary way to make tea out of hard, twiggy plant parts like roots and bark. Put 1-2 teaspoons of dried licorice into a pot or saucepan. Add 1 cup of water for each teaspoon of licorice. Bring the mixture to a boil and let simmer on low heat for 10-20 minutes. Add a little honey, apple juice or liquid stevia to the tea after it has simmered if you want additional sweetness.

Try some tea or use licorice when you’re challenged by any of the ailments licorice helps. Let me know what you think!

shelli

I’m always on the lookout for a better and healthier way to create a bowl of cereal.

Here are some ideas.

1. Remember to check the calories and serving size of your cereal portion. A good serving size is 3/4 to one cup and aim for about 200 calories and fewer than 5 grams of fat.

2. If you buy cereal, look for the words “100% whole grain” which includes wheat, oats, barley, brown rice, and rye.

3. Look for 5 grams or more of fiber per serving.

4. Watch for added sugar and power up your cereal with protein, aiming for 8-10 grams of protein.

5. You can top off your cereal with nuts for vitamin E and healthy fats, fresh fruit for vitamins C and A, and kefir (a liquid yogurt) for its immune boosting properties and bone-building calcium/vitamin D combo.

Here’s a recipe for homemade granola.

2 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat bran cereal
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/3 cup slivered almonds
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup canola oil
1/3 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Combine oats, bran, wheat germ, almonds, and cinnamon in a bowl. Heat the honey and oil in a saucepan until small bubbles appear around the sides of the pan. Pour over dry mixture and toss until well combined.

Spread evenly in a foil-lined shallow baking pan. Bake 40-50 minutes or until golden brown. Stir every ten minutes. Add raisins. Cool and store in an air-tight container. This makes about 5 cups.

Enjoy!

Here’s an easy way to age-proof your body. Eat vegetable soup!

Eating two cups of soup made by simmering chopped tomatoes, green bell peppers, onions, garlic and olive oil in a pot of water with some spices can lower your risk of cancer, heart disease, stroke and other age-related diseases. Why? Because it boosts your blood levels of vitamin C by 22%. Vitamin C is an antioxidant superstar that helps keep every cell in your body healthy.

Protect your heart with camellia tea oil.

Camellia tea oil is made from the seeds of tea plants. It contains large amounts of catechins, the same powerful antioxidants found in green tea. These help reduce cholesterol, lower blood pressure, and guard against artery damage. They may also assist in weight loss and boost memory.

It’s a perfect oil for stir-frying since it can be heated much higher than olive oil before it starts to smoke. Give it a try and see what you think.

Pinot Noir can save your sight.

It turns out that people who drink anywhere from two glasses of red wine per month to three glasses per day are 50% less likely to develop cataracts when compared with nondrinkers, heavy drinkers and beer drinkers. Scientists speculate that wine’s enormous amount of resveratrol may be what stops cataracts from forming.

Broccoli seems to have a protective effect on the eyes as well, but hey, sometimes it’s just more fun to drink wine than eat broccoli!

shelli

Here’s a recipe for Yogurt-Cheese.

This is a tasty substitute for butter, mayo, sour cream or creme fraiche.

Ingredients:

1 pint or quart of yogurt (unflavored). Remember to use a healthy organic yogurt!

Put the yogurt into a strainer over a bowl. If you use a colander, line it with cheesecloth or a handkerchief. Cover with a cloth and put in the fridge overnight or for the day. Then discard the liquid that lands in the bowl, and scrape the “yogurt cheese” into a container for the fridge.

Here’s how to use the yogurt-cheese.

1. On toast, spread thickly with jam.

2. As a substitute for mayo on sandwiches.

3. As a finish to pasta when the recipe calls for any form of cream.

4. As a dip for crackers or veggies.

You can flavor it for whatever you’re using it with. Add some honey for fruits or desserts or add salt and pepper and herbs for mayo uses.

Alison, who sent me this idea, says that after a while you’ll get to like it better than the fatty foods.

Do you have any foods like Yogurt-Cheese you’d like to share with us? If so, send them along because as promised, I do pass them along!

shelli

Popular from Europe to Japan, and getting more popular in America as well, kale is hardy, tender and HEALTHY!

Kale, a yellow-green vegetable native to the Mediterranean, is an ancestor of more recent vegetables such as cabbage and broccoli.

It comes in several varieties including curly and flat forms. It does not have a head like cabbage and is a hardy crop, keeping it immune to insects and disease. It thrives through the winter and early spring. Kale with smaller leaves is generally more tender and mild. In the refrigerator it will keep several days but is best used within one or two days after buying it.

Kale is traditionally used in salads and stir-fries, as well as soups and stews. I use it in smoothies as well.

Kale is superrich in nutrients, with proportionally more vitamins and minerals than other vegetables. It has good amounts of fiber, vitamin C, carotene, potassium and calcium. Kale helps protect against allergies, cancer, diabetes and osteoporosis.

Fresh organic kale is available year round in most natural food stores. For those of you with gardens, plant some kale and enjoy its benefits.

I’m always encouraging people to try different foods. If you’re stuck in a cabbage/broccoli/spinach rut, get some kale and give it a try! And if you have any particular recipes using kale that you absolutely love, send them to me and I’ll be sure and pass them along!

shelli

Detoxification is an interesting, important topic, so I thought I’d tell you about 4 ways to increase your deep-tissue detoxification.

From pesticides, pollution, plastics, fragrances and other sources, our bodies are bombarded by so many chemical toxins in our environment, we can’t possibly get rid of them all. Some of these end up incorporated into bodily tissue, where they can stay for decades.

Here are steps you can take to help your body release and repair from those toxins.

1. Add more fiber to your diet.

Fiber binds to toxins and carries them out of the body. Twenty five grams per day is the recommended fiber level for women (38 for men). You can also use fiber supplements like psyllium seeds.

2. Get adequate exercise.

Getting your blood pumping improves the movement of lymph though the lymphatic system. This helps lymph fluids circulate throughout the body, removing toxins and other harmful materials. Exercise helps reduce overall body fat, which helps the body release stored toxins.

3. Saunas assist the body’s adipose tissue in releasing toxins through a process called heat depuration.

Infrared saunas are often recommended for two reasons: the temperature doesn’t get as high as air saunas, and the infrared rays penetrate deeper into the skin to better target fat tissues.

Try starting with 15-minute sessions, and be sure to stay properly hydrated. If you have high blood pressure, check with your health practitioner before using a sauna.

4. Chelation is a process in which certain agents are used to rid the body of toxic chemicals and heavy metals.

The chelation molecule has the ability to make these toxins soluble in blood, allowing them to be eliminated. Most of this is done under the supervision of a health provider.

OK, I’ll throw in one more to the detoxification helper list.

Did you know that Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, found in flax and fish oil, have the ability to be incorporated into cellular membranes, improving cell function and assisting in detox?

See, those fatty acids and their benefits somehow sneak their way onto almost every what’s-healthy-for-you list!

Detoxification is important, so give your body the help it needs by including these detox methods.

shelli

Do you know the “Big 3″ that experts say would be wise for nearly everyone to supplement with?

Even experts who don’t usually talk about many supplements seem to be talking about these, so I thought we’d take a look.

1. Which vitamin deficiency was recently found to be a possible cause of cognitive and mental flexibility problems?

Vitamin D.

It’s recently been linked to playing an important role in protecting us from a wide range of age related problems such as cancer, heart disease, and stroke, as well as cognitive decline. The thing to note is that as we age our skin becomes less effective at producing Vitamin D, so even if you get enough sunshine you still might not produce enough of it as you get older.

Start by having your Vitamin D levels checked the next time you have a blood test. If it’s not in the normal range, talk to your health practitioner about supplementation.

Other possible benefits of taking supplemental D are lower blood pressure, stronger bones, better immunity and lower risk of heart disease. If any of these speak to you, take a look at Vitamin D supplements.

2. Which nutrient has been linked to preventing a variety of health problems including cancers, heart problems, menopausal problems, Alzheimer’s and so many others it’s hard to count?

I’ll give you another hint.

As we age, our supply of this nutrient decreases and by age 80 our levels of it are cut by more than half.

Did you answer CoEnzymeQ10 or CoQ10 for short?

If you’re taking Statin drugs, listen up. They have been found to decrease the body’s supply of CoQ10.

What does CoQ10 do?

Well, for starters, it’s an essential nutrient in energy production for your body. It helps your heart muscle pump more efficiently and tolerate stress better. People with breast, colon, kidney and lung cancer have been found to have low levels of CoQ10.

I encourage you to take your CoQ10 research further and see if you’d benefit from taking it as a supplement.

3. I’m guessing since Omega-3 Essential Fatty Acids wasn’t listed as the first two, you knew it would be coming as number 3!

Just to give you a sample of the reports I’ve seen recently about Omega-3 benefits: one report said it eases depression and hot flashes in menopausal women.

Another talked about its ability, along with Vitamin C and E, to boost pancreatic health. I’ve written many times about the benefits of healthy fats, so I know Omega-3 is on your radar screen.

Not supplementing with them? Do consider it!

OK, if I had to pick a fourth I’d likely throw in a probiotic. Healthy digestion is so important to your overall health, so if digestion is an issue for you, please don’t let it go unaided.

Hope this list helps you zero in on where to start when you’re thinking of supplementation beyond REAL food.

As always, real food is number one!

shelli

Want three ways to hedge against dementia?

Who doesn’t, right?

Three studies presented in July at the Alzheimer’s Association International Conference pointed towards exercise, tea consumption, and vitamin D as promising to keep dementia at bay.

1. Those who engage in moderate to heavy levels of physical activity have a lower risk of developing any type of dementia. How much lower? About a 40% lower risk.

2. Studies have been done examining the relationship between tea consumption and change in cognitive function over time. Researchers found that people who consume tea had significantly less cognitive decline, between 17-37%, than those who were not tea drinkers. The greatest benefit accrues when you drink tea 1-4 times per week.

3. Researchers find that the odds of cognitive impairment were about 42% higher in people who are deficient in vitamin D. If you’re severely deficient, the odds jump way up to 394%. That’s a scary finding!

I recently had my vitamin D levels checked, so I’m OK in that respect.

And I don’t know about you, but after I finish writing this article I’m going out for an invigorating walk and after that I’ll make a nice cup of tea!

shelli