Healthy Skin Diet Plan

EAT RIGHT TO LOOK YOUNGER

Skin plays a vital role in our life, how one looks and feels directly correlates to ones skin. Making the best choices for our bodies, and ultimately our skin, is achieved through diet / food, exercise, and a healthy mental attitude. The type of skin you have depends on your genes, sex, age, environment, structure and regeneration. How you treat your skin will always be evident in your face, hands and body. It’s neither too early nor too late to begin looking after your skin. Great skin is the first step toward an excellent makeup.

Balanced diet plays an important role in maintaining the health of the skin. Although it may not produce striking rejuvenation, but neglecting it will make your skin age considerably faster. Also the, "cutting-edge" skin rejuvenation treatments are likely to be far less effective or even completely fail if your skin is deficient in one or more essential nutrients. Thus, 'A sufficient intake of nutrients from our diet can affect our internal health, which is in turn reflected on the outside through clear skin, strong nails and glossy hair.' A healthy diet puts your metabolism in tip-top shape.

A diet healthy skin must be consistently high in protein, fresh raw fruit and vegetables. There are three rules to observe in the diet.

• Eat more skin savers
• Make sure you get enough vitamins and minerals
• Cut down on skin sinners

SKIN SAVERS

Dark green leafy vegetables: Richly coloured leafy greens like methi, spinach, chowli, drumstick leaves are full of antioxidants. Plus, they’re a great source of iron when eaten with vitamin c rich foods. (Women who don’t get enough iron are especially prone to dark circles under the eyes). Greens also contain zinc, which helps break down damaged collagen, allowing new collagen to form.

Vegetable oil: Adequate fat intake is one key to smooth, supple skin. Individuals with persistently dry, flaky skin may not be getting enough good fats found in poly and monounsaturated oils like sesame, mustard, peanut and olive in their diet. When they add them back, the condition clears up. If clogged pores are a problem, the essential fatty acids in these vegetable oils can help keep them clear by thinning the oils they secrete.

Water: Water is the best dull skin reviver. Hydrated skin looks moist and plump, which makes existing wrinkles less obvious.

Ripe tomato: This skin sensational food packs high levels of antioxidants like vitamin A and C. Vitamin C helps keep skin elastic and prevents bruising. Vitamin A aids in healing acne from the inside out by boosting resistance to infection. These antioxidants are also present in other dark red, green, yellow fruits and vegetables, too.

Berries: Berries are great source of polyphenols and powerful antioxidants. The yummy fruit is shown to protect short-term memory and balance. Blue berries are packed with three times the antioxidant than in a punch of orange. A handful of jamuns, strawberries or 2 – 3 amla has all the antioxidant vitamin C your body requires each day to reconstruct your collagen, which prevents the skin from dropping.

Nuts and oilseeds: Nuts, flax seed oil are great source of essential fatty acid, omega 3 which battles collagen damaging free radicals and helps smooth out fine lines. Nuts are also good sources of zinc, which helps acne flare-ups and increase cell growth.

Melons: This colorful fruit is full of carotene like compounds such as lycopene, which reduce the deep down collagen damage that promotes wrinkles. Muskmelon is prescribed for drab skinned patient, which promotes a healthy glow. Beta-carotene help prevent keratonic plugs.

Soy: Whether whole or in the form of tofu, this bean is a skin saver. It’s full of chemicals that act like estrogen, and may help prevent acne. Soy is loaded with vitamin E, which boosts new cell growth and keeps skin moist. Try eating at least half a cup of soy 3 times a week.

Carrots: Crunch all you want – carrots are busting with beta-carotene, a key to keeping dry, flaky skin at bay. This nutrient is also found in other orange fruits and vegetables like apricot, papaya, pumpkin, mango and sweet potato.

Oat meal: You’ll get a dose of fibre that helps filter toxins. Ragi or barley can also be included as they are rich in B vitamins, which aid new skin cell growth.

SKIN SINNERS

Many of the external causes of aging skin are determined by the health and lifestyle decisions you make every day. Making unhealthy choices will harm your skin and make it look older, faster.

Here are 8 key factors that make you look older than your years:

Cigarette smoke: Whether you smoke, or you spend time with a smoker, cigarette smoke is damaging your skin. Research has shown that exposure to cigarette smoke significantly increases skin wrinkles and dryness.Some researchers believe that exposure to cigarette smoke is as bad for your skin as exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet rays.

Lack of exercise: Because exercise helps tone muscles and gets blood flowing, it should be an important part of every anti-aging skin care program. And the benefits of a regular exercise program will show on your face. Having a bright smile and lots of energy will help you look younger, at any age.

Alcohol: Alcohol dilates small blood vessels in the skin, which causes increased blood flow near the skin's surface. Over time, these blood vessels can become permanently damaged, causing a flushed appearance and broken vessels on the surface. Have at least two large glasses of water along with every alcoholic drink to fend of dehydration.

Caffeine: Caffeine is a diuretic so it saps your body and skin of moisture. Best to down a glass of water with each cup of coffee to make up for its dehydrating ways. It’s best if you trade a cup of coffee for a cup of antioxidant rich green tea or hot water with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Stress: Be aware of your stress level. Include meditation, yoga, gentle exercise or other relaxation techniques to keep stress levels under control.

Lack of sleep: Too little sleep makes you look and feel tired. One of the first places lack up sleep shows up is on the face, with dark circles and bags under the eyes, and sagging skin.

Exposure to cold weather: Cold winds and low temperatures can dry out your skin, so if you venture out in the cold make sure to use a good moisturizer. It’s important to use moisturizer indoors too, as heated rooms can be very drying to skin.

Sun rays: Sunlight not only affects the surface but it has the capacity to penetrate the skin and the living tissues of the lower layers. The most damaging effect of the sun is that it dehydrates the skin causing it to become dry and rough and wrinkled, freckles, pigmentation and patches may also occur. An immediate reaction is expansion of blood vessels that is why skin looks flushed, red and gets tanned if stayed out in the sun for long.

Protection against the sun is the only way to delay premature aging. This entails proper healthy nutrition along with using an effective sunscreen all the time regardless of direct exposure to the sun. Long exposure should be avoided as far as possible. As more than the sun if you don't take care of your skin you are it greatest enemy.

While some signs of aging are inevitable, there’s a lot you can do to look your best at any age. Taking good care of you is the most important step in your anti-aging skin care program.

THE PERFECT SKIN PLAN

Breakfast

• Breakfast cereals made of oatmeal or ragi with low fat milk and fresh berries or apple.
• Low fat curd with a fruit plate that includes vitamin B rich banana or papaya.
• Veg. paratha made on non stick pan with sauted vegetable and slice of papaya or melon.

Midmorning (choose one)

• Buttermilk
• Coconut water
• Fresh lime juice
• Vegetable juice

Lunch (choose one)

• Palak paneer with whole wheat chapattis, sprouts salad
• Vitamin B rich brown rice with mixed vegetables, lentil soup
• Mix veg soup with whole wheat chapattis, sprouts and leafy veg, curd or buttermik

Snacks

• Unsalted nuts
• Fresh fruit or deep coloured vegetables (red, green, yellow peppers, carrot)

Dinner (choose one)

• Stir fried vegetable, phulkas, salad, butter milk
• Brown rice, steamed vegetables, soup, curd
• Salad of greens, idli/ dosa, sambhar, coconut chutney.
• Salad, veg. paneer roll, curd.