I thought I would share this girls here :D…not sure if this has been posted here before.
18 Foods That Make Your Skin Glow
[FONT=Times New Roman]Top skin creams average about $400 an ounce (and you thought gas was expensive!), yet most offer little proof that they do half of what they promise. Want to save a bundle* and* improve your skin? Load your shopping cart with nutrients that research has shown to have skin-hydrating, sun-protecting, and even wrinkle-preventing powers, says Manhattan dermatologist Amy Wechsler, MD. Here’s her grocery list of best foods for your skin.
**[FONT=Times New Roman]Firm and Bright
**[FONT=Times New Roman]You’re probably up to your eyebrows (Botoxed or not) with hearing “eat more fruits and vegetables.” But if you have yet to take that advice to heart, maybe knowing that they prevent wrinkles will do the trick. The colorful pigments that produce bright orange and red also refill antioxidant levels in your skin.
[FONT=Times New Roman]The skin doc’s 4 top picks:[FONT=Times New Roman] SWEET POTATOES, TOMATOES, CANTALOUPE
[FONT=Times New Roman]What they do: [FONT=Times New Roman]Replenish your skin’s supply of antioxidants, so they’re ready to scarf up free radicals whenever they make an appearance. Free rads are highly reactive oxygen molecules that damage cells and contribute to just about everything that can go wrong with skin, from dryness to crinkles.
**[FONT=Times New Roman]Fresh and Juicy
**[FONT=Times New Roman]Your body can’t store much wrinkle-fighting vitamin C, so you need to keep your supplies stoked. The easiest, simplest way: Have some citrus every day.
[FONT=Times New Roman]The skin doc’s 4 top picks: [FONT=Times New Roman]ORANGES, LEMONS, LIMES, GRAPEFRUIT
Actually, ounce for ounce, oranges are the top citrus C source but you can only eat so many, right? For variety, make lemonade, squeeze limes on melon, add grapefruit to salad, and instead of drinking soda, fizz up OJ with sparkling water. It all adds up.
[FONT=Times New Roman]What they do: [FONT=Times New Roman]Keep skin’s vitamin C levels high. While C’s a nifty antioxidant, that’s not the key reason it’s here. It helps keeps collagen – the supportive protein fibers that stop skin from sagging – strong and resilient. (Flimsy collagen means lines and wrinkles.) Since collagen breakdown really picks up in your mid-30s, eat citrus early and often to head off aging.
[FONT=Times New Roman]Smoothing and Soothing[FONT=Times New Roman]There’s a particularly potent antioxidant known as EGCG that does all kinds of good things for skin. The best place to find it? True teas: black, green, or white (not herbal). Brew a teapot full every morning, so that sipping four to six cups throughout the day is a no-brainer.
[FONT=Times New Roman]The skin doc’s #1 pick: [FONT=Times New Roman]GREEN TEA[FONT=Times New Roman]While all true teas contain EGCG (epigallocatechin-3-gallate), the various types of green tea have the most. Wechsler’s personal favorite is hojicha green tea (available at [FONT=Times New Roman]<[FONT=Times New Roman]http://www.adagio.com/](http://www.adagio.com/)[FONT=Times New Roman]>[FONT=Times New Roman]). “The roasting process that turns this green tea a brownish color also lowers its caffeine content,” she says – handy if you’re caffeine sensitive or it’s one of those days when you do* [FONT=Times New Roman]not*[FONT=Times New Roman] need another stimulant.
[FONT=Times New Roman]What it does: [FONT=Times New Roman]Gives your skin a healthy dose of EGCG, which is a great multi-tasker. EGCG puts a damper on inflammatory chemicals involved in acne and sun-related skin aging; it also helps prevent skin cancer; and it has a lion-tamer effect on tumor cells. What’s more, green tea contains L-theanine, a de-tensing amino acid – and anything you can do to staunch the flow of the stress hormone cortisol helps keep collagen fibers intact.
**[FONT=Times New Roman]Green and Leafy
**[FONT=Times New Roman]Certain dark leafy greens, whether they’re fresh, frozen, raw, or steamed, really deliver on vitamin A, one of the most skin-essential vitamins going.
[FONT=Times New Roman]The skin doc’s 3 top picks: [FONT=Times New Roman]SPINACH, TURNIP GREENS, BROCCOLI
[FONT=Times New Roman]What they do: [FONT=Times New Roman]Deliver a hefty supply of vitamin A, which supports skin cell turnover, the process that keeps cell growth and development humming along flawlessly. Without enough A, skin becomes dry, tough, and scaly.
[FONT=Times New Roman]Fisherman’s Faves[FONT=Times New Roman]Several cold-water catches give your skin a double benefit: age-fighting omega-3 fatty acids plus the restorative powers of protein.
[FONT=Times New Roman]The skin doc’s 7 top picks: [FONT=Times New Roman]SALMON, TROUT, TUNA, ATLANTIC MACKEREL, SARDINES, PACIFIC HERRING, MOST SHELLFISH
Just don’t, uh, go overboard. As good as omega-3s are for skin (and the rest of you, too), worries about the amount of mercury in many fish mean it’s smart to limit seafood to two meals a week. That’s a must for women who are or might become pregnant or are nursing, and for young children, too. ([FONT=Times New Roman]Go here <[FONT=Times New Roman]http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/admehg3.html](http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/admehg3.html)[FONT=Times New Roman]>[FONT=Times New Roman] for the government’s fish guidelines.)
[FONT=Times New Roman]What they do:[FONT=Times New Roman] Omega-3s fight inflammation, now considered one of the top skin-agers, and they also help protect against sunburn, enhancing the effects of your SPF sunscreen. Protein is required to build and repair skin cells and to make enzymes and hormones that help keep it glowing.
**[FONT=Times New Roman]In conclusion:
[FONT=Times New Roman]Fill your weekly grocery cart with all of the above foods and you won’t just look younger, you’ll [FONT=Times New Roman]be[FONT=Times New Roman] younger. Eating at least 1 serving of fish a week and getting the right amount of antioxidants through diet or supplements lower your biological age. In fact, the antioxidants alone can make your [FONT=Times New Roman]RealAge <[FONT=Times New Roman]http://www.realage.com/?cbr=YAH07](http://www.realage.com/?cbr=YAH07)[FONT=Times New Roman]>[FONT=Times New Roman]up to 6 years younger.