Eating for Beauty

We’ve all heard the adage that we are what we eat. And it’s true! What we ingest assimilates into our cells and has a profound effect on our energy, how we feel, and, yes, even how we look. We have to pay attention not only to the nutritional benefits of what we eat, but also to how our body digests each item, and how much of an impact the food we eat has in terms of the waste, mucus, and toxins left in our systems—which can all contribute to the aging process and making our skin look dull.

Our food choices directly impact our ability to keep ourselves youthful and maintain glowing, smooth skin. Here are a few great healthy tips to keep you looking beautiful.

1. Max out on raw greens. The living enzymes housed in uncooked greens and vegetables are a powerful beauty secret. They contribute to skin health by acting as catalysts that assist body processes like digestion, detoxification, and rebuilding. By assisting the body’s energy-intensive digestive process, enzymes free up energy for other tasks, like repairing and rebuilding the skin—the body’s largest organ. Unfortunately the valuable enzymes, proteins, and vitamins found in plants are heat sensitive and can be damaged or destroyed by normal cooking temperatures. In fact, cooking can easily destroy a food’s entire enzyme reserve. So pack as many raw salads, veggies, sprouts, and fresh herbs into your diet as you can! An easy way to get a large amount of them at once is from a green smoothie.

2. Add açai to your diet. Açai is loaded with beneficial nutrients and antioxidants, including omega-3 fatty acids, amino acids, minerals, key vitamins, and fiber. The omega-3s found in açai maintain the structure and fluidity of cell membranes, facilitating the inflow of nutrients and the outflow of waste products, which promotes youthful, smooth, and radiant skin by keeping epidermis cells hydrated and strong. Acai is a key component of the Solution (my all-in-one skin-care formula that firms skin, helps smooth the appearance of fine lines, improves collagen synthesis, and is filled with vital nutrients), as it’s also extremely beneficial when applied topically.

3. Drink detox tea. Our bodies are constantly exposed to toxins from the environment, our diet, and chemicals from products we put on ourselves, which promote illness and can accelerate skin aging. The liver acts as the blood’s filter, so when it becomes overloaded, it will stop effectively filtering and neutralizing the toxins that enter the body. These excess toxins continue circulating and are deposited in fatty tissue, building up over time. The long-term effects of this are manifested externally in the form of wrinkles and spotted, leathery skin. One of the easiest—and tastiest—ways to promote healthy liver function is to drink detox tea two to three times per week.