Your Natural Guide to Health & Beauty

We live in a world that’s rich with pollutants and each of these pollutants can damage your body and your skin. Exposure to pollutants increases how fast your body and skin ages.

You have environmental factors, the damaging rays of the sun - and for those who have a cigarette habit, smoking can also damage your body inside and out and it can nullify the Vitamin C you do take in. Damage can also occur as a result of secondhand smoke.

Thankfully, there is a way that you can fight back against pollutants - and it’s an inexpensive way, too. You can make sure that you’re eating a diet of foods that are rich in Vitamin C.

The first way that your body fights back against pollutants is with healthy skin. Vitamin C is needed for the production of collagen. Vitamin C works with your body to help keep the production of collagen at a needed level.

Without enough Vitamin C, the collagen can start to break down. Because collagen is a connective tissue in the body, once you run on a Vitamin C deficit, the skin starts to wrinkle and sag.

Of course, the easiest and most natural way to get enough Vitamin C is by having a diet rich in this vitamin. Whenever Vitamin C is mentioned, people automatically think of oranges or orange juice - and while it’s true that both are a way to get daily doses of the vitamin, there are other choices so that you can have a variety.

Foods Rich in Vitamin C Protect You From Pollutants

Look to citrus fruits for your Vitamin C. Check out limes as well as grapefruits and lemons. Other fruits that have Vitamin C are strawberries, kiwi, cantaloupe, guava and peaches.

You might not be aware that peppers are loaded with Vitamin C. Both green and red peppers contain this vitamin, but the amount of Vitamin C is higher in red bell peppers than in green. Red bell peppers have at least double the amount that the green ones do.

Of course, leafy green vegetables have this nutrient, too - and you can get that in spinach or cabbage. Romaine lettuce, kale and turnip greens also have Vitamin C. The good news about getting enough of this vitamin in your diet is that not only does it improve your health and skin, but it also fights back against the diseases (like cancer) that you can get from being exposed to certain pollutants.

Fight Free Radicals That Attack Your Skin’s Beauty

When cell damage occurs, it can lead to skin that looks older than it is. But cell damage can also cause a lot of trouble for the body when free radicals attack your body’s cells both inward and outward.

When cells are damaged by free radicals, a reaction begins in the membrane of the cell. This reaction can lead you to develop certain diseases - and in some cases can lead to a cancer diagnosis.

The power to stop the reaction in the cells by the free radicals begins with the use of antioxidants. Antioxidants work like stop signs in the body. The power of antioxidants can protect your body on the inside so that you’ll have smooth, soft skin on the outside.

Antioxidants do this by making the free radicals ineffective in their quest to harm your body. You’ll find antioxidants in vitamins - especially in Vitamin E. Not only can this vitamin protect your skin, but it can also work to repair damage that’s already been done. This is a fat soluble vitamin and can be found in many different foods.

You can get helpful doses of Vitamin E by eating nuts. Some of the nuts that are high in this vitamin are peanuts, almonds and hazelnuts. Seeds are also a good food source to give you the protection and healing power of Vitamin E.

Look for seeds like sunflower seeds and pumpkin seeds. Vegetable oils also have a lot of Vitamin E - but only certain oils such as olive oil. Soybeans and olives are great foods that will add Vitamin E to your lunch or dinner recipes.

In the vegetable family, greens like spinach and broccoli can help you add more of this important vitamin to your meals. Having a slice or two of tomato on a sandwich adds Vitamin E, and so does adding some red bell pepper slices.

Breakfast cereals can help you increase Vitamin E in your diet. Look for cereals like bran flakes, multi-grain or oat cereal. Wheat germ is high in Vitamin E and can be added to recipes without even changing the flavor of the recipe. It’s also a food that doesn’t lose its antioxidant properties when it’s heated.

There are also benefits from drinking beverages that contain a lot of Vitamin E and one of those beverages is green tea. Green tea helps fight against the radicals that could cause tumors to grow within the body.

Not only is green tea good for you to drink, but it’s a treat for your skin, too. Using green tea as a facial mask gives your skin the benefit of antioxidants, which can repair damaged skin.

How to Eat Better for Stronger Nails

Your nutritional intake is a key to maintaining healthy nails. Doctors can tell a lot about their patients’ overall health simply by checking their nails. Problems with the thyroid and being iron deficient can cause brittle or weak nails. 

But no matter what causes nails that are weak or that don’t look their best, there are some steps you can take to get great looking, stronger nails. One of those steps is to make sure that you’re getting the biotin you need in your diet. 

Biotin helps give you energy, helps your skin look great and helps regulate glucose. Biotin is a vitamin that’s part of the B-complex family of vitamins and the benefit of this vitamin is how it works to help fight against weak nails. 

Biotin metabolizes the foods you eat so that your body can use the vitamins and minerals in the foods for whatever your body needs. There are a few different ways that you can get more biotin benefits for your body and one of those ways is by paying attention to the foods you eat and making sure that you consume foods rich in biotin. 

Remember that as with many vitamins, when you prepare the food by cooking it, you do lose some of the mineral amount. But foods like eggs, specifically the yolk, are very rich in biotin. 

Not only that, but many people don’t know that eggs also have antioxidants - so they’re doubly good for you! Avoid raw eggs when trying to increase your biotin intake because raw eggs prevent your body from being able to utilize the very nutrient you’re trying to add. 

Some meat foods are great sources to raise your biotin intake – including liver, pork and certain types of fish. Legumes also have high levels of biotin. Make sure you eat plenty of peas like black-eyed peas. 

Consuming some extra helpings of beans like soybeans and adding some alfalfa to your diet are all ways to get the beneficial boost of more biotin. Peanut butter and oatmeal are great sources of it, too. 

Fruits are a good source of biotin and you can find biotin in fruits like avocado, cantaloupe, watermelon, peaches, bananas and more. Peanut butter is a food that’s rich in biotin. With the many foods that contain biotin, it will be easy to change your daily menus to make sure you’re increasing the amount of this essential mineral you need.

Your body’s nails are made of keratin and what biotin does to help the nails is to aid in the production of this necessary protein so that you end up with strong, healthy nails. If you’re eating plenty of foods rich in biotin, but would like some extra help for your nails, then consider using a supplement or multivitamin containing biotin. 

The Role Zinc Plays in Keeping Acne at Bay

Years ago, it was thought that acne was a teenage skin problem caused by not washing the face well enough. But science has proved that theory wrong. Acne is a skin inflammation and the condition happens to people regardless of how young or old they are. 

For some people, it can be an ongoing battle trying to get and keep radiant looking skin that’s free from blemishes. The answer to how to get great looking, blemish free skin might surprise you. 

Zinc is recommended by dermatologists because of the ability this essential mineral has to fight against acne. Zinc has incredible anti-inflammatory properties that can actually work to heal the skin from the inflammation that causes the acne to occur. 

Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, zinc helps the skin repair itself from the outbreak. By having enough zinc in your diet, not only can that help fight acne, but if you do have an acne inflammation, zinc can heal the skin faster than any other mineral. It’s one of the reasons this mineral is also recommended in cases of diaper rash because it heals so well and fast. 

Oysters have more zinc than any food you can buy or grow. However, since not everyone is a fan of any kind of seafood - including oysters - there are other ways to make sure you get the zinc that you need to keep your skin in great shape. 

Beef (like a sirloin roast) or pork chops both have plenty of zinc - but a diet rich in lean meats like chicken can also provide the amount of zinc that you need. Eggs are a great food for a zinc rich diet and so is cheddar cheese. 

You can include extra zinc in your diet in the foods that you snack on as well. Snacks like pumpkin seeds, Brazil nuts, pecans and figs are high in zinc. Peanut butter is a healthy way to get servings of zinc. Wheat bran or oats have a lot of minerals that are good for you, including the zinc that will help your skin. Chow mein noodles are another good source for zinc intake. 

A very surprising source of zinc is cocoa powder. Not only can the zinc contained in this product give you the zinc you need, but it’s good for fighting cholesterol so you get double benefits from adding this to your diet. 

Vitamin A Keeps You Looking Younger

As kids, we don’t understand why it’s important to make sure we get enough rest, get enough exercise and eat right. But as adults, we understand the link between healthy eating to get the right vitamin intake and how it can make us look younger than we actually are. 

Vitamins are broken down as either fat or water soluble elements. This just means it’s how they’re broken down in the body or how they dissolve. One of the important vitamins for looking younger is Vitamin A. This vitamin is also known as retinol and is fat soluble. 

Usually the first sign of aging shows up on the outer layer of skin.  You’ll notice that your skin doesn’t look as healthy. It might start to look and feel drier and even begin to flake. 

If you’ve noticed that already, it can be a warning sign that your body isn’t getting enough Vitamin A. Vitamin A helps the body rejuvenate the skin cells as well as help promote the growth of new skin cells. 

Skin that seems leathered and wrinkles easily may be missing the proper amount of this key vitamin. If you’ll check out anti-aging skin creams, you’ll see that many of them contain this needed nutrient. 

Besides skin creams and supplements, there are some natural ways that you can make sure you’re incorporating enough Vitamin A into your daily food intake. If you like liver, then you’re in luck. This meat has plenty of Vitamin A and by consuming 3 ounces of liver every other week, you’ll be getting a healthy helping of the nutrient. 

Dairy products like ice cream, milk and yogurt are good sources of Vitamin A. Cheese is another dairy product that has this vitamin. Since egg yolks have plenty of Vitamin A, you’ll want to make sure that you add eggs to your diet if you don’t already eat this nutritional food. 

Vegetables that contain helpful doses of Vitamin A are sweet potatoes and greens like spinach or broccoli. When choosing greens, remember that dark, leafy greens are high in Vitamin A. Fruits that can help with Vitamin A intake are cantaloupe, mangos, apricots and peaches. 

Getting enough Vitamin A will help keep your skin healthy. It will also help keep your gastrointestinal tract healthy. For people who practice a vegetarian lifestyle, eating plenty of Vitamin A is essential for skin health as well as overall good health. 

To help keep you inspired, take a look at one our very favorite videos (from a fellow Canadian too!). Rose quartz is a lovely addition to any beauty and health care routine. Enjoy!