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The beauty food
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A healthy, nutritious and balanced diet works wonders on the complexion. You can work on a glowing skin, with skin-friendly food.
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FOR THE outside it is the creams, puffs and brushes at job. But working the beauty inside out is a nutritious, balanced and healthy diet.
In today's fast paced life with working lunches, pizza et al, the carbonated sweetened colas happening, and lesser time for planning food, the brunt is shown on the easily tired skin sometimes lacking the sheen you'd wish for.
"What you eat shows on your skin. Don't deprive yourself of minerals and vitamins if you are looking for a glowing skin," says Chetana Parekh, Cosmetologist, Chic Hair and Beauty Salon (3412239), Amrutha Mall.
Skin essentials...
Collagen and elastin fibres provide skin the strength, elasticity and firmness. Zinc works with Vitamin A in making these skin fibres.
The Vitamins A, C and E are essential elements at the daily intake for a great looking skin.
Vitamin A: essential for growth and repair of skin tissue.
Dryness, itching sensation and loss of skin elasticity indicate Vitamin A deficiency. Carrots, spinach, broccoli and apricots have abundance of the vitamin.
Vitamin C: required for the production of collagen thus help in keeping the skin firm. A generous helping of strawberries, citrus fruits, tomatoes, cabbage, sprouts and watercress provides you with the vitamin supplement.
Vitamin E: the anti-oxidant vitamin, which neutralises the free radicals-the highly reactive molecules that can cause ageing. Almonds and wheat germ are rich sources of Vitamin E.
Yo-yo dieting?
It does the same to your skin. A slow, sensible and steady reduction of weight is advised since the skin should be given time to acclimatise.
While overeating and the related obesity thickens the sub-cutaneous fat layer, thus stretching the skin, crash dieting results in the skin collapse leading to the appearance of wrinkles and lines.
This apart, crash diets deprive the skin and body of the essential nutrients needed for the healthy good looks. coetaneous
Fare for a clear skin...
Water features prominent on the beauty food list. It purifies the system. About 2 litres (8-10 glasses) of water daily is recommended for a clear skin.
Reach out for the bottled water when you are thirsty instead of a carbonated drink.
A hi-fibre diet apart from the nutrient value is a source of daily roughage. These are essential for the brighter and clearer complexion.
Vegetables are rich reserves of essential minerals and vitamins.
Substitute raw vegetables such as carrots and cucumber for snack food, or steam `em up.
Fresh fruits are manna, going perfect as rich dessert and a healthy substitute for the colas, at the fresh juice.
Pop in some nuts in measured quantity. Almonds especially are wonder nuts for the skin.
The daily do gooders...
Grilled fish or chicken, steamed vegetables, boiled brown rice, skimmed milk, unsweetened fruit juice, sprouts, raw vegetables, fresh fruit salad, topped with yoghurt and nuts, whole wheat toast with low fat spread are some of the skin friendly foods. "Avoid the whites-salt, sugar, white bread, and maida," says Chetana.
A nutritious eating for a flawless complexion thus extends from the adage you are what you eat.
And it is the diet that is high in fibre, low in fat, low in added sugar and salt with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables thrown in and the glasses of water going, to have a sparkling skin in top form for years to come.
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Metro Plus
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Hyderabad
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