Many times we focus on trendy beauty products to externally enhance our hair, skin, and nails but we sometimes neglect the very building blocks of  beauty. Beauty is based on good health, and good health is maintained through a daily regimen of good nutrition. Each meal and snack should empower our bodies with the needed nutrition to maintain our healthy skin, hair, and nails.

While each meal is important, breakfast is the most important because we need to jump-start our metabolisms.  A low sugar, high protein morning meal does the job of awakening the metabolism and will keep you satisfied until lunch.  Also for variety, we can try adding oatmeal into our breakfast menu. Oatmeal is low in fat and sugar, high in fiber, and packed with beauty enhancing vitamins and  a revved up metabolism is essential to healthy weight management too.

Foods for Healthy Skin

Foods that are packed with vitamins and minerals are the best options to build and maintain healthy skin, hair, and nails. Most have seen people with absolutely glowing skin and a great outlook on life. If their diets were examined closely, you would find that these people eat a common diet.  Their diet includes whole food sources of vitamin C, beta carotene, vitamin E, lycopene, and omega 3 fatty acids. Vitamin C and lycopene helps the body to build skin collagen which translates into fabulous skin. Vitamin E and beta carotene protect the skin from harmful free radical and sun damage. Omega 3 fatty acids nourish the skin to give it softness and smoothness.

Examples of foods containing these nutrients are listed below:

Oranges – Vitamin C
Strawberries – Vitamin C
Grapefruit – Vitamin C and Lycopene
Sweet Potato – Beta Carotene
Walnuts- Omega 3 fatty acid
Almonds – Vitamin E
Eggs – Protein and every vitamin except vitamin C

Foods and Beverages That We Need to Avoid.

There are foods and beverages that are absolute beauty busters. Foods containing processed sugar are to be avoided or severely limited if you want a lifetime of healthy looking skin. The sugar serves to break down the body’s collagen production, and it promotes unhealthy weight gain. Caffeinated, sugar laden soft drinks are the main saboteurs of healthy skin because caffeine dehydrates the entire body including the skin. Pure water with a twist of lemon is a great replacement beverage.

Making a few simple changes in our daily diets and eating habits can make us feel more energetic and keep us healty and beautiful from the inside out.

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