Ah the age old question, how to I prevent those wrinkles. North America spends billions of dollars annually trying to tap into this fountain of youth through surgeries, creams, lotions, and health products.
Let’s find out what is in your own local grocery store that can help you age vibrantly, naturally!
Diet
This is not going to come as a surprise to many of you…but what you eat on a consistent basis will effect how your skin ages.
Studies are showing that eating a diet that is higher in fish, vegetables, fruits, legumes while consuming lower intakes of butter, sugar and meat can positively effect skin wrinkling.
So…eat those veggies
(Purba Exp Dermatol 2008)
Lycopene
We know that sun damages the skin. It has been found that increased intake of lycopene has been shown to be able to have UV protecting properties. This means rich lycopene based diets for 12 weeks have been shown to reduce UV induced redness when patients are exposed to the sun. Does this mean eat tomatoes, and don’t wear sunscreen? No, it just helps to further reduce the UV damage. Also lycopene has been shown to help reduce the depth and severity of furrows and wrinkles in humans.
(Riediger J Am Diet Assoc 2009)
Cocoa
No, this doesn’t mean you can go out and eat unlimited amounts of O’Henry Bars!
But…pure cocoa has been show to contain antioxidants that reduce skin aging. Consumption of 325mg of cocoa flavonols per day for 3 months reduced UV redness, improved skin hydration and decreased roughness and scaling of the skin.
How much is this? If you get raw cacao powder about 2 tsp will contain roughly this amount. Check out our recipe on the website for healthy hot chocolate.
(Neukam Eur J Nutr 2007)
Fish Oils
You have heard over and over to take your omegas, here is another reason why. Studies are showing that the EPA found in fish can provide internal protection against UV damage and improve skin elasticity. Make sure you take a fish oil supplement that has been tested for heavy metals and take the equivalent of 1000mg of combined EPA/DHA per day.
(Riediger J Am Diet Assoc 2009)
Proper Hydration
We know that drinking your water, and being well hydrated will lead to healthy skin with that glowing appearance. It has been shown that things like fermented dairy (yogurt, kefir), green tea and borage oil can improve hydration from the inside out.
So skip that second cup of coffee and donut and have some plain yogurt and green tea!
(Puch Exp Dermatol 2008)