Health do's, don't for a better looking you

Good looks come with good food and a healthy lifestyle. What you eat is what shows on your face, hair and figure.


Do's


Want to eat right but not sure how? Divide your plate. Half should be full of vegetables, and the rest should be divided between proteins - chicken, fish, tofu, egg white, sprouts - and cereals. Include two servings of fruit.

To keep your metabolism high: Eat smaller, more frequent meals. Ditch your three meals a day and eat five-six small meals instead. Leave a gap of three hours between each meal. Nutrients for good skin include proteins, essential fats, vitamins A, E, C, B complex, selenium, zinc and copper.

Get your proteins right: Essential fatty acids (linoleic and alphalinoleicacid) which are found in seed oils are important in maintaining lustrous skin. Fatty fish, alsi (flaxseeds) and evening primrose oil provide essential fatty acids for the skin.

Vitamin A: Best known as a vitamin for healthy skin, is found in fish liver oil, liver, carrot, berries, melons, peppers, broccoli, cabbage, papaya, mango, green leafy vegetables, tomato and yellow pumpkins.

Vitamin C: Also boosts collagen production, which helps keep the skin firm. Top up on citrus fruits (orange, lemon), guava, amla (gooseberry), papaya, broccoli, berries and green leafy vegetables. These have Vitamin C - vital to maintain good skin.

Vitamin E: Is an antioxidant that helps maintain good skin health, and protects from sun damage. You can get it from vegetable oils (sunflower, safflower, soybean), butter, nuts, wheat germ, whole grain cereals, eggs and green leafy vegetables.

Your body requires antioxidants to keep healthy and glowing. Herbs and spices such as cloves, turmeric, dalchini (cinnamon), ginger, pepper, oregano and peppermint, and tomatoes, onions, garlic, bell peppers, beans, peas, black pepper, sunflower and sesame seeds are rich sources.

Reach for THE yoghurt - the probiotics in it enhance absorption of antioxidants and other nutrients.

Avocados are high in calories, but they're a brilliant source of healthy nutrients including good fats, vitamins A, E, C and B6.

Snack healthy with a handful of nuts and seeds: Almonds, walnuts, sunflowers seeds, alsi (flax seeds) and pistachios. Walnuts are a rich source of fatty acids and almonds contain more calcium than any other nut. All of them help you feel fuller for longer.

Don'ts

Trans fats are a by-product that are formed during the process of hydrogenation - adding hydrogen to liquid oils to make them solid. This way, cheap vegetable oils can be made more like animal fat. Vanaspati, Dalda, margarines, shortenings and butter substitutes fall into this category.

They increase the risk of degenerative chronic diseases. Almost all commercially prepared and pre-packed ready-to-eat foods, including commercially prepared biscuits, cakes, cake mixes, chocolates, doughnuts, cereals, fried namkeens and French fries, have trans fats.

Cigarettes are a smoking gun: With every puff producing millions of free radicals, depleting the skin of oxygen, leading to dryness and dry spots, premature lines and wrinkles, dull unhealthy-looking complexion, and loss of radiance.

Alcohol: Excessive alcohol is a dehydrator, which also damages your cells and leads to dull skin, enlarged pores, discolouration, wrinkles and sagging. An occasional glass of wine has antioxidants - "occasional" and "glass" are the key words. 

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Look Beautiful- Wrinkle Prevention

If you thought it was impossible to look 25-30 when you are in your fifties, think again. With care, a smooth, wrinkle-free complexion can be yours for years to come.

Fruits


Face masks refresh and rejuvenate the skin. They provide intensive
 nourishment to the skin  nourishment that your skin is thrusting for, so make
sure you use face masks regularly on your skin. Almost every seasonal fruit can be applied on the skin. Some fruits like peaches and avocadoes are rich in moisturizers and can be applied to dry skin, while other fruits and vegetables like tomatoes, strawberries, apples, are good for oily skin. Bananas too nourish and soften the skin. So the next time you sit down with a fruit, take out a small piece, mash it and apply it to your face. When you start looking a decade younger than your real age, you will be glad you persevered. For some serious skin firming and nourishment, mash a banana, add honey, and apply this on your skin, and all over your body.


Egg


Egg white tones the skin, while egg yolk nourishes it and prevents wrinkles. If your daughter has an oily complexion, she can put egg white on her skin, while you use the egg yolk on yours. Once you cross the age of 35, start applying egg yolk regularly to your skin. Whole egg mayonnaise too is excellent for the skin, since it is rich in skin nutrients like egg, vinegar and oil.


Essential oils


Essential oils too are excellent for the skin, and they have therapeutic benefits as well. When you are using two oils on your skin, you should make sure you mix them together a while before applying them, to give them time to energise each other. Jasmine, Lavender, Myrrh, Patchouli, Sandalwood and Ylang-Ylang all have effective anti-wrinkle properties and work very well when mixed with a moisturizer.


Massage


Every day and night, while you apply your moisturizer, massage your face for at least ten minutes. Massage it from the neck upwards, because you don't want a clear, wrinkle-free face to rest on a wrinkled neck as you age, do you? Regular facials too help keep your skin looking young till a later age, but if you cannot afford to spend so much time or money at the parlour, even giving yourself a regular massage at home will help. The correct massage strokes would be upwards and backwards toward your hairline. Don't pull your skin too hard. In fact, one of the great ways to massage your face would be to slap it quickly and hard, once again, in an upward and backward direction. This stimulates blood flow and increases circulation, which in turn ensures that a rich supply of nutrients are carried to the skin through the blood. Splashing your face with ice-cold water has a similar effect.


Some people have the tendency to develop puffiness in the face. Regular massage and skin slapping reduces puffiness and leaves skin tight and smooth.


If you feel the beginnings of a double chin, when applying your daily moisturizer slap your double chin area with rapid strokes. Your double chin will vanish.


When you apply under-eye cream, tap the under-eye area rapidly with your fingertips, to pimp up circulation and reduce under-eye puffiness.