Fruitful Living

Beatufiul Skin. I don’t typically like to focus on such vain topics, but lets face it, as women we have been surrounded by the pressure of looking good since we were little, and we have a natural desire to look and feel our best. Beauty is not just skin deep, it goes much further than that. Outward appearance is a mere reflection of our inner health.

Skin is the largest organ and can either be flawless if properly cared for, or it can be a toxic waste dump for the body to rid of unwanted chemicals and toxins. What is a Blemish, age spot, acne? In short, under our skin cells is our blood supply, when our bodies have extra waste (processed foods, chemicals, toxins) the organs involved in waste removal (liver, kidney, lungs) are overworked and undernourished and waste deposits in the intestine are not being removed efficiently. Waste accumulates, gets clocked in the blood and is deposited into the biggest, most accessible organ (skin) and these deposits become a blemish on the skin.

Premature wrinkling, age spots, acne are all an effect of what we are feeding our bodies. The main cause for adult and teen acne is a diet filled with sodas, processed sugars and dairy. Wrinkles, age spots, fine lines and skin roughness are all due to a lifetime of bad nutrition habits. The good news is that there is a constant turnover of cells in the body and that the body regenerates skin within one month. Eating more good, whole foods and eliminating bad processed, refined foods (and dairy) you can experience dramatic improvement within just 27 days!

Achieving beautiful skin is really a 2 pronged process, inside and outside the body. I have stressed before the importance of certain foods that help regenerate and repair your cells, well the same will apply for the outside of your body. I can not stress enough the harm that processed foods and animal products place on your body, not only causing diseases, but places a burden on the body in every aspect of health, including the appearance of the skin that suffers. You can actually reverse and slow down many aging signs with the proper nutrition. If the body does not get enough of the nutrients needed to build healthy new cells, wrinkles persist and worsen. Diet is the beginning to beautiful skin and some fairly simple habits to create and follow will help get you there. By Eating a mostly whole food, plant based diet, you will enjoy results of a more healthy and youthful glowing complexion.

Remember free radicals (that cause premature aging) can be neutralized by the antioxidants in plants. Eat organic when possible, because the more toxins and pesticides in your body, the harder the organs have to work and the more apparent it will be on your skin. Stay away from processed foods, just remember giving the body any kind of processed foods reduces the efficiency of the whole system. One brand whole food based supplement that has been clinically shown to increase key nutrients and deliver antioxidants to the blood is juice plus. You can read more about that at www.afinchjuiceplus.com

Drinking plenty of water (approx. 1 qt per 60-70 lbs) of your weight a day. Fasting periodically allows the body to catch up, fully digest food and clean out toxins and helps the body rejuvenate (one or two meals once a wk is a good starter.) A good rule of thumb for products used externally, is to only use what you could eat. Your skin absorbs products as though you ingested them, so check out the ingredients. A great substitute for lotion and night cream that I have been using is to mix grapeseed oil, avocado oil and coconut oil together. These are some good starts that will help not only reverse aging signs, but help slow them down. You will not only have better skin, but will feel better from the inside out!
Homemade facial:
Mix avocado (great use for overripe ones) and oats, can also add a mashed banana. Put on cleansed skin and let sit until dry, than rinse off.

Fatty acids Fatty acids are one of the components that make up fat. Some fatty acids
are considered "essential" because they must be obtained through our diet. There are
two types of essential fatty acids, called Omega-3 fatty acids and Omega-6 fatty acids.
They serve at least three important functions and they should be in balance. They
assist in the formation of cell membranes, in the transport and oxidation of cholesterol,
and in specialized hormone production.
Omega-6 fatty acids compete with omega-3s for use in the body, and therefore
Excessive intake of omega-6 fatty acids can be a problem. The U.S. diet has become
heavy in omega-6 fats and low in omega-3 fats, because it is heavy in processed
foods and oils. Typical Western diets include 20 times the amount of omega-6s to
omega-3s, where this should be a 1-to-1 ratio. The body’s total requirement for essential fatty acids is very low, only about 3-4 % of calories. Most Americans get approximately 10 times that amount.
The best diet for a balance of Omega-6 and Omega 3 fatty acids is a whole, plant-based diet. Omega-3 fatty acid is found in many vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and fruits.
Fish & Omega-3 Supplements While animal products, including fish, contain essential fatty acids in their tissues, they also contain a biological concentration of mercury and other toxic metals in their flesh. The problems associated with this are well documented. Fish oils tend to decompose and, in the process, unleash dangerous free radicals. Another downside is that fish oil is between 15-30% saturated fat. Fat can encourage the growth of cancerous cells and stimulate production of hormones in the body. Fish are not unique, and make their omega-3 oils from plankton; just as mammals (including humans) synthesize omega-3 from land plants. Taking large amounts of essential fatty acids in supplement form can suppress the immune system,
including the suppression of natural killer cells and the production of immune
substances. These immune functions are important for defending ourselves
against viruses, bacteria, parasites, and cancer cells. Not to mention, scientific
studies using supplements have failed to provide evidence of the health claims
made about them. Evidence points to a whole, plant-based diet as the best source.
Anti-inflammatory: Omega-3 fats are used by the body as an anti-inflammatory. These fats can help reduce the inflammation that is a significant factor
in conditions such as asthma, osteoarthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, migraine headaches,
osteoporosis and more.
In contrast, Omega-6 fats produce pro-inflammatory in the body. They are found in high amounts in animal products, margarine, and many vegetable oils including corn, safflower, sunflower, palm, and peanut oils.
Flax seeds are the richest source of omega-3, followed by walnuts and
soybeans. One tablespoonful of ground flaxseed will supply the daily requirement of
Omega-3s. To protect it from oxygen damage, flaxseed oil or ground flax seed must
be stored in the refrigerator or the freezer. In order to absorb what we need from
flaxseeds, they must be ground. A spoonful can be added to a smoothie or sprinkled
on breakfast cereal, a salad, or other dish. Flax seeds have also shown to reverse
breast cancer tumor growth and the ability to reduce an enlarged prostate.

check out the Mega Omega muffin recipe for a great and yummy way to include flax.