Do you religiously apply beauty creams every day and then snack on sugary drinks and sweets? Do you work hard and finish the day with late night drinks that wipe you out and have you working the next day on endless coffees?
Sorry to break up the party, but the bad habits may be outweighing the good ones. What we put into our bodies cannot be taken lightly as this is much more important than the expensive creams we lather on with hope alone.
Our beauty starts within, and it starts with a few clever easy habits.
Our skin tells the story of what you eat, at least eventually. So the earlier we get it right, the better off you will be in the long run—like insurance for a beautiful body that you won't have to pay for later.
SO LET'S HAVE A LOOK AT THE 6 WORST DIET MISTAKES THAT WILL DAMAGE YOUR SKIN
1. EATING OR DRINKING SUGAR
There is too much research out there now to pretend that sugar is not damaging. The dramatic drop in sales of fizzy drinks seems to highlight that we are getting the message, but we still need to be reminded that there are so many reasons why you don't want to eat or drink sugar.
Check that you have not dropped one bad habit for another. It could be that you are pretending to yourself that you are changing your drinking habit to a trendier drink, including cold pressed juice that is still full of sugar, yet devoid of fibre. Or you now have a habit of going to the trendy ice-cream shop for your sugar fix, (also loaded with dairy!) Whichever way, check your sugar habit and what the emotional trigger is for you to seek it out in the first place. You may be able to kick your sugar and the reason why at the same time. Bonus!
Sugar of course makes us gain weight in all the wrong places, and takes us down the path of degenerative diseases related to inflammation, and this list is long—the worst being cancer, heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and auto-immune conditions. Sugar ages our cells throughout our bodies as it sets us up for oxidative stress, and leaving its mark in the wrinkling of our skin by reducing collagen and elastins. Fructose, a component of sucrose with its other half, glucose, is reported as being the most damaging sugar there is, as the body cannot process it—the body uses the glucose however, for instant energy.
Of course there is sugar in fruit, but a whole fruit is a healthier snack, as it will give you fibre and vitamins and minerals at the same time. It is best to limit your fruit intake, and try and go for superfood fruits so that they are packing the punch for the calories that you are taking in. Berries are the most potent of all as they contain antioxidants that help the body with free radical damage and aid in the repair of damaged cells. Berries however are difficult to get fresh all year round. Eating berries organically grown is also important, as they are very susceptible to insects, so they are sprayed, when conventionally grown, with a lot of pesticides to increase production.
To make eating your berries for you skin so much easier it is best to take them as an organic superfood powder (Complex Berry and Açai Berry), so that you know that you are getting the valuable nutrients that you need to safeguard your skin. The berries are not as sweet as most other fruit, and the dark colour of the berries is testament to their anti-oxidant power.
2. NOT EATING YOUR GREENS
Vegetables are the silent confident do-gooders for your skin. They are packed with so many skin friendly nutrients that you can't go wrong with eating them at every meal. The colours are a give away when it comes to what they can offer you, so it is best to eat the full spectrum so that you get as many powerful free-radical fighting anti-oxidants as you can. Start the day with our Complex Green superfood powder to get your green groove started early, and eat your way through whatever organic veggies you can, so that a day doesn't go by without getting your skin beauty food. Taking Complex Green or Triple Green (spirulina, Chlorella, Barley Grass) not only pack a nutrient-dense punch, (as the superfood ingredients are so-called as they are more nutrient-concentrated), they are detoxifying and rid your body of damaging toxins as these damage your body, and skin, too.
3. FORGETTING TO GET THE RIGHT FAT
Yes we need the right fat in our diet, in moderation of course, in order for our skin, hair, nails and brain to function well. A lot of vitamins and minerals are absorbed by the fat—as they are fat soluble—and we don't want to just take in our nutrients, we need for them to be absorbed and utilized too. Fat plays a very important role in ageing of the brain, skin and organs. A good dietary source is nuts, fish, flaxseed, and olive oil.
4. DRINKING TOO MUCH ALCOHOL AND SMOKING
We can get away with a drink now and then, but the trouble is that once we discover a social life with alcohol as a habit, we can easily turn to binge drinking to wash away our troubles. Again we have emotional triggers that may take us down a track that makes us drink more than we realize. As we get older and adapt to the effect of a drink or two, (and increasing this over time to get the same effect), our skin will not age well. Alcohol is very dehydrating for your body, of course your skin, and it robes you of Vitamin B. if you are going to drink, drink slowly and always drink with water in one hand. But of course it is best if you don't start the habit in the first place. Your skin will love you for it. Try drinking cold filtered water in a fancy glass, with lemon, which helps to detox your skin even more.
What needs to be said about smoking these days. Cigarettes are so polluting for your insides and a wrinkle maker on the outside. Again a social habit to kick—it's just not that cool and can be another hint that you are trying to deal with emotions that you should address!
5. EATING A DIET FOCUSSED ON CARBS - THE HIGH GI KIND
Simple carbs, the white refined types, (think pasta, bread, white rice) are converted quickly into simple sugars rapidly in your bloodstream, causing a sugar spike. These foods are everywhere we eat out, yet they are very damaging for your body. They are also devoid of the nutrients and fibre that the whole grain (low GI) originally came with, and they are bleached and over-processed to get them white. This all spells damage to your skin. Like sugar, high GI carbs cause inflammation throughout the body and damage slowly over time. They also contain gluten, which can cause problems with your digestion, and this converts to bad skin as well as toxins build up in your digestive tract.
6. FORGETTING TO STOP AND DETOX
It is best to stop and give your body a rest now and then as it is can't keep going full of toxins. They build up throughout your body from environmental factors, like pollution and smoking, and they will enter your system from pesticides in conventional food (non organic) and contaminants from poor hygiene and food handling. As we stress our bodies we tend to hold onto these toxins on a cellular level. When we take the time to stop eating we can allow our bodies to repair, and this is reflected in your skin.
To create a routine, it is a good idea to follow a plan, which is why we created the Lean Green Detox plan based on the detoxifying effect of Complex Green and Triple Green. This can be done once a week or once a month depending on your lifestyle and how much weight you want to lose as well. In addition it is good to take a day, 24 hours, where you detox on water only. You will see the results quickly, and improve your digestion, which of course reflects in your skin.
The best part of looking after your skin is that you will not have to rely on spending a fortune on products that you hope will work. You will be doing your best from the inside and the way you look on the outside will have you thanking your younger self, as you get older! Plan ahead and you won't regret it!