Skin Care Foods A to Z

Do you want glowing, vibrant, wrinkle-free skin? Make sure you are applying the right stuff on your skin.

Botox and Restylane are so last-year glory. Despite the promises held by scientific breakthroughs, more and more people turn to Mother Nature for the naked truth of youthful skin. “You are What You Eat” is absolutely true for your skin. Foods that are healthy on dinner plates also work on your skin. Next time you pass by cosmetics counters at a department store, you’d be surprised by how many brands are making their marks by using fruits or vegetables for skin care products. Aveda, Dr. Hauschka, Juicy Beauty, L’Occitane, Lush and the Body Deli are among the popular brands going natural. If you are fully green about your skin and want to get the most benefits out of natural ingredients, go ahead apply foods on your skin. You’ll be amazed by how much they will make the skin change for better.

Almond Oil: removes acne scars and hydrates dry skin.

Apple: rich in vitamin C and contains small amounts of potassium to promote heart health and maintain healthy blood pressure. Green apples work for cracked skin, itchiness and inflammation.

Apricot: treats sunburn and eczema.

Carrot: nourishes and regenerates the epidermis (the outer layer of the skin) to prevent premature ageing.

Cherry: contains high level of iron and zinc. It improves uneven skin tone.

Garlic: helps combat wrinkles and restore tissue.

Grape: prevents skin ageing and moisturizes the body.

Flax seed: rich in Omega-3 fatty acids that reduce blood clotting to help with heart diseases, diabetes and cancer conditions. It dissolves blackheads and prevents future blackhead

Kiwi: rich in Vitamin C and E, and contains amino acids. It helps whiten skin tone.

Lemon: works like deep pore cleanser, stabilizes sebaceous glands and reduces brown spots.

Olive Oil: magic moisturizer for hair, feet, and hands.

Orange: rich in Vitamin A and soothes and moisturizes the skin.

Papaya: exfoliates dead or sun-damaged skin.

Pineapple: detoxifies the body system.

Strawberry: contains alpha hydroxy acid, removes dead skin, increases skin elasticity and rejuvenates the skin. It also whitens teeth.

Wheat Germ oil: Rich in Vitamin E and essential fatty acids. Taking two or three tablespoons a day in your diet helps remove pimples quickly.

Harvest from Helper’s High

“We make a living by getting. We make a life by giving.” By Winston Churchill

Have you ever experienced Helper’s High? In the fiction “A Christmas Carol,” visits from three ghosts turned cold-hearted Ebenezer into a model of generosity. When he was finally willing to hug and to give to everyone he met, he was charged with euphoric helper’s high. Charles Dickens described such state of mind as “His own heart laughed and that was quite enough for him.” In the real world, helping others with your spare time, energy and money not only improves others’ lives, but also brings you unexpected therapeutic benefits. If you are hesitant about getting helper’s high, let scientific evidence encourage you to help others as a way to give it back to yourself.

Helper’s high is similar to runner’s high after an intensive workout. The release of endorphins in the helper’s body leads to a blissful feeling followed by a peaceful mind. He receives the second dose of helper’s high when he recalls the heroic act long after he completes it. What is more amazing is that the influence of charitable deeds can trigger positive physiological reaction in people. A Harvard study on “Mother Theresa Effect” found that students who watched videos of Mother Theresa helping the poor had their immune system response turn on. ABC News 20/20 revealed the stunning effects of helper’s high through the stories of Duke University Medical Center heart patients. With no particular agenda, recovering patients were asked to visit current heart patients to listen and offer support. It turned out that these patients’ recovery rate was 60 percent faster than those who chose not to help other patients.

Altruism brings you closer to others, gives you a purpose, and restores your psychological wellbeing. A study on patients with multiple sclerosis showed that those who provided peer support to other MS patients experienced noticeable change on confidence, self-awareness, self-esteem, and depression. Giving without expectation can easily make you feel good about yourself, your world, and life in general. Commonly experienced benefits fueled by helper’s high are:

• Relieve stress
• Strengthen immune system
• Alleviate physical pain
• Reduce incidence of negative attitudes like anger, hostility and aggression
• Activate positive emotions
• Gain social support
• Build a better community

Not sure where you can get started to induce helper’s high? Visit www.volunteermatch.org, a nonprofit organization’s website that allows you to choose a philanthropic organization that matches your interest. If you are short on time to volunteer, don’t worry. Take your parents out for dinner to find out how their day has been, you get the similar benefit.

When you get out to give your resources to others, you actually reap the fruits of altruism – better physical and psychological health.