consciouseating
RADICALLY
CLEAR SKIN
Glow from the Inside Out
by Lisa Marshall
Forget the needle, scalpel and expensive
Wrinkle-free with vitamin C: Vitamin C and other anti-
oxidants, such as vitamins E and A, play a crucial role in
potions. Whether it’s wrinkles, pimples,
neutralizing free-radicals associated with sun, wind and
environmental toxin exposure, which age cells and lead to
dryness or irritation that is giving you wrinkled skin. Vitamin C is particularly important for build-
ing plump, moist collagen. Newburger says, “If you aren’t
trouble, health experts say the true
getting enough C, the collagen is not well able to hold
path to clear, youthful-looking skin
water and looks wrinkly.” Those who spend lots of time
outdoors playing or working amid the harsh elements need
runs straight through the grocery aisle.
it most.
This counsel is backed by research, including a study of
4,025 women published in The American Journal of Clinical
Nutrition in 2007, in which researchers found higher vitamin
“F
or too many years, the idea that nutrition could
C intake associated with a significantly lower likelihood of
have a significant influence on the skin was dis-
wrinkles. So, don’t forget to eat lots of leafy greens and con-
missed, but that has changed,” says Alan Logan, a
sider chugging a glass of orange juice after playing outside in
Westchester, New York-based naturopathic doctor and co-
the sun.
author of The Clear Skin Diet. “Whether the issue is aging or
acne, many recent studies indicate that nutrition really does
Tomatoes and green tea: Two other nutrients that have
matter.”
earned considerable attention from skin researchers recently
Sue Van Raes, a holistic nutritionist from Boulder, Colo-
include lycopene, from tomatoes, and polyphenols, which
rado, points out that because the body tends to prioritize
are omnipresent in green tea.
other organs, such as the heart, when doling out nutrients,
In 2008, British researchers from the University of
the skin is the first to show signs of distress when diet is poor:
Newcastle found that volunteers who took five tablespoons
“It’s a critical barometer of our health.” The older we get, the
of tomato paste daily for 12 weeks, and were then exposed
harder it is for our skin to soak up nutrients, making a skin-
to UVA light, had 33 percent more protection against sun-
friendly diet even more critical as we age.
burn than the control group; they also had higher levels of
“If someone comes to me for aesthetic reasons, the first
pro-collagen, a molecule that gives skin elasticity.
thing I am going to say is, ‘Tell me about your diet,’” remarks
While much of the research on green tea has involved
Amy Newburger, a Scarsdale, New York, dermatologist.
topical applications, some animal studies suggest that ingest-
Here’s a quick and easy look at what to eat and not eat
ing green tea also may help protect skin against sun damage.
to achieve that desired youthful glow:
Stay tuned for more research.
10
Southwestern Virginia
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