(Summer) Foods That Make You Sexier
Strawberries, blueberries, peaches-your favorite in-season fruits taste awesome, but they're also beauty products in disguise. Here's why!
Besides keeping you healthy, summer fruits deliver major beauty benefits, according to experts. According to dermatologist Jeannete Graf, "Brightly colored picks in season now contain high levels of nutrients that improve your skin, protect your hair, and even undo some UV damage,". You can also amp up the results you get from eating these natural beauty boosters by applying them to your body with DIY masks and scrubs. The antioxidants help peel away dead skin and add moisture to hair. Don't have time to mix up anvthing? Slacker' Just kidding. We offer store-bought substitutions that do the trick too.
BEAUTY BENEFITS
1) Finner Skin (Strawberries)
1) Finner Skin (Strawberries)
- Supernutrient: Vitamin C. According to Macrene Alexiades-Armenakas, " Vitamin C is essential for the production and formation of collagen, the skin's support structure." Unlike some antioxidants, your body does not produce C on Its own, so it's key to pack it into your diet.
- Best summer Source: A cup of whole strawberries (about 8), says nutritionist Jackie Newgent, author of Big Green Cookbook. Pop them in your mouth whole (if you slice them, eat fast since vitamin C breaks down when exposed to air). Or make a crushed-berry cooler: Blend a cup each of strawberries and ice. Pour into a glass, and garnish with mint.
- Fresh beauty fix:
- Try a vitamin - C treatment to tighten pores sun spots every few weeks, says Dr. Alexiades-Armenakas.
- Puree a handful of strawberries, the juice of 1 lemon and 1/2 cup plain soy yogurt (It helps fade brown patches).
- Let in the fridge for 30 minutes, then apply to your face and neck. leave on for half an hour, and rinse off.
- Follow up with SPF since applying C makes you ultrasensitive to harsh rays.
- Store-bought swap: Rub on a vitamin C serum nightly. Try Avon Anew Clearly C Seum.
2) A Glowing Complexion (Blueberries)
- Supernutrient: Vitamin E. It reinforces your skin's natural barrier, helping to keep it hydrated and dewy. In the summer, you might think you have more than enough dew on your face, but sweating actually depletes your internal H20 levels, so it's important that your skin stays replenished to avoid flaking.
- Best summer source: A cup of blueberries has tons of antioxidants, including some hydrating vitamin E, says Newgent. Mix them into your yogurt in the morning or sprinkle over a grilled-chicken salad along with a handful of almonds (a great source of vitamin E)
- Fresh beauty fix
- Seal in moisture with a fruity blueberry mask once a week.
- Put 2/3 cup of blueberries in a blender, and mix for a few seconds.
- Add in the juice of 1 lemon, a handful of sliced almonds, 1 tablespoon full-fat plain yogurt, and 1 tablespoon honey.
- Continue to blend until everything turns into a medium-thick paste.
- Remove from the blender, and transfer to a small bowl.
- Place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes; it will be easier to app
- ly on your skin after it's chilled. Spread the mixture evenly onto your face and neck, and let sit for 20 minutes. Rinse off.
- (Note: Do a patch test on your arm first to make sure your skin isn't reactive or allergic to any of these ingredients.)
- Store-bought swap: Slather on Rouleau's Tripple Berry Peel with blueberries, once a month
3) Strong Hair and Nails (Avocado)
- Supernutrient: Essential fatty acids.These help your body produce healthy oils-the kind that keep your hair strong and your nails from turning brittle. (And as an extra peril, these good fats moisturize skin too.) Without an adequate supply, your body chums out an irritating form of sebum, which can clog hair follicles and slow the growth of nails, explains hair doctor Philip Kingsley.
- Best summer source:Half an avocado, make a delicious guacamole dip: Dice the flesh of half an avocado, and mix with a small handful of diced red onions and a dash each of minced jalapeño, Iime juice, and sail.
- Fresh beauty fix:
- Try this weekly luster-enhancing remedy: Combine 1 mashed avocado (1/2 for short hair), I egg Yolk, and 1/2 teaspoon olive oil. Work into damp hair. and leave on for 30 minutes, then shampoo.
- For nails, combine 1/4 avocado,1 egg white. 2 tablespoons oatmeal, and 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, Apply to nails and cuticles for 20 minutes, then rinse.
- Try this weekly luster-enhancing remedy: Combine 1 mashed avocado (1/2 for short hair), I egg Yolk, and 1/2 teaspoon olive oil. Work into damp hair. and leave on for 30 minutes, then shampoo.
- Store bought swap: Burt Bees Avocado Butter Pre-Shampoo Hair Treatment
4) A Smoother Body (Peaches / Apricots)
- Supernutrient: Vitamin A. It promotes cell production and tum over, ridding dead skin so your body feels more supple. Research shows it may also reduce damage caused by overexposure to the sun.
- Best summer source: One to two peaches or apricots. Look for ones with a deep orange flesh and skin to get the most vitamin A. Dice up a couple, sprinkle with lemon juice, and toss on top of grilled fish or poultry.
- Fresh beauty fix:
- Whip up a weekly body scrub to slough off built-up skin.
- Puree 2 pitted peaches.
- In a bowl, mix puree with 1 tablespoon olive oil and enough brown sugar to make a thick paste.
- Lightly scrub all over, and leave on for a few minutes before rinsing with warm water for instantly polished skin.
- Store Bought Swap: Caress Daily Silk Body Wash with Peaches
5) Fewer Breakouts (Tomato)
- Supernutrient: Lycopene. It helps fend off zits and redness by reducing inflammation that can lead to pimples and clogged pores. Adding more to your diet can actually deliver clear·skin results comparable to those of anti acne Rx's, says Dr. AleKiades-Armenakas.
- Best summer source: A large tomato. The deep red fruit, particularly the skin, is a tasty way to get lycopene. Site the whole, fully ripened fruit, and top with a little balsamic vinegar and basil for an appetizer. Or chop and saute with olive oil and garlic to create a pasta sauce-the nourishing fat along with the heat of cooking help make the l lycopene more available to the body.
- Fresh beauty fix:
- Do a weekly tomato mask.
- Place thin tomato slices over your face, and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes so the juices seep in.
- Follow up by slicing another tomato in half and rubbing the smooth side of both halves in small circles over the skin, Rinse with warm water.
- The Iycopene declogs pores and acts as a natural astringent to eliminate acne-causing bacteria.
- Store bought swap: Massage in a YES to Tomatoes Total Treatment Facial Mask,
Source: * Cosmopolitan, August 2009
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These are all foods that are reach in MUFAs Mono Unsaturated Fatty Acids. That means that aside from the berries that you said, you should also include in your list: peanuts (make sure they're greaseless) and semi-sweet chocolates (preferably dark).
I commented back on you question, don't forget to view my reply :)
Things We Love to Hate: Akala Mo"
Thanks, for the list..I might as well add them too..