Health Tip of the Week YOUR SKIN and YOUR FOODS

The skin is one of the most powerful indicators of health. Wrinkles, dry or oily skin, acne, and inflammation all are signs of poor internal health, often brought on by consuming unhealthful foods and avoiding skin-healthy nutrients. To treat skin problems, most people turn to mainstream topical cosmetics, including lotions, soaps, scrubs, toners, and creams. However, treating outer blemishes with expensive, chemical-laden beauty products does little to address the root cause of the problem: poor nutrition and exposure to toxins in dietary and personal care products.
Your skin is the fingerprint of what is going on inside your body, and all skin conditions, from psoriasis to acne to aging, are the manifestations of your body's internal needs, including its nutritional needs.

Recent research has shown that the skin reacts particularly well to certain vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that nourish the skin, making it appear youthful and healthy. The following nutrients are among the very best to consume for healthy, young-looking skin:

Citrus Friuts
Active component: Vitamin C
Benefits: Smooth and taut skin
Vitamin C is a prime skin-care ingredient in tons of beauty creams. This vitamin aids in the body's production of collagen, a protein that forms the basic structure of your skin. Collagen breakdown, which starts speeding up significantly around the age of 35, can leave your skin with less elasticity. Consuming extra vitamin C in foods like oranges, grapefruits, Acerola cherries (a single Acerola has 100 percent of your vitamin C for the day) and tomatoes can help tighten the skin and prevent wrinkles.
Vitamin C also may fight inflammation, and its antioxidant properties can neutralize the free radicals (highly reactive oxygen molecules) that damage cells and can prematurely age your face.
In case you get tired of eating all that fruit, hot peppers, bell peppers and sprouts also have good amounts of vitamin C

Red and Green Vegetables

Active components: Vitamin A, beta-carotene
Benefits: Bright and smooth skin
Skin is the body's largest organ. It makes sense, then, that what's good for your whole body is also good for your skin -- and as far as food goes, it doesn't get much better than vegetables. You'll especially want to look for red-orange and green vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes and spinach.
Orange-red vegetables are full of beta-carotene. Our bodies convert beta-carotene into vitamin A, which acts as an antioxidant, preventing cell damage and premature aging. In the case of vitamin A, you also get anti-acne benefits -- vitamin A has been used in acne medications for many years.

Spinach and other green, leafy foods provide tons of vitamin A, too, which helps your skin produce more fresh new cells and get rid of the old ones, reducing dryness and keeping your face looking bright and young.
Mangoes are also a great source of vitamin A. It's best to get this vitamin from food and not from supplements, though, since too much vitamin A can cause health problems

We cant forget our 2 litres of water a day, which should be a staple in your everyday regime

By changing aspects of your everyday diet you will no doubt see the results of a healthier you within your glowing skin

Stay Well
Ri'Anne Jones

The Power of a Simple Lemon

How did i ever forget to mention this in my blog since starting....

Lemon juice is extensively known for its medicinal properties. It contains large amounts of nutrients such as Vitamin C, magnesium, potassium and calcium. Lemon water acts as a tonic to the liver and stimulates the bowel to eliminate accumulated waste if it is taken before anything in the morning. It helps to lower blood sugar and can lower the glycemic impact of any meal. Lemon juice with warm water reduces its sour flavor and cancels out some if its acidic qualities. Problems like heartburn, indigestion or bloating are solved by taking warm lemon water. It is a natural antihistamine and will reduce congestion. By drinking warm lemon juice the can be shifted in to a better state of health and prevent many future illness....

Some of the powerful attributes of Lemon Water:

Detox:
Lemon juice wash toxins out from the body. By drinking a cup of warm water and lemon in the morning, improvement in the skin can be seen.
Digestion Problems:
Lemon helps the digestive system to make the process of eliminating the waste products from the body easier. It flushes out the body toxins. Many digestion issues such as heartburn, irritable bowel syndrome, constipation, and parasites are relived by warm lemon juice. It also relieves hiccups.
Infection Prevention:
It is often used to prevent illnesses such as the cold and the flu as lemon is high in vitamin C It may also soothe common symptoms of cold and flu such as sore throats and headaches.
Helps in reducing weight:
Drinking warm lemon juice can also help in reducing the weight. A regular intake of lemon water promotes elimination, a process that any weight loss diet needs before visible results can be observed. Effects begin to feel after some time and if coupled with a healthy diet and enough exercise.
Helps in tackling heart-related issues:
Lemon contains potassium which helps people having heart-related issues.
Acts as rejuvenator:
Being a rich source of vitamin c, it has rejuvenating properties. Even the smell of lemon can refresh us.
Boosts immune system:
Lemon water strengthens the immune system and helps to prevent illness. Vitamin-C also has healing properties when taken frequently during the day.
Promote clear skin:
Inner health is reflected on the surface of the skin. Toxins trapped in the colon ultimately find their way to other body parts as well as the skin. This triggers acne flare-ups or skin rashes due to allergies. Drinking lemon water effectively cleans the bowel of harmful waste and toxins so that with regular consumption, the skin will be healthy and blemish-free.

So what are you waiting for ..... invest in some cheap miracle working lemons!

Get more tips and info at Sweet Additions

Breakfast Smoothie: Date, Oat and Banana

For those who have a sweet tooth!! This is another long lasting breakfast meal in a glass, if your on the go, like most of us!!

You could also add some of your favourite high energy, protein, mineral packed seeds too....

Enjoy!

Raw Lettuce Tacos - I demand you try them !!!

Last week, i checked in on the beautiful Ms China Brooks at http://chinabrooks.com/
She made a mouth watering variation to the raw lettuce tacos, with ingredients that were so delicious, her video on youtube made it hard to resist!! and so i prepared, as a luxury lunch. I chose to use sunflower seeds, which are packed with iron, and also soaked almonds.

AWESOME, i just wanted to eat and eat, but after just three, i was so stuffed, pretty shocked? That fullness lasted way past dinner time!! Great staple for my recipe book

Thanks China



Check her amazing blog at http://chinabrooks.com/blog/


Here is her Receipe:
Raw Lettuce Tacos
Large romaine lettuce leaves, taco “meat”, cilantro, tomato, onion, avocado
Recipe for the taco “meat”
1/2 cup raw organic sunflower seeds (or walnuts, almonds, pecans – soak them for 1 hour first)
2 teaspoons of chili powder
1/2 chipotle (optional)
1/2 teaspoon of red pepper flake
pinch of pink Himalayan salt
*put all dry ingredients in a blender and grind
put all ground ingredients into a bowl and add:
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
1 tablespoon of organic tamari
mash it all together until it’s clumpy
taste
add your “meat” and other ingredients (onion, avocado, cilantro, tomato) to your lettuce

Pampering time I think: The Honey Sea Salt/Sugar Scrub

Its really not that often i have some quality time in the bathroom, without the little voice 'mama' knocking at the door, goodness i don't even remember the last time i bought pampering products for myself !!! OK this is the ongoing motto, if you cant buy, use whats in the kitchen ....its Friday and tonight i intend to really give myself a beauty scrub..

Whats your natural pampering routine?

Vegans in the Spotlight

Erykah Badu- The neo-soul goddess swears by the goodness of vegan soul food. She told VegNews Magazine, “Vegan food is soul food in its truest form. Soul food means to feed the soul. And to me, your soul is your intent. If your intent is pure, you are pure.” Amen to that, Ms. Badu!



celebritydietdoctor.com

Did you say Peanut and Banana??

Its that time again having the sweet craving!! As i mentioned in my previous post peanuts are one of the power nuts that is packed with protein, essential fatty acids (that are super for you) as well as the trusty banana. put them together and you can either have a power breakfast that will last you way past lunch, a healthy snack, which happily give to my 2 year old who always seems hungry!! or one of the essentials of a liquid fast!! this is great!! add some ice in the mix, or some blueberries and you are in nut milk heaven!! great for Vegans and Vegetarians too this is literally a meal in a glass ...

Ingredients:

• 2 wholebananas (frozen)
• 1 tbsppeanut butter
• 1 tbspunsweetened cocoa
• ¼ cupnon-dairy milk

Instructions:

Combine all ingredients in a blender and whiz until smooth, adding more non-dairy milk as necessary.

Another variation  from oboyorganic.com

Peanut Butter-Banana Sandwich

Ingredients

1 slice of homemade Rye or Whole Wheat bread (toast it)
1/2 of ripe banana
honey
cinnamon

Directions

Toast the bread, spread peanut butter on top. Slice the banana VERY thin, then place banana slices on bread. Drizzle honey and sprinkle cinnamon on top.