Eat healthy, stay beautiful

You are what you eat. The key to looking beautiful lies in your daily diet. The secret to shinning hair and glowing skin is not in those lotions and potions lying in the counters at beauty salons but it is in nutrient-rich foods in your plate or bowl. A gorgeous, hydrated, radiant skin starts with nourishment from within not in chemical laden costly cosmetics.

Your diet affects the health and ageing of your skin. An unhealthy diet can damage your metabolism, cause weight gain and even affect organs such as your heart and liver. The poor diet contributes to lacklustre skin, dry and brittle hair, wrinkles.

The bottom line is that your skin needs the vital nutrients to stay radiant, fresh and glowing and delicious and antioxidant food contains beauty nutrients, which can have cosmetic benefits as well. A healthy beauty-boosting food can influence your looks and will have you looking and feeling your best.

A healthy, balanced diet, that supplies the body with the essential nutrients, promotes both good health and beauty. A smooth, flawless, glowing skin owes much more to our diets than we know. Nature also provides us with fruits and vegetables according to seasonal requirements.

In summer, when the loss of fluids from our bodies is greater, we get melons, watermelon, cucumber, “kakri” and so on, which are high in water content. They help to replenish the loss of fluids from our body. Taking in enough water and fluids stimulates blood circulation and gets rid of toxins and wastes, keeping the skin clear.

The improper elimination of wastes leads to clogged pores and reflect on the skin, in terms of dullness, blackheads, spots, pimples and acne. The diet should be low in fat and high in vitamins and minerals. Keep to a low salt diet. Excess salt leads to retention of fluid in the body and slows down circulation. Sometimes, it can make the face and area around eyes look puffy. It can mean a congested skin that is not clear and lacks radiance. For congested skin, a low salt diet is advocated.

Drink plenty of water and take the juice of one lemon, in a glass of water, first thing in the morning. Avoid aerated drinks and take fresh fruit juices, freshly extracted and diluted with water. Fruit and vegetable juices not only ensure a supply of valuable nutrients but are assimilated and absorbed by the body very easily. They also help to cleanse and purify the system, keeping the skin clear and bright.

Instead of a hot cup of tea, take iced tea (without milk), adding one teaspoon honey, a little lemon juice and ice. Jal jeera, taken with ice, can also be a suitable summer drink. Taking enough water and fluids cleanses the body of toxins and wastes. This is bound to reflect in terms of a clear, fresh and radiant skin.

Avoid heavy, spicy, fried foods. Include clear soups, lassi, yoghurt, fresh fruits, salads and sprouts in your daily diet. Fresh fruits and salads also contribute to the body’s requirement of water. Vegetables should be lightly cooked. Take enough green leafy vegetables. Instead of having rich desserts, take yoghurt with honey, or fresh fruits.

Skin problems that are related to bad health cannot be camouflaged with make-up. Spotty and dull skin is bound to show up. Ayurveda also recommends fresh, organic, nutritious foods that not only contribute to good health but give the skin a radiant glow. Most important of all, it will make you feel better.

Beauty is not just a matter of how you look, but also how you feel.