Fight Wrinkles and Saggy Skin with Lutein-Rich Food

I've noticed in my fitness journey that after almost 60 lbs. of weight loss, my skin is holding up very well for someone who had been fat for over 15 years and who is over 40 years old. Besides genetics and bodybuilding, I believe some of my success is because of kale. Yes, a vegetable. People normally shun kale because they don't know how to prepare it so that it tastes great.

Why kale? Kale contains the most amount of lutein of all the vegetables and other sources.

You've probably heard that lutein helps prevent macular degeneration as we age - that it's good for your eyes. It's not only beneficial for our eyes, but for our hearts and skin too. A study in 2001 by the University of Southern California demonstrated that lutein helps protect against heart disease. A study in France in 2006 revealed that lutein increases skin elasticity, hydration, and superficial skin lipids rather significantly. While it increased the skin lipids, it also protects against their degradation (oxidation).

Lutein (LOO-teen) is a carotenoid, a yellow pigment found in egg yolks, vegetables, and other plants. This carotenoid is used by the body as an antioxidant. Lutein cannot be produced by the body, we must eat it. Vitamin supplements contain isolates and are better than nothing. However, nature intended for us to eat our vegetables in vegetable form, a whole food, not in a capsule.

As a woman in her 40s, I really perked up when I learned about the skin benefits of lutein. What the study in France is saying is that it helps fight wrinkles and saggy skin. As a vegan, the heart disease prevention results from the USC study were no surprise. Vegans have the lowest rates of heart disease and other diseases of affluence, like type 2 diabetes.

I incorporate three or more cups a kale a day, at least 3-4 days a week (or more), in to my diet. I've done this from the beginning because kale is a filling vegetable that helps you feel full longer. I didn't consider the health benefits and didn't know about lutein's skin benefits at that time. The lutein content of kale is 26.5 mg per cup, and cooked kale has 23.7 mg per cup. This is more than double the amount given to the participants in a capsule.

Here are my two, delicious kale recipes:

Raw Kale

Raw kale is bitter and most dressings are very high fat and highly caloric, so I came up with the following recipe which combines some raw foodist techniques with my own vegan cooking skills to make it tasty!

The secret to tasty, raw kale is to slaw it in a food processor. Pulse it so you don't end up making juice. Set aside and finely chop in the food processor three medium carrots per the 1lb. bag of kale. Slawing the kale releases the natural sugars. Adding in the carrots further cuts the bitterness and adds more vitamins the natural way. You won't even know it's kale when you're done.

Creamy Low Carb, Low Fat, Low Calorie Dressing or Dip

Ingredients:

1 package of low fat Mori Nu 12.3 oz Extra Firm Silken Tofu
1/4 cup cold water
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt (or omit and sprinkle on salad directly)
2 to 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/3 to 1/4 cup nutritional yeast (found at the health food store)
6 cloves of finely minced garlic or garlic powder to taste (1/8 of a teaspoon of garlic powder usually equals one clove)
1-2 teaspoons onion powder
1/2 to 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions:

Blend the tofu and water until it's smooth and creamy. Take the lowest measurement of the spices and other ingredients and combine them. Blend again and be sure to taste it. Now you can add more spices to your taste preference and continue blending. Since it's going to be a dip or a salad dressing, making the flavor strong is a good idea because it gets diluted by the veggies. Don't salt it at all if you don't want to, just sprinkle the salt on the salad directly. Dunk the fork in the dressing and then put the kale on the fork.Christina's Homestyle Kale

Ingredients:

2 cups water
2 teaspoons Vegetable "Better than Bullion" vegan bullion
6 cloves of minced garlic
1/4-1/2 cup chopped onions
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1/4 cup nutritional yeast (optional)

Directions:

Dissolve the "Better than Bullion" in two cups water hot water. Saute the garlic and onion for a few minutes in olive oil. Mix together and add the optional nutritional yeast (nutritional yeast adds b12 and a good amount of protein, not to mention a nice nutty, cheesy flavor). Place this broth at the bottom of a large pot. Put your 1 lb. bag of washed and drained kale in the pot. Set to medium heat and cover with a slightly tilted lid. Cook and stir until it turns into a bright, bright green and has the consistency of almost cooked spinach. Remove from heat. Do not drain. To get the most benefit, drink the broth too. The broth makes a great soup, just add beans and other cooked veggies.

Morganti P, et. al. Clinical evidence for lutein and zeaxanthin in skin health, part 1: comparison of placebo, oral, topical and combined oral/topical xanthophylls treatments. Presented at the Beyond Beauty Conference, Paris, France, September 12, 2006. New Study Demonstrates Dietary Supplement Lutein Increases Skin Hydration, Elasticity and Lipid Levels - Lutein Information Bureau

James H. Dwyer, PhD; Mohamad Navab, PhD; Kathleen M. Dwyer, PhD; Kholood Hassan, BSc; Ping Sun, PhD; Anne Shircore, MSc; Susan Hama-Levy, BSc; Greg Hough, MSc; Xuping Wang, MD; Thomas Drake, MD; C. Noel Bairey Merz, MD; Alan M. Fogelman, MD Oxygenated Carotenoid Lutein and Progression of Early Atherosclerosis / The Los Angeles Atherosclerosis Study / American Heart Association

Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences, Moran Eye Center, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, Utah 84132, USA. Purification and partial characterization of a lutein-binding protein from human retina.

Sources of Luiten

Disease Rates of Vegetarians and Vegans