The Health and Beauty Benefits of Eating Well

Of course you want great skin, if you eat right you can achieve these goals with a minimum of cosmetic applications.

Some foods contain the natural elements that allow our skin to stay dewy soft and healthy, barring of course harsh cleansers and excessive sunshine.

There are food groups as well as individual foods that help to maintain great skin, the food groups are easy. For rosy healthy skin eat red vegetables, those containing red pigment. The most important of these red foods are; tomatoes, sweet potatoes, red and purple cabbage and chard, carrots and beets. The beta carotene in these vegetables will help your skin tolerate exposure to natures harsh elements and free radicals that can cause damage.

While discussing red vegetables fruits may come to mind, these are all good but not all fruits are created equal. The kiwi is an amazing little powerhouse of vitamin C, it provides more of this nutrient then any other easily available food. This enhances among other things, our immunity, heart health and our complexion. The other super fruits are berries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries. If they are available fresh or frozen, add them to your breakfast when ever possible. Melons come to mind, full of water to moisturize your skins cells and loaded with great red and orange pigments, these sweet treats are sure boost your skin's health.

Flax seed, this one is huge - it is available by the pound in most health food stores. Flax seed along with salmon, walnuts and canola oil keep the skin on the face, the lips, the hands and feet healthy and strong. They strengthens the skin's cell walls so that they do not break down in the cold dry winter air. Your lips will not split and flake, your feet will not crack and peel and your knuckles and cuticles will not redden, split or bleed if you take these foods regularly. Flax seed alone can achieve this miracle of skin maintenance but adding the other three, pushes the whole skin health and beauty diet even further. Try it this winter. Chew just a quarter of a teaspoon of flax seed a day, you'll be amazed at the results. Your heart will thank you too as the omega fatty acids help to maintain your heart health. As a bonus, your belly will be happy as the fiber in the flax seeds will help to keep your intestine healthy.

Greet tea is an extraordinary powerhouse of skin supporting antioxidants. Whether you drink it or put it in a spray bottle to spray it on your face or apply it as an astringent, your skin will thank you. It has even been shown to inhibit the development of skin cancer! Green tea is good for so many other things, the list is huge. Drinking it even helps you to avoid cavities in your teeth. After all, what good is great skin with out a great smile.

Turkey, tuna, Brazil nuts and whole grains all are high in selenium, a mineral that is important for skin health. Along with Vitamin A, from those above mentioned red vegetables, selenium can help to prevent sun damage and skin cancer.

Water, after all with out water can there truly be any moisture? Drink those 8 glasses, about two quarts a day. Keep a bottle filled near your elbow at work and reach for it often. All the strong cell walls in the world will not do you any good if the cells are not kept moist with good hydration. Drink your water. Your skin will thank you.

So for great, moist healthy skin, the most important diet elements are; red/orange vegetables, flax seeds, kiwis or other high vitamin c fruits, green tea and turkey. Keep the other supporting foods in mind but maintain these as a regular part of your routine.