We all know eating paleo has a lot of wonderful benefits. Our bodies just work better when we eat what nature intended for us to eat. No big shock there. However, there are some added benefits that certain foods give your skin that you might no be aware of. I'm big about wearing sun screen and keeping my face in the shade so I was very happy to see that I'm doing some other things to help keep a youthful glow! I stumbled across some of these today and thought I would share.
Almonds
Yes, I'm in love with almonds. They are a wonderful fat, taste great and certainly satisfy when you need something crunchy. However, did you know they also are a natural sun blocker? The vitamin E that almonds are packed with help defend against sun damage! This doesn't mean you should stuff yourself with almonds and forget the sun block, but studies show that consuming 20 almonds a day can help reduce your risk of burning in UV rays. Take a bag with you to the beach, but still keep your SPF 30 on hand!
Flaxseed
These babies are packed with omega 3 fatty acid. Omega 3's actually erase and iron out fine lines. Yes ladies, wrinkles! Who knew?
Cooked Tomatoes
I love tomatoes. I like them raw, roasted, sun dried, in a sauce, however you want to give them to me I will eat them. Cooked tomatoes, like almonds, are a natural sun blocker. Tomatoes are packed with lycopene which helps eliminate skin-aging free radicals. Cooking helps concentrate the lycopene.
Spinach
This green gem is good for you for multiple reasons. A recent study published in the International Journal of Cancer shows that people who ate the most leafy greens had half as many skin tumors over an eleven year period. Get me a salad!
Canned Tuna
I love canned tuna when I am in a crunch and need some easy protein. Tuna has selenium which helps preserve the elastin in the skin. Elastin keeps your skin nice and tight. Enough said.
Carrots
Everyone had acne as a teenager and if you didn't then I hate you. Sadly, we still are prone to it as adults. Carrots are packed with vitamin A which helps reduce the overproduction of cells on the outer layer of the skin. In short, this helps reduce breakouts. Orange power!
I got this information from the Eat This, Not That blog from women's health magazine. Here is the link if you want to surf the site.
Ok. Don't hate me. I had two pimples in all of high school (which I thought were the end of the world at the time!). Oh, and I despised carrots back then. Go figure. I think I was just lucky.
ReplyDeleteNow I'm eating plenty of everything on your list, except flax seed.