Paths To Power

Beauty And Raw Food

Submitted By: Elizabeth Kiely

One of the best ways to improve the appearance of your skin is by incorporating raw food into your diet. Beautiful skin starts from the inside out. People who switch to eating mostly raw food often see an improvement in their skin and look younger.

Heating food above 105 degrees Fahrenheit destroys the enzymes as well as up to 50% of the protein and 70-90% of the vitamins and minerals. Eating cooked food overtaxes the body’s enzyme reserves. Eating more raw food decreases the amount of digestive enzymes your body has to produce. Raw foods are foods in their natural state with the enzymes left intact. Enzymes are needed to perform many functions in the body including digestion, assimilation and elimination of food. A drained enzyme supply can result in vitamin and mineral deficiencies, premature aging and low energy. Raw foods high in enzymes include sprouts, papaya and pineapple.

Free radicals damage your skin and interfere with collagen production causing premature aging. Antioxidants counteract free radicals that age the skin. Berries, especially blueberries, are potent antioxidants that promote collagen which reduces wrinkles. Citrus fruits such as oranges, lemons and grapefruit help rid the body of free radicals keeping the skin looking young. Foods high in the antioxidant beta carotene including carrots and apricots protect the skin against sun damage.

CoenzymeQ10 is an effective antioxidant involved in the energy process and present in every cell in the body. CoQ10 levels in the body diminish with age. CoQ10 destroys free radicals and slows aging. Spinach, broccoli and peanuts are foods high in CoQ10.

Alpha-lipoic acid is a powerful antioxidant that boosts the strength of other antioxidants such as Vitamin C and E, and assists the body’s energy production. Alpha-lipoic acid can be found in spinach, brewer’s yeast, broccoli, tomatoes and peas.

Sulfur is a mineral present in every cell in your body. It is needed in collagen production and for healthy skin, hair and nails. Organic sulfur levels in food are lost when processed, heated or dried. Sulfur is known to help improve skin conditions such as acne. High sulfur content foods include asparagus, broccoli, hemp seeds, pumpkin seeds, red pepper, garlic, onion, watercress and kale.

Silicon is an essential trace mineral needed for healthy skin, hair, nails and bones. Silicon levels decrease with age. Fruits and vegetables are the richest source of silicon including apples, oranges, cherries, grapes, strawberries, beets, cucumber, carrots and green leafy vegetables.

Phytochemicals are plant chemicals that help the body defend against damage and are said to have anti-aging properties. Phytochemicals can be found in berries, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, spinach, carrots, cocoa and bell pepper.

Raw nuts and seeds are high in Vitamin E which is beneficial to the skin. Selenium keeps the skin elastic and can be found in garlic, onions and shallots.

When the body rids itself of toxins, it passes through the skin which is the largest elimination organ. Raw food increases your detoxification rate. Drinking water helps the body rid itself of toxins. Seaweed is high in vitamins and minerals beneficial to the skin and also helps rid the body of toxins.

To achieve a healthy complexion, drink plenty of water and eat plenty of raw food. What goes into your body is reflective in your overall appearance.

About Elizabeth Kiely

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Organic Beauty Products And Your Beauty

Submitted By: Shabi

Organic beauty products. Who would have thought about it twenty, even ten years ago? Beauty products were beauty products and that was it. Sure there was some talk about all the “bad” things used in the literally hundreds of thousands of beauty to line the market shelves, but only the very hardcore enthusiasts of these things took much notice of these claims.

Everyone else stuck with their normal beauty routines, the consequences of using potentially harmful chemicals and the like on a daily basis, negligible in the face of looking like a hag to put it mildly. With the turn of the millennium however the tides have changed and the theme now most widely utilized is that of “natural”. Anything and everything natural is in, and this includes organic beauty products.

People are taking a keener interest in their health, what they put into their bellies, and what they put on their bodies. This means many people are turning towards more natural in just about every aspect of their lives, and in a regulated market such as the organic food market, this is all fine and good. But what happens when the mega-million dollar beauty products industry decides to go organic?

Mass consumer frenzy to go all natural, and get the latest in organic beauty products to hit the shelves. The problem here is not that there are organic beauty products, but that there isn’t a regulatory body to oversee what exactly “organic” constitutes when it comes to organic beauty products.

This isn’t to say that all beauty products labeled “organic” are fraudulent, only that some of these products don’t necessarily have more than a small fraction of dubiously labeled organic products, and yet these products too can take advantage of the entire health craze and call their products, organic beauty products. This is consumer deception at its worst, but there’s nothing that can be done about it at the moment.

With organic beauty products selling like hotcakes, it won’t be too long before someone calls a halt to this free-for-all in indiscriminate labeling. But until then it behooves us, the consumer to be wary of what exactly it is that we’re shelling out extra money for, because without a doubt we are paying more for products which are labeled as organic.

And while this is alright if the organic beauty products we buy are genuine, there really is no point in spending our hard earned cash on the same product we bought ten years ago without the organic labeling!

The key here is to be aware of what we’re buying and where we can likely go wrong. In the end however, when push comes to shove and the organics part of organic beauty products really does live up to its name, there will be no stopping the masses from buying something that is not only good for them but that also makes them look good.

The Foundations Of Beauty

Submitted By: Fawn Bales

Most of us have heard the old saying, “Beauty is only skin deep.”

Well, it’s not really true. Beauty is the outer manifestation of good health, good genetics and good will. The state of our health is reflected in the quality of our skin and luster of our hair. Beautiful strong hair and clear smooth skin is the result of good nutrition. The state of our mind and intentions in reflected in our smile, in our eyes, and in the regard our loved ones have for us. A beautiful smile and sparkling eyes are the result of a good attitude. Good genetics? Well, that’s just the result of good luck.

Although it’s not skin deep, it is open to interpretation. After all, beauty IS in the eye of the beholder. Those we love deeply are always beautiful to us, no matter what they actually look like.

Whatever our genetics and luck, whatever our mindset, most women would like to look as healthy and beautiful as they possibly can. Whether want to look magazine-cover perfect; or just as healthy and vibrant and as youthful as possible, the first step in constructing a new beauty regimen is finding out if you are providing the tools your body needs to repair and maintain itself and the health of your skin, hair and nails. The basic factors affecting the appearance of these are 1) nutrition, 2) hydration, 3) toxification, 4) hormonal profile, and 5) sleep.

Nutrition

Your body rebuilds and repairs cellular tissue on a daily basis, and needs adequate protein, fats, vitamins, minerals, enzymes and other micronutrients to perform this function. Your skin regenerates constantly, building new cells underneath and sloughing off old cells. Without adequate protein, your skin will not be able to construct strong healthy collagen structures. Without an adequate amount of the right kinds of fats, your hair and nail cells will be weak and easily broken, and your skin will become dry and lifeless.

Hydration

Adequate hydration is vital to the process. Your body requires enough water to move nutrients into, and wastes out of, cells. Water is the basis of the interstitial tissues that flow between your muscle and fat cells, carrying oxygen and hormones from one to the other. Dehydration can lead to slack skin and lifeless hair.

Toxification

Detoxification is also another fundamental. Your skin is responsible for eliminating approximately 10% of your body’s toxins and metabolic wastes. By ensuring that the other organs of elimination are clean and functioning well, you lighten the load on the skin, allowing it to use its precious energy on repair and re-growth. Certain toxins can have definite adverse effects on the hair. Heavy metal poisoning from mercury can cause hair to fall out and to break and can aggravate gums. Lead causes neural damage that can lead to faulty signaling between your brain and outlying extremities.

Hormonal Profile

Your body produces many different hormones that are used by the body to communicate with outlying organs and tissues and tell it how to react to changing conditions. Some of the hormones that directly affect your hair, skin and nails are estrogen, testosterone, progesterone, and growth hormone. For example, estrogen is important for keeping your skin youthful and resilient, but too much can cause aggravation of the gums and lead to gingivitis.

Testosterone is needed to for the important task of producing your body’s own moisturizer, sebum; too much can lead to hair loss from your head and the unsightly growth of excess dark hairs on your face and belly. A lack of progesterone can lead to the skin condition cellulite. The hormones leptin, insulin, and glucagon are important for the maintenance of a healthy weight. As you can see, hormonal balance has a definite and important influence on how you look.

Sleep

Your body requires a certain amount of rest to rebuild, repair and replace cellular tissue. Interestingly enough, the skin is usually regenerated between the hours of 11PM and 2AM, so for best results, you should be sleeping during those hours. Your body also uses the time during sleep to balance brain chemistry. Adequate sleep and rest is one of the most important things you can do to improve the appearance of your skin and the health of your hair and nails, as well as giving you the energy to live actively and the mood enhancement to enjoy life.

Summary

One of the first things you need to do when devising a new beauty routine is to find out whether or not you are getting the right kind of food and enough water to meet your beauty goals. Also, you might want to consider a detoxification routine. Are you are getting enough sleep to put all these other factors to work for you? These are the first things to consider when devising a beauty regimen.