The eight skin savers
Skin care comes naturally.
As well as offering a generally healthy diet, nature also offers an abundance of very special and beneficial gifts, the use of which can naturally support our skin. We call them the eight skin savers.
Blueberries: the blue miracle pills
All berries have a great anti-ageing effect, regardless of whether they´re blueberries, strawberries, blackberries or red currants.
Ingredients:
Blueberries contain easily soluble carbohydrates, refreshing fruit acids and a myriad of vitamins and minerals. The blue colour in blueberries is rich in flavonoids which contain at least five different sorts of anthocyanosides. This makes blueberries one of the most effective anti-ageing foods.
American scientists researched 40 different fruits and found that blueberries have the highest proportion of anti-oxidants, the substances that absorb free radicals.
Skin:
The healing power of blueberries to the skin is almost spectacular. A blueberry lotion alleviates itchy and weeping rashes, barber´s itches, ulcers and eczema. Those that regularly consume blueberries will retain a youthful and glowing complexion for a long time, thanks to the blueberry´s radical absorbing effects.
Medicine:
In medicine blueberries are used against diarrhoea, throat infections and in obstetrics.
Olives: the oil of eternal youth
Olive trees can live for up to 1,000 years!
Ingredients:
The phytochemicals in olives contain hydrocarbons that neutralise free radicals. Pigments such as chlorophyll and phenolic acids are anti-oxidants that protect our entire immune system. The most important substance in olive oil is hydroxytyrosol, which has an anti-oxidant effect 50 times greater than that of vitamin C. It also contains anti-inflammatory cox-2 inhibitors that are pain inhibitors similar to Voltaren.
Skin:
It is good to use olive oil because it cares for the skin and keeps you healthy and also improves your flexibility. The effects of olives allow the skin to intensely heal itself. Olive oil also protects us from invisible micro-infections of the skin that make us look prematurely old.
Medicine:
Olive oil reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases by improving the ratio of the bad blood lipid LDL and the good blood lipid HDL and lowering total cholesterol. Furthermore, it is effective against infections and chronic stress (ibuprofen, polyphenols).
Soya: the Asian secret to long life
Ingredients:
Isoflavones are substances containing oestrogen that help with menopausal problems. Soya beans are rich in anti-oxidants, infection-inhibiting substances and phyto-oestrogen. The substance genistein, contained in anti-oxidants, is particularly noteworthy.
Skin:
A diet containing soya helps keep the skin young and firm. Genistein, with its intense anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory effects, is a real fountain of youth for the skin. Most notably, the female sexual hormone oestrogen gives the skin a youthful appearance: it has the ability to store moisture, activate the creation of collagen and improve blood flow.
Many Hollywood stars have also made use of the beneficial effects of soya. Older stars purposefully use soya beans as an anti-ageing product. The pop icon Madonna has completely replaced all dairy products in her diet with soya products. Even her favourite chocolate ice cream is made with soya milk.
Medicine:
Asian women hardly suffer from menopausal problems as they eat soya almost every day.
Regular consumption of soya also makes the bones more stable and keeps the blood vessels free of deposits. The substance genistein can inhibit the growth of cancerous cells. Genistein can offer protection against prostate, breast, intestinal, lung and skin cancer as well as leukaemia. It also lowers blood lipid values.
Tea: the source of eternal youth
Ingredients:
Tea has a high anti-oxidant content. The most effective flavonoid in tea belongs to the catechine group and is called Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG). Tea contains vitamin C and micro-nutrients such as zinc, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and iron, which are all important for anti-wrinkle protection. Current research also underlines the great importance of the vitamins and minerals found in tea for anti-wrinkle protection.
Skin:
The polyphenols contained in green tea protect against sun-related damage. The anti-oxidant properties of tea polyphenols minimises the damage that ultraviolet rays cause to skin cells and DNA, which prevents the development of skin cancer.
Drinking tea supports conventional sun protection measures such as applying sun cream, sitting in the shade or wearing sun-proof clothing.
By regularly enjoying green tea the skin becomes less sensitive to the sun, tougher and therefore stays young for longer.
Medicine:
The anti-oxidants allow tea to effectively protect against cell damage, chronic illnesses such as cardiovascular diseases or cancer. The fluoride content in tea protects against tooth decay. The hot drink appears to have a probiotic effect on the entire gastrointestinal tract.
Tomatoes: the skin´s fountain of youth
Ingredients:
The tomato contains hundreds of beneficial ingredients, micro-nutrients and vitamins, including vitamins C, B1, B2, B6 and E, folic acid as well as lots of carotene. The substance tyrosine puts you in a good mood. Tomatoes contain lycopene which, together with carotenoids, causes the redness in tomatoes and is a powerful radical scavenger. With the help of laser technology, researchers were able to ascertain that consuming large amounts of foods containing lycopene makes the skin look significantly younger and smoother.
Skin:
The combination of lycopene and vitamin C slows down the skin´s ageing process. Free radicals are neutralised and the cells are effectively protected.
Medicine:
Lycopene protects against the development of cancer cells and inhibits the growth of existing cancer cells.
Walnuts: a fireworks display of positive substances
This nut is sometimes also described as the vegetarians egg.
A handful of walnuts (approx. 50g) covers the recommended daily amount of omega 3 fatty acids for adults.
Ingredients:
Walnuts have a particularly high concentration of melatonin. The high fat content of 61% also means that they are small energy boosts as they have exceptional resources in omega 3 fatty acids. Except for salt-water fish, no other food contains as many omega 3 fatty acids as walnuts.
Skin:
Melatonin is a sleep hormone that also supports the skin´s regeneration at night.
Tips: Eat three nuts before going to bed, this is something that has long been known to Chinese medicine.
Medicine:
The likelihood of suffering from a heart attack is halved. Walnuts offer cell protection and supply vitamins and minerals which contribute towards general well-being. The minerals and vitamins B1, B2 and B6 that are contained in them support important brain functions and thus prevent lulls in concentration.
Wine: A shield against cardiovascular diseases
Ingredients:
Grapes contain around twenty different anti-oxidants that neutralise free radicals and include anti-inflammatory substances. The darker the grape, the higher the flavonoid content. The most important flavonoid is called resveratrol, whose task it is to protect the grape from fungal attack and strong sunlight.
Skin:
Resveratrol is also responsible for the youthful appearance of skin.
Medicine:
Those that particularly enjoy wine in moderation drastically reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. Resveratrol protects the blood vessels from accelerated ageing processes.
Wild salmon: a reservoir of omega 3 fatty acids
Ingredients:
Wild salmon contains a particularly large amount of omega 3 fatty acids. It is assumed that 90 percent of the western population has a high omega 3 deficit. Omega 3 fatty acids are also contained in green leaf vegetables and in animals that eat grass.
Skin:
Because healthy cells don´t just protect against established diseases of civilisation but are also the foundation of youthful appearance. Regularly consuming omega 3 fatty acids will give you a radiant and smooth complexion. The skin´s lipid content remains balanced; wrinkles, both big and small, are prevented. Canadian researchers have discovered that a diet rich in omega 3 fatty acids can visibly improve the appearance of the skin in just three days. In this research, 70 middle-aged women spent some time mainly subsisting on salmon, black olives, turkey, macadamia nuts and olive oil combined with anti-oxidant fruits. After just three days the bags under their eyes had reduced by 39%, flabby skin by 29% and fine lines and small wrinkles were also less noticeable.
Medicine:
Omega 3 fatty acids make sure that the body creates enough stable cell membranes.
A lack of omega 3 fatty acids quickly leads to unspecific symptoms such as dry skin, brittle hair and fingernails, tiredness and constipation as well as lulls in concentration – complaints that are often dismissed as stress-related.
Recommended reading (source):
"Die Kosmetik-Revolution: Schönheit kommt von innen (The cosmetics revolution: beauty comes from within)"
by Markus Metka and Johannes Neuhofer