We’d all love to possess a radiant glowing skin, thick lustrous hair, healthy nails & bright sparkling eyes. The food that we eat is of utmost importance to achieve this goal. Less water causes blotchy, dull skin & acne. Consume 7-8 glasses of water daily. Replace refined flour with whole grains as during the refining process, the Vit B, proteins & fibres are removed. A balanced diet of proteins, carbohydrate and fats with the required amount of minerals and vitamins is essential for good, healthy looks.
Proteins: The proteins are needed for repair of body tissues. The skin and hair need enough protein and the deficiency causes dull and dry skin and scalp. Vegetarians specially need to plan their diets carefully to include protein rich foods such as soya beans, sprouts, cheese, paneer, milk, grains, peas & beans. Freshly made paneer from toned milk is an excellent source o(protein for the vegetarian. Sprouted moong and kala channas are enormously rich in nutrition as both the Vitamin B and C content increases as much as 40% during sprouting. Dalia for breakfast is another good way of meeting the protein requirements. If porridge sounds to drab, make it interesting by adding the fruit of your choice to it. Include yoghurt in your meals. This dairy product contains bacteria which keeps the intestines clean, giving a healthy glow to your skin.
Carbohydrates: Sugar is one of those carbohydrate rich foods which has no value. On the contrary, it can cause acne, poor circulation and obesity. So instead of sugar, add brown sugar or honey to your diet. Both help purify blood and cleanse the body of toxins. Other refined carbohydrates like cause the problem are white flour and white bread in which the nutrients such as vitamins and fibre get removed during refining. These thus largely provide empty calories. Excess carbohydrate which is not needed to supply immediate energy demands, is stored as fat. So, avoid white bread and nan etc, instead opt for brown bread and whole wheat flour chapattis.
Fat : You need very little fat, but a little is necessary for good circulation and supple & soft skin.
Vitamin: Fresh fruits And vegetable are rich in vitamins, the deficiency of which causes lusterless hair and a dull complexion.
Vitamin A is an important Vitamin for over all health & beauty of your body. It encourages bright, healthy eyes, contributes to hair growth & discourages dandruff, keeps your skin healthy & prevents acne and also makes nails strong. A deficiency of Vitamin A causes rough scaly skin, brittle nails & inflamed eye lid.
Vitamin A is found in pineapple, mango, strawberries, carrots, spinach, tomatoes, green leafy, milk, cream, cheese, butter, yoghurt, chicken & fish.
A shortfall in Vitamin B might cause acne, excessive weight, dandruff, falling hair, and malfunctioning of the digestive system
Vitamin B is found in meat, liver, fish, poultry, lentils, cabbage, peas, beans, potatoes, coconut, milk, tomato, orange, bran, oatmeal, rye, almonds, nuts, peanuts.
Inadequate quantities of Vitamin C cause skin eruptions. If taken in sufficient amounts, this Vitamin cures health problems, helps reduce weight, and encourages healthy bones, gums and body tissue. Vitamin C is present in tomatoes, potatoes, carrot, turnips, cabbage, lemon, oranges, grapes, bananas, mangoes, amlas.
Adequate supply help of Vitamin D prevents premature ageing. The deficiency of this vitamin can cause rickets, acne and brittle bones. Vitamin D is present in Cod liver oil, milk, cheese, yogurt, eggs. Besides helping cure hair problems, Vitamin E aids fertility and prevents premature ageing. Vitamin E is present in eggs, vegetable oils, peanut and wheat germ oil, margarine.
Fibre : Fibre is very important. This indigestible carbohydrate is concentrated in the peels & rinds of fruits and vegetables and in the outer layers of grains and pulses. Fibre rich foods promote radiant glossy skin and clear eyes
Herbal Beauty Secrets: When ever you eat any fruit, keep a small piece for your face. Mash it and apply on your face . This way the fruit will work both ways at the same time internally and externally, to give you good health and a beautiful glow to your face. In general the mashed pulp or the juice of all fruits is good for your skin and should be applied regularly at least once a week for a healthy, glowing and a blemish free complexion. These are relaxing, clean the skin and close pores. They stimulate the skin by improving blood circulation.
To Improve Complexion:
• Mix 1 tsp atta or besan, 1 tsp cream and paste of 10-12 almonds soaked overnight with little Coconut oil to form a smooth paste. Apply on face. Leave for 20-25 minutes and then wash off. Doing this regularly will improve your complexion tremendously.
• Mix equal amounts of almond oil with honey. Apply on face regularly. Keep for 10-15 minutes before washing off. It improves complexion.
Rejuvenating Masks:
• Mash a slice of ripe papaya and apply on the face. Leave it for 15- 20 minutes and then wash off. Papaya contains enzymes which soften dead cells and removes them and so it makes an excellent nourishing and a rejuvenating mask.
• Mash a ripe apricot and apply pulp or juice on the face and neck or simply take an apricot slice and rub it all over the face and neck. Leave it for 20 minutes before washing off. Apricot has nourishing and firming qualities. It therefore nourishes, rejuvenates and tightens your skin. It also helps in lightening stretch marks and smoothening wrinkles. It is a popular ingredient in many beauty/ cosmetic preparations such as face scrubs, masks etc. It is good for all types of skins.
Nourishing Masks Specially For Dry Skin:
• Mash a slice of a ripe peach and apply on the face or rub a peach slice all over your face and neck. An excellent nourishing mask specially for dry skin.
• Mix together 1 tablespoons of orange juice with 1/2 tablespoon of honey and apply on the face. Let it dry for 15-20 minutes and then wash off. A good moisturizing and toning mask for dry skins. Alternately you can add some multani mitti to the face mask pack. Increase the amount of honey & orange juice to get a smooth paste.
