Jessica Alba has great skin!

Ok so this post is going to be taking a slightly different direction from my previous ones, but it’s something I have a huge interest in, and actually ties in with health and fitness more than you might be aware of.

I Become Interested In Health And Fitness Because Of My Skin

I have had an interest in healthy skin since I was 14 years old, when my skin started to break out. I hated the fact that it was happening, and hated that I had to do something about it. But it was actually the first step in the right direction for me. I tried a couple of the over the counter “skin clearing” products, but even at that age I didn’t like the idea of masking the problem, and so I asked my Dad for advice. He got me to cut out all sugar and junk food, and sure enough within about a month my skin was clear!

So I realised what you eat has a direct effect on how you look. That seems like a pretty obvious statement, but how many people actually follow that logic? Over the years I started to read more and more books on nutrition, and spent years searching online for more and more information. Before I knew it, I had gained a huge amount of knowledge on nutrition and skin care.

At this point you might be thinking “who cares”, but the condition of your skin has a huge impact on how you look and how people perceive you. Your skin is a direct reflection of what is going on inside your body. If you are under stress, not getting enough sleep or fresh air, if you have a poor diet, if you are ill or unhealthy in anyway you can be sure it will effect the condition of your skin.

The Fit And Healthy Hollywood Look Has A Lot To Do With Great Skin

Think about it, when you look at celebrities, they are lean and toned and fit looking, but a big part of this look is their clear, glowing skin. Look at actresses and models like Jessica Alba, Jennifer Connelly, Adriana Lima, Beyoncé, and Jessica Beil. Not one of them has bad skin, or if they do it’s covered up with make up or photoshopped to give them clear, healthy looking skin. Healthy skin is that important.

And it’s not just the ladies, actors like Johnny Depp, Jared Leto, and Cam Gigandet. Athletes like David Beckham and Tom Brady, in fact how many athletes have you seen with bad skin?

Anyone familiar with Cam Gigandet from movies like "Never Back Down" know he has a chiseled physique, and even though you can't see his body, you can tell he is healthy, due to the condition of his skin.

When someone is truly healthy they will have great skin. Exercise plays a big part in helping you achieve healthy skin. Sweating helps you clear toxins from the body. But without a healthy diet full of antioxidant rich foods, lean proteins, healthy fats, slow release carbs and lots of water, your skin will never look it’s best.

A Great Resource That Will Not Only Improve Your Skin, But Your Health

I’m going to go into more specifics in future posts, but for right now I wanted to quickly talk about a great book I read called ‘The Healthy Skin Diet’. I was written by Karen Fischer, who is a former children’s television presenter from Australia. She suffered from psoriasis, and decided to study to become a nutritionist. She was able to clear up her own skin, and her daughter’s skin, through diet.

Author Karen Fischer

I have to say the book is spot on (pardon the pun 🙂 ). She goes into great detail about what cause various skin conditions from acne and ezema, to rashes and dry skin, and how you can reverse the condition through eating the correct foods. It’s great because the foods she suggests go hand in hand with what you should be eating to be healthy and have a great body too.

One Interesting Part That Caught My Attention

In one chapter she talks about a study in a small village in Japan, dubbed “the village of long life” due to the fact that there are ten times the number of people living beyond the age of 85 than anywhere in America. And they are still out working in the fields all day, don’t suffer from joint pain, don’t need glasses and are wrinkle free! It turns out that their diet is naturally high in hyaluronic acid, which is responsible for lubricating our joints and keeping our skin young and healthy. This is great news for anybody, but particularly anyone doing activities that are hard on the joints, like running or jogging. All her recipes include foods rich in hyaluronic acid and other moisturising ingredients.

The book in question.

Actually the book is worth getting just for the recipes alone. They are all aimed at helping you get clear healthy skin and I have to say everyone I tried tasted great. I think it would be particularly helpful if you find the idea of eating healthy boring, or if you don’t have a clue how to cook. She combines simple ingredients in easy to follow ways and you’d be surprised at how good they taste. I have been making her Tasty Omelet every morning since I first tried it, it’s that good!

She also covers:

sun protection

cellulite

stress reduction

sleep

omega fatty acids

sweating and why it’s important for healthy skin

So whether you want great skin or just want some healthy recipes I would definitely recommend this book. You can get more information on her website Health Before Beauty

Clear, healthy skin always looks good.

This entry was posted on July 3, 2010 at 7:01 am. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Posted in Diet Fresh Tips Lean Recipes by davidgowing No Comments Yet