Beauty: Beauty From Your Garden

BEAUTY

Your GardenBeauty from

Did you plant a vegetable garden this year? Maybe you’re

like me and rely on our amazing farmers’ market in the area to get great produce. No matter if you are planting or buying, including fresh fruits and vegetables in your diet will give your body great benefits.

We all strive for healthy, resilient, glowing skin not just visible on our countenance but all over our body. Keep in mind that fruits and vegetables contain powerful antioxidants that help protect the skin from cellular damage from free radical and sun exposure. We know that free radicals and sun can cause wrinkling, dryness and age spots, and eating a colorful array of garden fruits and vegetables — red, orange and green — can have a positive impact on the health of your skin as well as the rest of you. You always want to be sure you’re getting enough essential nutrients to protect your skin, so eating fresh from a garden can be a booster.

Listed below are some of the good eats we can harvest from our garden or pick up from the local farmers’ market to benefit our skin — just think, skincare in a garden instead of a jar.

Dark leafy greens, sweet potatoes and yams are rich in vitamin E and A. Vitamin E is a natural antioxidant that provides protection from free radicals and toxins. Free radicals are produced during metabolism, and they can speed up the effects of the aging process, such as wrinkles in your skin.

Vitamin E can also protect your skin membrane from UV damage. Vegetables naturally rich in vitamin E include avocados, dark leafy greens, sweet potatoes, yams, yellow and green peppers.

Carrots contain high levels of beta carotene, is a precursor to vitamin A, which is the main active ingredient in retin-A and acts as a natural sunblock; you still need to apply sunscreen. Carotenoids help prevent sunburn, cell death and dry, wrinkled skin.

Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, a powerful antioxidant as well as vitamin C. This multi-purposed fruit contains all the carotenoids for maintaining good skin. Pair this with a fat source such as avocado, cheese, olive oil and boom — you increase absorption. Once again, all this helps protect against sun damage and wrinkling.

Broccoli is the source of many vitamins and minerals that support good skin health. It includes zinc, vitamin A and C. Like tomatoes, broccoli also contains lutein, which protects from oxidative damage and dryness. The florets contain sulforaphane, a powerful compound with impressive potential benefits. It may even have anti-cancer benefits including skin cancer. Studies show sulforaphane may also help maintain collagen levels in the skin.

Avocados are added to my list, though we may not be able to grow or buy fresh from the farmers’ market. They rate high on the skin benefit chart and are one of my favorites. This little green grenade

packs a powerhouse of essential oils, vitamin C and B complex vitamins. It is high in healthy fats that benefit many body functions. They’re great for masking and hair treatments too. My favorite way to eat them — chopped avocados, tomatoes, onions, cilantro, a little apple cider vinegar, garlic powder, a dash of olive oil and voila. It’s yummy and beautifying while you eat it.

I conclude with something we can all agree on, and oh how we wish we could grow this one in our garden — dark chocolate! This food source covers every food group and nutrient requirement known to man. The effects of cocoa on your skin are pretty astounding. Studies show after five to 12 weeks of eating a cocoa powder high in antioxidants each day, participants experienced thicker more hydrated skin. Also skin was less rough and scaly, less sensitive to sunburn and had better blood flow.

Another study showed that eating 20 grams of high antioxidant dark chocolate per day could allow the skin to withstand over twice as much UV radiation before burning versus low antioxidant chocolate. You will need to make your choice a dark chocolate with a minimum of 70 percent cocoa to maximize the benefits and keep added sugar to a minimum.

Eat well for beauty!

Marion Edwards

Marion Edwards is a Licensed Esthetician, Professional Makeup Artist and Certified Trainer for Motives Cosmetics. She can be contacted at 828.773.1500.

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