Choose right foods to stay young in 2008
By Oluwatoyin Oluwastoyin
Friday, January 25, 2008

• Egg •Pix: Sun News Publishing

Appetit Index

2008 is here. What is your New Year resolution? A younger you? But for wrinkles! Who need them? Call them laugh lines, smile lines, concentration lines. They might even be the story of a life well spent- the times you laughed, smiled, kissed, frowned in concentration, cried for joy or otherwise, yet no one wants them.

Why? Everyone would rather stay forever young.
Though scientists have discovered that 90 per cent of wrinkles are caused by exposure to sun, smart food choices have been proved to prolong the natural beauty of the skin. A research carried out at Monash University, Australia on 453 men and women from Australia, Greece and Sweden has confirmed this.

The discovery:
• Consumption of lots of fruits, vegetables and fish seems to reduce wrinkles.
• High intake of red meats, sweets seems to accelerate wrinkles.
The skin savers are:
Water
Olives
Fatty fishes like sardines, grilled salmon
Reduced fat milk
Onions
Fruits like apples, oranges and papaya (paw paw) and mixed berries
Yogurt
Nuts
Leafy green vegetables like spinach and pumpkins
Garlic
Eggs
Beans
Whole grain cereals like Quaker oat Olive oil
These are the skin wreckers:
Cakes and pastries
Saturated fat in meat
Sweetened drinks
Full fat milk and cheese
Processed meat
White potatoes
Butter
Ice-cream
Alcohol
Desserts
The volunteers that fed more on the first category of foods had little or no wrinkle while those that consumed more of the latter had more wrinkles. This finding is said to be relevant even for smokers (who tend to develop wrinkles faster due to their smoking habit) and those who spend a lot of time outdoor. This does not mean the foods cause or prevent wrinkles directly but these foods help to protect the body against skin wreckers like the sun and natural aging or assist them.

Foods with antioxidants like fruits and vegetables and monounsaturated fats from vegetable oil, nuts and fish are high on the list of highly protective foods against wrinkles. The antioxidants help fight the sunlight-generated free radicals that could do damage to the skin cells, causing wrinkles. Monounsaturated fats, in addition to being antioxidants, also help to replenish the fatty tissues of the skin making it to look smoother and clearer.

Here is a break down of the skin friendly nutrients on your table at each meal:
The nutrients are vitamin E, vitamin C and vitamin A; zinc, essential fatty acids and water.
Vitamin E: This is an antioxidant available in nuts, egg yolks, leafy green vegetables, vegetable oil, whole grains, and whole germ. This nutrient helps to maintain the structural integrity of the skin by countering the activities of sunlight- generated free radicals that could damage skin cells.

Vitamin C: This is another powerful antioxidant. In addition to neutralizing the damaging effects of free radicals on skin cells, vitamin C also helps to maintain healthy tissues and plays an important role in the formation of collagen which supports the skin.

Food sources are green vegetables, citrus, tomatoes, red peppers, potatoes, strawberries and eggplants.
Vitamin A: Perhaps the importance of foods rich in this nutrient to wrinkle free skin could be better appreciated if one considers the fact that its deficiency causes the loss of cells meant to lubricate the skin to make it soft and supple.

There are two forms of vitamin A. The animal form is from meat and diary products while the plant is from fruits and vegetables. Some examples are raw carrots; boiled spinach; baked sweet potatoes and raw red bell peppers. The deeper the colour of the fruits and vegetables the more this nutrient is available in form of beta-carotene.
Zinc: This mineral works with vitamin C to produce healthy collagen. Its top sources are whole wheat, pumpkin seeds and red meat.

Essential fatty acids: These, in form of omega 3 and omega 6, help hydrate the skin by holding on to moisture. Top sources of these fatty acids are fatty cold-water fishes like tuna and salmon, and walnuts.
Water: Drink at least eight glasses of water daily. This helps to stay hydrated and flush toxins out of your body through the kidney rather than the skin.
Apart from bottled water, drink 100 per cent natural fruit juice. Tap water may not be ideal due to contamination.

Foods that prevent damage to the skin even when exposed to the UV rays of the sun
While not undermining the use of sunscreen to protect one from sun’s Ultra Violet rays, new research has revealed that some foods have the capacity to prevent or minimize damage to the skin despite exposure to sunlight. These foods are:
1. Red orange and yellow fruits and vegetables which have been shown to reduce the effect of sunburn.
2. Tart cherries and peppermint leaves have stopped cancer in cells exposed to UV rays in laboratory studies.

3.Leafy greens like dark green lettuce and spinach are rich in antioxidants that halted cell growth prompted by exposure to UV ray in animal studies.
4.Oranges, lemon and lime: In one study of 470 women and men at the University of Arizona, United States, it was discovered that oranges, lemon and lime have a potent ingredient that could reduce skin cancer by 34 per cent.
5. Salmon: In a small study conducted by the Britons, the rich content of Omega 3 fatty acids in this fish makes it to guard against DNA changes that could lead to cancer and sunburn.
Note
Ultra violet damage to the skin is more than beauty problem; scientists say the damage could also set the stage for skin cancer. Thus, whether it is for beauty or health, one needs protection from the sun. However, remember that a healthy dose of vitamin D is gotten from exposure to sun; though a few minutes’ exposure is enough.

Healthy lifestyle choices that hinder wrinkles’ formation:
Protect your skin whenever outdoor, even if it is briefly, with the sunscreen appropriate for your skin and activity. For instance, there are sunscreens for people with sensitive skins and swimmers or exercisers. UV rays could affect you from the windows of a car, office or home.
• Whenever you are outside, year round, guard your skin. Use sunscreen lavishly.
• Use it 30 minutes before going out to allow the skin to absorb it.
• Do not leave out your lips; use a lip balm that contains sun block.
• Even when it is raining or cloudy, use sunscreen because the weather does not block out UV rays.
• While the use of wide brimmed hat does protect from direct ray, it is not enough as 85 per cent of rays bounce off the sand, water and even concrete.
• Wear long sleeve light weight shirts and slack whenever you have outdoor activities.
• Take the sunscreen with you and apply as it is directed. Use more often if you are sweating profusely or swimming.
• A tingling sensation on your skin is a sign that you have been in the sun too much, leave the sun.
• UV rays are stronger between 10 am and 4 pm. So fix your outdoor activities either before or after this period for minimal exposure.
• Use sunshades with complete UV protection whose lenses are big enough to prevent squinting. This is because squinting causes the onset of crow’s feet and forehead wrinkles.
• Stop smoking. It is second to the sun as a skin wrecker. 10 minutes of smoking decreases the oxygen supplied to the body and skin for one hour, thereby causing delayed skin healing and fragile, shiny skin.
•Stop reinforcing your facial lines by keeping a mirror by your telephone. With the mirror you can see if you are frowning, furrowing your brow, pursing your lips and promptly stop. This helps you to relax while speaking.
• Sleep facing up to prevent fluid buildup in facial
tissues.
• Avoid anti wrinkle exercises as it helps to reinforce the wrinkle lines
• Limit alcoholic drinks to a cup, if female, and two cups, if male. Also drink lots of water to avoid dehydration.
• Do not drink alcohol three hours before sleep, it causes puffiness.
• Rapid weight loss makes you look older with the skin sagging. Rather choose to lose weight slowly and see your youth being renewed.
• Exercises help the skin to remove toxins speedily and grow new skin cells.
• Sleep seven to eight hours daily for clear complexion. Inadequate rest causes dull complexion
• Raise the head of your bed to prevent under eye puffiness by sleeping on two pillows
• Satin pillowcase is good on your skin, use it.
• Avoid stress; it makes you look drawn and dull.
• Do facial and body massage. It helps improve the delivery of both oxygen and nutrients to the skin, giving it a healthy glow.
Hope you have now seen how you can drop years from your age in 2008. Surely you are what you eat. See you on top.
Happy New Year!