Fruits and Veggies are packed with all kinds of vitamins and minerals that are good for our skin. When you really examine the benefits of them you will find out that eating certain fresh produce can help you look younger. At my age, anything I can learn about anti-aging that works, is a topic I am interested in. Let’s face it, no pun intended, we all want to look and feel our best no matter how old we are. Age is just a number, right?
I did a little research on Fruits, Veggies and Skin and this is what I came up with:
FRUITS
In the fruit department, some of my favorite fruits that I have been eating are helping my skin and I didn’t even know it!
Tomatoes
Some of you will be surprised to see that the tomato is in the fruit column and technically it is a fruit because it has seeds. Anything with seeds is considered a fruit, even peppers. This is truly my favorite fruit/ veggie, spicy peppers are a really close second. There is an abundance of anti-oxidants called lycopene in tomatoes, especially the cooked variety. Lycopene protects your skin from the free radicals in your body caused by cigarette smoking or pollution. Consuming lots of tomato sauce or paste will help protect your skin from UV rays, premature aging and skin cancer but this doesn’t mean you shouldn’t wear sunscreen . When you look at the Italians and the Greeks who eat a lot of tomatoes, you can see that I am telling you the truth! Oh and by the way, I grew all of these tomatoes myself.
Cantaloupe
Another one of my favorites! who can resist that juicy, peachy in color, firm in texture and undeniably sweet fruit, and to think that it is so good for your skin among other things! I grew all kinds of melons last year and can’t wait to start planting this season. This fruit also has lots of anti-oxidants and will have the same skin boosting benefits that the tomato does with fighting the free radicals but it also is full of water. Our bodies are made up of mostly water and when you devour this tasty fruit you are hydrating your skin at the same time. Vitamin A helps turnover the cells in the skin. Cantaloupe is loaded and I mean loaded with it which will keep your skin looking bright and glowing. You can get lots of beauty benefits from this amazing fruit! You should try growing them as well. You will have extra melons to make a delicious summer drink .
Berries & Plums
Berries are amazing for your skin! The “Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry ” has reported that black berries, blueberries, strawberries and plums have the “highest total anti-oxidant capacity” of any food out there! If you haven’t tasted fresh local grown berries or plums you haven’t lived! The fresher the better the benefits. If not eaten soon after they are picked, the fruit will loose some of the vitamins and taste . You can’t get them any fresher if you grow them yourself though and it’s easy. If that isn’t an option, frozen berries are almost as good. The fruit is picked and frozen immediately to assure freshness. I grow my own strawberries myself and encourage all of you to try it too. They really don’t take up that much room ,you can even grow them in a pot. yum yum.
VEGETABLES
Broccoli
My boys use to call broccoli “trees”. Most children like the dark -green vegetable that comes from the cabbage family, at least all of mine do. This Italian favorite is chocked full of vitamin A and C . Like the cantaloupe, this means eating broccoli will help rejuvenate your skin’s cells faster, giving it a fresh glow. Broccoli is full of anti – oxidants to help fight the free radicals in your skins cells. I could go on all day about the health benefits of broccoli because the list of vitamins and minerals is endless. When is comes to broccoli Growing broccoli is fun to watch and simpler than you think. You will need a lot of space since this plant can be 3 foot in diameter. I am about to plant my broccoli seedlings for now for a summer harvest.
Sweet Potatoes
Like the Cantaloupe , sweet potatoes contain anti- oxidants called beta carotene. Anything that has that pumpkin color hue will be full of vitamin A and anti-oxidants and sweet potatoes are no exception. This colorful potato will help your skin recover from sun damage . I know I need to add these to my diet more since I baked in the sun all through my teenage years, lathering myself with a concoction of baby lotion and iodine. My best friends Suzy Beaver and Alison O’meara were my partners in crime and we would try to see who could get the darkest. What were we thinking? I haven’t grown sweet potatoes yet but I will definitely plant them this summer!
Carrots
Another favorite veggie for the kiddies is carrots and that is a good thing. I still love raw carrots but I am not a fan of them cooked which is better for me since most of the vitamins and minerals are lost once cooked anyway. I am a sucker for carrot juice and grow my own for juicing or buy organic carrots for my vitamin A and beta carotene quota. There are only 90 calories in an 8 oz. cup of juice and that is all you need daily. Anymore your body will not be able to absorb it and your skin might turn a yellowish orange Don’t worry, it isn’t permanent. Vitamin A, Beta Carotene, is essential for tissue growth for the body. It is an excellent natural antioxidant which fights the free radicals in your body and slows down the aging process. Carrots have carotnoids which helps with the UV rays and fights sun damage. Another vitamin that carrots has and is essential for the skin is Vitamin C. It helps the growth of collagen. I just love them carrots!
I don’t know which one of these vegetables or fruits are better for you but they all sound pretty good! Now when I am sipping my carrot juice coctail and savoring my cantaloupe and berries for breakfast I know that my skin will be looking exceptionally fresh and vibrant real soon. What a wonderful beauty secret!