5 Foods For a Glowing Skin.

You have tried every possible cream and treatment in the world that promises you a healthy glowing skin but still end up looking like a dried peach; trust me I know how it feels. I was one of those kids whose adolescent years were masked by insecurities and acne, and although I have reached an age where these things should be passé, they are anything but! It’s true that beauty comes from within, and while there are a lot of reasons like stress, hormonal imbalance, genetics etc., there are some things that you can definitely do (food wise) to improve the health of your skin. These are my top 5 foods for a glowing skin:

1. Sardines: These little swimmers contain great amount of omega 3 fatty acid that has an anti-inflammatory effect and can greatly uproot the main cause of acne, i.e inflammation. The oil in the fish also restores elasticity in the skin and makes it suppler. Don’t loose heart if you are a vegetarian. You can opt for Flax seeds or walnuts, which are also a good source of omega 3 fatty acids.

2. Green tea: In a study published in the ‘Journal of Nutrition’ in 2011, people who drank green tea daily for 12 weeks had skin that was more elastic and smooth, and had one quarter less sun damage when exposed to UV light as compared to those who didn’t. The catechins in green tea, which are high in antioxidants, boost the blood flow and oxygen to the skin, which makes the skin even more radiant.

3.  Tomatoes: The antioxidant ‘lycopene’ in tomatoes improves skin’s natural SPF thus protecting the skin from sunburn (though they cannot replace sunscreen for a complete protection). Lycopene also help combat acne and reduce blemishes. Tomatoes also contain good amount of Vitamin A and C, which act as great antioxidants. Tomatoes have also proven to be helpful in preventing skin cancer to a certain degree. Now that’s one superfood for skin!

 4. Soy: People who consumed soy or soy products, like soy milk, tofu, tempeh etc., as part of their daily diet, developed fewer fine lines and had improved skin elasticity. This is because of the ‘isoflavones’ present in soy that stops collagen from breaking down which prevents skin from sagging. So bye bye wrinkles and hello younger skin!

5. Brown Rice: If you see the packaging of most beauty creams, you’ll likely find ‘ceramides’ as one of the ingredients. These are lipid molecules that help keep the moisture of your skin intact. Brown rice is one major source of ceramides. When you consume naturally occurring ceramides, these get incorporated in the outer layer of the skin and help it remain hydrated.

Water was an obvious contender for the list above and it goes without saying that drinking enough water is important for maintaining a healthy skin. Along with this it is important to have a healthy diet low in junk food as nothing kills a beautiful skin more than unhealthy fats going in your system. Try and exercise everyday even if it is just for 15 minutes. Along with other benefits, exercising helps regulate hormones in your body and people with hormone related skin issues can greatly benefit from this simple lifestyle change. Exercising also leads to sweating, which opens up the pores and helps remove toxins from the body.

So with the power of these 5 super foods and some useful tips, I hope you get that flawless looking skin soon! If you have any more suggestions from your own experience, do share in the comment section below!

Make Your Winter a Healthy One!

I yawned again and sleep walked till the coffee machine for my 3^rd cup of extra strong coffee that day. I cranked up the noisy machine and watched it pour the espresso in my big Soup mug. I stared at the mug trying to convince myself that the caffeine is not all that bad after all. A, It helps boost metabolism, B its winters, C…Damnit, I ran out of excuses there. Truth to be told, coffee is not one of the best things to be consumed in winters. Sorry, coffee machine gossipers.

Coffee and other caffeine containing beverages, dehydrate your body. They have a diuretic effect on your system, meaning you’d need to visit the washroom more often; having said that, it also kills your thirst for water. Coupled with this, the long hours of spending time in air conditioned office rooms, one tends to get dehydrated more. My advice, restrict yourself to one cup of coffee per day.

Here is my list of food that you should pig out in winters. ( coz appetite somehow triples in this season)

•  Oranges and Guava- Nature has its own way of taking care of us. These 2 fruits, found only in winters, are extremely rich in Vitamin C (especially guava, which is the best source of Vitamin C). Amongst other qualities, Vitamin C helps protect you from infectious diseases by boosting your immunity. Also they are not heavy on calories, so eat to your heart’s content.

• Potatoes- Yup that’s true. Potatoes sometimes get a bad rap for being a white starch, thrown into the same category as white rice or white bread. But unlike those starches, potatoes are whole foods that contain several beneficial nutrients. They are an excellent source of two immunity boosters—vitamins C and B6, delivering 25% and 29% of your daily needs per medium potato, respectively.

• Avocados and Almonds- One thing that you can never miss about winters, even if you are on the equator, is the chapping skin that it brings along with it. Having vitamin E rich foods like Avocados and almonds, help retain the skin’s collagen and elasticity and prevent it from chapping.

• Tofu, Soyamilk, anything Soya- Soya may help to preserve skin-firming collagen because it is rich in isoflavones. You will have fewer wrinkles and smoother skin even when exposed to UV rays.  And lets’ face it; you tend to expose yourself to sun more in winters than in summer.

These are just some tips to combat winters. Believe me, seasonal fruits and veggies are the best bet for any season as they have just the right nutrient required for the season. So stay smart and pick out the right food this winter. You can always have reasons for coffee machine gossips, but if you don’t make the right choices, you might not always have your health!

6 Reasons You Are Better Off Without That Caffeine

If there is one thing that the corporate world runs on, its coffee! No office infrastructure is complete without the grunting coffee machine, be it a multinational fancy Google office or a small start-up in a garage. Any office desk is just incomplete without this small little cuppa. More often than not, it is a means to take a break and get away from the desk, maybe catch up on some latest gossip or check out the new hottie in office. But in all that leisure we do not realise what felony we are committing to our body and mind.

Here are 6 reasons which will make you think twice before reaching out to your coffee.

1. Depletes Calcium: Unless you like your bones to be weak, caffeine is a strict no no especially when it comes to people suffering from osteoporosis or other bone related diseases. Caffeine flushes out excess amount of calcium in the urine than is necessary. It may therefore also be a good idea to get extra calcium in your diet to make up for the calcium that is lost due to caffeine intake.
2. Insomnia: If you think you are losing sleep because you are in love, think again. It may simply be because of that coffee, which you had in the afternoon. No doubt caffeine makes your brain alert, but it also starts affecting your brain cells and ends up affecting your sleeping pattern.
3.  Makes your Skin Look Lifeless:  Caffeine cause toxins in your body, the kind that can make your skin look dull and leathery. Caffeine also dehydrates your cells, making your body loose more water. So if you want a glowing skin, bid adieus to coffee. 
4. Even One Cup a Day Can Get You Hooked and How:  Caffeine is addictive. Also some people, like smokers, process caffeine more quickly and hence will need  more of it to keep them going throughout the day. People who try to stay away from caffeine, show withdrawal symptoms similar to that of an alcoholic (headache and nausea are common).
5. Makes You Act Like Lab Rats: Caffeine hits hard early in the day and then fades off in the afternoon. It's predictable self-administration, kind of like a lab rat pushing a lever that'll give them the next expected hit of a drug. These patterns become so ingrained that many of us don't even realise how long it's been since we've gone without them. People go on for months and years, without skipping coffee, which clearly shows how powerful it is.
6.  You Will Be Anxious All The Time: Caffeine is notorious for causing anxiety. You will notice this the next time you are nervously working around deadlines and you reach out for your coffee, your anxiety levels will increase and you will be more panic stricken and in a hurry to finish your work or get results. While you may debate that this will work in your favour, it actually works against you as it increases your heart rate and decrease your  ability to think logically. It is definitely not a soothing beverage.

Also a small note to those who think drinking strong black coffee is way more cooler and macho than having a light frothy coffee; you are just training your mind and body to become a slave of this drink forever.

My Suggestion for staying awake and alert during office hours-

·         Munch on an apple. The munching makes your brain alert and also shoos away sleep. It is in fact more effective than tea of coffee. Also you are doing a great favour to your body by eating healthy.

·         Take a break every 15-20 minute. Stretch yourself. While sitting on your chair, rotate your toes and ankles, stretch your neck and back, then stretch out your arms. Drink a glass of water.

·         Sip on some warm green tea. Trust me it works like a wonder. You feel relaxed and energised because of all the catechins that fresh green tea has.

·         Listen to your favorite song, it won’t take more than 5-7 minutes; but don’t listen to a song that will work like a lullaby, listen to something peppy.

If none of this works, you always have that parasitic leech like boss to remind you that no good has come from sleeping at work ;)  

Drinking is always good!

Now that the tittle got your attention, let me tell you, it's drinking water that we are talking about. Celebrities seem to be carrying a bottle of water everywhere they go. In fact it has become the second most popular drink (after soft drinks). There is an increasing buzz about the benefits of having oodles of water and how it is 'the' solution to all the health problems. While a recent study shows that benefits of water may have been over sold, the hype is still well deserved, and we tell you just how-

• Helps maintain the water fluids in the body:  75% of the Human Body is composed of water. The functions of these bodily fluids include digestion, absorption, circulation, creation of saliva, transportation of nutrients, and maintenance of body temperature. Every important function in the body needs water. This explains why, your body can stay without food for days together but it cannot survive for more than 3 days without consuming water.

• Water helps loose fat: If you are on your mission to loose weight, you might want to keep your water intake high. The simple reason is that water plays a very important role in metabolism of fat in the body. So don't forget to sip on water while you sweat it out in the battle of the bulge.

• Your skin will thank you:Your skin contains plenty of water, and functions as a protective barrier to prevent excess fluid loss.Dehydration makes your skin look more dry and wrinkled, which can be improved with proper hydration. water helps to dilute and flush out toxins out of your systems, thereby minimizing the chances of zits and acne.

• Helps Your Kidneys:Body fluids transport waste products in and out of cells. The main toxin in the body is blood urea nitrogen, a water-soluble waste that is able to pass through the kidneys to be excreted in the urine. Your kidneys do an amazing job of cleansing and ridding your body of toxins as long as your intake of fluids is adequate.

• Alcoholics take a note: While 'alcoholics' might be a strong word, the tip goes out to everyone who drinks, even in moderation. Alcohol tends to dehydrate the body, and it is this dehydration that also leads to a more concentrated blood alcohol level thereby causing hangover the next day. So if you want to enjoy your drinks and still be sane the next day, keep sipping water in between your drinks.[might cause you to visit the washroom often, but trust me, its worth it ;) ]

It might not be a magic bullet that cures you instantly, but it is surely your long term companion which will never fail your body if you give your due time and attention  :)

Good Skin- The secret is Your Refrigerator!

The simplest ways to get gorgeous may just be lying in your refrigerator.Get some healthy food to get healthy skin back:

LEMONS:

When life throws lemons at you, hunt out tequila and salt! But in the mornings, the old favourite is stil ideal: A glass of luke warm water with a twist of lemon and one Tsp of honey to flush out the toxins- also gives you a big boost of vitamin C to keep your skin baby soft.

JUICE UP:

Step up on fresh fruit and veggies juice. Top zit fighters include carrots, celery, and ginger; also factors in avocados (for vitamin E), and pomogranates (to fortify blood)

APPLES:

And no I am not talking in pie form. Apples pack a greater wallop of antioxidants (polyphenols). Remember polyphenols are 5 times intense in the skin of the apples than the flesh so don't peel off the skin!

SALMON:

Along with other fatty fish, walnuts and flaxseeds, salmon is amongst the highest in healthy fatty acids(omega 3) that does great things for your skin! Omega 3 also reduces the body's production of inflamatory agents that can damage the skin.vegetarian? Have flaxseeds.

YOGURT:

It has all the benefits of dairy foods + probiotics that help add healthy bacteria to the intestines (read: no acne). Plus it's an excellent skin food as it assists in the production of collagen, helping reduce the signs of ageing.

ORANGES:

An orange a day keeps those wrinkles away! The secret lies in that Vitamin C content of oranges, which is excellent antioxidant.
WALNUTS:

An easy, crunchy way to add extra nutrition and flavour to a meal, as they provide antioxidents and have healthy oil for skin suppleness.Will keep your skin young and glowing.