Feeling Great, Looking Good

Modern day women are ‘superwomen’ who take on many roles in daily life.  To cope with a busy lifestyle, while maintaining good looks, we need plenty of beneficial nutrients to support our energy, deal with stress, balance our hormones, and maintain skin health.

Few people understand that outward appearances of wrinkles, brittle nails and dry hair are more than cosmetic issues. They are indicators of the aging of connective tissue throughout our body due to insufficient/imbalanced nutrient intake, or hormonal imbalance.  Hence, if we eat well and obtain the best nutrition for our body, we will reap the reward of improving our skin health at the same time. 

Ensuring a good intake of nutrients can be a challenge for the modern day women.  Our daily needs of Vitamin B and minerals such as magnesium are essential for stress-coping.  Hence, eating a generous amount of vegetables is essential. The vegetables we eat also provide us with the antioxidants and nutrients such as Vitamin A (as beta-carotene), Vitamin C and Zinc, which are well-known skin nutrients.  Also should be included in the diet are fish and nuts (e.g. salmon, walnuts, flaxseeds), which provide Omega 3, supplying building blocks for skin cells and reduces any inflammation.

Biotin (Vitamin H), an ingredient for skin, nail and hair, works best with Vitamin C and supports skin elasticity.  You can obtain biotin from nuts, eggs, onions, tomatoes and carrots.  For further elasticity enhancement, wheat phytoceramide is beneficial.

But let’s not forget protein, the basic building blocks for all repair work in our body.  Women tend to eat less protein compared to men.  Fish and lean meat are good sources of protein, while vegetarian protein can come from beans, tofu and nuts. 

If you find it a challenge to maximize your nutrient intake through food, then a good multivitamin can be used to bridge the gaps in your nutrient intake.

For women, hormonal balance is a key influence on well-being.  Most people think of the female hormone, estrogen, as something that relates only to PMS, menstruation and child-bearing.  However, its impact stretches far wider than you think, spanning bone health, heart health, moods, skin health, fluid balance and fat storage.  Hence, maintaining hormonal balance is of utmost importance to women.  Eating cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and cabbage, which contain indole-3-carbinol and sulfur, can aid estrogen balance and detoxification. Maintaining good liver health will also support hormone metabolism.  Blood sugar balance is linked to estrogen levels; therefore, cutting down on sugar intake will be greatly beneficial.

Apart from an optimal nutrient intake, we also need proper hydration for good detoxification and skin health.  Not only must we drink enough water, but we must also drink the ‘right’ types of beverage.  Green tea provides antioxidant that improves skin elasticity and smoothness.  Besides water, you can also drink herbal teas (non-caffeinated) such as chamomile, ginger, fennel, licorice, etc.

Helpful Hints

1. Reduce deep fried foods and sweet foods.
2. Avoid too much coffee/tea/alcohol. Drink water, green tea, herbal teas.
3. Eat cruciferous vegetables (e.g. broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage).
4. Eat colourful fruits and vegetables for rich antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.
5. Increase fibre intake – this helps with cholesterol and estrogen clearance.
6. Ensure sufficient sleep and avoid keeping late nights as that will compromise your liver health, which will impact on skin health (there’s wisdom in ‘beauty sleep’).
7. Exercise regularly for better estrogen metabolism.