Fruits and vegetables increase attractiveness

Eating fruits and vegetables makes you look more attractive within six weeks

Satish Lohani

Natural News

2012 March 31

Many of us already know that eating fruits and vegetables makes us healthy and energetic. We also know from experience that food and beauty are related. Now we have further evidence from research from University of St. Andrews in the UK that fruit and vegetable intake is also associated with healthy glowing skin.

Carotenoids make your skin glow

According to the research published recently in the American Journal of Public Health, carotenoids in the fruits are responsible for the healthy skin glow. Carotenoids are the red, yellow and orange pigments found in fruits and vegetables.

Lycopene, which is a carotenoid in tomatoes and red peppers, provides the red pigment. Beta carotene, which is a carotenoid in carrot and green leafy vegetables, provides the yellow pigment. These carotenoids deposit under the skin and provide several health benefits.

Beauty is linked to fruit and vegetable consumption

In this study, the scientists followed the dietary patterns of 35 students over a period of six weeks. The group did not use any make-up. They also did not get any significant UV ray exposure from the sun or self-tanning machines recently.

These students filled out food frequency questionnaires which provided scientists data around fruit and vegetable consumption. Potatoes were not counted as vegetables in this study.

They recorded the change in skin color and compared perceived attractiveness among these students.

At the end of the study, they found that students who ate more fruits and vegetables had a healthy golden skin. On the contrary, students who reduced the amount looked less attractive by the end of the study.

Skin tone becomes attractive with as little as three additional portions a day

You do not have to gorge yourself with lots of fruits and vegetables for a long period of time. Adding just two extra portions had a noticeable effect on attractiveness within a period of six weeks.

To be precise, eating additional 2.91 portions per day would make you look healthy. Eating additional 3.3 portions of fruits and vegetables would make you look attractive.

On average, one portion of fruit or vegetable is equivalent to 80g. For example, one apple, banana or orange will count as one portion.

Although this study focused on the link between the change in skin tone from carotenoids and attractiveness, previous studies showed that fruits and vegetables have several vitamins and minerals which improve skin health and slow down the aging process.

This study has some limitations because all of the volunteers in the study were Caucasian. So the scientists suggested that another study may be needed to determine if the effect is the same for non-Caucasians as well.

Feel younger, longer

9 Super ways to stop ageing!

Times of India

2011 November 12

The process of ageing cannot be stopped, but it can be delayed by a few years. We list the top age repellents …

Tea break
Apart from being an excellent way to detoxify your body, drinking gallons of green tea can slow down the formation of wrinkles and dark circles. Green tea contains flavonoids that are known for their excellent anti-oxidant, anti-carcinogenic and enzyme altering activities. It acts as a natural antibiotic that helps in building immunity to keep minor ailments away.

Laugh out loud
Laughter reduces the levels of stress hormone, cortisol, and releases health enhancing hormones such as endorphins. Lack of stress equals lack of stress lines and wrinkles. The best ways to ensure your daily dose of laughter are to stock your library with joke books, subscribe to a funny website, download a Russell Peters video or simply enroll at a laughter club.

Get a fruit facial
But don’t head to the beauty parlour yet! Make your own mask with the fruit of your choice. You could smear some papaya puree on your face. The enzymes from the fruit, known as papain, exfoliate dry skin and reduce melanin accumulation. Or rub a chopped strawberry that is infused with ample beta-carotene and vitamin A to help in collagen regeneration.

Bite on a berry
Berries such as raspberry and cherry contain anthocyanins, a water soluble pigment, that protect us from many age monsters. Research has linked consumption of anthocyanins to prolonged good vision and improved blood circulation. Eating berries also retards the effect of ageing, particularly in the areas of memory loss and degrading motor skills.

W for Wrinkle, W for Water
There may be a list of gels that vow to help you get rid of that ugly wrinkle, but the simplest way to deal with this devil, lies in your own kitchen. Water helps in digestion, absorption, transport of nutrients and elimination of the body’s wastes. It detoxifies the body and improves skin’s turgidity to keep wrinkles at bay.

Full article here