beauty food

Beauty Food: Tea

January 25, 2014

Tea is a popular healthy food and has been so for many centuries. Personally I’m an avid tea drinker because a hot cup of team is very relaxing and soothing. I drink tea year-long not just because it tastes great but it’s also a wonderful beauty food. There are many types of teas that are healthful, here are a few of my favorites:

Chamomile – One of the most popular herbal teas today, Chamomile has been traditionally used for calming and relaxation.
Passionflower – Used for more than 200 years by Native Americans, Passionflower is traditionally used for easing occasional nervous tension and supporting restful sleep.
Green Tea – green tea has numerous beneficial properties and is often consumed to promote energy and general well-being.
Raspberry – Native to North America, Raspberry leaves are highly valued because of their unique astringent properties. The tea remains popular among midwives and herbalists today.

Green tea is full of antioxidants that have been used for many beauty treatments including soothing tired eyes and as an astringent. According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition green tea can help to speed up the metabolic rate and speed up fat oxidation to support weight loss. Green tea is also known to simulate hair growth and keep hair shiny and soft. Just steep three tea bags in a liter of water and rinse your hair with it after you’ve conditioned it. One of my favorite brands of tea is Alvita because their tea is fantastic – its organic and their tea boxes are 100% recycled paperboard.

What is your favorite kind of tea?

Beauty Food: Turmeric

July 12, 2013

One of the more prominent spices in curries, known for its color and less for its flavor, turmeric has many surprising benefits for your beauty and health. Yes, it provides an enticing golden-yellow to a delicious dish but hidden from plain sight are powerful antioxidants that anti-ages the body and mind. This is literally brain food. It also has anti-inflammatory properties and is known to protect and repair your cells from external damage due to environment.

Aside from all that, you can use turmeric externally for the following:

1. Brighten your teeth. What? Yes that was my first reaction, since we naturally assume that when we eat brightly colored food like curry, we immediately think, teeth stains (but we still move on since curries are so worth it!).

2. Customize your foundation. Try it on your tinted moisturizer, have an additional glow to your skin!

3. Moisturize the scalp. I’ve had an Indian friend that shared this secret with me. She has beautifully thick luscious hair and she credits this to applying olive oil and turmeric on her scalp every night.

4. Sooth an aching stomach. Add it to your ginger tea if you ever have the belly blues.

There are numerous ways to incorporate turmeric into your diet or daily life so explore, experiment and reap the benefits (with consistency).

Beauty Food: Honey

July 6, 2013

Oh honey honey, this delectable term of endearment is not only good for our hearts but also good for our skin. Yes, honey is delicious, not necessarily nutritious but applying honey externally to our body provides beauty benefits that you need to know about. “You have food on your face” has taken on a literal meaning when you think honey.

Honey has been used for hundreds of year, this beauty trend being dated back to Cleopatra, who used it for her baths. She was definitely onto something; honey is a humectant, it retains moisture, which is why it is currently a huge trend to see honey in your natural moisturizer.

It is also used to heal wounds and burns. Have a cut? Get some honey on it. This stuff works. Just remember to use raw honey (not the billy bee kind) and try applying it externally onto your skin. Of course, not literally all over the body, mix it with some skin-healthy ingredients to maximize youthful skin. Try a soothing mask by mixing yogurt with honey and apply it onto clean skin. This will moisturize, hydrate and soothe your skin. Especially great to use for those of you who have sunburns or irritation on your skin.

Beauty Food: 3 Beautiful Ways That Pomegranate Can Boost Your Beauty Routine!

June 28, 2013

Oh Hail the pomegranate! One of the many food of the gods (mostly in Middle Eastern countries), pomegranates are such a delight for the sight and taste. But aside from their beauty and their delicious taste (think extremely sweet, like grapes and an awesome crunchy texture), these babies are packed with Vitamin C, B and potassium.

Commonly used to treat high blood pressure, pomegranates provide numerous benefits thanks to the antioxidant content. It is known to aid in proper digestion and promote healthy blood circulation. You basically find pomegranate everywhere in your beauty products now, from scent to actual ingredients in your lotions and lip balms.

Pomegranate is a great beauty food for the following reasons:

1. Anti-aging – Applying the oil from pomegranate seed helps to increase the production of collagen, keeping skin looking plump and youthful.

2. Healing skin – Pomegranate seed oil helps speed up the healing time on wounds like cuts and scrapes leaving very little to no scaring behind.

3. Treating Acne – Pomegranate, when consumed on a regular basis can improve blood circulation and correct digestion problems which sometimes lead to skin eruptions. Pomegranate is also rich in Vitamin C which regulates sebum; which is also useful in improving acne breakouts.

So the next time you shop for your groceries, try these gems out. Add them to your salad, juice them, snack on them or even put them on your skin!

Beauty Food: Pineapples

April 28, 2013

One of the amazing perks of travelling to tropical countries is the abundance of fruits that are local to its region. I personally do not eat mangos, papayas and pineapples when Im here in Toronto since nothing can beat the taste of the fruit when I get them in the Phillippines. Pineapples are usually an abundance there, and on my trip, I had the privilege of eating these golden goodies for breakfast, lunch and dinner during my seven day stay. I’ve always known the benefits of Pineapples were numerous but having it every day made these benefits more obvious.

Pineapples are considered detox foods because of it has a high content of enzymes called bromelain, necessary for digestion. Pineapples are fantastic if you suffer from indigestion, menstrual cramps and sinusitus. Its high vitamin C content can ward off any colds and promotes skin elasticity. An anti-inflammatory fruit, pineapples are found in your beauty products and also in capsules to relieve body tension, morning sickness and reduce blood clots.

So the next time you want something sweet, how about skip your usual dessert and go straight to the real goods: juicy, luscious pineapples. Your body will literally love you!