In our Summer 2011 issue, we introduced you to celebrity dermatologist Dr. Jessica Wu’s new book Feed Your Face: Younger, Smother Skin and a Beautiful Body in 28 Delicious Days. Here, some more beautifying tips from the skin guru.
The three enemies of skin:
1. Inflammation, which causes everything from acne and eczema to aging.
2. UV Radiation — we all know UV rays cause premature aging and hyperpigmentation (those dreaded sun spots).
3. Free Radicals, which causes cell damage and breaks down collagen and elastin.
To fight these three enemies:
1. Regulate your blood sugar. Prevent inflammation by limiting high sugar/high glycemic index foods like simple carbs (anything with white sugar and white flour) and too many high sugar fruits in one sitting (apples, bananas, grapes). If you do have them, eat with proteins and fats to slow the rate at which the food gets broken down into sugar (e.g., dried fruit with nuts, crackers with hummus, a bagel with peanut butter).
2. Fight UV damage by eating antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables. Think red (tomatoes, red peppers, pink grapefruit), orange (carrots, butternut squash), and green (spinach, kale).
3. Eat more fatty acids for supple skin. Omega-3s, like salmon, sardines, flaxseed, walnuts and almonds, decrease inflammation. Alpha-linolenic acid is also a good fatty acid, found in soybeans, tofu, canola oil and olive oil.
Tips to fighting acne:
1. Choose low glycemic index foods. High glycemic index foods result in blood sugar spikes, which causes the body to pump out insulin, which in turn triggers hormonal effects including elevated levels of the acne-causing male androgen hormones, increased oil production and increased cell production, all of which leads to clogged pores and breakouts.
2. Avoid full fat milk and dairy, where the cow hormones will increase androgen hormone levels.
3. Avoid iodine like eggs, seaweed, milk, dairy and salt. (Choose Kosher salt instead.)
4. Eat zinc-rich food like lean red meat (beef or lamb), lentils, kidney beans, raw oysters, which inhibits the P. acnes bacteria and acts as an anti-inflammatory.
5. Increase anti-inflammatory foods like Omega-3s, and decrease Omega-6s like cooking oil and processed foods.
Find out more at FeedYourFace.com.
