Chocolate for anti aging and youthful skin

Had to share this Reuters Life article about chocolate. The chocolate makers of the world claim to have developed a chocolate bar to fight wrinkles and slow the aging process. The claim is that eating 20 grams of the chocolate each day may boost elasticity of the skin and improve skin hydration. This could help the prevention of wrinkles.
It is the chocolate antioxidants or flavanols in the cocoa bean that come up with the goodies. The chocolate makers are saying that they now have better ways of keeping more of those flavanols during the process of making the chocolate.
Hurrah for chocolate.

Enjoy your good health

Jocelyn

6 Foods that Help Your Skin Stay Young

Yesterday I wrote briefly about some foods that help to increase the collagen in the skin. Today I want to look at some other foods that help to combat the increase of wrinkles.

Turkey
There are substances in turkey that help prevent wrinkles. It contains the protein carnosine. This protein slows down the process of cross linking. Cross linking is when fibers grow into the collagen making the skin stiff and less elastic. Eating turkey two or three times a week will increase the amount of carnosine in your diet.

Flaxseed
Flaxseed contains the essential fatty acid omega 3. Having sufficient of the right oils and fats in the diet make the fatty layer surrounding the skin cells stronger. This in turn plumps out the skin cells, disguising wrinkles.

Olives
Olive oil contains oleic acid which also can help to plump up the skin cells. Use extra virgin olive oil and eat olives to help your skin along.

Chocolate
I couldn't leave this one out of the list. I love it when chocolate comes up in the healthy food lists. However it is only dark chocolate that has enough antioxidants to have the desired results. It would seem that a high dose of cocoa increases the blood flow to the skin bringing it higher levels of moisture and nutrients.

Goji Berries
The goji berry is a very nutritionally dense food. It has gained quite a name as an anti aging food. They do contain vitamin C and are high in antioxidants so there is every chance that they would contribute to a stronger, firmer skin.

Blueberries and Prunes
These fruits are full of antioxidants. Antioxidants get rid of free radicals. Free radicals cause skin damage. A diet high in antioxidants is beneficial to general health as well as keeping the skin healthy and firm.

Add these foods to your diet as well as the collagen increasing foods listed in the previous article. Making sure you include several serves of these foods each day will certainly help your overall nutrition as well as your skin tone.

Be in good health

Jocelyn

Increase Collagen and Improve Your Skin by the Foods you Eat

As we age our skin has less collagen in it. That is why wrinkles appear. Now I don't suppose the wrinkles can be held at bay for ever but there are some simple, natural things that can be done to help. For our body to be able to make collagen we must give it the necessary building blocks from our food.

Foods To Eat

Green leafy vegetables: These contain the antioxidant lutein amongst other vital nutrients. To help your skin stay hydrated and keep its elasticity try eating kale, spinach, asparagus, cabbage etc. These foods help to provide the building blocks for your body to make and use collagen.

Tomatoes: Tomatoes and other red fruits and vegetables are also rich in luetin.

Beans: There is an anti aging element known as hyaluronic acid that is found in the body. It is needed for skin repair, amongst many other functions. Beans contain reasonably high levels of hyaluronic acid can help your body to have sufficient of this nutrient thereby increasing your collagen production. Try butter beans, broad beans, kidney beans in fact any kind of bean.
Try this resource for ideas on how to use beans in your diet regularly. The Bean Bible: A Legumaniac's Guide To Lentils, Peas, And Every Edible Bean On The Planet!

Beetroot: Another nutrient that is used in producing collagen is anthocyanins. This is found in the purple pigments of foods like beetroot and purple cabbage. It is also a good antioxidant.


Vitamin C: Whether you use a supplement or choose foods high in vitamin C. This is an essential nutrient for overall health including producing sufficient collagen. Vitamin C rich foods include strawberries, oranges, kiwi fruit, Brussells sprouts.

There are many other foods that are great for our skin. For a start try adding some of these to your diet regularly. It is better to make changes bit by bit rather than try to make huge changes that are unsustainable.

Have great health

Jocelyn

Banana Facial Masks to Reduce Wrinkles

A reader has asked for more information on how to use banana in skin care for anti aging. Bananas are rich in nutrients that are beneficial to the skin. In addition putting banana on the face is reputed to assist in reducing wrinkles.

The simplest form of a banana facial mask is to simply mash up some banana until creamy then apply to the face. Leave it on for 15-20 minutes before washing off with warm water. Finish by washing with cold water to close the pores of the skin.

there are many recipes that combine banana with a range of other ingredients that also have a reputation of being beneficial to the skin. Perhaps experimenting with a few different combinations would result in finding a facial mask that suits your skin the best. Below are four combinations to get you started.

1. Combine mashed banana, 1/2 cup finely ground oats, 1/4 cup honey, 3 tablespoons milk.
2. 1 small mashed banana, 2 tablespoons pure cream, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 tablespoon oat flour.
3. 1 mashed banana, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 egg yolk, 1 teaspoon wheat germ oil, 1 tablespoon finely powdered oats.
4. 1 mashed banana, 2 tablespoons honey, 1/4 cup yoghurt.

the general method is to combine all ingredients until very fine and smooth. If you choose a recipe that has an ingredient that is coarse such as oats, grind them to a fine powder in a food processor. Adjust the quantities to gain a consistency that is similar to thick yoghurt. Apply to face and leave about 15-30 minutes. Wash off with warm water.

Regular use of facial masks is required to maintain the benefits gained. Using once a week may be sufficient, though some people use it three times a week.

12 Kitchen Hints

Here are some kitchen tips I came across recently. Some I have used and some I have yet to try. They all looked reasonably useful. Try them when you have the need and see if they work for you.

1. Eliminate Odors from Disposal Unit - Put a lemon in unit and grind it up.
2. Get rid of fish smells - Rub butter on your hands. Rubbing toothpaste on them works as well.
3. Get rid of onion smells - Dampen hands and rub bicarbonate soda on them.
4. Keep salt free of moisture - Put uncooked rice or pieces of blotting paper in the salt shaker. They will absorb the moisture. My salt shaker has large holes and so I sewed the rice into a little netting bag.
5. Over salted the dinner? - Potato absorbs the extra salt. If possible cook it for a while with a potato or two in it.
6. Freshen stale nuts - Put them in the oven for 15 minutes at 250 degrees C.
7. Boil a cracked egg - Add a dash of vinegar to the water.
8. Be sure your boil eggs will peel easily - Keep lid on a few minutes after boiling. The pressure causes shell to fall off easily.
   
9. Make sure all the popcorn pops - Freeze it first.
10. Keep berries fresh - Don't wash until ready to use. Keep in refrigerator until ready to use.
11. Keep vegetables fresh longer - Put paper towels in the bottom of the veggie bin or containers. It will absorb moisture.
12. Keep and use over ripe bananas - Mash and freeze for making cakes and baked goods.

As far as removing smells from hands I find that toothpaste gets rid of most things.
Regarding over ripe bananas. Mine never last to try the mash and freeze as I love fried banana with my breakfast egg so they all get used that way.

I am keen to try the popcorn one. How fabulous if they all popped.

Jocelyn

Easy Snacks - Looking for Healthy Foods? Snack on These

It can be hard sometimes to find healthy snack foods. It is so easy to find cakes, sweets, cookies and the like that are ready made and delicious. The problem is they are generally filled with calories but no real food value. As much as we might sometimes crave these foods we know that they do nothing to increase our health but do plenty to increase our weight.

For really easy snacks there is always fresh fruit or a handful of nuts. These take no preparation time at all. They contribute lots of vitamins, minerals and other essential nutrients. In fact they make great healthy food snacks. There are times though when that is just not the sort of food we are craving for. The question is can there be such a thing as healthy snack recipes to satisfy this type of craving?

The resounding answer is yes, delicious satisfying foods. Snack on these recipes and each one will contribute fabulous nutrients to your diet. These 20 recipes give you easy snacks that require preparation but no actual cooking.

These recipes for healthy treats and healthy snack foods use no processed sugar, flour or additives. They are based primarily on nuts, fresh fruit and dried fruit. It is amazing what delicious concoctions can be made with such simple ingredients. If you are looking for healthy foods snack on these. Not one of these free recipes could be said to have empty calories. They are all made with health giving ingredients.

For those who need a gluten free diet, 19 of the 20 recipes are gluten free. The Fridge Cookies on page 14 contain oats. All the other 19 recipes in 20 Healthy Raw Snacks and Treats are gluten free. It can be even harder for the gluten free to find easy snacks so I was especially pleased to find this resource.

Next time you crave something decadently sweet or tantalizingly delicious try Coconut Orange Chocolate Squares, Chocolate Fudge, Blueberry Slice or or one of the other healthy snack recipes found in this collection of recipes. Just click on this easy snacks link and save the pdf file to your computer.

Enjoy healthy foods. Snack without compromising your health.

Jocelyn

Aloe Vera Uses and Health Benefits

Aloe Vera has been touted as something of a miracle plant. While I don't believe that any one thing is a silver bullet guaranteeing perfect health it does seem that the aloe Vera plant has a wide range of uses and health benefits. I recently read that there are at least 500 Aloe Vera uses medicinal . Even if the number was even half that it would still be an extremely useful plant.

Some Aloe Vera Health Benefits

• Alleviates constipation, haemorrhoids, rectal itching
• Heals ulcers, IBS, and other digestive disorders
• Prevents and treats viruses, fungal and bacterial infections
• Helps to alkalize the body
• Accelerates healing of burns
• Helps skin growth
• Boosts immune system
• Stabilizes blood sugar and reduces triglycerides in diabetics
• Lowers high cholesterol
• Protects the body from oxidative stress
• Boosts the oxygenation of your blood
• Helps manage allergies and AIDS
• Eases skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, dermatitis and acne
• Helps heal skin blemishes
• Helps stop baldness
• Eases sunburn

Aloe Vera can be used externally on the skin or taken internally. While it is a tropical plant it can be grown indoors in a small pot fairly easily. To use the raw Aloe Vera leaf break or cut a piece of the leaf off. Inside the leaf is a clear gelatinous substance. Rub this on the skin for external use. For internal use try mixing it into a smoothie. Another way to use it is mix a tablespoon of Aloe Vera gel with some water to make a juice and take before meals.

If you are not able to grow your own there are many Aloe Vera products available. Read the labels and look for products that are made with 100 percent Aloe Vera gel. The less processed and the less additives in the product the better.

Aloe Vera Resource

If you are looking for more detailed information about how to use and prepare Aloe Vera to benefit your health I would recommend 'Aloe Your Miracle Doctor' by Yulia Berry. Not only does this resource tell you all the great uses for Aloe Vera it also tells you how to grow it and prepare it for use in the many home remedies detailed. For those not likely to grow there own plants there is a chapter on commercial medicinal forms of Aloe Vera.
There are some very interesting bonus ebooks that come with 'Aloe Your Miracle Doctor'. It is available in both English and Spanish.

Enjoy good health
Jocelyn