How to Grocery Shop for Lasting Beauty

As you eat healthfully to attain or manage your ideal body weight, you are also eating for lasting beauty. Use this list of food items on your next grocery shopping trip. Many of these items serve dual purposes.
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You walk into a room, party, or business event, and you notice a lady or gentleman because they are well put together, and their skin, hair, and smile leave you envious. You wonder, "How can that person carry their age so well?"

Who really knows? I'm sure there are many dynamics at play, and one could be genetics. But what if it is mostly how they eat? Maybe you are that person or maybe not, but you could be!

When my clients replace processed and sugary food with healthier options, they begin to dress and present themselves differently. Before there is a significant weight loss, they style their hair differently, wear brighter colors or a different fashion of clothing. Often clients report that they'll get compliments on their skin or hair before any comments about their weight loss. This is a wonderful transformation because when you feel good about yourself, you'll eat better, and when you eat better, you'll feel good about yourself.

When you eat food with nutrients, vitamins, and minerals, you will not only see a drop in your body weight, you'll see a noticeably healthier appearance in your skin, hair, and teeth. At this point, you begin to take more of an interest in how you dress and present yourself. It stands to reason that you would want to beautify your outside appearance when you feel good on the inside.

Here are some easy items to eat and drink daily. Not only will they support your health and weight loss, they will also beautify your appearance:

Water will help to make your skin look firm and clear. Water helps to maintain proper muscle tone and prevents sagging skin common in weight loss. Shrinking cells are buoyed by water, leaving your skin clear, healthy and resilient. Drinking water isn't the only way to keep your skin cells hydrated; many fruits and veggies are more than 75 percent water.

Berries, pineapple, and citrus fruit, such as oranges, grapefruit and tropical fruit, along with peppers, broccoli and dark green leafy vegetables like kale or spinach are a great source of vitamin C. Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that is naturally found in your skin. Eating food rich in vitamin C will help your body produce collagen that will help your skin stay firm and elastic.

Walnuts, herring, salmon, sardines, and anchovies are a good source of omega-3 fats. Omega-3 fats will bring water and nutrients into the skin, while they keep toxins out.

Pumpkin seeds, cashews, crab, lobster, beef, lamb, pork, chicken, beans, spinach and mushrooms are high in zinc. Zinc helps to maintain collagen and promote skin regeneration.

Carrots, sweet potatoes, sweet red peppers, cooked peas, cantaloupe, and dried apricots are high in beta carotene. Beta carotene is an antioxidant. It helps to repair skin tissue and also will protect your skin against sun damage.

Almonds, seeds, tofu, shellfish, avocado, spinach, and broccoli contain vitamin E. Vitamin E will nourish your skin and protect it from the sun's damaging UV rays.

Chicken, turkey, fish, beans, and eggs are great sources of lean protein and can help prevent weak, brittle hair. Your hair is made from protein. High quality, lean protein, is one of the best nutrients for great hair.

A wide, bright smile goes a long way in your appearance.

Apples, cauliflower, celery and carrots work to whiten teeth because they function as an abrasive scrub for your teeth. A mixture of strawberries and baking soda will brighten the surface of your teeth. Yogurt, milk and hard cheese are dairy products that are loaded with calcium to strengthen the bones that hold your teeth in place. After eating or drinking, and before you can brush, rinse your mouth with water for a few seconds to remove any particles of food that may stain your teeth. Avoid sugar as often as possible. Sugar left on your tooth surface, can lead to tooth decay.

As you eat healthfully to attain or manage your ideal body weight, you are also eating for lasting beauty. Use this list of food items on your next grocery shopping trip. Many of these items serve dual purposes. Be creative putting snacks and meals together, or look through your favorite recipes for ideas containing these items. Scan menus when you dine out and choose meals that offer these selections.

Get accustomed to eating these food items more often; they make a remarkable difference in your appearance. Then sit back and enjoy the compliments and comments.

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