14 DAY TRIAL // We all know by now that many of the cosmetic products we use have ingredients that are actually derivates of ingredients found in many vegetables and plants. Sadly, we also know that many of the products we use have far from the awesome results their makers promise us, so what better way to get impeccable skin than turning again to nature and its many offerings. Today, the Healthy Bites column from Self magazine proposes the sweet potato.
The sweet potato, it seems, makes not only for a delicious and healthy snack during work-time breaks, but is also ideal for our skin. So, instead of paying way too much money on creams and lotions that might never work as we’d want them to, we could just turn to this simple ingredient to get the radiant, youthful and clear skin we’ve so long dreamed of having. Moreover, the sweet potato also combats wrinkles, so here is yet another reason to give it a fair try.
“Did you know that snacking on sweet potatoes can help your skin stay clear, smooth and young-looking? The reason: Crayola-colored orange in sweet potatoes comes from beta-carotene, an antioxidant that converts to vitamin A in your body and switches on DNA that’s in charge of producing new skin cells and shedding old ones. A regular influx of new cells keeps the surface of your skin smooth, fresh-looking and resistant to irritants and damage. (It’s no coincidence that some of the best topical healthy-skin ingredients in beauty products, retinoic acid and retinol, are derivatives of vitamin A.) Plus, beta-carotene acts like Pac-Man, eating up free radicals that cause DNA mutations that can lead to wrinkles.” Healthy Bites says.
Another trick to keeping the skin looking radiant and wrinkle-free is, as all women must know by now, drinking plenty of water every day. Water keeps the skin hydrated and, this way, prevents sagging. If water is not enough and you want to remain in the snack realm, kiwifruit is also a good option, because it boosts the production of collagen, which means it prevents the apparition of wrinkles and ameliorates the appearance of those already present, as we were also telling you a while back.
“We already know that of all fruits and veggies, this little green fruit is the most nutritionally dense of them all. But, according to Drayer, kiwi is loaded with vitamin C, boosting the production of collagen, which improves your skin’s elasticity. The best way to enjoy kiwi? Cut in half. It creates its own bowl, so you can just eat it with a spoon.” Glamour magazine was writing a short while back, citing Lisa Drayer, M.A., R.D., an expert beautritionist and author of “The Beauty Diet.”