Eat your way to healthy skin

We’re constantly told how healthy looking skin comes on the back of expensive and timely cleansing and moisturising routines, but the truth is that diet and lifestyle play far bigger roles in giving us that dream complexion. Whilst the word ‘diet’ normally conjures up the idea of eating fewer calories to lose pounds, a new website called MyVitality hopes to show people that you can change more than just your weight by changing the foods you eat…

MyVitality.com is the brain child of nutritional expert Drew Fobbester, and goes far beyond your average ‘dieting’ website, acting as a nutritionist, life coach, chef and beauty therapist all in one. 

Designed by a team of health experts, the site builds an in depth personal profile based around you and your needs; be they sleeping better, banishing dry skin or having more energy. By inputting your goals and everyday symptoms the website tells you what your nutritional priorities should be, which foods you should be eating when and what supplements could help. Alongside these dieting tips the site also helps with ‘lifestyle actions’ that could impact and improve your health and beauty goals.

Then when the ‘nutritionist, beauty therapist and life coach’ have had their say it’s the turn of the ‘chef’. The team at MyVitality know that introducing new foods that fit an individual’s health profile can have dramatic, positive effects and the site is jammed with exciting recipes tailored to help with everything from itchy skin to hair loss.

My Vitality is simple and easy to use, you just fill in a questionnaire about your current lifestyle, diet and health and beauty goals and it does the rest.

To check out My Vitality visit the site now at myvitality.com and in the meantime here’s a few tips from the experts on the site on how to give your skin that magic glow…

Here are a few tips on how to improve your diet and start on the road to beautiful skin.  ‘Cleanse’, ‘Tone’ and ‘Moisturise’ from the inside out!

Aim for a daily intake that includes:

Pure water – drink six to eight glasses every day. Hydration is crucial and is one of the best ways to moisturise your skin from the inside out.

Colourful fruit and vegetables – at least five servings that include red/orange/yellow vegetables and fruits, purple foods, green foods. These foods are rich in antioxidants and anthocyanidins which help protect and enhance your skin. Try blueberries, red currants, blackberries, peppers, carrots, sweet potatoes.

Fresh seeds – a tablespoon a day, for example pumpkin, sunflower, sesame or ground hemp/linseed. or consume cold-pressed seed oils – a tablespoon, for example with salads, drizzled over vegetables or added to a smoothie.  The essential fatty acids alongside the minerals in seeds can help with the flexibility and quality of skin cells. Along with the water this can improve skin tone and be an internal wrinkle reduction plan.

Supplement with vitamin C and zinc.  Both are crucial to healthy skin cell production and have protective effects.

Fibre-rich foods – rather than white refined foods, enjoy whole grains, root vegetables, lentils and beans.  These help keep your digestive system operating well and this is a key channel of elimination this helps you ‘cleanse’ from the inside. 

Limit your intake of:

Alcohol, tea and coffee.  These can contribute to dehydration and consume your internal detoxification resources.  Cutting stimulants can have very positive effects on skin condition.

Wheat and dairy products.  Many people have reactions to wheat and dairy.  Often persistent skin issues will clear up with a reduction or elimination of wheat and dairy.  Choose gluten free wholegrains in place of wheat and increase your consumption of fresh green leafy vegetables.

Processed foods.  Most preserved and processed foods are loaded with chemicals (just read the labels).  Try making your food fresh and avoid processed foods for a time.  You will be surprised at the beneficial effects this can have.

Skin condition can be affected by underlying health factors including the efficiency of your digestion, the state of your immune system, your body’s detoxification potential, food sensitivities and even hormone balance.  For detailed, tailored diet suggestions that take these factors into account for you complete a MyVitality Profile today.