Get Your Skin and Locks Glowing with These Mouthwatering & Nutritious Ingredients  

People often become more concerned about their appearance in the summer for a simple reason: they want to enjoy the outdoors and wear less clothing. Unfortunately, the things that make summer fun, like sun and heat, are also the ones that can cause damage to your hair, skin and nails.

That is, however, unless, you make the effort to maintain good eating habits, which can offset this damage; the problem is that because professional women are busy with their careers, they often neglect their diets. That’s not good for health or appearance, since a diet that properly nourishes the body is the key to a harmonic body, an ideal weight, and ultimately, the silky hair, soft skin, and strong nails that everyone wants.

Also, in an attempt to maintain an ideal weight, many people focus on the calories they consume, and not the nutritional value of the food itself. Unfortunately, this often results in increased hair loss, acne, and weak nails. In addition, consuming the wrong types of foods can lead to inflammation of the body’s cells and the breakdown of collagen, keratin, and elastin (essential components of lustrous hair, healthy skin, and fast-growing nails). Lastly, a toxic overload, stress, and a poor diet all contribute to a drab complexion, dry, thin locks, and brittle nails that never seem to grow.

The flip side: one of the most rewarding things about eating a healthy diet is that your hair, skin, and nails are often the first to change when your diet improves! Why? Because they are all influenced by the foods you choose to eat, and given that hair and nails are made from keratin, it makes sense that your diet choices affect them similarly.

So here are some tips on foods to add — and to eliminate! — in order to get shiny hair, glistening skin, and stronger nails:

Drink it Up!

• Water: Hydration is key to repairing damage caused by the sun and heat. Make sure you drink from a glass cup, and not plastic, to avoid contaminants.
• Green/White tea: Heals sun-damaged hair, skin and nails. Loaded with anti-inflammatory polyphenols that protect against the loss of collagen.

Foods with Antioxidants and Other Important Vitamins and Minerals

• Polyphenols: As with green tea, raw cocoa, plums, açaí, cranberries, (and other berries), apples, oranges, and tangerines have plenty of these anti-aging antioxidants that help eliminate toxins from the body.  Why that’s important: eradicating toxins results in better circulation, with nutrients then reaching your cells easily to produce more supple skin.
• Vitamin A, Beta-carotene, and Lycopene are powerful antioxidants that not only act as anti-aging agents, they also work to diminish wrinkles. Carotenoids also stimulate the production of melanin, responsible for maintaining a tan skin tone, and act as a natural sunscreen lotion, protecting your skin from the sun’s damaging rays.  Vitamin A, one of the most important skin helpers, prevents your skin from becoming dry and scaly, and is essential in the cell renewal process while promoting the growth of new skin. (Moreover, a deficiency in this vitamin can contribute to ingrown nails.) Good sources of vitamin A: yellow, orange, red, and dark green fruits and vegetables. Here’s more detail:

Fruit sources: apricots, cantaloupe, dried plums, guava, watermelons, papayas, and mangoes.
Vegetable sources: Swiss chard, beets, pumpkins, alfalfa, sweet potatoes, broccoli, cooked carrots, collard greens, cooked spinach, red bell peppers, parsley, cooked tomatoes, and egg yolks.

• Iron: Avoid being deficient in this nutrient because it may cause hair loss. Also, eat your iron (meats, beans, leafy dark green vegetables) with vitamin C foods to maximize absorption.
• Calcium: Helps strengthen your hair and can be found in dairy, dark green leafy vegetables, sesame seeds, almonds, and sardines.
• CoQ10: Has high antioxidant power, slowing aging and softens wrinkles.  You can find it in sardines, spinach, broccoli, beans, and pistachios. Often best absorbed with some form of healthy fat (e.g. olive oil, nut butter).
• Selenium: Brazil nuts are the best source of selenium, another antioxidant that stimulates the immune system to protect against skin cancer, as well as promoting hair, skin and nail health.

Food with Healthy Fats

• Monounsaturated fats: Nuts and avocados contain these, which improve the hydration of hair and skin.
• Omega-3 Fatty acids can be found in fatty cold-water fish, flaxseeds, chia seeds, and walnuts. They are anti-inflammatory, fight sun-related skin damage, keep hair healthy and shiny, act as lubricants to aid the elasticity of skin, and speed up how quickly it repairs itself.

Protein – And its Allies

• Keratin: Both hair and nails are made from this protein, since L-cysteine and L-methionine are “sulfur amino acids” that form keratin. Studies have shown that supplementing with L-cysteine may prevent hair loss, and that L-cysteine and L-methionine increases hair growth. Egg yolk contains the highest amount of these two amino acids.
• Collagen: Another protein that keep your skin and hair strong and healthy, and mostly found in meats.
• Zinc: An antioxidant essential for the production of keratin and collagen. How to know if you’re deficient? White flakes in your nails may indicate a lack of either zinc or selenium.  It is found in beans, nuts and seeds, wheat germ, algae, whole grains, meats and seafood, dried plums, raisins, spinach, and mushrooms.
• Complex B vitamins: Essential for the production of keratin. They modulate the brightness of the skin, and regulate both the activity of the sebaceous glands and the body’s utilization of fatty acids.  They are therefore great for treating acne, and are readily available in wheat germ, whole grains, beans, meats, banana, egg yolk, collard greens, and avocados.
• Vitamin C: Essential for the production of collagen and also acts as an antioxidant.  Eating vitamin C on a daily basis will help keep your skin hydrated, and in the long run, prevents wrinkles.

Fruit sources: Pineapples, guavas, kiwis, oranges, limes, lemons, papayas, strawberries, melons, and tangerines.
Vegetable sources: Watercress, broccoli, collard greens, bell peppers, parsley, celery, and tomatoes.

• Sulfur: Essential for the production of keratin. It is found in red bell peppers, garlic, onions, fish, meat, cabbage, collard greens, walnuts, eggs, and cucumbers.
• Silica/silicon: Important minerals for hair and nail strength and growth. They help absorb calcium to strengthen hair and nails and diminish wrinkles. Eat whole grains, cucumbers, spinach, onions and garlic, parsley, cilantro, artichokes, leeks, asparagus, turnips, and strawberries to get your share of this nutrient.
• Vitamin E: Another super-antioxidant that act as a photo-protector and anti-aging nutrient. It also supports collagen production and provides anti-inflammatory benefits for the body. Food sources include plant oils, nuts, seeds, and wheat germ.
• Phytoestrogens: Soy increases the synthesis of collagen and hyaluronic acid, both synonymous with firm and elastic skin.  Soymilk or edamame can easily supply this complexion-booster.
• Magnesium: Essential for the production of keratin; its deficiency hinders the absorption of water by the body’s cells, and affects hydration. You find it in seafood, spinach, arugula, endive, nuts, and avocados.

Four Final Tips

1. Buy and consume organic and natural foods as much as possible.
2. Eat plenty of natural condiments and fresh herbs.  Herbs have extremely high antioxidant content. For example, rosemary helps stimulate hair growth, fight dandruff, and restore luster to hair, while cinnamon, turmeric, and black pepper help reduce body inflammation.
3. Promote healthy intestines with pre/probiotics to eliminate toxins and promote smooth, acne-free skin. Healthy intestines also better absorb all the nutrients important for gleaming hair, skin and nails.
4. Avoid:
          – Smoking
          – Fish high in mercury (tilefish, shark, swordfish, albacore tuna, mackerel)
          – Sugar (because it raises levels of androgen and can make the hair follicle shrink)
          – Individual supplements with vitamin A (high doses can lead to hair loss or thinning). 

Easy Recipes – Just Mix & Munch for High Energy and a Beauty Boost 

Morning Bowl: Protein & Carb Powerhouse
2 tablespoons of cooked quinoa
1 tablespoon of wheat germ
2 raw Brazil nuts
½ tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds
3 tablespoons of papaya
3 sliced of organic strawberries
½ teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1 cup of organic plain full fat Greek yogurt

Lunch Bowl: Antioxidant + Healthy Fats-Packed Rainbow Salad
2 small sliced cucumbers
1 shredded and peeled carrot
½ shredded and peeled beet root
3 tablespoons of cooked organic soy beans
1 whole boiled sliced egg
3 tablespoons of purple onion
1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons of walnuts
¼ cup of cilantro
¼ cup of basil

Now you have all the tricks and tips to keep your skin, hair, and nails looking their best this summer – so make your shopping list today!