Healthy Diet: The Beauty Food

There is no doubt that all of us want to look beautiful, slim and fit. Aside from regular exercise to look good, it is important to eat the right kind of food to look beautiful. There are a number of beauty foods that are healthy and help in enhancing your looks. Below are some foods that you can add to your diet if you want to look beautiful.

Orange can slow down the aging process. As we age, our body produces less collagen. The Vitamin C in oranges actually promotes the production of collagen, it cure wrinkles and strengthens blood capillaries which means fewer broken capillaries visible in the face. That orange tint is sure a sign of its richness in beta carotene is known to lessen the damage to DNA by skin damaging free radicals. The dry skin of orange also make for a good scrub, grind them into powder and voila, you have natural face scrub.

Banana This tropical fruits loved buy Pinoys is the closest thing to the perfect food. It is rich in vitamins, potassium, calcium and manganese. It contains virtually no fat and should be on your daily food list. Bananas make for a good moisturizing and nourishing mask. They are rich in oils and keep the skin from drying out. South American women often use mashed bananas to help relive dry kin. Your hands can benefit from bananas as well. Mash a banana with a little butter and then rub the mixture into your hands. That is all there is to it.

Strawberry Those pretty little berries do more than just please our palates: they clear up acne and oiliness, make skin younger and smoother, whiten teeth, reduce under-eye puffiness, leave hair glossy and beautifully conditioned, and so much more! Strawberry’s main skin-pleasing ingredient is alpha-hydroxy acid, a great little substance that helps us slough off dead skin cells so that new, youthful skin is revealed. Here’s a ridiculously easy way to get some of strawberry’s benefits in a minute: just cut a berry in half, rub it over your face, and let it sit there for a few minutes, then rinse. Instantly softer, smoother skin! Strawberries also make a great remedy for puffiness. Just place a few slices under your eyes and relax for 10 minutes, then remove the slices and moisturize.

Avocado This is must-have for beautiful skin and hair. Avocados have more nourishing natural oils than any other fruit. Using avocado as a beauty fruit supports and encourages beautiful skin and hair. The fat content in avocados is extremely high, reaching almost 30 grams, but it is the kind of “good” fat that the body needs to absorb fat soluble vitamins such as vitamin E. This fat content is also one of the factors that make avocados a great natural option for beautiful skin and hair. An avocado mask on the face is perfect for an intense moisture treatment that is preventative against fine lines and wrinkles. The Vitamin A in avocados restores skin’s youthful appearance, B vitamins help balance oil production to keep skin from drying out or becoming too oil, and the free radical scavenger vitamin E that actively protects skin from environmental damage such as sun and pollution as it repairs damage from these sources as well.

Apple Cider Vinegar has a number of healing properties and it makes the skin soft and supple. Apple cider vinegar is concentrated with enzymes and these help peel off dead skin cells. It breaks down fat and helps food digest properly.

Carrots help to maintain the outer layer of the skin to prevent premature aging. It works just like Retin A.

Cheese Make a slice or two of hard cheese a part of your diet. Cheese helps to prevent bacteria from growing in the mouth and prevents cavities. Choose between Swiss, cheddar or Gouda.

Citrus Fruits These fruits hold the skin cells together by forming collagen. Collagen cannot be added to the skin topically and hence fruits and juices must be made an integral part of your daily diet.

Cranberries These berries keep the urinary tract lining healthy.

Garlic Helps to combat wrinkles and restores tissues.

Nonfat Yogurt Is high is calcium and helps to keep your smile white and your teeth cavity-free.

Sweet Potatoes These potatoes are full of vitamin A and vitamin A is known for being an anti-wrinkling agent. The result of eating this vegetable is smoother skin.

Tomatoes This vegetable does wonders to your skin. Tomatoes are rich in vitamin A, vitamin C and potassium.

Wheat Germ To get rid of pimples efficiently include two or three tablespoons of wheat germ in your diet. You add this to your cereal, yogurt and cottage cheese.

Green tea It contains vitamins, particularly a large amount of vitamin C, minerals (fluoride, in particular), and amino acids. Polyphenols is the ingredient that puts tea into the beauty category. It fights plaque causing dental bacteria. It is also an anti-oxidant that protects you from free radical damage.Free radicals are byproducts of the human body and cause damage to cells and tissues. Free radicals are one of the causes of many illnesses and they are one of the reasons for our aging.

Raisins They are one of the top antioxidants because they contain phytochemicals as well as adding iron and potassium to your diet. (Phytochemicals are plant chemicals that contain protective, disease-preventing compounds.) They are cholesterol-free, low in sodium and virtually fat-free, making them one of the best snack foods you can choose and second only to prunes which offer twice the level of antioxidants.

Healthy diet: The ‘Mediterranean’ Way

Ah… the never-ending search for a healthy diet always drags me to the popular Mediterranean diet. Considered the dieter’s dream and the antithesis of most diets, its concept states consuming olive oil and wine will lower the risk of heart disease and will combat obesity. The Mediterranean diet derives its name from the countries which border the Mediterranean Sea.

There's no one "Mediterranean" diet. At least 16 countries border the Mediterranean Sea. Diets vary between these countries and also between regions within a country. Many differences in culture, ethnic background, religion, economy and agricultural production result in different diets. But the common Mediterranean dietary pattern has these characteristics:
• high consumption of fruits, vegetables, bread and other cereals, potatoes, beans, nuts and seeds
• olive oil is an important monounsaturated fat source
• dairy products, fish and poultry are consumed in low to moderate amounts, and little red meat is eaten
• eggs are consumed zero to four times a week
• wine is consumed in low to moderate amounts

The Mediterranean Diet Pyramid

Dietary data from those parts of the Mediterranean region that in the recent past enjoyed the lowest recorded rates of chronic diseases and the highest adult life expectancy show a pattern like the one illustrated in the list below. The healthfulness of this pattern is corroborated by epidemiological and experimental nutrition research. The average amounts given are in most cases intentionally nonspecific, since variation is known to have been considerable within this pattern. The historical pattern includes the following (with several parenthetical notes adding contemporary public health perspective):
• An abundance of food from plant sources, including fruits and vegetables, potatoes, breads and grains, beans, nuts, and seeds.
• Emphasis on a variety of minimally processed and, wherever possible, seasonally fresh and locally grown foods.
• Olive oil as the principal fat, replacing other fats and oils (including butter and margarine).
• Total fat ranging from less than 25 percent to over 35 percent of energy, with saturated fat no more than 7 to 8 percent of energy (calories).
• Daily consumption of low to moderate amounts of cheese and yogurt (low-fat and non-fat versions may be preferable).
• Weekly consumption of low to moderate amounts of fish and poultry.
• Fresh fruit as the typical daily dessert; sweets with a significant amount of sugar (often as honey) and saturated fat consumed not more than a few times per week.
• Red meat a few times per month (a maximum of 340 to 450 grams per month).
• Regular physical activity at a level which promotes a healthy weight, fitness and well-being.
• Moderate consumption of wine, normally with meals; about one to two glasses per day for men and one glass per day for women.

Healthy Diet: Weight Loss Secrets From Around The World

Around the world people are going crazy, confused even, what diet to follow to compliment an effective weight loss program to achieve not just a perfectly toned body but also healthy body balance by a healthy proportions of the right foods and the right attitude. Here, I extracted an interesting article from The Readers Digest on culturally, healthy diet:

Spice it up [Thailand]
Thai food is among the spiciest in the world. Hot peppers raise your metabolism, but the real benefit of food with a little zing is that it slows your eating.Eating slower is a good weight-loss strategy, and making food spicier is an easy way to do it."

Downsize the Supersizing [United Kingdom]
If you walk into a McDonald's in London, the clerk won't ask if you'd like to "supersize" that. This option was discontinued in the U.K. after it accounted for less than 0.1 percent of sales. The Brits prefer smaller portions—perhaps a lingering vestige of the frugality instilled by World War II rationing, says Simon Hartley, executive editor of Reader's Digest U.K.
Take the hint: Who really needs to eat a half-pound of meat at a sitting?

Serve a side of rice and beans [Brazil]
Brazilians stay slim by enjoying this traditional dish with just about every meal, says Sérgio Charlab, editor of Reader's Digest Brazil. A study in the journal Obesity Research found that a diet consisting primarily of rice and beans lowers the risk of becoming overweight by about 14 percent when compared with typical Western fare. That's because it's lower in fat and higher in fiber, which is thought to stabilize blood sugar levels. It may be counter-intuitive, but a diet full of beans equals a beach-ready body.

Try fasting once in a while [Indonesia]
Islam, this country's leading religion, encourages periodic fasting—no food or drink from dawn to dusk. Others in Indonesia practice mutih, which allows only water and white rice. Although experts don't recommend fasting for weight control, fasting in moderation can break patterns of mindless eating, says Hill, of the American Society for Nutrition. No need for strict abstinence to get these psychological benefits—try just cutting your calories in half for a day.

Eat at home more often than you eat out [Poland]
Poles typically spend only 5 percent of their family budget on eating out. To save money and pounds, start tracking how often you eat out and how much you spend each month, and gradually cut back. "People who don't cook at home tend to eat less healthy food and be heavier than people who do," says journalist and activist Michael Pollan. "In fact, the collapse of cooking in a society tracks very closely its rise in obesity."

Eat your breakfast [Germany]
An impressive 75 percent of Germans eat breakfast daily (compared with just 44 percent of Americans). They're not grabbing Egg McMuffins either; they're sitting down to fruit and whole-grain cereals and breads. Nutritionists have been advising people not to skip breakfast for years, but recent studies give a better picture of its importance.

Swap the gas pedal for the bike pedal [Netherlands]
Bikes (18 million) outnumber people (16.5 million) in the Netherlands. The average Dutchman pedals 541 miles per year. Traffic lights in parts of Amsterdam are even synchronized to bike speed. If you're of average size and pedaling at a moderate pace, you can burn around 550 calories per hour.

Try a bowl of muesli [Switzerland]
Muesli is a porridge or cereal made from oats, fruit, and nuts, each of which has been linked to better health and weight control. It was developed by a Swiss physician more than a hundred years ago to nourish hospital patients, but the Swiss eat it for breakfast or as a light evening dish. Muesli's fiber makes it slow to digest, keeping you feeling full longer. Read the label carefully, though: Sugar content can vary from 2 to 14 grams per serving.

Carve out a dacha plot [Russia]
Country houses, or dachas, where 51 percent of city folk spend vacations and summer weekends, almost always feature a garden. Russians grow their own vegetables and fruits and preserve and can what they grow. That makes their diet more nutritious. And "there's not much you can grow in a garden that will make you fat," notes Hill.

Turn up the turmeric [Malaysia]
This spice, a key ingredient in curries, grows wild in Malaysian jungles. One of its chief components is a substance called curcumin, which may turn out to be a potent fat fighter. A recent Tufts University study found that mice fed a high-fat diet with small amounts of curcumin gained less weight than did other mice given similar but curcumin-free meals.

Sip some rooibos tea [South Africa]
Enjoyed throughout the country, rooibos tea is more robust than green tea, and because it's naturally sweet, it needs no sugar. "Tea-drinking cultures generally have lower rates of obesity," says Dr. Pescatore.

Crunch more pickles [Hungary]
Hungarians like things pickled—not just cucumbers but bell peppers, cabbage, and tomatoes. These tart treats can help keep you thin, probably because of the vinegar that pickles them. Growing evidence suggests that acetic acid, the main component of vinegar, helps reduce blood pressure, blood sugar levels, and the formation of fat.

Take a Sunday family tour [Norway]
It's a deeply rooted Norwegian habit: On Sunday, everyone from toddlers to grandparents heads out to hike (in summer) or cross-country ski (in winter). Start a Nordic tradition in your house. At halftime, shoo everyone outdoors for a walk around the neighborhood.

Get yourself all twisted up [India]
Most people respect yoga's stress-busting and flexibility-enhancing power, but not many realize it facilitates weight loss. In fact, a recent study found that yoga devotees have a lower body mass index (BMI) than other exercisers do. There are probably multiple reasons. Yoga is best done on an empty stomach and can build muscle (depending on your preferred poses), which boosts your metabolism. And it encourages mindfulness, which includes paying attention to whether you feel full.

Perfect the power nap [Japan]
In this on-the-go country, many people take time for a daily 20- to 30-minute nap, says James Maas, PhD, a sleep researcher at Cornell University and the author of Power Sleep. There's increasing evidence that chronic sleep deprivation raises the risk of weight gain. Maas blames two hormones: leptin, which helps the brain sense when you're full, and ghrelin, which triggers hunger. The less sleep you get, the lower your leptin levels—and the higher your ghrelin. "Many people think they're hungry when they're actually sleepy," Maas says. "Instead of a snack, they need some shut-eye."

Make the midday meal the biggest [Mexico]
Instead of ingesting the bulk of the day's calories in the evening, Mexicans traditionally eat their biggest meal between 2 and 4 p.m. If you eat less at night, you'll wake up hungrier and eat a bigger breakfast, which facilitates weight control. As a general fat-fighting rule, try to get the bulk of your daily calories at breakfast and lunch

Sit long, talk lots [France]
The French excel at the leisurely family meal. On average, 92 percent of French families dine together nightly. Lengthy meals actually encourage less eating, Dr.Fred Pescatore, MD, president of the International & American Associations of Clinical Nutritionist says: Conversation slows down the fork and gives you time to realize you're full.

Take up Nordic walking [Finland]
This is one of the Finns' favorite outdoor activities. It's not as exotic as it sounds: All that's required is a pair of inexpensive, lightweight walking poles. Holding these in your hands aids balance, which is great if you're older or if you're on slippery terrain. Even better: Because they make you use muscles in your shoulders, arms, and torso, the poles transform walking into a total-body workout that burns 20 percent more calories, according to a study at the Cooper Institute in Dallas.

Swallow more herring [Netherlands]
The Dutch down about 85 million of these slippery fish per year—raw. That's about five for every person in the country. They're pickled, then served unadorned as snacks or in soft buns with onions and gherkins for lunch.Oily fish like herring is slimming for a few reasons, says Dr. Pescatore, author of The Hamptons Diet. It contains lots of omega-3 fatty acids, which reduce levels of the stress hormone cortisol—and cortisol is known to increase the amount of fat deposited around your middle.

Healthy Diet: The Golden Rule

Diets are bewildering. How do we find a totally healthy diet without getting bored or feeling deprived? People are overworked or stressed out or feeling down. We may be struggling to make it through each day. Often we want to be comforted. That is when we return to our favorite comfort source: food. Most of us are baffled by dieting.

We come across so many diet plans, diet foods and various health tips to ensure nutrition that will nourish our body and mind. But is there really one diet that stands out from the rest that we can say, ‘hey I have been religious in following this diet, I can now rest my case-- I am healthy.’

Dieting is not hard on its own. Admit it. We are the ones that makes it hard. We give up so easily. We are lazy. We are the one ruining our diet plans.

Maybe the key after all is accepting the facts. A healthy and balanced diet is essential in maintaining and enjoying a healthy life free from health hazards and achieving that healthy and desirable body.

From health buffs and experts, here they say is the golden rule for healthy, balanced, diet nutrition:

· Avoid stimulants such as sugar, coffee, tea and cigarettes, and limit alcohol.

· Avoid saturated (animal) fats and hydrogenated (processed) fats.

·Avoid simple (refined) carbohydrates, including white bread, biscuits, cakes and other processed foods.

· Avoid unnatural additives, flavorings and preservatives.

· Eat more beans, lentils, seeds, nuts and whole grains.

· Eat more vegetables, raw or lightly cooked (steaming is best).

· Eat several servings of fresh fruit every day.

· Wherever possible eat organically-grown, natural, unprocessed foods.

· Drink plenty of filtered water.

· Avoid these poisonous items in your diet and medications: aspartame, ritalin, Prozac, fluorinated water, vaccinations.

Of course it is good to eat foods rich in vitamins and minerals. But this is only one criterion. Good food should also be low in saturated fat, salt and fast-releasing sugars and high in fiber. Diets should also be low in calories. And to further help keep your weight in check, eat earlier in the day, rather than later when the metabolism slows down. And of course, equally important is to exercise every day.

When it comes right to what is most important, it is all about your choices. It is your body. It is your life. You alone can make each day count for something better.