Healthy Body Steps to Perfect Skin

Beautiful skin is created by a body that is functioning properly - that is eliminating waste efficiently, digesting food and transporting nutrients around the body. It is not something exclusively reserved for the genetically blessed.
By ensuring that our skin is in the best possible condition, we can not only improve our overall health - after all, what's good for our skin is good for our body as a whole - but also our confidence and happiness.
Whether you are suffering from a condition such as acne or psoriasis, or you just want beautiful skin, I have devised a natural dietary and lifestyle approach that will help you get the healthy skin you've always wanted.
Neutralisers: Avocados, limes and raw tomatoes have alkalising properties that help to create beautiful skin
Neutralisers: Avocados, limes and raw tomatoes have alkalising properties that help to create beautiful skin
The skin is the largest organ of the body. It protects us from invading bacteria, helps regulate body temperature and keeps our insides from falling out. It is made up of three layers - the outside layer, the epidermis; the middle layer, the dermis; and below that, the subcutaneous layer.
New skin cells form at the bottom of the epidermis and move gradually outwards, and the top layer of dead cells then sheds. This trip takes about four weeks, which means that with the right materials you can create better skin in a month.
The Healthy Skin Diet is based on an anti-inflammatory eating programme originally designed for those with skin conditions such as eczema.
It is also effective in eliminating psoriasis and dandruff, as well as improving mood swings, energy levels and rosacea. However, you don't have to have bad skin to follow this routine as it is fantastic for overall health and wellbeing.
To get you started, here are seven basic guidelines . . .
THINK GREEN AND FRIENDLY
An essential step for beautiful skin involves 'friendly' gut flora, 'green' foods and drinks that have an alkalising effect on the body, and avoiding acid-forming foods.
Some parts of your body should be acidic, such as your stomach when it produces digestive acids. However, in general, your body's tissues and blood should be slightly alkaline.
There are two ways you can find out how acidic you are. Your GP can test your blood pH, or you can test your saliva or urine with pH strips from your local pharmacy.
These are made of litmus paper which changes colour when acidic or alkaline substances come into contact with it. When your body's pH is in balance, this reading should be between 7.0 and 7.5.
'Green' foods such as asparagus have an alkalising effect on the body
'Green' foods such as asparagus have an alkalising effect on the body
There are many types of acid-producing foods and when your body is continually trying to counteract an acidic state, acid can become a poison. The worst offenders are vinegar (except for apple cider vinegar), alcoholic drinks, margarine, pork and beef, salmon and mackerel.
Also acid-forming are coffee and black tea, yellow cheeses, pickles and mustard, chickpeas, most nuts, white rice and high-sugar and white-flour products.
However, you do not have to avoid these foods completely to be healthy. They can be enjoyed in moderation, but limit them to no more than three servings a day. The equivalent of two servings is two glasses of alcohol, or one coffee, and salmon and chickpeas for dinner.
Green drinks - those containing chlorophyll and wheatgrass - are the best way to create good acidalkaline balance. A liquid chlorophyll supplement, available from chemists, can give you an extra dose of vegetables daily. It can help to neutralise acids in the body so your blood is less likely to become sluggish and inefficient.
Alkalising foods include spinach, peppers, courgette, broccoli, carrots, cucumber, cabbage and sweet potatoes - and surprisingly lemons and limes (although the fruit is acidic, it is actually alkalising in the blood). Avocado, asparagus (below), garlic, onions, radishes and uncooked tomatoes are also mildly alkalising.
Other points to good acid-alkaline balance include limiting your caffeine intake, having four alcohol-free days a week, avoiding smoking, and drinking eight to ten glasses of water a day. Encourage friendly gut flora by taking a probiotic supplement.
EAT MOISTURISING FOODS
Certain fats are moisturising to your skin - they moisturise you from the inside out. The good fats include GLA (found in Evening Primrose Oil), EPA, DHA and omega-3 (all found in oily fish and flaxseed).
Omega-3 is particularly good for your skin. It is abundant in cold-water fish such as sardines, trout and herring and although they are acid-forming, salmon and mackerel are good sources, too. Omega-3 is also found in flaxseeds, walnuts and green vegetables.
Omega-6, also found in flaxseeds, walnuts and leafy greens as well as eggs and fish, converts eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) which decreases inflammation and improves skin moisture. It also helps normalise blood pressure, helps with cardiovascular health and can reduce your risk of certain cancers.
If you have dry skin, psoriasis, rosacea, dandruff or premature ageing take an omega-3 fish oil supplement (or flaxseed oil if you are vegetarian) in addition to eating oily fish two or three times a week.
Saturated fats in dairy, meat and fried foods can cause inflammation, dry skin and premature ageing. They can also increase your risk of heart disease, asthma, eczema and acne.
Limit your intake, and increase the amount of foods that help protect from the damaging effects of these fats, including onions, ginger, turmeric, red wine (which contains flavonoids), Vitamin E and selenium.

Source : http://www.healthybody11.ga/2015/03/healthy-body-steps-to-perfect-skin.html