The Best and Worst Foods For Your Skin

First impressions are everything, which is why it’s so important to put your best face forward. The latest research shows it’s not just what you put on your skin that matters—it’s what you put in it. Eating habits can either make or break your complexion, which is why you should be more cognizant about your diet. Here are my top recommendations for foods to consume more of and foods to avoid entirely.

Eat more:

1. Fish

Want to keep wrinkles and redness at bay?  Then it’s time to make fish a staple in your diet.

Due to being rich in omega-3 fatty acids, fish is powerful ally when it comes to reducing inflammation and promoting hydration. Dr. Leslie Baumann, certified board dermatologist and founder of Baumann Cosmetic & Research Institute, recommends consuming wild fish as opposed to farm-raised fish whenever possible, since it is higher in omega-3s.

2. Berries

Most of you will be delighted to see that berries made the list. Not only are they sweet and nutritious, they’re also highly nutritious. Berries are loaded with antioxidants, which are known for combating free radicals. Several studies have linked free radicals to accelerated aging. 

3. Green Tea

While we’re on the topic of antioxidants, green tea is a potent source of polyphenols, an antioxidant with powerful anti-inflammatory properties.

"Of all the antioxidants known to mankind, the components of green tea are the most potent," says Dr. Hasan Mukhtar, a professor and director of research in the dermatology department at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. "Antioxidants are those agents which can counteract the effects of oxidant radicals."

Steer clear of:

1. Dairy

I know, hard to believe, considering most of us grew up with the ever-so-popular “Got milk?” commercials. But it turns out, that was just clever marketing.  

New evidence has emerged that shows a link between dairy and several inflammatory skin conditions, including acne, rosacea, and psoriasis. Researchers are still unsure as to whether it’s due to the naturally occurring sugars that are present within dairy or the hormones that go along with it. Either way, this is one food group you want to avoid.

2. Refined Sugar and Processed Carbs

Even if you can eat donuts, bagels, cookies, and French fries without putting on a pound of weight, you’re still damaging your skin at the cellular level.  That’s because refined sugar and processed carbs cause an immediate spike in insulin. When that happens, it sends your body into overdrive, which translate to inflammation, irritation, and a loss of skin elasticity. What your body needs is a slow, steady release of energy. Ditch the sweet treats and white bread and instead opt for whole grains and fresh fruit.

3. Alcohol

While there’s research to suggest that a glass of wine a day is healthy, at the end of the day it’s still poison. Your body treats it as a toxin and as such, actively has to work to get rid of it. Some people can see the effect this has on the skin immediately, in a reaction known as flush. But even if you don’t see the effects right away, you will years down the line.

One word of note: I realize that there are situations in life that make it next to impossible to avoid one or two of the bad food groups listed. My suggestion is to make exceptions only on special occasions (a new job, a birthday, a family get-together). In the effort to stay healthy, don’t neglect your mental health by trying to adhere to too strict of a diet.

Good luck on your vibrant skin journey!

Got a Sweet Tooth? These Healthy Treats Will Hit the Spot

If sugar is your vice, don’t worry—you’re not alone. I myself have quite the sweet tooth. But throughout the years I’ve learned how to work with my cravings, not against them. What I’ve come to discover is that you’re never going to stop craving sugar. Thus, the next best thing you can do is give into your natural desires by treating yourself to one of these healthy treats.   

Dark Chocolate Covered Almonds

The beauty of dark chocolate covered almonds is that they satisfy two cravings: a craving for sugar and a craving for carbs. But this convenient little snack also does wonders for the body. According to Michigan Medicine, dark chocolate is loaded with antioxidants that protect against free radicals.  Meanwhile, almonds contain high levels of vitamin E, copper, magnesium, and protein. Almonds also contain healthy unsaturated fats.

Popsicles

This one’s tricky because if you’re not careful, you can end up consuming a frozen treat that’s just as unhealthy as ice cream. When I say popsicles, I’m talking it has to be made with real fruit—none of that high fructose corn syrup crap. I highly recommend Outshine bars.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Smoothie

I’m a huge fan of smoothies, not only because they’re delicious, but also because they’re just so darn easy to make. This chocolate peanut butter banana smoothie is my go-to when I’m craving something sweet. Here are the ingredients that I use:

•  Peanut butter powder
• Cacao powder
•  Bananas
•  Ice
•  Milk (I use soy milk since I have a dairy allergy)
  

If you end up trying this recipe, please let me know how you like it. I’d also be curious to know if any of these snacks have helped you curb your sweet tooth. Thanks for reading and I look forward to hearing from you!

Artificial Sweeteners 101

Maple syrup is one of my favorite sugar alternatives.
Image: Chiot's Run / Flickr CC

If you’re a sweets fiend trying to live healthy, then it’s probably a constant battle to cut down on sugar intake. I, for one, didn’t have any idea how many processed foods contain high levels of sugar—until I started paying it special attention. Its packed into things you’d expect it to be in (though in larger amounts than necessary), like juice. But it’s also often in plenty of places you might not expect it—ketchup, pasta sauce, salsa, pasta or macaroni salad, baked beans, crackers, and even processed meats.

Even as someone that’s never been a sugar junkie, it has been hard to cut out those little white granules. It started with switching from flavored CoffeeMate creamer to half and half with just a little sugar added, and eventually no sugar at all. I used to think coffee without sugar was, well, gross, but to my surprise, as soon as I started cutting the sugar out, I didn’t even want to add it back in. I also started noticing that unsweetened food (like vegetables) started to taste sweeter to my un-inundated palate.

I’ve come to love savory foods more than I ever thought I would. But still there are times when I want a little extra sweetness that’s not sugar. Why not sugar? It’s earned quite the bad reputation among health experts, and has been linked to problems like obesity, heart disease, cancer, raised blood pressure, insulin resistance, blood sugar level spikes, increased glycosylated hemoglobin, and even impaired brain function. Yikes!

I’m certainly not perfect and I do still consume regular ‘ol sugar at times, but if I have an active role in choosing the sweetener, I generally try to go for something different. There are a lot of options, some of which are better than others. None are perfect, and some even contain higher levels of fructose than table sugar does—so keep that in mind when choosing which ones to use.

My favorite alternative sweeteners include maple syrup, honey, and coconut sugar. Maple syrup is high in sucrose, contains antioxidants, and has low fructose levels. Honey (raw, not processed) is rich in nutrients but still contains high levels of fructose, which is one of table sugar’s main downfalls. Coconut palm sugar is fairly low in fructose content, but it’s still just as full of carbs and calories as regular sugar.

Other options for natural sweeteners include agave, which is incredibly sweet but also has very high levels of fructose (75-90 percent, or more than high fructose corn syrup), making hit hard to metabolize. Molasses is another more nutrient-rich option, though also high in fructose.

Brown rice syrup is a fructose-free option, but could possibly contain arsenic (just as brown rice can). Sweeteners such as Lo Han (monkfruit) and Stevia are options as well, though they both still perpetuate the desire for sweets—meaning you’ll continue to crave sugary foods. Yahoo! Shine has a great article that outlines the different types of natural sugar alternatives, with pros and cons for each.

Do you use sugar alternatives at home? Please share with me which sweeteners you do (and don’t!) use in the comments.

Eating Healthy When Nothing But Cereal Will Do

So delicious... and not so healthy :(

I’d like to say that I’m one of those people that makes myself a healthy, well-rounded meal every morning for breakfast—but then I’d be lying to you. I love cooking, but in the morning there is just so much to do, and I always feel a little rushed. And some mornings, I don’t feel like putting forward the effort to make anything. Some mornings, I (gasp) just want to eat a bowl of cereal.

And you know what? I’m mostly ok with that. I have some fundamental issues with cereal, such as the fact that it never seems to fill me up for long and that it’s too often loaded up with enough sugar to get me through a week. Luckily, there are some healthy cereal options out there that, while not my ideal breakfast, are good enough to get the job done.

How do you choose a healthy cereal? It’s probably one of the worst foods for being able to look healthy while being just the opposite. My absolute favorite granola (Sweet Home Farm French Vanilla) is one of those—it’s SO delicious, but has more added sugar than I’m willing to eat most days. Finding a cereal or granola that’s healthy means you must read the label, even if it doesn’t always tell you what you want to hear.

What should a nutrition label say? Try to find a cereal that fits within these requirements for each half-cup serving:

• Fewer than 130 calories
• No added sugar OR sweeteners (fewer than 1 gram of sugar)
• If you really need a little sweet, look for a cereal with fewer than 6 grams of sugar per serving.
• 3 grams or more of fiber
• Maximum 125 mg of sodium
• No partially hydrogenated oils
• First ingredient: whole grain

For granola, try to find something that has 140 calories or fewer per ¼ cup serving. Sugar should be fewer than 5 grams per serving, and there should be at least 2 grams of fiber. And again, no partially hydrogenated oils.

If you really want to be healthy, try making your own granola at home--that way you get to control what goes in it, and what stays out!

If you’re a fan of hot cereals, check out this article by Sarah-Jane Bedwell, which is where I pulled these lovely facts. She’s got suggestions for hot cereals as well as freeze-dried fruits, which are a common ingredient in many “healthy” cereals today.

What’s your favorite cereal—healthy or unhealthy?

How Does Sugar Really Affect Your Brain?

Sugar activates our body's reward system.
Image: Shutterstock

This week, I’d like to share a video I discovered on Ted-Ed. With animation by STK Films and narration by Nicole Avena, it’s a short and concise version of what how sugar affects our brains.

Avena begins the video by defining sugar in its various forms. Basically, sugar is a broad term that refers to soluble carbohydrates: glucose, fructose, sucrose, maltose, lactose, dextrose, starch, corn syrup, raw sugar, and honey are all different “sugars” that are found in food.

Sugar is sneaky, too. It’s not just in candy bars and lollipops—look on the back label of many sauces, yogurts, and even canned tomatoes, and you’re likely to find sugar. Because of its prevalence in such a wide variety of foods, it can be incredibly hard to avoid.

With all the bad press sugar gets, you’d think we would have learned by now to just stop eating it. Unfortunately, that’s also difficult to do. When we eat sugar—in any form—it activates taste receptors on our tongues, which then send signals to the brain that tell it to activate a reward system. The release of dopamine into our systems is our brain’s way of saying, “Yum! You should eat that again!”

While sweets every once in a while won’t really hurt us, overactivating this reward system creates problems throughout the body. We become more tolerant to sugar, more likely to become obese, start craving sweets more, and find it harder to control our eating habits and cravings. Sugar isn’t dissimilar to alcohol and drugs in that way. The more often we send our bodies into that dopamine high, the more our bodies will crave it.

Check out the video below and let me know what you think:

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Essential Ingredients for a Healthy Meal… Anytime!

I know I’m not the only one who’s suffering from holiday-itis. I’m exhausted. Are you exhausted? A few days off for the holidays feels long overdue. Whether you’re worn out because things have been crazy at work or school or you’re just ready for a break, there’s one thing that I find gets particularly difficult when I’m tired: eating healthy.

Have you ever noticed that when the stress levels rise, suddenly a frozen pizza or dinner at the local pub out sounds so enticing? When I’ve had a long day (or week), it’s hard to rustle up enough energy to think of a healthy meal (much less cook it). Plus, with the holidays just around the corner, delicious sugary treats like cookies and sweet breads are around in abundance.

This season is full of stress and sugar--but it's still important to keep eating healthy as much as possible!
Image: Shutterstock

So what’s a girl to do? Sure, sometimes I’ll give in and eat that frozen pizza (it’s okay to live sometimes!)—just don’t let it become a habit. The best advice I have is to keep healthy basic ingredients in the house, so that when you don’t have the time or energy to get creative, you still have a healthy meal to eat.

I’ve found that the following ingredients enable me to whip up a quick meal in just a few minutes—and it’s tasty to boot!

Frozen Chicken Breasts or Salmon (you can buy these fresh and freeze them yourself if you prefer)

Just defrost in the microwave or with warm water and then bake, grill, sauté, or stir-fry them as you feel fit. For chicken, I always keep lemon pepper on hand (it really livens the flavor up), and salmon goes well with a simple glaze like honey lemon.

Frozen Vegetables

Frozen veggies certainly aren’t as good as fresh produce, but they can be lifesavers. Choose a medley or particular vegetable that you enjoy, and then on those busy nights you can just steam or sautee them back to life. Add in a little garlic powder, olive oil, and pepper to give them a kick.

Whole Grains

I love wild rice. It takes a little longer to cook, but it’s not exactly work to cook rice. Pairing wild rice with a baked lemon-pepper chicken breast and veggies on the side is a fiber-and-flavor filled meal that’s super easy to boot. If you’re not a fan of wild rice, you can also try cous cous, whole grain pasta (in moderate proportions), or brown rice.

Eggs

I know, eggs are typically a morning food. But, hey, there’s nothing wrong with breakfast at dinner from time to time. Whip up a quick omelet with those frozen veggies and pair it with a side of whole-wheat toast.

 Salad Fixings

I tend to think that dinner should be more complicated than a salad, but that’s not true. When I remember, I try to keep some dark leafy greens (like arugula, spinach, or kale) on hand. Mix those together with some dried cranberries, nuts, cheese, and a tiny bit of dressing and you’ve got yourself a lovely little dinner salad!

Frozen Meatballs and Marinara

I discovered this lovely combo when living with roommates. If you can find lean chicken or turkey meatballs (try Trader Joe’s), this is a super fast meal to whip up. Just cook the meatballs over the stove with some marinara sauce—no pasta necessary! Add some veggies on the side, and it’s a perfectly sized meal.

During the holidays, it can be particularly difficult to keep up a healthy eating regimen. How are you handling the extra excitement, and how do you plan on staying healthy?

Skip the Skim & Drink Whole

There is little research to support the fact
that skim milk is healthier than whole.
Image: Shutterstock

When I was growing up, my mother’s fridge always had 2% reduced fat milk in it. My dad’s fridge had skim. School lunch came with 1%, 2%, or skim. I didn’t much care for milk when I was a kid, but as I got older I realized that milk actually wasn’t all that bad—if I had whole milk. I liked the creamier feel, the non-watery taste, and the full feeling I got from it. But I knew that whole milk was “bad” for me and thought I shouldn’t drink too much of it, or I might gain weight from all the fat.

That’s been the belief pushed on us for many years by nutritionists with an absolute outlook on caloric and fat intake as compared to obesity. More calories and more saturated fat consumption equals obesity, right? In a black-and-white picture, yes, that fact is true—but nutrition has never been a black-and-white picture. If it were, we’d have it completely figured out by now.

The basic premise of recommending skim and reduced fat milks is that it will lead to reduced caloric and fat intake, therefore reducing the risk for obesity. Unfortunately for that simplistic viewpoint, there isn’t much scientific evidence to support it. Just because a food is “low-fat” doesn’t mean it will lead to lower caloric intake.

5 “Healthy” Snack Foods to Avoid

Don’t you just hate it when you’re trying to be healthy and then someone tells you what you’re eating isn’t as good for you as you thought it was? Well, I’m sorry to be that person today—but it’s a job someone has to do. The problem with the food industry is that it wants you to want their food—and today that means marketing anything that can be as “healthy,” even when it might be just the opposite.

Instead of flavored yogurt, buy plain Greek yogurt and add
honey or fresh fruit.
Image: Shutterstock

Sure, there are foods that fall on one side or the other—wonderfully healthy or terribly unhealthy. For those black-and-white cases, it’s easy to follow the rules. Unfortunately, most foods fall somewhere in between, in a gray area that makes it easy for food companies to twist healthfulness to their whimsy.

Flavored yogurt, such as Yoplait and other brands, might seem like a good choice at the store, but let’s take a second look. Looking at the back label might reveal a relatively low calorie and fat count, but check out the sugars, too. Flavored yogurt often contains up to 30 grams of sugar in one cup, which (by the way) is the entire recommended daily allowance for most women.

As an alternative, buy plain Greek yogurt (lots more protein, anyway) and flavor it with fresh fruit like bananas or strawberries, honey, or cinnamon.

Instant oatmeal is something I ate for years thinking it was super healthy. While it isn’t unhealthy, it’s super processed (for faster cooking), has a high glycemic index and your body digests it very quickly—meaning you won’t be held over until lunchtime. Try steel-cut oats instead. Not only do they taste better (in my humble opinion), but they’re also way better for you. They take a while to cook, but they also keep for up to a week in the fridge.

Instead of instant oats, try steel-cut oats.
Image: Shutterstock

My favorite is slow-cooking steel-cut oats with chopped apples and a little cinnamon. Naturally sweet, it’s a delicious start to the morning (and I won’t get hungry an hour later!).

Packaged egg whites generally have less than half of the amount of protein of a whole egg. They also often contain artificial ingredients like maltodextrin, which is a sweetener, and are missing crucial healthy ingredients like choline and lutein. Stick with a whole protein-rich egg—just don’t overdo it!

Bottled salad dressing can really ruin a wonderfully healthy salad. Bottled dressings and sauces often contain high amounts of sugar, especially in the “low-fat” versions. If you’re cooking meat, try a dry-rub powder instead or make your own dressing at home—sans sugar.

Sugar-free protein / granola bars may be getting their flavors from other places. It’s better to have a bar that’s naturally low in sugar with a few ingredients than one that contains a whole laundry list of unpronounceable names but no sugar. Sorbitol is a common ingredient in sugar-free bars, and it’s hard for your body to break down and can cause bloating.

More Bananas, Less Salt

Chocolate (death) cake--at least for my dad.

Image: Shutterstock

When I was in junior high, my dad was diagnosed with a rare inner ear disease called Meniere’s. He would get terrible bouts of nausea and vertigo, and in the early days of his diagnosis we had to rush him to the emergency room after he had fallen down and literally couldn’t get back up. We found out that what he ate had the potential to set him off at any moment, and absolute no-nos included chocolate, sweets, caffeine, and salt.

Miniscule amounts of those foods and others were usually all right to eat—except chocolate, which made him sicker than a dog—but after a few trips to the hospital and more than a few bouts of sickness at home, those foods were simply no longer appealing. His diet changed, and largely so did mine.

We stopped buying frozen meals and prepared food and started cooking meats and vegetables fresh. Everything that went into the cart was first checked for sodium content, caffeine, chocolate, or high amounts of sugar. We bought more fresh fruit and vegetables, and fewer muffins and pastries. I knew my diet had changed, but I really noticed when I went off to college and would take a bite of food and find that all I could taste was salt—or get a slice of cake and only be able to eat half of it before I was overloaded with sugar.

Salt is another no-no. Most Americans consume far too much of it.

Image: Shutterstock

Those shopping and cooking habits have stuck with me into adulthood, and even now I only use salt and sugar sparingly. I never realized until I grew older and more interested in health that the reason my dad couldn’t have salt, caffeine, or sugar was because it increased his blood pressure and fluid retention—both of which worsened the effects of his Meniere’s disease.

My dad’s experiences with Meniere’s have been hard on him and on our family—repeated doctor’s visits, frequent nausea and vertigo, lifestyle changes, and more have become regular occurrences in our lives. But one thing I’m grateful for is the fact that it taught me early to eat healthy. Consuming less sodium can reduce blood pressure in adults. And eating bananas, which is my dad’s favorite fruit to buy, may also reduce blood pressure because of its high potassium content.

Bananas are some of Dad's favorites. Mine, too!

Image: Shutterstock

High blood pressure has been linked to stroke and other seriouscardiovascular problems, yet most people in the U.S. and the U.K. exceed the recommended maximum intake every single day. But just a small dietary change—less salt intake and more potassium intake—can make a huge difference in the long-term.

So I’m saying thank you to my dad for passing those habits on to me at an early age, even though it wasn’t exactly his choice. And now I’m trying to do that same favor to others—so pass it on: more bananas, less salt.