Dating & Health - Taking Care of the Inside so the Outside Looks Good
A while back a company in the States sent me "the be all and end all" in skin care products.
Well it would want to be at the price. Wow, this must be good. It feels good just putting it on - $100 for 10g! Anyways it seemed ok but surprisingly for a 70's man, I know quite a bit about skin care.
When you're born in North Queensland and have surfed nearly everyday since I was 4, I'd have looked like Keith Richards' Dad if I hadn't wised up.
Firstly, the number one biggest mistake in skin care is the obsession with external care over internal care. The outer layers of your skin are dead. Skin is renewed from the inside out and my 7 secret ingredients for great skin within are;
1. Water - Hydrating the skin is of the utmost importance so try and drink between 1-2 litres of water per day.
2. Essential Fatty Acids - My personal favourite is fish oil but other great sources include flaxseed, nuts, seeds, eggs, fish. For more information, read my article on fats.
3. Antioxidants - Vitamins A,C,E
Most encapsulated forms of vitamin A are pretty poor in terms of quality. Try cod liver oil (molecularly distilled pharmaceutical grade and not farmed fish - email me if you are interested in the best brands on the market).
Or you could just try eating fish 3 times a week. Encapsulated vitamin E is usually just soybean oil so once again best to source this through the real oil - wheat germ oil is probably the best.
Vitamin C is necessary for tissue growth and repair and vital for the formation of collagen.
4. Zinc - A wonder nutrient. Tissue regeneration, anti-inflammatory, wound healing, vitamin A-binding, protein formation. Try half a dozen oysters every other day or if you must supplement, zinc citrate 40 mg daily.
5. Selenium - Prevents free radical damage to cell membranes. Brazil nuts are a great source.
6. Bioflavonoids - Any colourful fruits and berries. Antioxidant and crucial for capillary strength.
7. Protein - A major building block for all animals. A structural component essential for skin integrity.
Things to Avoid:
Alcohol, sugar, trans fats, tobacco
So we've covered the internal. Let's have a look at the best (and not necessarily the most expensive) products to use externally. When I contacted the American company about the ingredients of their wonder product, the salesman rattled off a pretty impressive list.
But once I looked down the list, things started to click. I said to the salesman, this looks like butter? I was greeted with a very awkward silence. So it's butter I said. Um....not entirely was the answer. What a cow.
Alright. Externally - Coconut oil, Olive oil, Emu oil (for sunburns), Biodynamic butter (unsalted), Avocado oil. If you are worried about the greasy look that oils can leave, use sparingly.
<p><font face="Arial"> Brett Smith is not your average health & <a href="http://www.partner4real.com.au">online dating</a> expert. He has numerous qualifications (including a Masters from Sydney University in Herbal Medicine, Advanced Diploma in Botanical Medicine, Advanced Diploma of Naturopathy, a Diploma of Nutrition, & a Bachelor of Health Science) and a very healthy dose of scepticism. He has some intersting & controversial views on health & dating for <a href="http://www.partner4real.com.au">singles</a>, particularly on how we shouldn't always believe what we're told. See more of his articles at <a href="http://www.partner4real.com.au">www.partner4real.com.au</a>. </font></p>
