Are You Really Taking Care of Your Skin?

If you’ve been neglecting your health, your skin will let the world know. The skin is made up of over four million pores that are constantly acting as our cooling system.

The skin releases toxins when we sweat, have skin abruptions, and when we get a good night sleep. Our colon, kidneys and basically every cell in our body eliminates toxins.

Our skin is never exactly the same from day to day. Each square inch of human skin consists of twenty feet of blood vessels. Foods can have a positive impact or a negative impact on the skin, depending on what you eat. The dermis is the layer responsible for the skin’s structural integrity, elasticity and resilience.

What happens to your skin when you eat sugar related products? Glycation is the age-accelerating reaction to excess blood sugar. However, when glycation occurs in your skin, the sugar molecules attach themselves to the collagen fibers, where they trigger a series of spontaneous chemical reactions. This extensive cross-linking of collagen causes the loss of skin elasticity. This type of premature-aging can be prevented.

Preventing premature-aging begins when you start feeding your skin for healthy collagen production.

There is a myth that we may think we need more supplements or red meat for collagen production. But the true story is we need great nutrition and elimination first!

What does it mean to have a healthy elimination system? Your gut, liver, and skin depend on each other to eliminate junk and toxins.

There is an impact related to foods that cause stress on certain sections of our DNA called telomeres, which have been linked in research with anti-aging. Telomere length depends on proper nutrition and falls short when we consume processed foods. In 2008, The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition said. “Greater intake of processed meats was associated with telomere shortening.” Dietary patterns rich in processed foods, red meats, fried foods, trans-fats, refined grains, and junk foods are also be associated with shorter telomeres, premature-aging and joint pain.

Second, look at exposures from alcohol to OTC’s and how hard your liver may be working overtime to remove these.  Question if you’re taking NSAID’s every day.  All these negatively affect collagen production.

Third, consume a variety of color. Consuming nuts, seeds, greens, and legumes would be food categories to consider. Legumes are significant source of lysine. You can get your vitamin C from pears, strawberries, spinach, lemons and blueberries.  Don’t forget to include fermented foods such as cabbage. Consuming Sauerkraut is an excellent source of glutamine.  Asparagus are a superfood and found to be rich in glutathione. Cherries and root vegetables such as ginger, yucca, and turmeric stimulates the production of Hyaluronic acid, which helps flexibility and wound healing.

Anthocyanidins found in deep-colored veggies and fruits, such as kale, and (red, blue, black) berries are phytonutrients. These help the collagen fibers link together that strengthens the connective tissue matrix.

Now you may be a little wiser on what stimulates the growth of collagen production and aid in the prevention of premature aging. Wheat, gluten, junk, trans-fats and sugar related products are what damages your skin’s matrix.