What to eat to look young and glowing

MANILA, Philippines - The emphasis today on being in shape is demanding and nerve-wracking. There are countless products that promise everlasting youth, numerous diets that guarantee results, and yet, a lot of the times, the results are just never up to par. The reality of these trendy regimens is that this is exactly what they are –– trends. The idea of looking 20 in our 40s is sometimes silly and slightly ridiculous. The aspiration to be as skinny as when you were in your teens is downright dangerous.

Over the years, I have attempted several diets –– I have tried counting calories, avoiding carbohydrates, and I have even endured the Master Cleanse. Yet, at the end of every diet, I find myself right back where I started. Results are always temporary. The cycle of following a fad diet, restricting myself to a certain food group or to a particular amount of calories has been vicious.

While following the current “it” diet of today might seem stylish and somewhat chic, I have come to realize the hard way that trendy diets are not sustainable. To maintain a diet, we need to change our lifestyle. We need to practice a diet that we can live with and actually enjoy.

A healthy lifestyle requires consuming nutrient-rich foods (fresh wholesome foods) loaded with antioxidants. This diet will benefit you in many ways –– it will help you maintain a healthy weight by boosting your metabolism, make you feel good by looking good and will even give you a delightful revitalized and invigorated feeling inside and out.

Beauty on the outside indicates a healthy inner you. Fight aging and also lose unwanted weight by including these wholesome and nutritive foods into your daily diet.

Salmon. Loaded with omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin B-12 and iron, salmon will give you a healthy scalp and hair. Salmon also contains astaxanthin, a carotenoid that improves skin elasticity, which results in fewer fine lines.

Eggs. Although regarded as high in cholesterol, eggs are very rich in protein, which aids in repairing cells that have suffered free radical damage. They contain biotin, folate and vitamin B-12 which are imperative for excellent skin and luxurious hair.

Whole grains. Apart from encouraging good health, whole grains — that is whole wheat, oats and brown rice — can help you stay slender because of fiber. The benefits of whole grains come from the vitamins, minerals and fiber it contains.

Nuts and seeds. Despite being high in calories, nuts don’t promote weight gain because of its satiety factor. Nuts and seeds are rich in potassium, calcium, vitamin B, vitamin C, vitamin K, and zinc which aid in keeping your skin and hair beautiful and healthy.

Beans. Protein is vital in promoting beautiful skin and hair and beans are rich in lean protein. Beans are also abundant with Biotin, a B vitamin needed to ensure that hair does not get brittle.

Dark green and colored vegetables and fruits. Dark green and colored vegetables provide many vitamins, minerals like iron, calcium and aids in easing disorders and illnesses. To enable you to get an abundant quantity of nutrients, juicing fruits and vegetables is a route to consider. The beneficial effects of these nutrients will make you look younger and make you feel instantly revitalized. Freshly juiced vegetables and fruits is nourishing, nutritious, and in some cases, healing.

Green tea. Green tea is a wonder food because it helps in reducing body weight and is an anti-aging tool as it attacks the free radicals on your cells.

Keeping fit, staying young and being glowingly beautiful is certainly within everyone’s grasp. Dieting does not have to mean deprivation or starvation. It does not have to mean eradicating a certain food group from your daily diet. It is simply being responsible for your self and making a promise to stick to it. A diet will only be effective if you can actually sustain it and this essentially means being realistic with your goals. A diet will only be successful if it is feeding your body with the nutrients you need to combat the stress and pressures of everyday life.

Through time, I have come to learn that there is nothing more accurate than the age-old adage our parents instilled into us while growing up — that health is wealth. With good health, we can attain anything and everything.