Recapture healthy skin from your youth

Summer brings more sunshine, which makes us feel warm and happy all over, but it also is very hard on our skin. The best way to protect our skin is to be proactive with natural remedies and a healthy lifestyle.

Recapture the healthy skin of a baby.

Naturopath Mim Beim and author of Natural Remedies, An A-Z Reference Guide to Tried-and-True Cures for Common Complaints, says our lifestyle shows the most in our face.

"It’s a great shame that the bit of skin we show the world is so high profile. One bad day and little worry bags appear under my eyes. Two bad days and my cheeks have lost their rosiness," she says. "A week of bad days and the idea of wearing a paper bag with little holes to see from is very appealing."

Beim says the two immutable facts of having good skin are avoiding sun damage and inheriting good genes. If you were unable to pick your parents, at least wear a hat.

Here are some go-to remedies for healthy skin:

Oil and water
The miracle of water
Drink more water. (Take one prune, add a cup of water and leave over night. Next morning you’ll have a plumped-up prune and not a wrinkle in sight.) Witness the miracle of water. Two liters of water a day is ideal, but if you find that difficult, try to drink at least 1/2 of liter (that’s two of those little water bottles). As tea, coffee, and alcohol are diuretic (you lose water from the body), your water quota is on top of these beverages. Purified or spring water is best, but you will get the same benefits for your skin from tap water.

The good oils – fatty acids are vital for good skin.

In our pursuit for thinness, many people have dropped fat completely from their diet, causing their skin to become dry. Beim doesn't suggest a diet of burgers and fries, but there are good fats for the skin. The ‘good’ fat (omega 6 and omega 3) containing foods include fish (sardines are great), nuts and seeds, olive oil, and avocados.  Many people comment on how good their skin looks when they are taking evening primrose oil capsules. This is due to the omega 6 fatty acids.

Diet
Bottom line: it’s hard to have flawless skin without fruit and vegetables in your diet. We all need a couple of pieces of fruit a day, salad, and vegetables. If you want to go a step further, drink a carrot juice daily spiked with celery and wheat grass.

Stress
A lot of people find stress affects their skin. Find ways to deal with the stress in your life with yoga, exercise, meditation, or counseling. Herbal kava is good too. When we are stressed out we tend to drop our healthy habits, so make it a priority to keep drinking water, eating good food, and exercise even during the stressful times.

Summary for good skin:
Stay out of the sun, drink water religiously, eat fruit and vegetables, and ‘good’ fat foods and de-stress.

Up next: Despite our best efforts, most of us will probably get a sunburn this summer. We'll offer home remedies to make your skin feel better and to heal fast.

For more information about this book and to get your copy today, visit www.basichealthpub.com or www.amazon.com