Even if you have a youthful complexion, ageing hands can give the game away. Use rubber gloves when washing up and always keep moisture levels topped up. Creams containing ether will have a cooling effect on the hands but offer minimal hydration.
The three basic health and beauty building foods mentioned in previous posts should be supplemented with certain special foods such as milk, vegetable oils, and honey. Milk is an excellent food. It is considered ‘nature’s nearly perfect food’. They best way to have milk is in its sourced form, which is yoghurt and cottage cheese. Sourced milk is superior to sweet milk as it is in a pre-digested form and more easily assimilated. Yoghurt helps to maintain a healthy intestinal flora and prevents intestinal putrefaction and constipation. It is known for its health-building and beauty-enhancing properties.
High quantity unrefined vegetable oils should be added to the diet. They are rich in unsaturated fatty acids, vitamins C and F and lecithin. The average daily amount should not exceeded two table spoons. Honey too, is an ideal food. It helps increase calcium retention in the system, prevents nutritional anemia, besides being beneficial in kidney and liver disorders, colds, poor circulation, and complexion problems.
A diet of the three basic food groups, supplemented with the special foods mentioned above, will ensure a complete and adequate supply of all the vital nutrients needed for health, vitality and beauty. It is not necessary to include animal protein like egg, fish or meat in this basic diet, as animal protein, especially meat, always has a detrimental effect on the healing processes.
Sugar in any form is not good for health and beauty of the body. A high sugar intake is linked with diabetes and heart disease. One should, therefore cut down on sugar in all forms and use jaggery and other natural sweeteners like honey and molasses all of which provide valuable nutrients.
Apart from the quality of food which requires careful selection, the quantity of food we eat also has an important bearing on our appearance. Over-feeding puts pressure on the liver and renders the whole system inactive. It also adversely affects the circulation of blood. When the circulation is poor, the skin suffers from many disorders. Therefore, one should also limit the quantity of food one eats. At the same time, insufficient food intake can lead to many deficiencies, which may affect out health and beauty.
Proper cooking – careful preparation and cooking of foods is also essential for health and natural beauty. Foods should be cooked in such a manner as to avoid unnecessary destruction of nutrients. It is healthier to roast or grill foods than to fry them and to cook at low temperature for the shortest possible time. They should also be served immediately after cooking.
Fruits – Like vegetables, fruits are an excellent source of minerals, vitamins and enzymes. They are easily digested and exercise a cleansing effect on the blood and digestive tract. They contain high alkalizing properties, a high percentage of proteins and fats. Their organic acid and high sugar content have immediate refreshing effects. Apart from seasonal fresh fruits, dry fruits, such as raisins, prunes and figs, are also beneficial.
Fruits are at their best when eaten in the raw and ripe states. In cooking, they loose portions of the nutrient salts and carbohydrates. They are most beneficial when taken as a separate meal by themselves, preferably for breakfast in the morning. If it becomes necessary to take fruits with regular food, they should form a larger proportion of the meals. Fruits, however, make a better combination with milk than with meals. It is also advisable to take fruits in the form of juice.
Vegetables – They are an extremely rich source of minerals, enzymes and vitamins. Faulty cooking and prolonged careless storage however, destroy these valuable nutrients. Most of the vegetables are therefore, best consumes in their natural row state in the form of salads.
There are different kinds of vegetables. They may be edible roots, stems, leaves, fruits and seeds. Each group contributes to the diet in its own way. Fleshy roots have high energy value and are good sources of vitamin B. Seeds are relatively high in carbohydrate and proteins and yellow ones are rich in vitamin A. Leaves, stems and fruits are excellent sources of minerals, vitamins, water and roughage.
To prevent loss of nutrients in vegetables, it is advisable to steam or boil vegetables in their juices on a slow fire and the water or cooking liquid should not be drained off. No vegetable should be peeled unless it is so old that the peel is tough and unpalatable. In most roots vegetables, the largest amount of minerals is directly under the skin and these are lost if vegetables are peeled. Soaking of vegetables should also be avoided if taste and nutritive are to be preserved.
Seeds, Nuts and Grains – These are the most important and the most potent of all foods and contain all the essential nutrients needed for human growth. They contain the germ, the reproductive power which is of vital important for the lives of human beings and their health. Millet, wheat, oats, barley, brown rice, beans and peas are all highly valuable in building health and beauty. All seeds, nuts, grains and legumes can be sprouted, and should be taken in that form as much as possible as they constitute live foods. There is an amazing increase in nutrients in sprouted foods when compared to their dried embryo. So potent are the sprouts that if one lives only on a mixture of these foods, one would have everything one needs for health and long lasting beauty. Sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, peanuts, and Soya beans contain complete proteins of high biological value.
Seeds, nuts and grains are excellent natural sources of essential unsaturated fatty acids necessary for health and true beauty. They are also good sources of lecithin and most of the B vitamins as well as vitamin C, which is perhaps the most important vitamin for the preservation of health and preservation of premature aging. They are also rich sources of minerals and auxins, the natural substances that play an important role in the rejuvenation of cells and prevention of premature aging.
Basic food groups - The nutrient mentioned above, translated in terms of food, represents a well balanced and correct diet which contains liberal quantities of;
1. Seeds, nuts, and whole grains
2. Vegetables
3. Fruits
These foods have been aptly called basic food groups and a diet containing these is the optimum for the maintenance of good health and true beauty. The diet is describes in brief in upcoming posts.
Calcium and Phosphorus – These tow minerals work together for healthy teeth, hair, nails, and bones. A deficiency of calcium in the diet can lead to tooth decay and recession of gums. The main dietary sources of calcium are milk products, whole wheat, leafy vegetables, orange and lemon. Phosphorus is found in abundance in cereals, pulses, nuts, fruit juice, milk and legumes.
Protein – Adequate protein is necessary for healthy hair, skin, teeth and nails and for firm skin tissues. Main natural sources are dairy products, nuts, pulses, wheat germ, and brewer’s yeast.
Fats – Fats are necessary to counteract dry skin and hair for assimilation of fat soluble vitamins. Main natural sources are butter, vegetable oil and nuts.
