FRIENDSHIP COMES FROM THE HEART

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FOCUS ON UR 80% N LEAVE 20% FOR FLEXIBILITY

BY CHRIS FREYTAG
DECEMBER 27, 2013 8:40 AM EST

Ever think that living a healthy lifestyle is out of your grasp because your sweet tooth keeps overpowering your good intentions? Maybe your battle is with time and you feel like you'll never achieve a life where everything is harmonious. I have one little tip that can help improve your life tremendously—in all areas.

Commit to the 80/20 rule. Focus on your 80%. Leave 20% for flexibility.

Here's how it works:

1. Go for the 80/20 rule with food.

With this rule in mind, you can stay motivated and realistic. Choose healthy foods 80% of the time, or most of the time, and only indulge that sweet tooth 20% of the time or less. It's a good place to start. When you make the majority of your food choices healthy ones, your body will begin to crave the healthier choices. By thinking about the 80/20 rule, you can give yourself some freedom and flexibility to be human, but you'll be reminding yourself that most of your choices should be healthy.

2. Go for the 80/20 rule with exercise.

Only skip exercise 20% of the time. If you want to take a day off from exercise, that’s OK, but commit to exercising most days of the week.

3. Go for the 80/20 rule with your precious time.

Follow Stephen Covey’s advice and “Don’t prioritize your schedule, schedule those priorities.” Devote 80% of your day to your most important priorities. What things, if you accomplished them, would move the dial for you on your big goals?

Sometimes we can entangle ourselves in the little stuff, but at the end of the day, we don’t feel like we were truly productive. Start your day with the major stuff, and let go of the minor stuff until your more important priorities are accomplished.

Work on that voice inside your head this year. Are most of your thoughts positive? While it would be fabulous to be 100% positive, 80% is a good place to start. Practice making your mind a positive place the majority of the time. Your thoughts determine how you feel—so why not choose the positive?

5. Go for 80/20 with your life.

Do yourself a favor this year and toss out that life balance concept, it can make you chase perfection which is unobtainable. Lean your life toward what matters to you most. Make sure the majority of your time is spent on what you value most. Doing so will make you happier and you will feel a sense of calm because what you value internally will match the external.

Think 80/20 this year. It’s a rule you'll actually enjoy following!

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com

AGE DEFYING FOODS

By Peter Jaret

You already know that eating the right foods helps keep you healthy. Here's more good news: A healthy diet can also make you look and feel young. It may even slow the aging process.



  

Eating foods such as fruit, vegetables, fish, nuts, and whole grains protects against many chronic conditions that could limit your life, including diabetes and heart disease. These foods help keep your blood vessels in top shape. That’s important for your heart -- and for every organ of your body. Certain foods can protect vision and hearing. Eating healthy foods may even help preserve memory and protect against Alzheimer's.

"Even your skin will stay younger looking if you eat right," says Allison T. Pontius, MD, an expert in anti-aging and regenerative medicine at Williams' Center of Excellence in Latham, N.Y

Help Yourself to These Age-Defying Foods

Colorful fruits and vegetables. The antioxidants in colorful vegetables and fruits, such as leafy greens, deep red tomatoes, blueberries, and carrots, help stop unstable molecules from damaging healthy cells. You cannot feel it when some cells are damaged or dying, but you can see it in the signs of aging, such as wrinkles. So at each meal, fill about half your plate with fruits and vegetables. Your goal is five to nine servings a day.

• Three particular antioxidants -- vitamin C, zinc, and beta-carotene -- help protect your vision from macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness in adults 65 and older. If you already have macular degeneration, eating foods with these nutrients may slow its progress. Dark green leafy vegetables -- spinach, kale, collard, and mustard greens -- help the most. But you also help your eyes when you eat bright-colored produce, including corn, peppers, oranges, and cantaloupe.
• A powerful antioxidant in grapes and red wine, called resveratrol, helps reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease, and premature aging.
• Antioxidants like vitamin C can even keep your skin younger-looking. A 2010 study showed that eating lots of yellow and green vegetables was linked to fewer wrinkles.  

Whole grains. Eating whole grains rich in fiber -- oats, quinoa, barley, wheat, and brown rice -- lowers your chance of developing type 2 diabetes. A healthy diet that contains whole grains also keeps blood vessels in peak condition. Your goal is three servings of whole grains a day.

Fish. Omega-3 fatty acids in fish oil offer many anti-aging benefits. They protect your heart, reduce your risk of stroke, and may even lower your risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Help yourself to two servings a week of fatty fish such as salmon, lake trout, or tuna. If you typically get tuna from a can, choose albacore packed in water for the most omega-3s. If you don't eat fish, ask your doctor if you should take fish oil supplements.

Dairy. The calcium and fortified vitamin D in dairy foods are crucial to strong bones. They help prevent osteoporosis and keep you active into your golden years. Include 3 cups of low-fat milk, yogurt, or other dairy products a day to ensure strong bones for life. By choosing low-fat instead of regular dairy, you’ll help keep your cholesterol levels in check, making you less likely to get heart disease.

Nuts. The fatty acids in nuts are among the healthiest you can find. If you avoid nuts because you think they're high in fat, think again. In fact, one study showed that snacking on nuts reduced the risk of high blood pressure and high cholesterol by about 20%. You only need to eat 1/4 of an ounce a day to get the benefits -- that’s about 4 almonds.

Beans and lentils. These foods give you loads of plant-based protein, so they’re an age-protecting alternative to red meat with saturated fat, which is linked to heart disease and diabetes. Beans and lentils are inexpensive and easy to add to soups, casseroles, and side dishes.

Aging Foods to Avoid

For the best anti-aging diet, it’s important to limit foods that can harm your body. It’s easy if you follow these three guidelines.

• Go easy on high-fat meat, high-fat dairy, and bakery treats. The saturated fat found in these foods can clog your arteries, which can lead to heart problems.
• Limit sugar as much as possible. Eating too much sugar can send your blood sugar levels on a roller-coaster ride of ups and downs. Over time, excess calories may make you insulin resistant, which can lead to type 2 diabetes. Diabetes damages your blood vessels and often leads to heart disease. "The less sugar you eat, the healthier you'll be," Pontius says. 

• Spare the salt. Eating too much salt, a form of sodium, can raise your blood pressure. Over time, high blood pressure can damage many parts of your body, including your kidneys, your eyes, and your brain. Limit sodium to 2,400 milligrams -- about 1 teaspoon of table salt -- throughout your entire day. If you have high blood pressure, your doctor may suggest you eat even less, about 1,500 mg a day. Check labels for the sodium content in canned, frozen, and boxed foods. Packaged foods typically pack in a lot of salt -- you may be eating more than you realize.

Give Your Body the Fuel It Needs

Can you get the benefits of nutrients through supplements, instead of thinking so much about what you eat? Not really, says dietitian Manuel Villacorta, author of Eating Free.

You need calories from food to have the energy to do everything you want to do. For steady energy, Villacorta suggests you eat three modest-sized meals a day, and keep healthy snacks handy for between meals. Drink plenty of water. Becoming dehydrated can rob you of energy and cause your skin to dry out.

Also, research shows that nutrients in whole foods interact in complex ways to protect your body. Isolating a single nutrient in a supplement rarely offers the exact same benefit.

“It's smarter -- and easier -- to plan your diet around foods, not nutrients," Villacorta says. "What you eat makes a huge difference in how you age and how you feel."

AIR KELAPA MUDA

Apabila memiliki kulit kusam dan teksturnya kasar, tak perlu buru-buru membeli krim ini itu.


Ada cara hebat yang dapat membuat kulit Anda jadi bening dan mulus.

Adalah air kelapa muda yang dapat memperbaiki tekstur kulit sehingga menjadi lebih lembab dan halus.



Mengembalikan kesegaran kulit yang kusam karena berbagai problem kulit.

Selain paparan AC, sinar matahari, debu dan pencemaran, diet yang salah ternyata juga sangat mempengaruhi penampilan kulit. Karena kurang menyerap nutrisi, kulit menjadi kusam dan terlihat tak terawat. Padahal, sudah berbagai macam krim yang dipakai.

Mengatasi hal tersebut, sebenarnya  minum air kelapa muda sudah mencukupi..


Penelitian mengatakan bahwa air kelapa muda dapat melembabkan kulit, membuat kulit tampak lebih muda serta segar. Antioksidan dan kandungan cytikinin dalam air kelapa muda mengandung manfaat mencegah penuaan. Nutrisinya juga mengembalikan ion-ion pada tubuh, sehingga dapat membuat tubuh yang lelah segar kembali.

Minum air kelapa muda sebaiknya tidak perlu ditambah gula lagi. Manisnya air kelapa yang alami sudah cukup menyumbangkan energi bagi tubuh. Menambahkan gula hanya akan meningkatkan jumlah kalori.

NOTE:

• Untuk mendapatkan manfaatnya secara maksimal, minum air kelapa setidaknya sehari sekali.
• Hendaknya tidak menyimpan air kelapa terlalu lama di dalam botol yang ditutup rapat, karena air dapat berubah menjadi asam dan mengandung gas.
• Simpan air kelapa dalam peti sejuk.

Sumber :  vemale.com

MIRACLE JUICE

Buah yang dikisar dan dijadikan jus akan diserap oleh usus dalam tempoh 20 minit. 



Jika tidak, ia akan mengambil masa sehingga 18 jam untuk dihadamkan. 



Buah dan sayur yang dikisar menggunakan 'blender' rendah zat berbanding jus dari juicer kerana patinya sudah bercampur dengan hampas dan mengurangkan khasiatnya.

HOW TO MAKE YOURSELF IRRESISTIBLY ATTRACTIVE

by shelly bullard

The qualities of masculine and feminine energy exist in all of us. Your inner masculine gets activated when you're working toward a goal, planning, taking charge, and are aligned with your purpose. Your inner feminine is heightened when you're creating art, enjoying nature, feeling emotions, and living in the flow of life.

Neither masculine or feminine energy is superior to the other. In fact, you have to experience both qualities if you want to feel like a whole person.

However, it is also true that each of us identifies more with being masculine or feminine, especially in our romantic relationships. Learning which energy you identify with the most is the key to creating really hot chemistry with your lover.

So, do you identify more with being masculine or feminine? Let's find out…

If you have an authentic feminine essence, then you're turned on by all things masculine. A person who takes charge, has a purpose in his life, is strong and trustworthy, and moves in the world with direction and confidence. If this sounds enticing to you, then you're definitely more feminine.

If you have an authentic masculine essence, then you're turned on by the sensual, soft, radiant, unpredictable, feminine. She moves to music, experiences the world through her senses, feels deep in her heart, opens to your love, and can be a little wild at times. Sound good? If so, then you have a masculine essence.

What's important to know is that it's the difference between masculine and feminine energies that creates an attractive charge between two people. In other words, when one person is masculine and the other is feminine, chemistry happens. And the flip side is, it's the same type of energy between two people that causes an attractive charge to fade.

If you and your partner are both embodying more masculine energy (forceful) or feminine energy (flowing) for a period of time, this will make you feel less attracted to one another. You'll either feel competitive, repulsed, or more like friends.

While it's normal for us to have times when our partners feel more like friends than lovers, most of us will not be satisfied in a romantic relationship that feels like friendship the majority of the time.

As humans, we yearn for a deep sense of love, connection and attraction; the experience of being irresistibly drawn to the person you love. This happens when one partner embodies feminine energy, the other embodies the masculine.

The good news is, you can easily make adjustments that will instantly recharge your relationship. Here's how:

For the masculine:

• Discover your purpose and stay true to your path.
• Have relentless integrity.
• Be present to the moment you are in (practice consciousness).
• Get in touch with your inner strength and practice staying connected to that place.

For the feminine:

• Get in touch with your sensuality.
• Spend time in nature (this refills the feminine spirit).
• Indulge in the experiences and flow of life (enjoy the food you eat, the way it feels to walk down the street, the people you come in contact with).
• Feel deep within your heart and express whatever is true.

One of the greatest things about playing with the polarity of energy is that when you take on more of your natural essence, your partner is likely to follow (usually without being aware of it).

For example, guys (or anyone with a masculine essence), if you take your feminine partner by the hand and guide her as you walk down the street, chances are she's going to soften into your direction (and she'll enjoy it very much!). In other words, she'll automatically relax into her feminine way.

And women (or anyone with a feminine essence), if you dance and move in front of your man, he is very likely to become present, focused and attracted to you. His masculine energy will naturally get recharged.

The feminine entices the masculine, and the masculine entices the feminine. Every time.

The next time you crave a stronger attractive charge in your relationship, play with these masculine and feminine dynamics. Embody whichever energy feels most true to you, and watch the way your partner becomes drawn to you as a result.

NUTRITIONAL MAGIC FOR YOUR BRAIN

An evening at Kuala Perlis, Perlis, Malaysia

I love walnuts.




In fact, walnuts are my favorite brain food.




Your brain accounts for 2% of your body weight but burns over 20% of your energy reserves. That means your brain is a big deal...it's working pretty hard. To get the most from your brain you need to feed it often with slow-release, high quality nutrition.




It doesn't get much better for your brain than raw, unsalted walnuts!




The Romans and the Ancient Chinese thought that since walnuts look like the brain, they must be good for the brain. Recent science proves them right!




Here's what you get:




Walnuts develop 3 dozen neuro-transmitters for your brain.




Walnuts are packed with vitamin E.




They contain the, all important for your brain, fatty acid omega-3.




Walnuts can improve brain function and memory.




They can even lift your mood.




They improve artery function after a high fat meal.




Walnuts promote heart health....and what's good for your heart is good for your brain!




They can help prevent cognitive decline as you age.




Walnuts can help your brain get a good, natural night's sleep.




Some studies seem to indicate that walnuts even play a role in reducing cancer.



This may be the "clincher":




Eating walnuts lowers the risk of weight gain. This seems counter-intuitive. But a 28 month study in Spain found that people who ate nuts at least twice a week were 31% less likely to gain weight than people who did not. 



Study authors concluded, "Frequent nut consumption was associated with a reduced risk of weight gain (5 kg or more). These results support the recommendation of nut consumption as an important component of a cardioprotective diet and also allay fears of possible weight gain."



Eating just 4 walnuts a day can help

LESU LELAKI

BENARKAH lelaki hanya berjumpa doktor sedangkan wanita sebaliknya lebih beruntung kerana kehamilan membawa mereka mendapatkan khidmat doktor seawal mungkin? 

Andai itu benar, bagaimanakah kita mahu memanfaatkan usia selama mungkin, termasuk melakukan pelbagai aktiviti biarpun sudah mencecah usia atau bergelar warga emas? 




Ini penting kerana jika dulu, tugasan menjaga orang tua lazimnya di bahu keluarga atau anak-anak tetapi sekarang, berdasarkan perkembangan semasa, peranan itu turut diambil alih pihak kebajikan atau rumah orang tua berbayar bagi yang berkemampuan. 

Malah, kebanyakan yang meniti usia tua terutama yang mempunyai status ekonomi yang kukuh, lebih memilih hidup berdikari, kekal efektif dan mahu menikmati hidup secara aktif hingga ke akhir hayat - senario yang digelar Pertubuhan Kesihatan Dunia (WHO) sebagai tua secara aktif. 

Malangnya, tidak ramai, khususnya lelaki yang mampu menepati konsep itu yang menurut Ketua Jabatan Urologi, Kesihatan Lelaki & Pembedahan Robotik, Pusat Perubatan Prince Court, Datuk Dr Sahabudin Raja Mohamed, sebagai keupayaan individu itu terus produktif. 

“Mereka ini boleh diharap dan boleh terus menyumbang secara efektif kepada masyarakat keseluruhannya. Bagaimanapun, berdasarkan senario semasa, ramai masyarakat dunia pada masa ini lebih dihimpit permasalahan kesihatan yang meruncing. 

“Disebabkan perubahan gaya hidup, masyarakat bukan saja cenderung untuk terlalu menikmati tetapi juga banyak makan hingga malas. Ramai tidak aktif kerana banyak menghabiskan masa duduk di depan komputer, kedai kopi, kelab, di depan TV dan terlalu sedikitnya aktiviti senaman yang membakar lemak,” katanya ketika ditemui, baru-baru ini.

Dr Sahabudin menyifatkan statistik perbandingan ini menunjukkan rakyat Malaysia tidak begitu sihat bukan saja dewasa tetapi juga generasi muda. Malah anak-anak yang duduk lama di depan komputer juga cenderung untuk kuat makan seperti makanan segera, kerana bosan atau juga tekanan. 

Perkembangan itu, katanya, membawa kepada kemunculan golongan lelaki yang bukan saja tidak sihat, tetapi juga tidak subur dan terjejas kelelakiannya. 

“Aktiviti yang ditekankan sesetengah ibu bapa - keluar membeli-belah, menonton wayang, mengamalkan makanan segera misalnya turut menyumbang kepada peningkatan ketidaksuburan dan masalah mati pucuk.

“Satu kajian di Malaysia juga menunjukkan 70 peratus lelaki berusia 50 tahun ke atas tidak aktif secara seksual. Mungkin ramai yang menganggap ‘pil ajaib’ adalah jawapannya namun, kita perlukan pendekatan menyeluruh termasuk faktor isteri, jenis diet, mengapa tidak bersenam dan perubahan gaya hidup yang perlu dibuat,” katanya. 

Semakin meningkat usia seorang lelaki, mereka juga secara seksual semakin lemah, dan keadaan ini dipanggil andropause tetapi sebenarnya ia adalah perubahan akibat tahap hormon yang rendah. Hormon testosteron mengurangkan otot saiz, lebih lemak dan kurang otot, tulang menjadi lemah dan cenderung untuk mudah gemuk pada bahagian perut. 

Mereka juga kebal insulin yang mana hati tidak dapat memanfaatkan insulin. Tahap kolesterol juga meningkat dan terus ke saluran darah menyebabkan tekanan darah tinggi. Disebabkan obesiti, tahap hormon cortisol meningkat dan merendahkan testosterone pada lelaki berusia 40 hingga 70 tahun. Malah, lebih 20 peratus lelaki di Malaysia mempunyai tahap testosterone rendah yang boleh menyebabkan diabetes, hipertensi, penyakit jantung, tulang retak selain mengurangkan keghairahan terhadap seks. 






“Golongan lelaki ini juga mudah berasa letih, lesu dan penat yang melampau sehinggakan tiada tenaga untuk melakukan aktiviti. Waktu tengah hari sudah mengantuk, prestasi seks juga terganggu, mental tertekan hanya kerana testosterone rendah,” katanya. 

Lebih memburukkan keadaan, kata Dr Sahabudin, penyelidikan lalu turut menunjukkan 70 peratus lelaki berusia lebih 50 tahun mengalami masalah mati pucuk atau Erectile Dysfuction (ED). Masalah ED adalah tanda-tanda awal terhadap masalah kesihatan lain seperti kencing manis dan hipertensi.

“Tatkala usia semakin meningkat, anda perlu faham berapa banyak tekanan yang boleh diterima oleh tubuh. Jadi pilihan untuk menikmati usia tua dalam keadaan cergas dan efektif terletak dalam tangan anda dan semuanya harus bermula dari amalan gaya hidup yang baik. Malah semua masalah kesihatan yang dinyatakan punya cara untuk mengubatinya hanya jika ia dikesan dan dirawat awal," katanya.

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY......

BY MICHAEL TAYLOR
NOVEMBER 15, 2013 11:38 AM EST

We hear this all the time: Listen to your body! We should follow how we feel, right? But what does this really mean? And how do we do it?

Maybe I feel like eating cookies instead of going for a run right now. Good, this is a plan I can follow! But I thought this was supposed to get me healthy. And as much as I love cookies, I'm pretty sure my cookie-tarian diet isn't going to get me there.

So now what? To what kinds of feelings am I listening? Maybe physical feelings, like stomach pain and tired feet? Or emotional feelings, like worry, doubt, or indecision?

There are two layers of feeling at work here. One is feeling in your body, your core, your nature. The other is your surface psychology, imprinted on top of it all.

Following our psychology—our mind—can certainly keep us busy. We run about collecting all kinds of information and advice. We think it's critical to proper decision-making! But sometimes the decisions don't come. We get trapped in worry, self-doubt, second-guessing. And if we do make decisions, we don't believe in them enough to let them live.

Luckily, there's this other kind of feeling. It's not paralyzing, it's activating. And strangely enough, it's a bit closer to the pain in your belly!

You've heard of trusting your gut? It's good advice! So how do you know when your gut is talking to you?

How can you tell the difference between your intuition—the part of you that creates an avalanche of healthy and inspired acts—and the part of you thinking about how to find that part of you?

Stop thinking about it, for a moment. You need to get quiet. You need to get sensitive, to you.

That feeling in your body is where you'll find your intuition, and your capability to act. You already know it's not on your shelves of how-to books, or waiting for you in the next guru-convention. So it's time to look somewhere else.

Your body is sending you messages, core, gut feelings, all the time. You don't need to reason them, logic them, or intellectualize them. You just need to act on them.

When your foot hurts, you pick it up and give it a squeeze. Stomach ache? Rest your hands on your belly. Unsure what to eat, say, work on, or create? Take a very deep breath, relax, feel, and then do it. Just like giving your foot a squeeze: don't think it, just do it.

Your body pays attention to you. It thinks you're important! If you've spent a whole lot of time ignoring how you feel, just bulldozing along - your body has probably decided you're not interested in listening to these lines of communication. It hits the mute button. That's OK, you can turn your volume back on.

Here are 3 steps to get you listening and moving easy in your body and life:

1. Slow it down.

When a submarine is running all ahead full, it can ping away with sonar, but it won't hear much of anything. It's making too much of its own noise! We're about the same.

Don't worry, you'll still be able to pick up the pace when you want. We all have plenty of practice in this department. If we want to slow down enough to hear something, we need to practice this, too.

2. Relax and breathe deep.

When you breathe normally, you don't create unusual sensations in your body, so this readily translates to virtually no sensation at all. Breathe as deep as you possibly can, even when you're not running up a mountain, and you'll have something new. You'll feel. It will be interesting!

Remember to relax. When you're stiff and tense, you'll just feel stiff and tense. You want something more than that. Use your inhales to expand and feel into everything you've got. Use your exhales to soften everything you can feel.

3. Move without thinking or deciding.

Let your breath do this for you, and practice first in your body. When you're relaxed, your inhales will give you a lift, and your exhales will make you more movable. So let it move. No decisions required, just breathe and go along for the ride.

Practice this with your body. Now practice it with everything!

Just breathe, give it time, and watch what happens. Your body is already re-wiring itself, based on exactly what you're doing, right now. You're making you!

Have fun, and make it good.

Photo Credit: Shutterstock.com

THE BEST FOOD FOR YOUR SKIN

May be not, but you do look the way you eat.  Putting your best face forward starts with putting the right ingredients in your mouth. 



'The same foods that are good for your health are good for your skin," says Valori Treloar, a dermatologist based in Newton, Mass.



Experts say these nine skin-boosting choices will do as much for your appearance as your inner health: 


TOMATOES



They're full of lycopene, a phytochemical that provides red pigment and health benefits.  Lycopene helps eliminate skin-aging free radicals caused by ultraviolet rays - in other words, it protects against sun damage.



To reap the most benefits, heat them up : A half-cup of cooked tomatoed, for example, packs 16 miligrams of Lycopene.  a daily dose coupled with sunscreen will help block the bun.




Mangoes, Papaya and apricots



Got that washed-out look?



Load that up some fruits.  Mangoes, Papaya and Apricots are full of pigments called carotenoids which are stored in the layer of fat directly beneath the skin and can improved color.



"They peek through, giving you a rosy flow," says registered dietetian Karen Ansel, a spokeperson for the Academy of Nutrition and  Dietetics and co-author of "The Calendar Diet, A Month by Month Guide to Losing Weight While Living Your Life."



COCOA POWDER



Flavonals, the antioxidants in the dark chocolate, reduce roughness in the skin and protect against sun damage.  



A study published in the Journal of nutrition found that women who drank cocoa fortified with 326 milligrams of flavonals a day had a better skin texture and stronger resistance to UV rays than those who didn't get as much of the antioxidant.  Just a few ounces a day - or a standard Hershev's dark chocolate bar - is sufficient.  



Another tasty way to get enough?  Spoon some cocoa powder into your morning coffee, Ansel suggests.



FLAXSEED




Think of these as tiny wrinkle fighters.  They're packed with omega-3 fatty acids, which erase spots and smooth fine lines.  



In one study, participants who had about half a teaspoon of omega-3s daily for six weeks had less skin irritation and redness, as well as better-hydrated skin, according to findings published in the British Journal of Nutrition.  



That's likely because fatty acids attract water to skin cells, plumping the skin and reducing wrinkling.




SWEET POTATOES



They're full of vitamin, which smooths wrinkles by stimulating the production of collagen.  



One study, published in the American journal of Clinical Nutrition, found people who consumed 4   milligrams of vitamin C - about half a small sweet potato - daily for three years reduced the appearance of wrinkle by 11 percent.




MUSSELS




If you're not getting enough iron, your skin will turn pale and pastry. Ansel says, the solution?  Iron-rich choices like mussels. One 3-ounce serving delivers a third of the daily recommended amount.  The government recommends men ages 19 to 50 get 8 milligrams of iron a dy, while women in that age group should aim for 18 milligrams.




SPINACH



Want to protect yourself against skin cancer?  Take a page out of Popeye's book.  A study published in the international Journal of Cancer found that folks who ate the most leafy greens (more than four times a day) develop half  a many skin tumors over 11 years as those who ate the smallest amout (once a day or never).  




That's likely because the folate in spinach helps maintain and repair DNA, reducing the likelihood of cancer-cell growth.




CANNED TUNA




It's packed with Selenium - a nutrient that preserves elastin, which keeps skin smooth and tight.  Selenium also prevents free radicals that are produced by UV rays from damaging skin cells, protecting against sun damage.




SUNFLOWER OIL




If you have dry, flaky or itchy skin, take note:   this common cooking oil doubles as a moisturizer.  It contains omega-6 fatty acids, which keep cell walls supple, allowing water to reach the skin.  Some research suggests consuming sunflower oil can help ease skin problems such as dermatitis, inflammation, acne and dry skin.