Today, there are literally millions of beauty products on the market aimed at improving your overall appearance. Despite this massive industry that has been built behind the beauty niche, one of the most critical elements of promoting and maintaining beauty often goes completely ignored. This element is proper nutrition, which is just as important for your appearance as it is for your general health. Here are four of the best ways to use your nutrition to help you look your best.
Stay Properly Hydrated
Drinking enough water is one of the most important aspects of staying healthy, but it is also an essential component of a good beauty regimen. Staying properly hydrated can help to keep your skin clear, preventing acne and reducing the severity of outbreaks that do occur. Dehydration can even lead to decreased skin elasticity, making your skin more prone to wrinkles and premature aging. Proper hydration is also great for your hair, as drinking insufficient water over a long period of time can trigger or worsen hair loss. Finally, water is essential for the health and growth of nails, which will tend to become brittle and break easily if your body is not given enough water.
Typically, a person should drink about two liters, which half of a gallon, per day. However, some people may have trouble with this as water can seem tasteless or might seem to have an off flavor (if coming from tap). To help with this, try and drink cold water make it more enjoyable. You can also try drinking detox water to give it more flavor. Detox water is just water that has fruit in it to help it taste better, and some people do use it to help them lose weight. One popular way of making it is to put lemon, mint and cucumber into a pitcher of water and letting it sit for 24 hours in the fridge. After it has sat for a while, it should be a really refreshing drink.
Eat Plenty of Protein to Improve Hair Health
When it comes to beauty, almost nothing receives as much attention as hair. In order to keep your hair looking its best, proper nutrition is essential. Protein, in particular, is important for hair health and growth, as hair cuticles are composed of protein molecules. Without the raw material needed, your hair will either grow more slowly or will be less strong when it does grow. Get enough protein in your daily diet, and you’ll be laying the nutritional foundation for strong and healthy hair.
When people think of protein, they think of meat. However, that’s not entirely true. You can easily incorporate eggs into your diet with omelets or eating them scrambled. Almonds are another great source of protein that are great to snack on. One great way to eat them is by dipping them in melted dark chocolate and sprinkling sea salt over them. Oats are another way to get protein and can easily be made into breakfast oatmeal or oatmeal cookies. Other sources of protein that you may want to try experimenting with are broccoli, quinoa, lentils and Brussel sprouts.
Take a Whole Food Supplement
Ever since supplementation became a common nutritional phenomenon, there has been a great deal of debate about whether or not vitamins, minerals or other nutrients isolated as supplements offer the same benefits as real food. Luckily, a middle ground has emerged in the form of whole food supplementation. Whole food supplements are nutritional additives that concentrate the nutritional value of real food. These type of supplements are an easy way to fill out your daily nutritional needs while still mimicking whole food consumption. One of the practical upsides of this approach to nutrition is that whole food supplements can supply your body with the raw materials it needs to keep your skin, hair and nails healthy and attractive.
Fight Off Aging by Eating Salmon
Getting older happens to all of us, but you do have a surprising degree of control over how well you age. One of the best foods to eat on a regular basis if you want to keep yourself looking good in spite of your years is salmon. This delicious fish is rich in omega-3 fatty acids, healthy fats and proteins, all of which support the health and beauty of skin. As an added bonus, salmon contains a compound called astaxanthin. This chemical is one of the most powerful natural antioxidants. It can not only help to keep your skin looking young and radiant, but has also been shown to improve muscle recovery and increase energy levels.
If you want to look your best, the journey starts not in the beauty aisle of your local store but in the kitchen. Getting the proper nutrition each and every day will keep your hair, skin and every other part of you looking and functioning at its best. Even more importantly, excellent nutrition will set the stage for good overall health throughout your life.