Raw Foods You Should Be Eating For Prettier Skin

Minerals are one of the keys to beauty and an incredible 95 per cent of our body's activities involve minerals. Our biochemistry is dependent on our mineral sources and it is easy to provide the body with the essential minerals it needs when we are eating correctly.
The most important beauty minerals are:

Silicon, which strengthens the hair, nails and skin.
Zinc, which helps rebuild collagen in the body.
Iron, to improve circulation, which helps skin tone.
Magnesium and potassium, which detoxify and cleanse.

Green plants are our number one food for providing all the minerals we need for superior beauty and nutrition, while simultaneously giving us the vitamins and amino acids we need to build protein.

If we eat greens abundantly and get a good variety of them in our diet, we will get the wide spectrum of minerals we need into our bodies. The best form to eat greens in for their mineral content is raw. This is because some cooking methods, such as boiling, reduce their mineral levels as well as their vitamin content. This is not to suggest that we must eat 100 per cent raw foods. But it does mean we need to increase the percentage of raw greens and vegetables that we consume overall. The green plants that are highest in beauty minerals are: rocket, cucumber, radicchio, bok choy, dandelion, romaine lettuce, broccoli, celery, swiss chard, kale, watercress, mustard greens and wheatgrass. For an added beauty boost, eat organic greens, because minerals enter the plant from the soil and organic soil has a higher mineral content than traditional farming soil.

Tip 1: Have a green drink every day:
The most powerful way to up our mineral consumption is to consume a plant-based drink every day, by either blending or juicing vegetables and fruit together. Green drinks make you feel light and energetic and, yes, they improve your appearance and help you drop the kilos! Staple ingredients are spinach leaves, cucumber, celery and apple, but try to stick to what is local and in season.

Glowing green smoothie recipe

Ingredients

1½ cups water
1 head organic romaine lettuce, chopped
½ head of large bunch or ¾ of small bunch organic spinach
3–4 stalks organic celery
1 organic apple, cored and chopped
1 organic pear, cored and chopped
1 organic banana
Juice of ½ organic lemon

Optional:
1/3 bunch organic coriander (stems okay)
1/3 bunch organic parsley (stems okay)

Directions
Add the water and chopped head of romaine and spinach to the blender. Starting the blender on a low speed, mix until smooth.

Gradually moving to higher speeds, add the celery, apple and pear. Add the coriander and parsley if you choose. Add the banana and lemon juice last.

Tip 2: Consume raw plant foods to start every meal:
Have a salad or a few celery sticks before your meals. Starting each meal with these raw greens and other vegies will ensure that we are increasing our enzyme intake. Enzymes help us to digest the rest of our food and raw foods also make us feel fuller faster since they contain so much fibre. We can eat them in abundance while still ingesting fewer calories overall.

Tip 3: Try eating raw sauerkraut:
This dish consists of raw, cultured cabbage that has been chopped and left in an airtight glass container at room temperature for several days, creating a food that is rich in probiotics as well as enzymes and minerals. Commercial sauerkraut is loaded with salt and pasteurised at high temperatures, which destroys its benefits. You can buy raw, cultured vegies in health-food stores but they are also easy to prepare at home.

Many foods promote skin health. Some are at their most beneficial when eaten raw:

1)Kale and Spinach:
Kale and spinach help keep skin firm because they contain phytonutrients that provide extra protection from sun damage. Spinach is especially good because it is loaded with the nutrients beta-carotene and lutein, which have been shown to improve skin elasticity.
Tip: Try to get about three cups of either leafy green per week. Each is delicious as the foundation of a salad even tastier mixed together.

2)Walnuts and Pistachios:

Walnuts and pistachios are a rich source of vitamins B and E that help protect against cell damage. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that fights free radicals and oxidation that age the skin prematurely, while vitamin B1 aids circulation to give skin a healthy, youthful glow.

Tip: Pair nuts with a healthy carbohydrate like fruit to help slow down digestion and the breakdown of sugar.   

3)Berries and Citrus:

Berries are packed with age-defying antioxidants as well as fiber, a nutrient that helps eliminate toxins before they cause breakouts. Citrus fruits are loaded with vitamin C, a potent antioxidant that also boosts collagen production for soft, supple skin.

Tip: Think of a fresh citrus and berry salad as a delicious beauty treatment you eat!

4)Apples:

Like citrus, apples are also high in vitamin C helpful for collagen production. The copper in apples aids the production of melanin, the brown-black pigment in skin that works as a natural sun protector.  Tip: Add a chopped apple to your salad or yogurt.

5)Almond Milk:

This nut milk is great for your skin because it contains collagen-boosting copper, as well as the mineral manganese, which helps protect skin from UV damage.   Tip: Use almond milk as you would regular milk, as a drink, on cereal, or blended with frozen fruit for a tasty, nutritious smoothie.