Healthier Skin Found in Your Own Backyard

Recently the Washington Post ran an article about the increased demand for seeds. People all over the country are beginning to grow their own food in small backyard and rooftop gardens. As the FDA battles E. coli and salmonella outbreaks, more and more Americans want to know that what they are eating is actually good for them. This past year spinach, peanuts and peanut products, tomatoes, and jalapeno peppers were all on the list of foods recalled because they were contaminated and then sold to the public. But aside from the safety issue, there is something really satisfying about growing your own goodies.

I'm a veggie lover, so growing a small garden in the backyard is not only a great summer project but practical too. Even the flower pots on our deck share space with a few pots of fruits and veggie plants. Lacking a green thumb, I'm so glad that growing fruits and veggies takes a lots less work than the darn house plants inside! And the taste of foods that have had the chance to ripen right on the vine beats anything you'll find at the grocery store.

Fresh fruits and veggies are the best things going for a good complexion. If you've decided to get a little dirt under your fingernails this summer, why not grow some foods that double as beauty products? Whether you have a half acre or just a few pots on your deck, you can grow a few salad items that also double for beauty helpers. I checked into it and here are three foods that are easy to grow and GREAT for your skin.

1. Cucumber- Cucumber is AMAZING to use when you have been out in the sun and need to soothe your face. They feel wonderful when placed over your eyes and can help soften and tone your skin! Or look for the cooling and soothing effects of Skin's new Calm toner with cucumber hydrosol--great for sensitive skin.

2. Carrot- We all know how great vitamin A in carrots are for your skin, but did you know they are great as a natural facial cleanser and antiseptic. Grated carrots can be rubbed on your skin as a cleanser and help leave your face soft after! You'll also find the oil balancing effects of carrot juice in Sensatia's Wild Ginger, Carrot & Vetiver Soap.

3. Tomato- Tomatoes are NOTORIOUSLY easy to grow. I grow a few plants in the garden and a convenient cherry tomato plant right on the deck. Aside for making great salsa with a little fresh cilantro, tomatoes can also help reduce clogged pores and blackheads. You can cut a tomato in half and rub it on your face for help with clearing those pores to prevent breakouts.

For you gals out there who would rather get a manicure than spend a day pulling weeds don't worry. Farmers markets are a great place to buy locally grown fruits and veggies!

The Skinny on Fatty Acids

For many, the talk of fat in our diet strikes fear in us deeply. We've blamed said fats for all the bumps and jiggles on our bodies. But not all fats are created equal. Some are actually good for us!

Essential fatty acids (EFAs) are vital to our overall good health. Some of the important jobs of EFAs are to support the immune system, regulate blood pressure, provide energy, maintain body temperature, insulate nerves and support and protect bodily tissues. Current recommendations are a minimum of 3% of our daily caloric intake should be from EFAs, 5% for children and pregnant and lactating women.

Though EFAs are essential to our good health, our body cannot manufacture them and we must get them through our diet. The typical western diet actually provides us an imbalanced amount of EFAs. For optimum health the ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids should be between 1:1 and 4:1, where the typical North American diet is something more like 11:1 to 30:1. The EFAs that we most often consume are actually blocking the conversion process necessary for our bodies to make use of the EFAs.

Excessive saturated fat and cholesterol, processed vegetable oils, and alcohol plus a host of other conditions, like disease, infection and dietary deficiencies (including zinc) are to blame for this disruption. This imbalance in our consumption of EFAs contributes to such long-term health problems as heart disease, certain cancers, asthma, arthritis and even depression.

Two of the most important polyunsaturated EFAs are Linoleic acid (LA) and Gamma-Linoleic acid (GLA). GLA is an omega-6 EFA that is found primarily in plant based oils. LA is also in the omega-6 family and converts to GLA in the body. Good sources of the EFAs are fish oil, flaxseed oil, hemp oil, soya oil, canola oil, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, leafy vegetables and walnuts. EFAs are also a good friend to our skin. They help to reduce inflammation, improve cell function, nourish the skin, protect DNA from damage and even help to treat some skin conditions, like eczema and psoriasis. Omega-6 EFAs help to restore epidermal barrier function and omega-3s help to preserve collagen and elastin.

Linoleic acid has been found helpful in the treatment of acne, psoriasis and sun damaged skin. It also helps to speed healing of the skin and is a natural penetration enhancer which can be used in skin care products in place of polyethylene glycol (PEG). Linoleic acid is found in evening primrose, flaxseeds, pumpkin and mustard seeds, wheatgerm, spirulina and green leafy vegetables. Less of the wrong fat and more of the healthy fatty acids will help to keep your skin looking good and your body feeling great!

Not Exactly Swine Flu, But Still Makes Me Sick!

This story first ran last year in Southwest Airlines inflight magazine, Spirit. An intriguing human interest story turned horrifying half way through. Below is an excerpt from the story about a pig farmer who takes advantage of the bountiful leftovers from the Las Vegas casinos to feed his pigs...

..."As the city's resident waste expert, [pig farmer Combs] helped architects design the MGM Grand's recycling dock when the resort was built in 1973. Here, every morning before sunrise, workers bring out the "wet trash," or food, in large, gray trashcans. An elevator raises and dumps the loads onto a table, where the workers sort the straws and plastic bags from the meat, vegetables, desserts, and breads. The food goes into three baby blue dumpsters stamped with "R.C. Farms Food Scraps." Each 1,000-pound dumpster empties into an R.C. Farms truck that heads up Las Vegas Boulevard to the next stop, before driving 13 miles north to the farm.

When the grub truck arrives at R.C. Farms, it goes to an area that resembles a giant game of Mousetrap. Combs, a perpetual recycler, built the jury-rigged contraption out of used parts and scraps. "I figure the good Lord, in His plan, made everything recyclable," Combs says. "Man just kinda messes everything up." That mess of shrimp, foie gras, and sushi pours off the truck onto conveyor belts that dump the soggy chunks into an enormous tank. Steam-cooking kills any bacteria. Oil floats to the top, creating a slick that the farm vacuums off and sells to detergent and cosmetics companies."

Yes, cosmetics companies. That plentiful buffet meal you couldn't quite finish may actually get a second life on your face. Those long, impossible to pronounce, chemical-sounding names are often code for pig slop. Of course, if you shop at CarenOnline or carefully read ingredient labels you don't have to worry. But beware of synthetic ingredients on makeup labels, shampoo bottles, and dish soap. That chemical just may have started out at a pig farm. In comparison to this horror, I'm no longer afraid of swine flu!

What's your reaction to the story? Surprised? Share your comments with the Caren family!

Balancing Health and Vanity

There's a fine line between staying healthy and fighting... well, fine lines.

In most cases, what you do for your overall health is in turn great for your skin. But unfortunately, what many do in the name of fighting wrinkles is far from healthy. Injecting synthetic substances into their skin, chemically peeling away healthy layers, and even resorting to surgery all in the name of vanity.

You only have to pick up a magazine or turn on the television to see how these procedures have turned some former Hollywood hotties into near sideshow freaks. Aside from being unhealthy, these attempts to fight off the aging process have the unwanted side effect of changing someone's appearance detrimentally. And the unknown side effects and long term consequences of these procedures make me glad to be comfortable in my own 40-something skin.

No, I'm not suggesting we let ourselves go in the name of health. In fact, just the opposite! True beauty comes from being healthy in the first place. Eating enough fruits and veggies, getting enough sleep and exercising regularly will do more for your outward appearance than any chemical-in-a-jar. Washing your face with a gentle, all-natural cleanser, keeping your skin properly moisturized and avoiding overexposure to the sun, as any honest dermatologist will tell you, is the key to fighting premature aging.

Ingredients found in nature work the best. Period. They really cannot be duplicated in a lab; not successfully anyway. Would you prefer a natural vitamin or a synthetic one? Why would any company try to create in a lab an ingredient that already exists in nature? Because it's cheaper, not better, and they know it.

What do you think? How far are you willing to go to look younger? Will you sacrifice your health? Share your experiences here with the Caren family.

Good Things Come in Small (Blue) Packages

The phrase "small but mighty" may have first been uttered by someone eating blueberries. These tiny indigo berries pack one mighty helping of health benefits. Yes, blueberries are not only delicious, they are considered a “superfruit”, rich in nutrients, antioxidants and ever-emerging evidence of health benefits.

Their sweetness and pop-ability make them popular amongst children and adults alike. Sprinkled on your morning cereal, added to a smoothie or straight out of the bowl, these little jewels are hard to keep around for long. Blueberries are also great in pies, jellies and jams and are sold fresh, frozen or dried. When purchasing be sure to choose berries that have been organically grown so are free from toxic exposure. They are better for you and taste better too. The health benefit of blueberries comes from their high levels of manganese, vitamin B6, vitamin C, vitamin K and dietary fiber. Another bonus, the berries are comparatively low in sugar and calories.

Wild species of blueberries contain anthocyanins (powerful antioxidants that target cell damaging free-radicals) and various phytochemicals which could reduce the risk of certain diseases, like inflammation and some cancers. Studies have also shown the consumption of blueberries to slow the cognitive decline in Alzheimer’s patients and other conditions of aging. Research done on aging animals shows that both learning capacity and motor skills were improved when fed a diet rich in blueberries.

Ellagic acid, another powerful antioxidant found in fruits like blueberries and strawberries, block metabolic pathways that lead to cancer. A study on elderly people shows that those who ate the most of ellagic acid containing fruit were three times less likely to develop cancer than those that ate fewer or none of the fruit.

This antioxidant powerhouse (38% more than red wine) is beneficial to keeping your skin healthy and youthful as well. Over time free radicals damage collagen which causes lines, wrinkles and thinning of the skin; antioxidants fight free radicals with a vengeance. And to top it all off, anthocyanins, which also give the berries their dark bluish-red pigment, provide support to vein structure and the entire vascular system. Anthocyanins have also been shown to enhance the benefits of vitamin C, and blueberries have over 30% of our daily value in just one cup.

So, these beautiful little berries are delicious fresh or frozen, pack a giant vitamin load, aid in brain and vascular health, help to ward off many cancers, keep skin looking young and healthy and help with regularity. And all this in such a tiny package. What’s not to love?

Got a good blueberry story or recipe? Share your comments with the Caren family!