If you find yourself coveting the gorgeous skin of fashion
models in most of today's magazines, first think CLEAN, then think GREEN.
Clean
Companies that produce skin care products would like you to
believe that a beautiful complexion can be purchased in a jar. But truly
radiant, moist and blemish-free skin is a result of being clean, not just skin
deep, but from deep within.
Create clean blood that continuously supplies wonderful
nutrients right to the doorway of each and every cell in your body and you're
well on your way to having beautiful skin.
Today, keeping toxins out of your blood and organs is
difficult because we live in a "sea" of chemicals and drugs, and eat
mostly refined foods. If your goal is healthy skin, you have to make a
conscious effort to cleanse these dangerous substances out of your body while
putting in the finest nutrients. The good news is that your body is constantly
in a cleansing mode and was created with the ability to push out toxins as long
as you supply it with the energy to do so.
Cleansing energy is more abundant when you provide your body
with the foods mentioned below. (Each food and its nutrients will be discussed
in later articles.)
Six Organs That Keep Your Skin Healthy
The six organs responsible for providing you with beautiful
skin include your:
Liver
Kidneys
Adrenals
Thyroid
Large intestines
Small intestines
But you are accountable to them as well. Keep them clean at
all times and beautiful skin will result from your daily efforts.
Your liver and kidneys are the two filtering organs that
constantly provide ongoing housecleaning services. Today they are seriously
overworked and underpaid. Why overload them with outside challenges? Shield
them from outside harm, feed them well, and they'll keep you and your skin
healthy.
Sitting on top of your kidneys are your walnut-sized
adrenals. Often called the "workhorses" of the body, they make many
essential hormones including pregnenolone, DHEA, estrogen, progesterone and
testosterone. Healthy hormones are an essential ingredient when seeking energy
and beautiful skin.
A well-nourished, energetic thyroid also provides hormones
and works closely with your adrenals to create energy. Dry, flaky, sluggish skin
is evidence of a weak thyroid.
The well-being of one's liver, kidneys, adrenals and thyroid
is dependent on the condition of your small and large intestines. These two
organs not only provide nutrients to other organs, but they are also
responsible for the removal of waste products from your body. When waste meant
for elimination remains in your intestines your skin becomes thick, oily and
blemished. Pure, flawless skin is a reflection of clean intestines.
Drugs, alcohol, chemicals and heavy metals (mercury, lead)
do daily damage to millions of Americans. Your liver is damaged from refined
oils containing trans-fatty acids. Your kidneys are damaged by common table
salt devoid of natural minerals. Trans-fats and refined salt are found in
thousands of processed foods consumed by most Americans every day. Pasteurized
and homogenized dairy products also clog your kidneys. They are to be avoided,
but to reach your goal of good-looking skin you also need to add foods into
your diet that nourish your six organs of beauty.
Think Green
Spring is here and in Chinese medicine spring is the season
when the liver naturally cleanses and heals by pushing out dangerous toxins.
Green foods including chlorella are excellent for the liver. Dark green leafy
veggies including kale, spinach, dandelion greens and broccoli are especially
wonderful foods. Have them cooked, raw, juiced and even cultured.
More Foods to Nourish Your Body and Skin
Green super-food formulas provide a combination of nutrients
including cereal grasses, algae and green veggies. Look for one that has
organic ingredients and was designed to heal and nourish your intestines. They
are great in the morning because they help alkalize your blood, are more
pleasant to take than a handful of supplements, and provide protein, minerals
and fatty acids.
Other foods known to contribute to healthy skin include raw
and virgin fats and oils. Coconut oil is especially good for your thyroid.
Mineral-rich foods (dark green leafy veggies, ocean veggies and seafood) and
antioxidant-rich foods (black currant and blueberry juice, and green tea) are a
daily must.
One group of foods worth mentioning here are fermented (or
cultured) foods. An article in the April 2004 issue of Natural Health Magazine
(p.35) states, "Tangy, tasty and teeming with health benefits, fermented
foods are the new stars of a wholesome diet." Cultured dairy is the rising
star of the milk industry, according to Dairy Foods magazine. Fermented foods
are found in every traditional culture around the world, says Sally Fallon,
author of Nourishing Traditions. (We'll have an entire article dedicated to
fermented foods in a later issue.)
Think Clean and Green, and have beautiful skin. By the way,
you'll also discover new levels of energy blossom even as the blemishes fade.
Written by Donna Gates
Donna Gates, a nutritional consultant and respected lecturer
on candidiasis and related immune disorders, is in large part responsible for
expanding my awareness of the importance of traditionally fermented foods in
your diet.
Donna is the author of The Body Ecology Diet, which is in
its 7th printing, to date has sold over 100,000 copies, and I highly recommend.
Her basic premise in The Body Ecology Diet is that tens of millions of people
are unknowingly suffering from a systemic fungal infection, promoted in the
body by a number of factors such as high-sugar diets, antibiotics, and birth
control pills, and causing an imbalance in the body's "inner ecosystem."
No comments:
Post a Comment