Are you still struggling to find balance with your skin? You're buying clean products but it doesn't seem like it's quite enough. Well, you might just have to take an inward look as our skin is often a reflection of what's going on inside.
I'm going to give you a non-exhaustive list of 8 practices you can slowly incorporate into your lifestyle that may turn your skin around but could also reap you many health benefits! Don't be overwhelmed by this list. Pick 1 or 2 doable points, get started and see where it all takes you!
1. Focus on eating whole, real foods that are organic and locally grown if possible. Grass-fed meats if you can get it. Wild Alaskan Fish - not farmed, Coconut oil and Olive Oil, Nuts, Seeds and Beans. Get the best quality you can afford.
2. Support your gut! - Eating foods rich in Enzymes, Probiotics and Prebiotics can greatly improve the way your body assimilates the foods eaten. And the best way to do this is with fermented foods like sourdough breads, fermented vegetables, yogurts, kefir, raw milk products. When added into your daily meals they have the necessary enzymes to break down the harder to digest grains and meats.
I've recently discovered a lot about sourdough or fermented breads and the benefits to eating them. I've linked a great article that will help you understand where these thoughts are coming from.
https://www.wellandgood.com/good-food/the-fermented-bread-thats-taking-over-los-angeles/
So find or make some sourdough bread, ferment some cabbage into sauerkraut or buy full fat organic yogurt...yes I said full fat (fat isn't the enemy here) and look for raw milk if it's legal in your state and find raw cheeses. These will go a lot further in good health than our weak alternatives in the grocery store.
3. Eat healthy fats like Avocados, Coconut Oil and Nuts. Just avoid the processed trans fats.
4. Eat/Drink Bone Broth. Bone broth is rich in collagen which keeps skin healthy! Try making your own from leftover chicken or turkey bones! You won't regret homemade goodness like that! Add a little vinegar to your 24+ simmering time to reap the most benefit out of those bones!
5. Cut sugar - We could talk about this for hours....and days...but in a nutshell, sugar causes inflammation and inflammation anywhere in the body will show up on the skin. In place of common sugar try eating natural local honey, agave or maple syrup.
6. Take Herbal Supplements. I'm a HUGE fan of cleanses and taking super foods for health and I believe our skin shows on the outside what's going on in the inside! Talk to alternative medical professionals who can get you started on a good regiment. I like to regularly cleanse out parasites and candida along with incorporate whole body cleanses to keep balance in my body. I always make sure to build my cells with super foods like green drinks containing alfalfa, spirulina and much more after cleansing.
7. DRINK WATER! This cannot be emphasized enough. If the Chinese call the skin the third kidney we should think about water to protect it! We purify our water with a Berkey Water Filter. It filters out the toxins leaving the natural occuring minerals in tact. We used to use an reverse osmosis filter as well so whatever you do try and avoid buying plastic bottles as this adds more xeno-estrogens into your blood stream disrupting hormones even more.
8. Drink homemade vegetable juices with fresh veggies using a high powered blender like a VitaMix. This is a fantastic way of getting in all those necessary vegetables when time is short. One of the juices we make regularly around here are made up of spinach, green apples, cilantro, celery, cucumber and lemon. Look online at the Vitamix website for great recipe ideas.
Drinks like this are also great for alkalizing. Did you know that viruses, parasites, etc don't live in an alkalized environment? Most of the foods we love like meats, breads, pasta and even some fruits create a more acid environment in the body but other veggies and fruits cause the body to be more alkaline. Eating a heavier amount of alkaline foods than acid will help to bring balance back into the body and help the immune system to work even better! Mama always said to eat your veggies! Now you know another reason why! There are lots of sites online where you could get more information on this topic but I've attached a link to a simple chart to help get you started.
https://alkalineforlife.com/pages/alkaline-diet-acid-alkaline-forming-foods-printable-chart
Now, like I said earlier, don't be overwhelmed by this list. It's not a test! It's about learning something new and seeing how it fits into your lifestyle. As you do you'll find your skin and body will slowly start to change! That's the exciting part!
