10 Foods That Keep You Looking Beautiful!

While a great haircut and beautiful makeup can make you look your best, true beauty comes from healthy, glowing skin.  Makeup can only do so much you have to have a solid pallet to apply it to.  Some of the most potent beauty weapons can be found in the supermarket!  Your food picks have an enormous effect on your appearance.  A nutritious diet can give your skin a glow that no cream or makeup can do alone.  It is true when they say "you are what you eat". Boost your beauty by adding more of the following items to your cart.

1.  Blueberries And Pomegranates

Both of these fruits are packed full of antioxidants called anthocyanins, which help protect you from fine lines and dry skin by neutralizing the free radicals that weather your skin.  Plus their high concentration of vitamin C boosts production of collagen, which keeps your skin nice and plump.

2.  Dark Chocolate

This sweet stuff contains high levels of flavonoids, potent antioxidants that can help protect your skin from sun damage and amp up blood flow to your tissues, which keeps skin nourished and glowing.  Look for chocolate that's at least 70 percent cacao (it contains more antioxidants) and use restraint.  Try to stick to just having about an ounce a day. 

3. Spinach
Spinach is another powerhouse of vital nutrients and antioxidants that help fight inflammation and free-radical damage, which are the precursors to fine lines and wrinkles.  It's also bursting with an antioxidant called lutein, which helps keep eyes healthy and bright.  Most important of all spinach is a huge source of vitamin A (beta-carotene), which speeds up cell turnover and keeps skin looking youthful.  And from this beta-carotene your body produces it's own retinol which makes skin firm and resilient.  
Spinach has all these great benefits and it's practically calorie free!  One cup of raw spinach has just seven calories and 55 percent of your recommended daily allowance of vitamin A.  Pretty much all leafy greens a have similar stats so you can switch it up for a little variety and try collard greens, kale, bok choy, and Swiss chard.

4.  Walnuts

Walnuts have many perks including smoother skin, healthier hair, brighter eyes, and stronger bones.  Eating just one ounce of walnuts will give you your daily dose of omega -3 fatty acids and vitamin E, which are responsible for these radiant results.  Other top notch nuts include hazelnuts, pistachios, and almonds.  Nuts can be enjoyed by themselves as a snack or in a salad, pasta or dessert.

5.  Yogurt
Eating just one cup of plain low-fat yogurt gives you about half of your recommended daily allowance of calcium.  Calcium is the key to strong nails and teeth.  Plus yogurt is packed with zinc, which helps calm skin inflammation, and prompt regeneration of cells.

6.  Tomatoes
A tomato a day keeps the dermatologist away!  This red fruit helps protect skin from sun damage and other environmental factors thanks to its key ingredient, lycopene.  The antioxidant lycopene is actually highest in cooked tomatoes.  Healthy fats aid the body's absorption of lycopene, so eat one serving of tomatoes a day with a drizzle of olive oil, a splash of vinaigrette, or a slice of avocado.

7.  Kiwis

Kiwis are jam packed with vitamin C, which can help stimulate collagen synthesis, repair damage to skin cell DNA, and keep blood vessels and hair follicles strong.  A single kiwi has practically all the vitamin C you need in a day and only 42 calories.  

8.  Edamame
If you're seeking smoother skin then reach for soy.  Research shows that the isoflavones in soy foods like tofu, soy milk, and edamame can ease inflammation and slow down collagen breakdown.  The results are more even skin tone and fewer wrinkles.

9.  Sweet Potatoes, Carrots, and Butternut Squash
These are orange wonder veggies!  They contain a bounty of beauty boosting beta-carotene, which your body converts into skin smoothing retinol, therefore helping to protect your skin from past and present sun damage.

10.  Green Tea

This soothing tea has antioxidants called catechins, which can help prevent certain skin cancers and stave off sunburns.  The variety of tea that has the highest concentration of catechins is called matcha.  For all the pretty perks, drink two cups a day.  If tea isn't your thing, try sprinkling green matcha powder (available in health food stores) into a yogurt or homemade smoothie.  Don't worry green tea has about half as much caffeine as black tea.  

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