Monday 12 February 2007

Food for... Q+A

Food for healthy skin

Q: I’ve heard that what you eat can keep skin looking young and healthy - any tips? I’m starting to notice a few lines and am after all the advice I can get.
A: Beauty junkies take note: even the most expensive pot of A-list cream won’t give you a perfect complexion if you don’t feed your face with the right foods. Here’s how.

Powerfood: Brazil Nuts
Brazil nuts are great for healthy skin because they supply zinc, which helps repair damage, and essential fatty acids which help replenish collagen. Four a day are all you need to fight those wrinkles.

Powerfood: Salmon
Want glowing, soft skin? Then reach for salmon. This oily fish is packed with omega-3 fatty acids (as vel1 as omega-6), which can only be a good thing for skin. Omega-3s help reduce inflammation and flaking, and they’re also essential fatty acids for normal skin moisture.
Powerfood: Turkey Another goodie to pack into your diet for healthy skin bursting with radiance is the cancer-protecting antioxidant, selenium. Selenium works in combination with vitamin E to appear to slow down the ageing process. You can find it in turkey. Research has even suggested that people super-charged with selenium don’t get as damaged by the sun.
Also try: Tuna

Foods to boost immunity

Q: I’m forever getting coughs and colds, and seem to feel constantly run down. What food should I be eating to boost my immune system:
A: If you normally catch every germ that whafts by, your immune system might be flagging. But a lot of what our bodies need to fight-off infection can be sourced from food – we just need to know what to eat.

Powerfoods: Carrots

Bugs Bunny was right – not only can munching on carrots help you see in the dark, it can also put a spring back in a flagging immune system. So, what’s the magic ingredient? It’s beta-carotene. Beta-carotene boosts immunity by increasing the number of T-cells, which are the key immune cells in our bodies.
Try also: Apricots, spinach and cantaloupe melon

Powerfood: Shiitake mushrooms
Stock up on your shiitake mushrooms as much as you can – apparently they also help produce white blood cells, which are needed to fight disease as it enters the body. According to recent research, shiitake mushrooms might also encourage white blood cells to fight foreign bacteria. It’s all to do with an active compound, lentinan. Lentinan has strong anti-viral and anti caner properties.

Foods to aid fertility

Q: I’ve been t to get pregnant for ages but with no luck. Can I boost my chances of conceiving with a change of diet?
A: Learn how to give nature a helping hand along the way with static fertility-friendly magic ingredients.

Powerfood: Watercress
If you’re trying to get pregnant, chances are you’re popping folic acid pills every day. But you can also get this all-important mineral from your diet. Folic acid is essential in developing the embryo’s neural tube very early on helping with the conception process.
Try also: Bovril, spinach and parsnips.

Powerfood: Kiwi Fruit
Kiwi fruit is particularly good for male fertility because it’s a rich source of vitamin C and that stops sperm from clumping together making it difficult to reach the egg.
Try also: Broccoli and peppers.

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