“She was big on these natural treatments, and in the winter, once a week she’d cut a slice of lemon or grapefruit and rub it on her face first thing in the morning. It was her trick to clarify the top layer of the skin.”
– Mireille Guiliano, French Women for All Seasons
Now more than ever FOOD effects how we look and feel. The temptations of salt, sugar, and, fat are a constant struggle with the food devils and angels. I approach this very tender subject from a balance perspective. Balance is the essence of a well-lived life. Knowing what you put in your body, the benefits and harm, is critical to being true to yourself. If most of the time your diet consists of vegetables, fruits, whole-grains, nuts, legumes, and small amounts of fish* and meat*, then why not indulge in your sweet tooth and salt cravings in small amounts every once in a while. But first try cutting back on the food devils (for at least 3 weeks) and see how you look and feel. Instead of two 2tsps. of sugar in your coffee, try 1tsp. and add cinnamon. Reach for a SMALL homemade chocolate chip cookie instead of a bag of Oreo’s. Better yet, a small cup of homemade trail mix- dark chocolate, raw almonds, pumpkin seeds, and a dried fruit. Walk away from the potato chips and have some roasted pistachios or olives. What it comes down to is eliminating (or highly limiting) processed foods. Foods overloaded with chemicals and additives that cause disease and make us literally addicted to the food or drink.
*local, grass-fed, wild-caught are the best options; try looking for cuts (meat) and types (fish) that aren’t as popular. Cuts of meat that are unpopular can be used in soups which last for multiple meals and fill up the belly. Types of fish that are caught closer to where you live will be cheaper and have far less chemicals. And of course smaller portions of meat and fish are healthier and cheaper.
Beauty products should be treated with the same outlook. Look to your kitchen for beauty product home remedies. Stop buying the cleansers, moisturizers, and hair products full of chemicals and cost a days salary. Below I’ve gathered articles and quotes from books I’ve collected over the years on simple beauty and health benefits. And to think they’re the healthy foods to eat as well. Well-being inside and out! Happy reading and gathering!
West Tisbury Farmer’s Market, Martha’s Vineyard
Mireille Guiliano, French Women for All Seasons:
– Before moisturizing, I rinse my hair with cold water to which I’ve added a teaspoon of vinegar or the juice of a lemon, as my mother taught me to do: this will make it shinier than expensive products will.
– For my teenage pre-period skin problems, she’d put some parsley juice on a piece of cotton and apply it to troublesome spots. No matter the skin type, she’d recommend this one over and over: before a party, mix an egg yolk with a few drops of olive oil and leave the mixture on the face for 15 minutes.
– All bottled waters are not created equal. Read the label. Some of the best-selling brands have high levels of sodium, which people with high blood pressure or heart disease should avoid, and many mineral-rich waters have high calcium levels, which should be a red alert to those susceptible to kidney stones.
Jeff O’Connell, Sugar Nation:
– In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers divided a group of young pimpletons into two groups. The control was fed a diet heavy in processed carbs, what they probably favored before the study. The other group was not allowed to eat white bread and other refined carbs; instead they relied on a hunter-gatherer’s diet of lean meat, fish, fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy. The latter group proved far more likely to see their blemishes vanish. The experiment reverse-engineered an anthropological observation – the absence of acne in traditional hunting societies, from South America to Australia and the Pacific Islands. That is, until they switch menus. “Once you place them on a Western diet that’s high in easily digestible carbohydrates, which are not part of the traditional hunter’s diet, acne appears, says Neil J. Mann, Ph.D., nutrition professor at RMIT University in Melbourne, Australia. So it’s not genetic; it’s something their prior diet protected them from.”
BREAKING OUT…AGAIN? THESE FOODS MIGHT BE THE CULPRITS
Refinery 29, Fashion, Style, and Beauty Website
(excerpt) Sugar in all forms causes spikes in pimple-producing hormones.
Aside from the excess hormones, milk stimulates insulin production in the body, which can cause your skin to produce pimples.
MYTHS & TRUTHS ABOUT NUTRITION
Weston A. Price Foundation, Nutrition Education Foundation
(excerpt) Myth: A low-fat diet will make you feel better . . . and increase your joy of living.
Truth: Low-fat diets are associated with increased rates of depression, psychological problems, fatigue, violence and suicide. (Lancet 3/21/92 v339)
Myth: Heart disease in America is caused by consumption of cholesterol and saturated fat from animal products.
Truth: During the period of rapid increase in heart disease (1920-1960), American consumption of animal fats declined but consumption of hydrogenated and industrially processed vegetable fats increased dramatically. (USDA-HNI)
start your day with hot lemon water and chia seeds to wake up and cleanse your body of toxins
WHAT YOUR HAIR LOSS IS TRYING TO TELL YOU
Kimberly Snyder, Author and Nutritionist
(excerpt) In addition to adding nourishing, nutritious foods to your diet for healthy hair and scalp, be sure you’re cutting out the things that can add waste to your blood, making it more difficult for the blood to get to the hair follicles (the capillaries get clogged). These clogging foods include dairy, soy, wheat, animal fat, sugar, and cooked vegetable oils (this includes vegan products like vegan butters and mayonnaise).
West Tisbury Farmer’s Market, Martha’s Vineyard
11 HOMEMADE CURES FOR DRY SKIN, ROUGH HEELS, CRACKED CUTICLES & MORE
Huffington Post, News Blog
Dry Lips:
What you’ll need: Jojoba oil or shea butter.
Recipe: Jojoba oil moisturizes skin with its high nutritional vitamin E and zinc properties. Shea butter comes from the nut of a shea tree grown in West Africa. Its natural moisturizing components are considered to be one of the best remedies for dry, cracked skin.
REDUCE YOUR RISK OF BREAST CANCER BY CHOOSING HEALTHIER PRODUCTS
Sally B’s Skin Yummies, Beauty Blog
(excerpt) There are so many different and great ways to support the fight against breast cancer, but one we feel most passionate about is raising awareness about harmful toxins in your daily life – mainly those found in personal care products – that can be potential causes of the disease. More and more research is showing alarming rates of personal care ingredients accumulating in breast tissue that we believe by avoiding toxic ingredients you can reduce your risk of being diagnosed with breast cancer.
early morning shadows
HOW (EXACTLY) TO LOOK LIKE A FRENCH GIRL
Refinery 29, Fashion, Style, and Beauty Website
(excerpt) French women focus much more on skin care than cosmetics; we like to have a super-healthy, luminous, and clear complexion,” says Mathilde Thomas
But, another way women moisturize is with oils, a ritual that’s just catching wind on this side of the pond. Thomas explains: “Oils have been integral to the beauty rituals of many French women for years. From when they are little girls, French women use homemade masks to nourish hair and skin. “I remember my grandmother creating a mask with egg yolks for my hair and rinsing with vinegar,” says French-born Marie-Laure Fournier
8 NATURAL BEAUTY TREATMENTS — FROM YOUR KITCHEN
Huffington Post, News Blog
(excerpt) Revive, rejuvenate or completely rescue your dry, dull or lifeless hair and skin with nature’s pure and potent properties. Eight all-natural recipes made with fresh, organic and raw ingredients offer a variety of beneficial results for your hair and skin.
breakfast smoothie- raspberry, strawberry, banana, almond milk, oats, chia seeds (add almond butter or hemp seeds)
Extra Article:
Weston A. Price Foundation, Nutrition Education Foundation
CARE OF THE SKIN
Lunch at Zampa in the West Village
Bailey's Nest 