Cheap and Nutritious Food to Combat Dry, Flaky and Itching Skin!!!!

Dry skin is a very pronounced condition that many people experienced at this particular time of the year, mostly because of change in weather and some other factors. Dry and flaky skin is mainly associated with insufficient moisture in the superficial layer of our skin. Our hands, face, arms and lower legs are the most affected part of the body. There are certain factors that predispose us to dry, flaky and itching skin which could be frequent bathing, use of harsh soap for bathing, deficiency of certain vitamins and minerals, age, genetics, family history, as well as medical condition such as asthma, allergies, eczema,  diabetes  and atopic dermatitis.  There is this popular saying that “You are what you eat”, which is true, treating dry skin is more of what you eat than what you apply on it. Today we will be discussing on foods which are not expensive and are easily accessible to us that we can add to our diet for improve healthy and glowing skin.

1.   Your number recipe for dry skin is Water – It has been proven scientifically the health benefit of water, drinking 2 litres (6-8 glasses) of water everyday hydrates our skin and body, it flushes out toxic substances from our system, so as to give us a clear skin. Our skin uses nutrient from the various foods we consume and water is a major carrier of this nutrients and even oxygen. Water play a key role in our digestion, circulation, absorption and excretion of waste products from our system.

     Consumption of fruits and vegetables with high water content cannot be overemphasized here, daily consumption of any of the following fruits and vegetables (melon, apple, oranges, pineapple, celery and cucumber) will go a long way to hydrate the skin and also provide essential vitamins and mineral to maintain glowing skin.

3.       Food rich in selenium and Zinc is another great ingredient to smooth, soft and glowing skin. Selenium is a trace mineral which help to eliminate free radicals from the body, while zinc helps heal wound by repairing damaged skin and protecting it against further damage. These minerals are found in food such as Salmon, tuna, shrimps, cooked beef, bean, turkey, halibut fish, oysters, crabs, sardines and whole-wheat pasta. Two (2) to three (3) times consumption of these foods will show an improved result in skin elasticity and moisture.

4.       Food rich in essential Fatty-acids such as Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids help to keep dry skin and blemish away, they are healthy fats which when consumed provide our skin with the required natural oil  barrier against dryness by retaining moisture, thus giving us smooth and younger-looking skin. Extra virgin olive oil and canola oil are great sources, fish such as sardine, mackerel and salmon, walnuts and flaxseed also provide us with good amount of these essential fatty acids.

5.   Food rich in essential vitamins such vitamin A, C and E- Vitamin C helps in collagen and elastin formation which keep skin firm and healthy, protect us against skin cell damages caused by free radicals. Vitamin E serve as antioxidants which also protect us against UV effect and helps skin retain its natural moisture. Vitamin A has an important role in soothing dry flaky skin by repairing damaged skin cells, the supplements are usually prescribed for people suffering from acne, and other skin condition such as wrinkles, it is a known vitamin for combating early aging. These essential vitamins are popularly found in dark green leafy vegetables, carrots, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, pumpkin, avocado, flaxseed, broccoli, papaya, kiwi, citrus fruits, red bell peppers, egg and low-fat dairy.

  Green Tea and Green Juice- Green tea is a powerful antioxidants which help to stop skin inflammation, delay DNA damage and protect our skin against the effect of sun. Drinking a green juice at least five (5) days in a week will give you a clear and glowing skin, this can be done by blending spinach, cucumber, kale, and few drops of lemon together, you will be amazed at the result you will get after few weeks. You can also check online for further recipes of green juice so as to have varieties to choose from.

To achieve the best results, it is advisable to moisturize the skin at least 2-3 times daily with petroleum jelly, glycerine, emollients and any other good moisturizers especially when the skin is still damp.

Should there be no significant improvements, please consult your doctor for proper medical check-up.

Thank You

MedicineNet

Oral Health!!! How to maintain Fresh and Healthy Breath

Have you ever noticed how irritating and embarrassing  it can be to have a bad breath, most especially when someone is talking to you or vice versa and all you can perceive is fetid mouth breath, your attention will never be on the topic of discussion but how you can easily leave the vicinity or get out of the conversation. This creates and leaves an impression with the listener not considering how gorgeous the speaker with bad breath dressed. This may ruin relationships, job interview and other important meetings.

“Bad breath is as a result of the action of bacteria forming in the mouth, sulphur produced by decaying bacteria in the mouth makes it reek” says Dr. Dunlap

Today we will be talking about how to maintain healthy breath. There are few ways to detect our oral health, if you want to know may be you have mouth odour or bad breath, try to do the following:

1.      

You can place your hand close your mouth and breathe out into it; whatever smell you can perceive will tell you if you have offensive mouth breath

2.      

You can also lick the back of your hand with your tongue and leave for few minutes; let say after one minute you can perceive the back of your hand, if what you perceive is not fresh then there might be evidence that you have bad breath.

Causes of Bad Breath

Studies around the world confirms that bad breath could be as a result of some underlying hygiene issues or medical problems such as cavities, food remains in your broken teeth which are not properly removed while brushing your teeth, gum disease and filthy dentures. Certain infection and disease may also predispose to bad breath such as chronic acid reflux, liver disease, diabetes and respiratory tract infections. Breath test are been taken now to screen for medical conditions like Diabetes, lung cancer, kidney disease, heart disease and digestive disorder.

Tips for curing bad breath

Following the under-listed tips and remedies will not only improve your oral health but will also reduce risk of developing certain diseases:

Baking Soda  

Information has been made available on the effective use of baking soda for teeth whitening, it can also be used to cure bad breath. You can either look for toothpaste with baking soda as part of the ingredient for brushing your teeth or make a solution of warm water with baking soda (½ teaspoon) and gargle with in the morning and evening before going to bed.

Avoid Refined Sugar 

Limit or avoid totally the amount of refined sugars you consumed, this can be replaced with brown sugar because refined sugar is major culprit leading to cavities. Sugar based candies, cookies and sweets treat should be avoided.

Drink Plenty Water

Drinking clean water regularly about 2 litres (6-8 glasses) per day is the recommended allowance, this keep your body and mouth hydrated and fresh for the day. Studies have confirmed that waking up to drink water reduces the effect of bacteria over the night; thus giving a fresh breath in the morning.

Rinse with Lemon or Salt

In some developing countries, people tend to use salt in place of toothpaste for brushing their teeth, gargling your mouth every night before going to bed with salt and warm water solutions does not only cure bad breath but it also help to prevent gum infection and disease and also improves oral health. Lemon may also be used as a substitute in place of salt, lemon has an anti-bacterial effect on our gum and tongue, and they are also good for detoxification.

Regular Consumption of Fruits and vegetables

Having a diet high in fibre, fruits and vegetables also aid in curing bad breath, they support regular bowel movement which form a contributing factor for bad breath(anyone with constipation have a chance of having bad breath).

Yogurt

Consumption of yogurt on a regular basis cures bad breath because of its probiotics (acidophilus) content. Yogurt, rich in good bacteria provide beneficial effect which help to prevent the growth of odour causing bacteria.

Maintenance of oral hygiene is the best routine to cure bad breath; this can start from brushing your mouth twice daily, flossing after meal and gargling with warm water and salt solution every night. Trust me there will be a noticeable difference, even in your gum bringing out the bright pink colour of your gum which is a sign of good oral health.

Should there be no significant difference in one to two weeks, please kindly consult your doctor for proper medical check.

Thank you

My Healthlist

Defying Aging and Look 10 years younger !!! trust me it works!!

People rarely ask “how young are you”? But they rather put the question like this “how old are you”? There are stages and ages in life when we are so eager to tell people our age especially when we are in our teens but as we grow older we tend to hide our age because we are faced with life challenges. Some of us are gifted with a youthful face while some are not so lucky but the most important thing is that we all age biologically.

You can actually look younger and defy aging if you follow healthy eating habits and exercise regularly, the under-listed food will help you to look much younger than your age, trust me it works. There is no better time to start than now:

  

Olive Oil: Studies from around the world has confirmed the health benefits of olive oil when compared to other oil, olive oil has a powerful antioxidants called polyphenols which help to fight age-related diseases and increases healthy skin.

     

  

  

  Yogurt: Yogurt contain good amount of calcium and Vitamin D that helps our bone health, it also contain an active bacteria which promote our gut health and reduce age-related intestinal illness

   

Avocado: Avocado has been recognized for its anti-aging properties, it contain powerful antioxidants, monounsaturated fat (good fat), potassium and Vitamin E. These components help to promote skin health, lowers blood pressure while reducing cholesterol level.

    

Red Wine:  one glass of red wine per day is said to promote heart health, prevents diabetes and age-related memory loss. Red wine has strong antioxidants called resveratrol which help to prevent premature aging.

   

   

    Lemon- Start each day with one glass of warm water with lemon, it helps to cleanses our liver’s by-product and its vitamin C contents is said to promote healthy skin thus reducing wrinkles

  

   

   Turmeric – one teaspoon in our juice, rice and stir-fry during cooking and other regular healthy meal help us to fight against chronic inflammation.

 

Whole Grain: Having unrefined whole grain such as oat meal, brown rice and whole wheat  in our meal on regular basis provide us with essential vitamins and minerals to combat aging.

  

  

Dark Chocolate: Exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation is a contributing factor to wrinkled skin, dark chocolate from cocoa beans contains powerful antioxidants called flavanols which protect our skin from inflammation caused by exposure to UV light. Dark Chocolate contains anti-aging properties.

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Garlic: Studies have confirmed the anti-aging properties of garlic, it is also known for its anti-viral and anti-bacterial effect, adding garlic to our everyday diet boost our immune system and also protect against cancers such as breast, intestinal, and pancreatic cancers.

  

Beans: Beans such as pinto, red beans, kidney beans, soy beans and small red beans contain powerful antioxidants and are rich source of protein. They contain vitamins and minerals such as Iron, potassium and Vitamin B.

   

Fish: We are advised to include fish such as Tuna, salmon, sardine, herrings and coldwater fish in our diet at least 2 -3 times per week. They help to promote health and are very high in Omega-3 fatty acids.

   

Nuts: This is a nutrient packed food, it contain high unsaturated fat (good fat) help to improve heart health, potassium (help to lower high blood pressure) and essential vitamins and minerals such as Vitamin E which help to promote skin health and reduce cell damage

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 Blueberries and Beetroot

  

 

   Deep Coloured Fruits and Vegetables

  

   

Foods to Avoid

The under-listed must be consumed in a very little proportion if you must maintain youthful look and grow gracefully with sound health

Salt- About 2.4g per day is the daily recommendation of salt and even lower for people with high blood pressure, too much salt raise blood pressure and may damage some important organ in the body such as the kidney, eyes and even the brain. Please be mindful of packaged foods (such as the frozen, canned or boxed foods); they tend to have more sodium (in form of salt) in them.

Sugar- Too much consumption of sugar increases blood sugar level thus leading to insulin resistant which may further predispose to type 2 diabetes (diabetes destroy  blood vessels)

High Fat Dairy, Meat and Bakery Treat- Most of these food groups are made of saturated fat (bad fat).

 
 



 Eating Well
Discovery Health


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