Healthy living with healthy eating habits

In today’s world of 2 minute instant noodles, there are lots of speculations about how to adopt the healthy eating habits to achieve those healthy families. A healthy eating plan is helpful to a great extent as it includes major calculations about the nutrients and ingredients that a human body needs.

One of the most important points of healthy living is never to skip breakfasts as they are the most significant part of a day’s meals and they are able to keep you going for the entire day. The other big thing to remember is not eating so many bigger meals. Instead, meals should be broken down into several smaller meals so that the body will be able to absorb the food in a better way.

Many healthy families have reported that as a part of healthy lifestyles, they follow a regular time table for their meals and by having meals at the right time daily, they are able to keep themselves in perfect shapes. When we talk about healthy food and healthy eating habits, the very first thing that comes to our mind includes fruits and vegetables. No doubt, they should be a mandatory part of a person’s diet without which, a proper nutritious diet is not possible at all. While looking for healthy eating foods, you should ensure that they are natural and organic as far as possible.

You should try to avoid artificial and canned foods as far as possible and also make sure that you consume some cereals also for your breakfast. These are healthy foods to be eaten in the morning as they are able to provide enough energy to the person’s body. It is also better to eat green foods as much as possible as they are extremely rich in nutrients like calcium, fiber and vitamin C. Some of the most popular healthy food items include Broccoli, wild salmon, grape tomatoes, milk and sweet potatoes. It is wise to make a list of which foods you should eat and which foods you should avoid so that it will become easier to understand which foods you should consume.

The main type of food that should be avoided are fats and foods that contain too much of sugar. Healthy foods such as different types of nuts not only provide a lot of energy to the body but also a great deal of body strength. People who believe in healthy lifestyle and healthy living are looking for ways through which they can prepare food at their own home. We all know the unhealthy ways of dealing with food in restaurants and unreliable quality of grains ground in grinding mills in the market.

Several healthy cooking equipments are available in the market including juicers, flour and grain mills, blenders, sprouters and cookers so that you can prepare your own food with your own hands and eliminate any chances of adulteration and unhygienic methods of cooking. All these healthy cooking equipments help the consumers to carry out all methods of cooking at their own home including sprouting, roasting, baking and blending and adopt a healthy lifestyle of living.

Blood Donation Facts?

What exactly happens during blood-donation?

Giving blood is a very simple and straight forward process. On arrival at a blood drive, you will be asked to fill a few details on a donor form. Your medical history will be taken by a medical personnel in an area which provides adequate privacy. We routinely take a small drop of blood to ensure that you aren't anemic. After you pass this simple medical screening process, you will be escorted to a blood donation area. The actual blood donation takes about 10 minutes followed by a little rest and refreshments.

What should I eat after blood donation?

Drink some liquid like tea, cold drink, juice, etc. to replenish fluid and eat some snacks. All this will be available for you at the blood donation site.

What does a blood bank do?

It collects blood, processes it in its components, tests for any possible disease, stores blood components at optimum temperature and gives these to the needy patients after cross matching.

What happens to blood I donate?

Your blood goes to a modern blood bank within 6 hours of Blood collection its processing starts. It is separated into components viz. Red Cells, White Cells, Plasma & Platelets. These Blood components are made available to Municipal Corporation Hospitals, Govt. Hospitals, Nursing Homes. Medical setups, which do not have blood storage facilities, send their samples to Municipal Corporation Hospitals, Govt. Hospitals, Nursing Homes for cross matching following which blood is sent to them directly. All this is to ensure fastest response to the patient’s need. This is how each time you donate blood you save up to 4 lives.

Why blood components?

In modern medicine there is no room for whole blood. Developed countries have switched over to blood components for more than 20 years. Unfortunately in India still 95% of the blood is used as whole blood. By making blood components, all the useful parts of blood can be used. In whole blood, platelets die and clotting factors become ineffective and the patient receives unwanted and ineffective components.

What all things you test my blood for?

 Automatic and highly sensitive Robotic blood testing set up is used to test each and every unit of blood for HIV Virus (AIDS), Hepatitis B & C virus (Jaundice) Malaria Parasite, Syphilis and also blood groups. Bar Code systems, fully integrated computer network, real time information processing makes our lab only of its kind in India. This lab ensures highest level of blood safety to each unit of blood. Thanks to robotic machines the lab technicians also have minimal contact with the blood, which ensures their safety from blood transmitted disease.

Who sustains cost of operations of eblood donors Blood Centre?

e-blood Donors Centre is run on a “ Not for Profit” but self sustaining basis. There is a service charge levied on blood that is distributed. This service charge is essential for meeting cost of raw material, testing, processing, and providing for depreciation and administration expenses. This will also give Prathama an opportunity to undertake fundamental research in the field of transfusion medicine. Meanwhile to take care of people from poor economic status, 50 % of blood components which go to municipal corporation hospitals are free or at reduced service charges. Prathama is committed to up lift the standards of blood banking and in turn the quality of Life of the common man in our society.

Care that a donor should take after donating blood.

  Eat and Drinks something before leaving

  Drink more liquids than usual in next 4 hours

  Avoid consuming alcohol until you have eating something

  Don't smoke for next 30 minutes

  Avoid climbing steps for next 30 minutes

  If there is bleeding from the phlebotomy site, raise the arm and apply pressure

  If fainting or dizziness occurs, either lie down or site with the head between the knees

  Resume all normal activities if no symptoms occur

  Remove bandage next day

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Small Steps to a Healthy Lifestyle – 2

51. Perform gardening or home repair activities.

52. Avoid laborsaving devices.

53. Take small trips on foot to get your body moving.

54. Play with your kids 30 minutes a day.

55. Dance to music.

56. Keep a pair of comfortable walking or running shoes in your car and office.

57. Make a Saturday morning walk a group habit.

58. Walk briskly in the mall.

59. Choose activities you enjoy & you'll be more likely to stick with them.

60. Stretch before bed to give you more energy when you wake.

61. Take the long way to the water cooler.

62. Explore new physical activities.

63. Vary your activities, for interest and to broaden the range of benefits.

64. Reward and acknowledge your efforts.

65. Choose fruit for dessert.

66. Consume alcoholic beverages in moderation, if at all. (Adults only, of course)

67. Take stairs instead of the escalator.

68. Conduct an inventory of your meal/snack and physical activity patterns.

69. Share an entree with a friend.

70. Grill fruits or vegetables.

71. Eat before grocery shopping.

72. Choose a checkout line without a candy display.

73. Make a grocery list before you shop.

74. Buy 100% fruit juices over soda and sugary drinks. (But stick to the AAP limit of 4-6 ounces for younger kids.)

75. Swim with your kids.

76. Flavor foods with herbs, spices, and other low fat seasonings.

77. Remove skin from poultry before cooking to lower fat content.

78. Eat before you get too hungry.

79. Don't skip breakfast.

80. Stop eating when you are full.

81. Snack on fruits and vegetables.

82. Top your favorite cereal with apples or bananas.

83. Try brown rice or whole-wheat pasta.

84. Include several servings of whole grain food daily.

85. When eating out, choose a small or medium portion.

86. If main dishes are too big, choose an appetizer or a side dish instead.

87. Ask for salad dressing "on the side."

88. Don't take seconds.

89. Try your burger with just lettuce, tomato and onion.

90. Try a green salad instead of fries.

91. Bake or broil fish.

92. Walk instead of sitting around.

93. Eat sweet foods in small amounts.

94. Take your dog on longer walks.

95. Drink lots of water.

96. Cut back on added fats or oils in cooking or spreads.

97. Walk the beach instead of sunbathing.

98. Walk to a co-worker's desk instead of emailing or calling them.

99. Carry your groceries instead of pushing a cart.

100. Use a snow shovel instead of a snow blower.

Small Steps to a Healthy Lifestyle -- 1

Today's lifestyle doesn't allow much room for health. And that's where Small Steps comes in. We know that it's impossible for many people to make dramatic lifestyle changes. Instead, we want to help you learn ways that you can change small things about your life and see big results.

Check out these 50 Small Steps to see what you can do to change your family's life.

1. Walk to work.

2. Use fat free milk over whole milk. (As long as your child is at least 2 years old)

3. Do sit-ups in front of the TV.

4. Walk during lunch hour.

5. Drink water before a meal.

6. Eat leaner red meat & poultry.

7. Eat half your dessert.

8. Walk instead of driving whenever you can.

9. Take family walk after dinner.

10. Skate to work instead of driving.

11. Avoid food portions larger than your fist.

12. Mow lawn with push mower. (Remember that the AAP says that children younger than 12 years should not use walk-behind mowers.)

13. Increase the fiber in your diet.

14. Walk to your place of worship instead of driving.

15. Walk kids to school.

16. Get a dog and walk it.

17. Join an exercise group.

18. Drink diet soda. (If your kids must drink soda and are already drinking enough milk.)

19. Replace Sunday drive with Sunday walk.

20. Do yard work.

21. Eat off smaller plates.

22. Get off a stop early and walk.

23. Don't eat late at night.

24. Skip seconds.

25. Work around the house.

26. Skip buffets.

27. Grill, steam or bake instead of frying.

28. Bicycle to the store instead of driving.

29. Take dog to the park.

30. Ask your doctor about taking a multi-vitamin.

31. Go for a half-hour walk instead of watching TV.

32. Use vegetable oils over solid fats.

33. More carrots, less cake.

34. Fetch the newspaper yourself.

35. Sit up straight at work.

36. Wash the car by hand.

37. Don't skip meals.

38. Eat more celery sticks.

39. Run when running errands.

40. Pace the sidelines at kids' athletic games.

41. Take wheels off luggage.

42. Choose an activity that fits into your daily life.

43. Park further from the store and walk.

44. Ask a friend to exercise with you.

45. Make time in your day for physical activity.

46. Exercise with a video if the weather is bad.

47. Bike to the barbershop or beauty salon instead of driving.

48. Keep to a regular eating schedule.

49. If you find it difficult to be active after work, try it before work.

50. Take a walk or do desk exercises instead of a cigarette or coffee break.

Simple Ways to Move Your Body

 

You can start the process of weight loss now by adding a little more activity to your life. If you're not ready for a structured program, start small. Every little bit counts and it all adds up to burning more calories.

    * Turn off the TV. Once a week, turn off the TV and do something a little more physical with your family. Play games, take a walk...almost anything will be more active than sitting on the couch.

    * Walk more. Look for small ways to walk more. When you get the mail, take a walk around the block, take the dog for an extra outing each day or walk on your treadmill for 5 minutes before getting ready for work.

    * Do some chores. Shoveling snow, working in the garden, raking leaves, sweeping the floor...these kinds of activities may not be 'vigorous' exercise, but they can keep you moving while getting your house in order.

    * Pace while you talk. When you're on the phone, pace around or even do some cleaning while gabbing. This is a great way to stay moving while doing something you enjoy.

    * Be aware. Make a list of all the physical activities you do on a typical day. If you find that the bulk of your time is spent sitting, make another list of all the ways you could move more--getting up each hour to stretch or walk, walk the stairs at work, etc.

Healthy Living Tips for a Better Life

In order to be super healthy, have more natural energy, stay well and live a long fruitful life, you have to develop healthy habits. These healthy eating and healthy living tips can guide your way.

1. Eat more nutritious high fiber foods. Healthy eating requires including plenty of colorful vegetables, fresh fruit, whole grains, beans, raw nuts and seeds and other high fiber foods.

2. Reduce and balance your fat intake. Research shows that it’s best to keep fat calories around 25 to 30% of total calories (the national average is 42%). And the vast majority of the fats you eat should be good healthy essential fatty acids and omega 3 with EPA and DHA.

3. Drink plenty of clean water. 8 glasses of pure drinking water a day supplies you with this essential nutrient that helps you digest your food, transport nutrition and get rid of toxins.

4. Exercise regularly and sensibly. Physical activity builds health and keeps bones strong. But daily walking and light weight training is better than strenuous high-impact exercises.

5. Cut out refined carbohydrates. High glycemic index foods are a nutritional nightmare, causing bursts of energy followed by bouts of fatigue. They take your emotions on a roller coaster ride to end up at depression and irritability. Choose a low glycemic diet instead.

6. Limit your salt intake. Consuming too much sodium throws your minerals off balance, causes excess water retention and possibly high blood pressure. You can get used to less.

7. Eliminate negative habits. Give up excess caffeine and other stimulants, reduce your alcohol intake and, if you smoke, quit. You can replace bad habits with healthy new habits.

8. Maintain a healthy weight. Both overweight and yo-yo weight loss puts extra stress on your body. Rather than relying on diet pills and crash fad diets, it’s best to finally get it right once and for all with healthy eating habits, moderate exercise and a good healthy lifestyle.

9. Take quality supplements. Numerous studies show that optimum nutrition levels, higher than the RDA's, can help you to feel better, lose weight, prevent disease and slow down aging – naturally. So add high quality nutritional health supplements to your daily menu.

10. Reduce the stress in you life. Good stress management and stress nutrition can improve both health and happiness. And, as Abe Lincoln said, “Most people are just about as happy as they make up their minds to be.” So make up your mind to relax, enjoy life and be happy.

How to get her wondering if YOU like her for a change

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How to get her wondering if YOU like her for a change

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To Achieve Your DREAMS, Remember Your ABC’s.......................................

(A) Avoid negative sources, people, places, things and habits.

(B) Believe in yourself.

(C) Consider things from every angle.

(D) Don’t give up and don’t give in.

(E) Enjoy life today, yesterday is gone and tomorrow may never come.

(F) Family and friends are hidden treasures, seek them and enjoy their riches.

(G) Give more than you planned to.

(H) Hang on to your dreams.

(I) Ignore those who try to discourage you.

(J) Just do it.

(K) Keep trying no matter how hard it seems, it will get easier.

(L) Love yourself first and most.

(M) Make it happen.

(N) Never lie, cheat or steal, always strike a fair deal.

(O) Open your eyes and see things as they really are.

(P) Practice makes perfect.

(Q) Quitters never win and winners never quit.

(R) Read, study and learn about everything that is important in your life.

(S) Stop procrastinating.

(T) Take control of your own destiny.

(U) Understand yourself in order to better understand others.

(V) Visualize it.

(W) Want it more than anything.

(X) Xccelerate your efforts.

(Y) You are unique, nothing can replace you.

(Z) Zero in on your target and go for it!!!

50 funny but intersting facts......................................................

1. Look at your zipper. See the initials YKK? It stands for Yoshida Kogyo Kabushibibaisha, the world's largest zipper manufacturer.

2. A raisin dropped in a glass of freshchampagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.

3. A duck's quack doesn't echo. No one knows why.

4. 40 percent of McDonald's profits come from the sales of Happy Meals.

5. 315 entries in Webster's 1996 Dictionary were misspelled. 
6. On the average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents daily.

7. Chocolate kills dogs! True, chocolate affects a dog's heart and nervous system. A few ounces is enough to kill a small sized dog.

8. Most lipstick contains fish scales.

9. Ketchup was sold in the 1830's as a medicine.

10. Leonardo da Vinci could write with one hand and draw with the other at the same time.

11. Because metal was scarce, the Oscars given out during World War II were made of wood.

12. There are no clocks in Las Vegas gambling casin0s.

13. Leonardo da Vinci invented scissors. Also, it took him 10 years to paint Mona Lisa's lips.

14. Bruce Lee was so fast that they actually had to slow a film down so you could see his moves. That's the opposite of the norm.

15. The original name for the butterfly was "flutterby"!

16. By raising your legs slowly and lying on your back, you can't sink in quicksand.

17. Mosquito repellents don't repel. They hide you. The spray blocks the mosquito's sensors so they don't know you're there.

18. Dentists recommend that a toothbrush be kept at least six feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush.

19. The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum.

20. The first owner of the Marlboro Company died of lung cancer.

21. Michael Jordan makes more money from Nike annually than the entire Nike factory workers in Malaysia combined.

22. Marilyn Monroe had six toes on one foot.

23. Adolf Hitler's mother seriously considered having an abortion but was talked out of it by her doctor.

24. The three most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca-Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.

25. "Stewardesses" is the longest word that can be typed with only the left hand.

26. To escape the grip of a crocodile's jaws, prick your fingers into its eyeballs. It will let you go instantly.

27. A mathematical wonder: 111,111,111 multiplied by 111,111,111 gives the result 12, 345, 678, 987, 654, 321.

28. The most common name in the world is Mohammed.

29. The average person falls asleep in seven minutes.

30. The "pound" (#) key on your keyboard is called an octothorp.

31. The only domestic animal not mentioned in the Bible is the cat.

32. Rubber bands last longer when refrigerated.

33. The average person's left hand does 56% of the typing.

34. "Dreamt" is the only word in the English language that ends in "mt".

35. It's impossible to sneeze with your eyes open.

36. In Chinese, the KFC slogan "finger lickin' good" comes out as "eat your fingers off".

37. A cockroach can live for 10 days without a head.

39. We shed 40 pounds of skin a lifetime.

40. Yo-Yos were once used as weapons in the Philippines.

41. Coca-Cola can be used as car oil.

42. Mexico City sinks abut 10 inches a year.

43. Brains are more active sleeping than watching TV.

44. Blue is the favorite color of 80 percent of Americans.

45. When a person shakes their head from side to side, he is saying "yes" in Sri Lanka.

46. There are more chickens than people in the world.

47. It's against the law in Iceland to have a dog.

48. The thumbnail grows the slowest, and the middle nail grows the fastest.

49. The only word in the English Language with all vowels in reverse order is "subcontinent al".

50. There are more telephones than people in Washington, D.C.

The Top 10 Ways to Start Living Your Life

Life either happens to us, or we take hold of life and live it.

Here are 10 Ways to get a life and start living it.

1. Give yourself permission to claim your life. That's right — permission. You're the only one who can decide you are in charge of your life. Even though it feels like you're not supposed to do so, turn off the internal editors, the old tape recordings, the "shoulds, have tos, and musts", and the rules that didn't come from you.

2. Define what living means to you. It's not as hard as it sounds. Just picture yourself at the end of your life looking back. What words would you want to describe how you lived your life and who you are as a person?

3. Stop living in the future. Every time you think "someday" or "when I have time I will," stop. Ask yourself, "Why not now?" Think about this sentence, "I always wanted to, but never did." Start doing the things you always planned to do. Choose your life every morning. Plan one thing you will do that day to feel alive.

4. Surround yourself with people who enjoy living. They've obviously discovered how to have a life and live it. Why not hang with the pros?

5. Lay down your pain and your anger. Carrying them around makes living harder and less fun. It doesn't bring anything, and it steals a lot.

6. Let the losers win. Don't argue about things that you don't care about. Unless there's some real threat, let the folks who have something to prove, prove what they need to. Why waste your living time trying to fix what's wrong with them?

7. Create energy. Jump to forgiveness and love, then figure things out. Most conclusions we jump to are not only wrong, they're negative. Negative conclusions lead us to prepare a defense. Being on the defensive isn't living. It's hiding from life.

8. Learn the physical symptoms of when your head and heart become disconnected. We know when we're having a knee jerk reaction, when we're feeling sorry for ourselves, and when we're being blind to people's feelings. We can remember how it felt physically while we were behaving badly. Get to know those symptoms, and you can stop the behavior. Living life will feel a whole lot safer because you won't be in danger of shooting yourself in the foot.

9. Take small risks that push your boundaries in every way. The joy of life is packed in learning that matches our skill set. When we stretch just a bit intellectually, physically, emotionally, we grow. Living is growing. Even your cells know that.

10. Value and protect the people and the places you care about. A job isn't a life. It's just a part of one. Let the people you care about come first, and let everyone know that you do. Re-read numbers 1 and 2.

We come into life with whatever we've got. It's ours to do with. It took me a while to figure that out — that my life isn't just what happens to me, that I could take hold of it.

Check out The perfect diet combined with a healthy weight management

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I want you to take a look at: The perfect diet combined with a healthy weight management 

How Do You Handle Falling In Love With A Friend?

It happens all the time.  You are good friends with a person; you hang out with them all the time, and gradually you realize that you are falling in love with them. What do you do? How do you handle falling in love with a friend? Will it ruin the friendship? These are common questions that everyone must answer. You can’t help falling in love with people. It happens naturally of its own accord. If you were friends first, it just means that the two of you are compatible. But friendships can be hard to come by. So is it worth the risk?

Is Friendship A Good Foundation for Love?

The best relationships are those that start out as a friendship. It is much different from a relationship that started out with infatuation and desire. If the two of you can get together, have enough in common that you can talk and know what the other is thinking, friendship is a good foundation for love.

What Will Falling In Love With A Friend Change?

If you're wondering "What Will Falling In Love With A Friend Change?" there's no easy answer but there are things you should consider. You have to realize what you are risking if you try to get closer to a friend. You are risking the friendship itself and the possibility of losing someone that you really care about because of your feelings. The friend that you are falling in love with may not feel the same way about you and by confessing your feelings of love, it may create an awkward situation. Simply put, you could lose a friend. So before you go and confront this person and jeopardize everything, make sure that your feelings are genuine.

Where Should I Get Advice About Love and Friendship?

When considering how to handle falling in love with a friend, you might want to seek outside advice. Strong emotions can really jumble up your thoughts so that you can’t think straight. If you think you are falling in love with your friend and don’t know how to proceed, talk to someone about it. Your friends are, of course, your first and best option. If your friends know you and this other person well enough, they can give you advice that is in your best interests. The drawback to asking your friends is that they might blab to the person that you are falling in love with. This can be good and bad. It can be good because you can go through a third party and find out how the other person feels. The bad is that you may not be ready to let the other person know how you feel. A friend may also have additional suggestions to help you answer "Where should I get advice about love and friendship?".
Another source for advice would be your parents. They have the benefit of more experience over you and your friends and they can give you advice that may or may not be what you want to hear but will be what is best for you in the long run.

How Do I Tell A Friend I'm Falling In Love With Them?

This is the hard part about falling in love with your friend. How do I tell a friend I'm falling in love with them? For that matter, should I tell them? If by now you have analyzed your feelings and gotten advice, it is time to make the decision. You can choose to not tell them and try to go on as things are. This could work, at least for awhile, as long as you can control your feelings. Or the pressure could just build up as you delay the inevitable.
Assuming you decide to tell your friend that you are falling in love with them, honesty and being straight-forward is always best. Get together with your friend, just the two of you, and go somewhere private. Don’t make your big confession in front of all of your friends in the middle of a party. Start out by telling them how much you value your friendship together but that recently you have started to have deeper feelings for them. Tell them that because of who they are, you couldn’t help falling in love with them. Then ask them if they feel the same way about you. Also be sure to tell them that you value their friendship and that you don’t want to jeopardize it. Most importantly, try not to babble. Give your friend time to respond and listen to what they have to say.

What If Your Friend Loves Someone Else?

Real life is not like the movies. You can’t expect to get the guy just because the audience is rooting for you. Sometimes that other person is already in another relationship and there is nothing you can do about it. If your friend is in a good relationship with a person that loves and respects them, then what kind of friend are you if you try to break them up for your own selfish needs? You are supposed to be their friend, remember? So what if your friend loves someone else? Our advice is that you should continue to support your friend and admire them from the sidelines. However, if the relationship goes sour, you will be in a prime spot to jump in.

Can You Still Be Friends After You've Fallen In Love?

That is the whole trick. Can you still be friends after you've fallen in love? It depends entirely on you and the strength of the friendship. Sometimes people cannot handle the awkwardness and the friendship dissolves. Other people who can manage to get past the confession still manage to be friends. Remaining friends after a failed confession of love is one of the most mature things you can do in your life. Don’t throw away your friendship if you can help it. Try to come to terms with your feelings and hopefully your friend will consider them a complement. After all, a true friend is hard to come by.

Healthy skin diet

Prevent wrinkles with the antioxidant Lycopene found in tomato skin.

Your skin’s appearance can provide a clear reflection of your lifestyle choices.

From the helpful to the harmful, here is the lowdown on how a few common ingredients found in your everyday diet can impact the skin.

Healthy ingredients

Just add water

This crucial component of a healthy body not only keeps us alive, but also keeps skin looking good. “Skin needs water,” says Leslie Baumann, chief of cosmetic dermatology at the University of Miami. “However, it is not how much water you drink that is important but how well your skin holds onto water.”

Skin has a protective coating that’s constructed of lipids (fats) and helps prevent water evaporation. If that precious water gets away, it can leave the skin dehydrated, rough and dull looking. To help keep all of that moisture where it belongs, Baumann points out that taking flax seed supplements may help. “They are a source of omega-3 fatty acids, which help the skin barrier,” says Baumann.

Fruitopia

Vitamin C is a key component of a skin-friendly diet. "Vitamin C helps make collagen, which is the protein fiber that's responsible for giving skin its strength and vitality," says Dori Zerlin, RD. Fruits such as papaya, oranges and grapefruit are great sources of this mighty vitamin.

Vegetable medley

When it comes to vegetables – think antioxidants. Lycopene and lutein are both part of the antioxidant family, which is credited with preventing the formation of new wrinkles. Lycopene can be found in tomato skin, while leafy green vegetables are packed not only with lutein, but vitamin A, which, according to Baumann, can help clear up acne.

Not-So-Healthy Ingredients

Sugar Shock

The sweet stuff may taste great, but it's not great for the skin. High blood-sugar levels negatively impact collagen and elastin, two building blocks that give your skin a supple, youthful look.

Salt of the Earth

It can do wonders for the skin, but only in the form of an exfoliating scrub. Salt's internal effects aren't nearly as attractive. Too much salt in the diet can cause bloating, which stretches the skin and leads to wrinkles and dryness.

What about caffeine?

Caffeine is an antioxidant, so it can actually be good for the skin. However, Zerlin points out that "caffeine has a diuretic effect that can drain the body of its water supply." This leads to, you guessed it – more wrinkles and dryness so if you're drinking coffee – make sure you have plenty of water.

To summarise: When the body is functioning on a healthy level – skin looks great. Lots of water, low sugar, tons of veggies and some fruit will make you look and feel your best.

Do you have oily or dry skin? What have you found that works for you? Enter your comments below.