I struggle with eating the right foods, and any nutritionist would consider me a challenge. Mama made my older brothers eat their vegetables and fruits, but she and I kept the local Midy’s drive-in downtown busy with to-go orders of nachos with cheese, French fries and tater tots. My New Year’s resolution is to try, emphasis on the word try, to add more healthy foods to my plate.
By introducing a few better choices to your diet, you can reap the rewards of healthier hair, skin and nails. Spinach is among my least favorites, but is loaded with wrinkle-fighting antioxidants: beta-carotene, vitamins B, C, E, and lutein which keep the eyes sparkling while doing their job. I may have to rethink what Popeye sees in spinach.
Almonds help ward off damaging free radicals, so I suggest snacking on a handful of these vitamin E-filled magic nuts. When it comes to protection from premature aging, blueberries make it to the top of the list, along with tomatoes. Tomatoes contain lycopene which is like the fountain of youth when it comes to anti-aging, no matter how you slice ’em.
Toss bell peppers with your salad or into your next stir fry because the vitamin C-rich vegetable helps with collagen production in the skin. Not that we needed a reason to order lobster mac and cheese, but lobster is high in zinc which maintains collagen and promotes skin renewal. Salmon is a smart source of omega-3 fatty acids that keep skin supple and moisturized, plus the vitamin D is an added bonus for strong bones and teeth. There’s nothing fishy about that.
Two sweets to keep in mind are sweet potatoes and dark chocolate. The only sweet potato I ever enjoyed is her royal highness, Jill Conner Browne, but the food is rich in beta-carotene which is an antioxidant the skin loves.
Dark chocolate helps hydrate skin and protects from sun damage, and is a guilt-free snack in small quantities. Oh, and don’t forget your lentils which are packed with protein and iron for full-bodied hair worthy of any queen.
I can’t lie. Well, I could, but you would not believe me. I don’t enjoy the notion of replacing my pepperoni pizza or Bop’s Snappy Turtle with spinach, but I’m sure Mama would be proud of my effort, even as she washed down her potato chips with a chocolate Yoo-Hoo. All things in moderation, I suppose.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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