Feed Your Face

You may have noticed when passing through the beauty aisle that the traditional salad ingredients we love like avocado, cucumber, lettuce, carrots, tomato and olive oil increasingly appear in creams, masks, lotions and other facial products. Well, they are not there just to show off that they contain natural ingredients, these nutrients can actually nourish our complexion. Let's see how each one of them help our skin...

CUCUMBER. This refreshing vegetable/fruit does not only reduce puffiness around the eyes. It has compounds that help combat inflammation, which dermatologists describe as the single greatest culprit in age-related conditions (from Alzheimer's to wrinkled sagging skin).

AVOCADO. This creamy fruit is packed with fatty acids and vitamins B, C, E and K. I've mentioned in my previous posts that vitamins C and E fight sun damage best when used or taken together and the combination in avocado can safeguard sun-exposed skin along with other protective measures.

LETTUCE comes packed with vitamin K. Notice when buying eye treatments, ingredients include lettuce extract? That's because vitamin K helps diminish dark circles. The chlorophyll, which makes lettuce green, also has an antioxidant effect. It helps slow the signs of aging. If you don't see lettuce extract in the ingredients, look for phylloquinone, it is sometimes listed under that name.

CARROTS has beta-carotene that defends against environmental stressors (pollution, smoke, etc) that wreak havoc on our skin.

TOMATO. It's one of the richest sources of lycopene, an antioxidant that helps fight cancer-causing diseases. It has also been found to help reduce inflammation and limit sun damage when used in skin treatments.

OLIVE OIL is a natural emollient that boasts of antoxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds called polyphenols. The oil is rich in skin-soothing vitamin E and has been used for years for youthful skin. You'll find olive oil mostly in moisturizers and is sometimes listed as vegetarian or plant-derived squalene.

So there, take note of these yummy and healthy salad ingredients and look for them the next time you buy facial/skin products.