Guest Blogger: Macrobiotics for Beautiful Skin

Hi Folks!

Every now and then I have an interested in guest blogging.  Here is an enthusiastic fan who would like to share some input on beauty secrets and the benefits macrobiotic principles can offer.....check out her stuff!

By Eve Pearce

Macrobiotics for Beautiful Skin
For some of us, the decision to go macrobiotic is borne of a need to heal following disease; for others, it is a health choice, inspired by the desire to live a longer, healthier life and to stave off diseases like cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Despite the profound reasons that lead us to macrobiotics, there is a collateral benefit most of us probably didn't consider when we decided to make such a big lifetime change: beautiful, glowing skin, the kind that no amount of creams, serums and injections, can bestow. The macrobiotic diet is a wonderful anti-ageing tool that keeps us young in a number of ways:

 * It shuns sugar: Sugar does much more than make us fat or even diabetic; it makes us look old! When you consume sugar and processed and refined carbohydrates like pasta and bread, glucose levels rise to alarmingly high levels, remaining for too long in the body and causing the pancreas to produce too much insulin. Your body becomes insulin resistant and is unable to turn glucose into energy. Not only do you feel fatigued, but your skin cells become incapable of functioning properly in the midst of such a polluted environment. This causes wrinkles, sagging and spots, making you look as bad as you may already feel. The process goes beyond 'cell confusion'; excess glucose binds to chains of protein, forming advanced glycosylation end products (AGEs), which cause inflammation and increase the rhythm of free radical production. When glucose binds to collagen within the skin, the normally tight, ordered bundles (which keep skin looking tight and smooth) link together and grow stiff, losing their flexibility. This leads to deep creases, wrinkles and puffiness in areas like the nasal-labial fold and around the eyes.

The damage goes even deeper; glucose binds to DNA and RNA within skin cells, leading to abnormal functioning and the formation of mutations when cells reproduce.

 * A macrobiotic diet promotes the intake of whole grains: These contain phosphorous, an essential element for beautiful skin and healthy bones. Especially when soaked, fermented or sprouted, seeds and grains are easy to digest and their Vitamin intake is significantly increased.

 * It promotes the intake of healthy anti-oxidants: The latter are found in especially in non-starchy vegetables and low-sugar fruits. These improve our immune functioning, avoid premature ageing, and work to stabilize vitamins, working alongside them to increase the nutritional value of the foods we consume. There are over 20,000 different phytochemicals identified in fresh fruit and vegetables; many of them protect against harmful UV radiation and free radicals in the environment, two major causes of skin ageing.

 * A macrobiotic diet shuns saturated fats, focusing on a healthy blend of Omega-6 (found in nuts and seeds and avocados) and Omega-3 (found in wild fish, linseed and linseed oil, and walnuts) fats.

 * It promotes the intake of good protein: While many people who follow a macrobiotic diet also avoid meat, others do not; at any rate, all forms of the diet embrace quality, organic protein obtained from ethical sources. This greatly benefits the skin because skin uses almost 50,000 different proteins to carry out its many functions (which include building muscles, enzymes, hormones, antibodies, nerves and collagen). If you are a vegetarian, it is definitely possible to find good protein sources. Whey Protein has all the protein power of dairy without the cholesterol or high fat content. Other, non-dairy sources of protein include eggs, organic tofu and fish, all of which are freely used in a good macrobiotic diet. Grains and pulses are also a major part of macrobiotics, though we should take a note from beauty and nutrition expert, Leslie Kenton, who, in her book The Skin Revolution, reminds us that grains and legumes have opposite protein profiles; legumes are high in lysine and low in methionine, while for grains, the opposite rings true. It therefore is a good idea to combine grains and legumes in the same meal, to ensure the consumption of the most complete protein profile possible.

 * It promotes a stress-free lifestyle: Cortisol, the so-called 'stress hormone', ages our muscles, bones and skins in untold ways. By embracing an integrated lifestyle that takes our physical and mental well-being into account, a macrobiotic diet approaches health and beauty the best way there is: from inside-out.

 
Meet The Author Eve Pearce:
Mother of two, who majored in health and nutrition before going to work in the industry. Motherhood made her make a career decision to switch from working in a company to staying home and growing a writing career allowing her to spend quality time with her daughters.