Regardless of age, every women wants to look fabulous and glamorous. Here at HelpMyStyle we talk a lot about how to make the outside look amazing but we’re also concerned with how the inside works and the effects this has on looking fab at any stage in life.
Celebrities such as Gwyneth Paltrow and Liv Tyler are both great advocates of healthy eating and the benefits this has on their appearance. Being a total believer that the outside only looks as good as the inside, I’ll be focusing my next few columns on top tips regarding the foods we eat to ensure we look as good as we can no matter what our age and shape.
The government say ‘5 a day’ which in most cases will help to keep disease away, it won’t have your hair silky shiny and skin radiant. Looking at the requirements to stay fit, well and looking great in our stressful world, I would suggest that we all strive to achieve ‘10 a day’. Recent research indicates that ten portions daily provide more protection to our health. A portion is equivalent to the average sized apple, pear or a medium carrot. Fruit and vegetables are rich sources of vitamins, minerals, fibre, water and plant chemicals that help regulate important body processes which ensures we look and feel great!
Our ‘10 a day’ ideally should be 3 portions of fruit and 7 vegetables, the key reason for this is to ensure we don’t take on board too much sugar. Beside the benefits you see in your overall health if you hit this level it’s a great way to lose any extra bit of weight, a top tip I give to any weight loss clients is if your filling up on vegetables you are generally eating less carbohydrates (bread, potatoes, rice and pasta) – you tend to be full and your plate looks packed with fabulous colour, tastes and smells!
Give it a try and don’t forget to eat what is in season and as much local product you can find, this is so important in Ireland where we are great producers of fruit and vegetables. Board Bia have a great web site to explore and gives you a listing of all fruits and vegetables in season – check out bestinseason.ie.
By Andrea Murray of Total Nutrition, BSc (Hons) Nutrition Therapy
