A Glowing Study: Fruit and Vegetables Can Make Us More Attractive

We have all heard the expression, you are what you eat and now we know; we also look like what we eat! A small study from the University of St Andrews in Scotland showed the groups that consumed just 3 extra serves of carotenoid containing fruits and vegetables showed a small change in their skin tones and colouration in just 6 weeks. The small change was enough to be perceived as more attractive to others. The group that ate more processed junk food became less attractive and paler in the study period. What they discovered was eating fruits and vegetables with carotenoids will increase the yellow and red tones in the skin giving us a more attractive glow. The good news is we can have that skin kissed glow without the damaging effects from excess sun exposure or chemicals from bottled fake tans.

What you put in your mouth is much more important for skin health and complexion than what you put on it. The most expensive skin care treatments and creams cannot repair and restore skin where the person is consuming junk food and unhealthy sugar-laden foods. As this study indicates the participants who ate the processed foods appeared less attractive and pale.

Carotenoids are made by the plant and once we have ingested these nutrients, they then travel into the bloodstream and are distributed into the skin and other organs. These nutrients concentrate in the skin giving us that lovely skin tone and also offering protection from the damaging effects of UV radiation.

The most prominent carotenoids that improved skin tones were beta-carotenes and lycopenes. Fruits and vegetables containing these anti-oxidants are:

• Carrot
• Mango
• Sweet Potato
• Pumpkin
• Red & Yellow Capsicum (pepper)
• Tomato
• Watermelon
• Pink Grapefruit
• Apricots
• Peaches
• Spinach
• Papaya
• Guava

Other wonderful properties of a rich carotenoid diet; the benefit for vision health, the prevention of cataracts, supporting a healthy immune system, keeping the mucus membranes of respiratory tract healthy and risk reduction for some cancers.

When people eat refined foods high in sugars and processed fats this can overly tax the body with little return of nutrients which can result in a sluggish, pale complexion. When the kidneys and liver have a harder workload and have the increased burden of eliminating excess waste from junk food, this waste may then come out through the skin and cause blemishes and other skin problems.

Fruits and vegetables contain many phytonutrients, vitamins and minerals to help keep the skin healthy and blemish free. An easy way to ensure that you get enough fruits and vegetables is from fresh juices. It is so easy to include those extra serves that are recommended for good health and for a wonderful glow. So we could say having a glass of juice is like having a holiday or at least others will think you have.

Here are a few of our juices from the recipe section and weekly blogs that contain these carotenoid rich fruits/veggies

Apple-Beet-Carrot Juice
Carrot-Kale Combo
Cinnamon Apple & Squash Juice
Cranberry Citrus Juice
Dracula’s Dream Juice
Gazpacho Juice
Orange Sun Blast
Sunset Blend

Happy Juicing ☺