Health And Beauty Tip: Why
Fat-Free Is A Beauty No-No
by Rebecca Prescott
Fat free has almost become a
cornerstone in many households. It is certainly something of a
fixture on modern restaurant menus. And industries have
catered to the fat free preoccupation by supplying foods
labeled fat free and low fat, as well as herbal and medical
products that block fat metabolism. But the bottom line on the beauty and health fronts,
is that if you want beautiful skin with fewer wrinkles, or to
speed up your metabolism, you need to eat the right kind of
fats.
The benefits to your skin of eating the right fats daily are
many. Beneficial fats stimulate the production of collagen,
improves the blood flow in the layer below the skin that
supplies nutrients for the creation of new, healthy skin cells.
Poor quality blood flow here means under performing new skin
cells. Fats keep the skin moist, from the inside. Fats are
crucial for the absorption of the fat soluble vitamin - A, D,
E, and K. And the beneficial phytonutrients like carotene,
lycopene and lutein need fat to be absorbed also.
For example, eating salad with a dressing containing fats
increases the absorption of these phytonutrients. A study,
published in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition
(and referenced in Gorgeous Skin by E Angyal) found that those
who ate a salad with a low fat dressing had very little
alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and lycopene in blood tests taken
afterwards. Those who had a full fat dressing with the salad
had noticeably higher levels of these carotenes and lycopene
metabolites in their blood.
Fats also help produce and regulate hormones, reduce
inflammation (the right fats anyway), and prevent eczema,
psoriasis, and hair loss.
According to Erica Angyal, you need about 2tbsp, or 20 grams of
fats per day so the skin can lubricate itself, and so enough
vitamin A can be absorbed. Vitamin A prevents premature
aging.
Erica Angyal recommends olive oil, flaxseed oil, walnut oil,
pumpkin seed oil, coconut oil, mustard seed oil, avocado oil,
soy oil, macadamia oil, and canola oil. She suggests using
extra virgin, virgin, cold pressed oils where they are
available, as these are always much better quality, and the way
they are processed means unhealthy chemical changes to the oils
are avoided. Of the oils here, the mono unsaturated oils are
olive oil, avocado oil, macadamia oil, as well as the oil from
cold water fish, like swordfish, mackerel and salmon. Mono
unsaturated oils can reduce wrinkles. The polyunsaturated oils
are flaxseed, walnut, pumpkin seed, and canola oil. For the
reasons outlined below, I would not personally use these to
gain the bulk of needed daily fats. Coconut oil is a saturated
fat, but extremely good for you.
Coconut Oil
I love this stuff. Not only does it have a beautiful aroma when
it is good quality, cold pressed coconut oil, but it has
amazing health benefits that go beyond great looking skin.
Aging, including aging of the brain and skin, is associated
with a process called 'peroxidation'. This simply means that
free radicals remove an oxygen electron from the fats (lipids)
in our cellular membranes. Ultraviolet light, from the sun,
causes peroxidation in unsaturated fats, both in the laboratory
and in your skin. This increases the rate at which wrinkles
form.
And unsaturated fats, like regular vegetable oils, decrease the
metabolic rate. Unsaturated fats suppress the response of the
body's tissues to thyroid hormone. Unsaturated fats inhibit the
protein digestive enzyme that forms thyroid hormone, as well as
damaging the mitochondria in cells, which relates to cellular
energy production. Coconut oil counteracts these unwelcome
effects of unsaturated fats.
Coconut oil is incredibly versatile. Because it is so stable,
it can be used in cooking without becoming hydrogenated. And it
doesn't change the flavor of the food, despite its strong
aroma. Coconut oil contains medium chain fatty acids. These are
not stored in the cells like other fats but go directly to the
liver which converts them into energy. The shorter chain length
allows them to bypass the metabolic pathway that other longer
chain fats need to use. Coconut oil is the only saturated fat
that is good for the body.
Interestingly, Dr Mercola's website quotes an article by Dr Ray
Peat in which he mentions that when so called essential fatty
acids were used in patients fed intravenously, their immune
systems were suppressed. Consequently, coconut oil is used
instead. The only exceptions are in cases where
immunosuppression is needed, such as in organ transplant
patients. The essential fatty acids are the omega 3 and omega 6
polyunsaturated fatty acids. Examples are flaxseed oil, the
oils of cold water fish like salmon, evening primrose oil, and
sunflower oil.
References:
1. http://www.mercola.com/2001/mar/24/coconut_oil.htm
2. Erica Angyal, Gorgeous Skin In 30 Days (Lothian Books,
2005)
About the Author: If you're troubled by acne scars,
check out this article to learn about the different types and
the best forms of treatment for each: http://www.acnetohealth.com/acne-scars.html
Source: www.isnare.com
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