Skin is a living, breathing organ. In fact, it is our body’s largest organ. Everything we put into and on our bodies, as well as our daily encounters, stress levels, and sleeping habits have an impact on the skin.
Everything from food to sleep to exercise, and of course skincare topicals, regulate the aging process. We often educate our clients on the best practices for home skin care routines, yet it’s important to also use your time with them to talk about whole body health and how it impacts the skin.
Internal Agers: Food and Antioxidants
Eating is truly a lifestyle, and foods that are life-giving will reap tremendous benefits for the skin. The foods we eat and the way in which we eat them also impacts aging.
Foods high in antioxidants – fruits, vegetables, nuts, and certain grains – are essential, but pesticide intake also has to be monitored. There are 15 fruits and vegetables known for retaining pesticides (blueberries, broccoli, apples, spinach, bell peppers, to name a few). Talk to clients about the importance of organics v. conventional as it relates to skin health. Reducing pesticide exposure will also reduce free-radical damage and the amount of pollutants discharged to skin cells.
We know antioxidants are vital in fighting the signs of aging, internally and externally. Getting these nutrients naturally from super foods is always the best option, but supplements and topicals applied to the skin also provide benefits. Help clients by giving them a list of antioxidants to look for:
- Vitamin A – carrots, kale, spinach, pumpkin, liver, and cantaloupe
- Vitamin C – camu camu, broccoli, brussels sprouts, guava, and citrus
- Vitamin E – olive oil, walnut oil, wheat germ oil, oats, tomatoes, and carrots
- Bioflavonoids – citrus, berries, onions, tea, red wine, dark chocolate, and sea buckthorn
- Polyphenols – berries, tea, dark chocolate, walnuts, peanuts, and pomegranates
Skin topicals rich in antioxidants will help firm, tone, tighten, refine lines, and give skin an overall glow. Also look for ingredients like L-ascorbic acid, tocopherols, retinoids, and L-lactic acid to name a few.
As I mentioned, the way in which we eat also plays an important role. Eating slowly and consciously, taking the time to be present at each meal and the person you are sharing it with does several things:
- Helps with digestion, because we become more conscious about chewing our food
- Since food is broken down better, antioxidants will more easily be absorbed by the body
- Breathing is regulated
- Slowing down also makes us less likely to overeat, because it takes approximately 30 minutes for food to reach the stomach and signal the brain that we are full
- Best of all, we savor the moment! Eating becomes an experience
Always be thinking about what bits of information you can share with your clients. It will help open the dialogue and deepen relationships. Plus, they’ll thank you for it later.
Question: What are you doing to educate your client about whole body health?