Foods to give your face a lift

Ageing, stress, pollution and fatigue can all take their toll on your appearance and this can cause wrinkles, eyes bags, under-eye circles and spots – Which we all don’t need or want!

The effects of our lifestyle can show on our faces even before we start to feel them, however with our top 5 facelift foods, there is no need for you to consider extreme surgery just yet.

Pay attention to your diet and then you can drastically improve your appearance with very little effort at all.

Spinach
Spinach is a dark green leafy vegetable that is rich in an antioxidant called lutein. It is known to be great for healthy eyes, but recent research has also proven that spinach is good for preventing wrinkles. It does this by helping to retain the skin’s moisture and elasticity, increasing lipid levels and preventing damage caused by free radicals.

The benefits of spinach do not stop there; the leafy vegetable has been known to reduce dark circles under your eyes due to the high levels of vitamins K and C it contains.

Dark circles can be caused by tiredness and heredity; however it can also be down to poor circulation too. In cases where this is the problem, increasing your levels of vitamins K and C can alleviate them by helping to boost circulation and strengthening capillary walls.

Oysters
Oysters are best known as an aphrodisiac; however they have also been proven to enhance your beauty. If you suffer from pale, sallow skin or dark circles under your eyes, this may be due to vitamin B12 or iron deficiencies, both of which can cause anaemia. You should try boosting your intake of these essential nutrients in order to beat pasty skin by stocking up on oysters, which have high levels of both. Seaweed, clams and mussels are other great sources of the essential nutrients.

Garlic
Nobody likes smelling like garlic; however you should consume garlic in order to reap the great skin benefits it provides us with. Garlic is a natural antibiotic with blood cleansing, immune boosting, and antibacterial properties. It is also an effective, cheap and healthy way to naturally treat acne. Crushed or raw eaten garlic has been known to prevent spot breakouts and its anti-inflammatory properties can reduce the swelling and inflammation of acne.

Avocados
Avocados have high levels of fat and get bad press because of this, however healthy fats within the avocado can do wonders for your skin. They moisturise your skin as they are packed with omega-3 fatty acids and can also increase collagen production which helps prevent wrinkles. They can also prevent acne and psoriasis with there anti-inflammatory properties plus the high levels of vitamin E they contain keeps your skin supple and prevents premature ageing.

Bananas
Belly bloating, puffy face and bags under your eyes can be primarily caused by fluid retention; however this can be treated through the diet by redressing the body’s sodium/potassium balance. As these two minerals work against each other to balance water in the body, too little potassium or too much salt is the main cause of water retention. Don’t worry, all you need to do to address this issue is to increase your intake of potassium and can do so by eating bananas. If you’re not keen on bananas, other foods which are high in potassium include strawberries, melon and papaya. Why not make yourself a fresh fruit salad to relieve your water retention and for a supple, youthful face?

Would you consider adding these foods to your diet in order to improve your appearance?