11 Foods To Boost Your Health And Keep You Looking Younger

You’ve probably heard that beauty really starts on the inside. With the research available today, this has been proven to be true. For example, high quality oils offer a wide range of benefits to your health, and this translates to outer beauty by helping with moisture and suppleness of the skin. Different foods offer different health benefits, which also translates to a variety of beauty benefits. Here are 11 foods that you can add to your meals so you can start reaping the beauty benefits today!

Chocolate Milk

This one may come as a pleasant surprise. You’ve probably heard about the health benefits of milk—bone-strengthening calcium, phosphorous, protein and the beauty mineral, magnesium. You may have also heard about the health properties of dark chocolate—high amounts of antioxidants, possible improvement with blood flow and ability to lower blood pressure. So, put these two together and you have an excellent beauty beverage, and also a proven effective post-workout drink for re-hydrating the body.

White Beans

White beans are high in fiber and protein. They’re also loaded with antioxidants which help the body fight off free radicals, fight stress, lessen fatigue and keep the skin wrinkle-free. Low on the glycemic scale, they are excellent for maintaining blood-sugar levels in the body. White beans are also high in magnesium, the beauty mineral that enhances hair, skin and nails.

Onions

Yes, you’ll need to pull out your breath spray, but the health and beauty benefits of onions make it well worth it! Onions are great for sensitive tummys since they have the ability to eliminate bad bacteria in the stomach. This mood-boosting vegetable is nutrient dense, with plenty of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants for maintaining skin and hair health. Onions contain 10 percent or more of the recommended daily allowance of calcium, iron, folate, magnesium, phosphorous and potassium, and also the antioxidants quercetin and sulphur. An excellent preventative food for warding off ulcers, gastritis, and many powerful flavonoids for protecting against certain types of cancer, including stomach cancer.

Flaxseeds

Flaxseeds helps stabilize cholesterol in the body and protects your heart against disease. There are many micro-nutrients, antioxidants, dietary fiber, magnesium, vitamin B1, and omega-3 essential fatty acids, which do wonders for the skin. Flaxseeds can either be ground up to release the good oil inside, and then sprinkled on salads, or purchased in the refrigerated section of a health food shop and taken orally.

Ginger

When it comes to health and beauty elixirs, ginger is the gift that keeps on giving. It’s been shown to help with brain function, lower cholesterol, prevent cancer and drastically lower blood sugar. Ginger is a natural pain killer, and helps reduce headaches, muscle aches and nausea. It’s rich in antioxidants which means it’s rich in anti-aging properties. Also, it can heal inflammation in the body and act as an anti-viral. An excellent soother for the stomach, it may help with indigestion and menstrual pain. You can grate it on your salad, have it as a condiment with sushi, or steep it to make a fresh ginger tea.

Cherry Juice

Cherry juice tastes great and with 17 antioxidants, it carries plenty of anti-aging properties. An excellent booster for the immune system, it’s great for those who are running on little sleep. And for those who have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep, cherry juice is your friend since it also has lots of melatonin. Cherry juice helps support joints and cardiovascular function, and achieve quicker recovery after vigorous exercise. It also lowers your risk of diabetes, obesity and depression.

Lettuce

Lettuce — particularly romaine — has some of the highest sources of essential nutrients. While low in calories, it’s also high in vitamins such as vitamin A, beta-carotene, vitamin K, vitamin B and vitamin C, which is a natural and powerful antioxidant. It’s also full of minerals such as magnesium, calcium, manganese, potassium and copper. With being a great preventative for cancer, osteoporosis, iron-deficiency anemia and cardiovascular diseases, there aren’t many good reasons for not having a salad everyday!

Barley

This fat-reducing grain is high in protein and fiber, and helps with muscle repair. It boosts the intestinal tract and decreases the risk for colon cancer. And it’s loaded with beauty-boosting nutrition: manganese, selenium, good quality copper, vitamin B1, chromium, phosphorus, magnesium and niacin.

Chicken Soup

There’s a reason we’ve been told to have chicken soup when we’re under the weather. Much of chicken soup’s health properties come from the broth in the soup, since homemade chicken broth is loaded with minerals and immune boosting properties. It’s also extremely healing for the gut and intestines, which leads to a healthier lower tract. The collagen in the broth is a wonderful beauty elixir, helping maintain elasticity in the skin and adding a healthy glow.

Cheese

Cheese can help boost the immune system and has lots of anti-aging properties that make it a perfect beauty food. Hard cheeses are rich in probiotics which help to create a healthy colony of good bacteria in the gut. Cheese also contains many nutrients that boost health and beauty, such as calcium, protein, phosphorus, zinc, vitamin A and vitamin B12.

Black Beans

Black beans are a super food that are excellent for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. It’s an excellent source of protein, rich in folate and has lots of fiber, which amounts to many health benefits such as better digestion and ability to repair damaged cells in the body. It is a cancer preventative, particularly good for warding off prostate and colon cancer, and helps the nervous system stay balanced. It’s also full of beauty-benefiting enzymes.