Eat Your Veggies to Look Beautiful
Thanks to Trudi for posting a link to this BBC article in the comments just now. It turns out many of us we’re right about this.
According to research done by Dr. Ian Stephen at the University of Nottingham, eating more veggies means you will look better. And yes, these no-real-science studies are kind of silly but hey, this one is the truth. Cause veggies make you glow! From the article:
Dr Stephen explained: “Eating five more portions [of fruit and veg] ups your carotenoid levels giving your skin golden tones.”
Carotenoids are antioxidants which soak up damaging compounds that the skin encounters in daily life.
Students at the University’s Malaysian campus, where Dr Stephen is based, ate five extra portions of fruit and vegetables a day for two months.
Afterwards students examined a variety of pictures where their skin had different pigmentations and deemed themselves more attractive when they had increased their vegetable intake.
Dr Stephen explained: “In humans, the more red and yellow tones found in the skin, the more attractive the people were found to be.”
The middle shot is the subject’s regular skin tone, whereas the left is a suntan, and the right a vegetable tan. Of course, I’m wondering about the racial diversity of the subjects and if effects are as visible on darker skin. Perhaps some readers can weigh in on that. I definitely see a difference in my skin tone and quality (or so I imagine) since I’ve started throwing back the green smoothies.
Have any of you seen a relationship between vegetable intake and your skin?
I’ve absolutely noticed a difference! I had a photo taken recently for a work i.d. and I was alarmed at how glowing and golden my skin looked. I drink green veggie juice each morning and a large salad with both lunch and dinner. Before I changed my diet two years ago, my skin could look sallow and green in photos. (Also, I’m mixed, so my skin is darker and I can still notice the difference).
There’s so many things that is said to improve skin, but oftentimes I think it can become too intellectual, as with coffee which increases fat burning, but personally I know no one who actually has lost any weight at all by drinking coffee. Anyway, what I wanted to say was that I think it’s great with a study that can confirm that it’s true that the skink becomes better when eating vegetables. I’ve been vegetarian since I was 16 years old and had acne, so I’ve been eating lots of vegetables for over 10 years now and can’t remember if my skink has become any better, but I guess so. Everyone thinks I look like 22 or even 17 and says my skin has a nice glow.
Huh. As I’ve transitioned to a plant-based diet I definately saw the difference in my complexion as far as reduced breakouts, less redness and more even hydration (no flip flopping between oil spill/parched desert landscape), which I totally attributed to the dietary changes. AND I have been noticing that I have a healthy outdoorsy look, despite the fact that any vestiges of a summer tan should be long gone. I was sort of thinking that it must be some kind of optical illusion though, instead of an actual improvement in skin coloring. I should be very pasty and blotchy right now, and instead I am gazing at myself in the mirror basking in my loveliness. Thank you vegetables!! What is there that you cannot do?
Totally!!
I don’t eat mass amounts of veggies, but when I began eating more veggies, it was part of an overall life change for me. I had crept up over 200 pounds after 5 children and a year of not smoking (I quit cold turkey on 3-1-06) and knew I had to do something.
I started going to Curves every morning, come hell or high water, and I started “dieting.” Then I had an utter epiphany one day, about 2 weeks into my new regimen. I heard myself tell my young son that he couldn’t have that low calorie, low sugar snack because that was Mommy’s special diet food.
Out of my home went everything white… sugar, flour, processed junk food, etc… I brought in all things whole grain and vegetable. Since this switch in Sept of 07, slowly over these past few years I’ve gone further and further one step at a time until I now find my home with a MINIMUM or processed food, and the bulk of what we eat is organic and fresh.
I also ditched mainstream soaps and moisturizers as my most recent change over the past 6 months or so. We use Dr. Bronner’s organic magic soaps as shampoo and shower gel, and I make my own lotions with organic coco butter and shea butter, which is SO much simpler than you would imagine it to be.
With such an overall lifestyle change, I have noticed amazing differences in my skin tone, clarity, and texture. I also have beautiful hair! I adore my hair. I don’t dye it, and it’s so shiny and multi toned and happy looking.
The more kind you are to your body, the more beautiful it is… And small changes made over time, a little bit here and there DO add up. I’ve been making tiny changes, a tiny bit at a time over the past 3 1/2 years and my entire life is completely changed now.
I enjoyed reading everyone’s stories in the comments. Increasing veggies has no made a big difference in my skin,but I went from barely eating any to eating nearly the recommended amount. This post inspires me to go all the way and consume more veggies. I’ll document my progress. (It’ll be interesting if there’s a difference in skin tone for me as a medium-toned Hispanic.)
The image above is 3 identical photos given different hues in post-processing. If you look closely you will notice that every hair, every wrinkle in the sheet behind the model is exactly the same in each image.
There is no mention in the article that this photo represents a suntan versus a “vegetable” tan. Where did you get this information?
this is SO funny. i was noticing my arm skin both yesterday & today and wondering why the color looked different. i may live in florida, but i have definitely not been sun-bathing in this cold weather! i am normally so pale that i’m just about transparent. i have a sort of slight amber hue to my skin lately and it is definitely noticeable (to me). could be the veggies!! i’ve been eating a lot more of them for a little while now.
Thanks, Madeleine. I noticed the same thing but since I know nothing about PhotoShop and the like I thought it was just me.
Personally, I can’t say I’ve noticed much of a difference in that respect, and I’ve been a big vegetable eater for years (I’m Latina with a light, pink-toned complexion, btw). My acne (which even a round of accutane didn’t cure for more than two years) is gone and I don’t sunburn like I used to, but I attribute the former to not eating grains and sugar and the latter to increased fat intake and vitamin D3 supplementation.
I agree that does look like the same photo… Hmmm. I got that info from here, and they credit the University of Nottingham for the image: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2011/01/110111133224.htm
Sounds good. Fish is great too and did you know a 1 brazilian nut is equal to eating a can of tuna.. check the doctors tv show from yesterday.. great tips on being healthy from the inside..
I %100 agree.
My skin is acne prone, genetics mostly and im allergic to dairy so whenever I at dairy I breakout
but, it’s funny because my boyfriend always tries to get me to try new face products thinking it’s going to make a drastic difference in my skin, and I keep trying to tell him that the reason my skin was glowing all summer was because I was eating clean. I was on the eat clean “diet” or lifestyle, whatever you want to refer to it as
Instead of sugary snacks or popcorn as a treat I would have fruit and veggies. It’s hard to all the time incorporate them into your daily intake but I know for a fact it makes a large difference. I go to the tanning bed as well, and nothing is as good as eating clean (eating ur veggies)
Hi! A couple of us here in Gympie, QLD, Australia and my friend in Bundaberg are doing the 10 fruit and veg for 7 days. It was harder than I thought when I started. My friends have kept me going. Thankyou for the goal, I thought I ate lots of fruit and veg and a variety of them mmm not realing when I started taking notice.
Looking forward to sending in what I’ve eatten.
Cheers Deb