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Carbohydrates
provide beauty nutrients and are essential for energy, radiance, and long-term
weight management. They are the primary source of
fuel for our brain and muscles. The goal is
not to eliminate them but to learn which ones are best and in what quantities.
Healthy carbohydrates include whole grains, fresh fruits, and fresh
vegetables. These foods contain natural (not refined) sugars, plus they have
fiber. Fiber-rich foods help curb your appetite, plus they slow the rate at
which sugar is absorbed into the bloodstream. Low-fat milk and yogurt offer
carbohydrates with a healthy dose of beauty-enhancing protein and calcium. When
choosing your healthy carbohydrates, pick those that offer lots of beauty
nutrients, such as sweet potatoes (for beta-carotene), yogurt (for calcium),
and kiwifruit (for vitamin C), three of my beauty benefits: Top 10 Beauty Foods.
They’ll provide you with long-term energy, plus all the beneficial and
anti-aging nutrients you need to look fabulous. Refined carbohydrates are
highly processed, contain few nutrients, and have little fiber (if any). The
natural oils, vitamins, minerals, and trace elements of the whole foods are largely
eliminated during processing. Refined carbs include white flour, white table
sugar, soft drinks, and commercial fruit juices. They not only add “empty
calories” to your diet, they can also make you moody and stiffen your skin.
Dietary Fiber’s Role in Health and Beauty
Dietary
fiber is another reason to choose whole foods over processed, refined,
commercially prepared items. Fiber is beneficial for your health in various
ways, but what I love most about fiber is the major beauty benefit it
offers: fiber keeps you slim! In fact, I often tell my beauty-focused clients that
if there was a magic bullet when it comes to weight loss, it would be fiber.
Fiber keeps you feeling full without contributing any calories. So, if you want
to slim down and look fabulous in that dress, it’s a good idea to up your
fiber intake.
When you
eat, say, a piece of celery, the fiber goes right through. Why? Because, unlike
cows and horses, human beings cannot digest cellulose—the main substance of the
cell walls in plants. Cellulose and lignin are both examples of insoluble
dietary fiber, which moves bulk through the intestinal tract and helps prevent
constipation. Insoluble fiber also promotes absorption of nutrients and helps
get toxins out of the body in a timely manner, both of which help to keep
your features in top form.
Soluble
fiber (gums, mucilages, pectins) also is not digested, but it dissolves in water
and creates a gel as it goes through the intestinal tract. It helps keep blood
sugar levels stable by slowing digestion and also may reduce the risk of heart
disease by lowering cholesterol levels.
Healthy Carbohydrates Are Rich in Beauty Nutrients
Following are some complex carbohydrates
that are rich in beauty nutrients, including a variety of vitamins,
minerals, antioxidants, and fiber:
*Fruits.
Apples,
apricots, avocados, bananas, berries, cantaloupe, grapefruit, kiwifruit,
oranges, peaches, prunes.
*Vegetables.
Asparagus,
broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, corn, snow peas, spinach, squash, sweet
potatoes, and tomatoes.
*Whole
grains. Barley,
brown rice, buckwheat, bulgur, millet, oats, popcorn, quinoa, rye, spelt,
sorghum, wild rice, whole grain breads and crackers.
*Legumes.
Beans,
lentils, peas, soybeans (edamame).
*Nuts
and seeds. Almonds,
sunflower seeds, ground psyllium, ground flaxseed.
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