No-nonsense Tips For A Healthy Skin

Good skin care, including sun protection and gentle cleansing can keep your skin healthy and glowing for years to come. Don't have time for intensive skin care? Pamper yourself with basics. Good skin care and healthy lifestyle choices can help delay the natural aging process and prevent various skin problems.Get started with these no-nonsense tips.

1. PROTECT YOURSELF FROM SUN

One of the most important ways to take care of your skin is to protect it from the sun. A life time  of sun exposure can cause wrinkles, age spots and other skin problems, as well as increase the risk of skin cancer. 

For the most complete sun protection:

• Use sunscreen. Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen with the SPF of at least 15. When you're outdoors, reapply sunscreen every two hours or more often, if you're swimming or perspiring.
• Seek shade. Avoid the sun between 10am and 4pm, when the sun's rays are strongest.
• Wear protective clothing. Cover your skin with tightly woven , long sleeves shirts, long pants and wide brimmed hats. Also consider laundry additives, which give clothing an additional layer of ultraviolet protection for a certain number of washing, or special sun-protective clothing which is specifically designed to block ultraviolet rays.

   2. DON'T SMOKE
Smoking makes your skin look older and contributes to wrinkles. smoking narrows the tiny blood vessels in the outer layers of skin, which decreases blood flow. This depletes the skin of oxygen and nutrients that are important to skin health. Smoking also damages collagen and elastin. the fibre that give your skin its strength and elasticity. In other words, the repetitive facial expressions you make when smoking, such as pursing your lips when inhaling and squirting your eyes to keep out smoke, can contribute to wrinkles. if you smoke, the best way to protect your skin is to quit. Ask your doctor for tips or treatments to help you stop smoking.


3. TREAT YOUR SKIN GENTLY
Daily cleansing and shaving can take a toll on your skin. To keep it gentle:

• Avoid strong soaps. Strong soaps and detergents can strip oil from your skin. Instead choose mild cleansers.
• Limit bath time. Hot water and long showers or baths remove oils from your skin. Limit your bath or shower time, use warm rather than hot water.
• Pat dry. After washing or bathing, gently pat or blot your  skin dry with a towel so that some moisture remains on your skin.
• Moisture dry skin. If your skin is dry, use a moisturizer that fits your skin type. For daily use, consider a moisturizer that contains SPF.

 4. EAT HEALTHY DIET
A healthy diet can help you look and feel your best. Eat plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and lean proteins.The association between diet and acne isn't clear but some research suggests that a diet rich in vitamin C and low unhealthy fats and processed or refined carbohydrates might promote younger looking skin.


5. MANAGE STRESS
Uncontrolled stress can make your skin more sensitive and trigger acne break outs and other skin problem. To encourage healthy skin and other state, take steps to manage your stress. Set reasonable limits, scale back your to-do list and make time to do the things you enjoy. The result might be more dramatic than you expect.    
 

AMAZING HEALTH BENEFITS ATTACHED TO CUCUMBER

Cucumber is a creeping vine with a cylindrical shape when ripe. It is originally from Indian subcontinent but the crop is widely well cultivated in most continents including Africa. It is considered as a simple vegetable with enormous health benefits because of its low calories and fats. It has vitamins, minerals, protein and dietary fibre which are very good for people who want to stay health and fit.

Here are the health benefits of cucumber:

1)  Hydration
    
According to Ware, “Cucumbers are 95 percent water." This makes cucumbers a great way to stay hydrated, especially during the summer. A cup of cucumber slices is “nearly as thirst-quenching as a glass of water,” according to Eating Well magazine.
The anti-inflammatory compounds in cucumbers help remove waste from the body and reduce skin irritation, according to the Cleveland Clinic. Preliminary research also suggests cucumbers promote anti-wrinkling and anti-aging activity, according to an article in the journal Filoterapia.

2) Cancer prevention

Cucumbers contain two phytonutrient compounds associated with anti-cancer benefits: lignans and cucurbitacins. In recent years, pharmaceutical companies have been paying special attention to cucurbitacins, hoping to use them in new cancer drugs. According to a 2010 research review published in Scientific World Journal, scientists have found that cucurbitacins can help block the signaling pathways that are important for cancer cell proliferation and survival. 

Cucurbitacins can also inhibits the growth of pancreatic cancer cells, according to a 2009 study published in the Journal of Cancer Research looked at cucurbitacin B (which cucumber contains) on human pancreatic cancer cells and found that cucurbitacin supplements inhibited the growth of seven pancreatic cancer cell lines by 50 percent, and also increased apoptosis, or "death by suicide," of pancreatic cancer cells. 

According to World’s Healthiest Foods, lignans may protect against cancer through working with the bacteria in the digestive tract. The bacteria take the lignans and convert them into compounds such as enterodiol and enterolactone, which can bind onto estrogen receptors and possibly reduce the risk of estrogen-related cancers, such as ovarian, breast, endometrial and prostate cancers. The research is not yet clear on whether lignans actually assert anti-cancer benefits. 

A 2009 meta-analysis published in the British Journal of Cancer found little or no association between lignan intake and reduced breast cancer risk. Similarly, most studies have not found significant correlations between lignan intake and reduced prostate cancer risk, according to the Linus Pauling Institute at Oregon State University, though one study of older Scottish men published in the British Journal of Nutrition showed that consuming an enterolactone-containing serum reduced the risk of prostate cancer. 

On the other hand, a Journal of Nutrition study of nearly 800 American women found that those with those with the highest lignan intake had the lowest risk of ovarian cancer. Furthermore, a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute looked at nearly 1,000 women in the San Francisco area and found that postmenopausal women with the highest lignan intakes had the lowest risk of endometrial cancer.

3) Skin
You’ve probably seen pictures of people at a spa relaxing with cucumber slices over their eyes. It turns out there’s science behind this pampering ritual. Ware explained, “Cucumbers have a cooling and soothing effect that decreases swelling, irritation and inflammation when used topically. Cucumber slices can be placed on the eyes can decrease morning puffiness or alleviate and treat sunburn when placed on the affected areas.” She also noted that high vegetable intake is associated with a healthy complexion in general.

4) Bone health
According to the University of Maryland Medical Center, in the past few decades, it has become clear that vitamin K is important to bone health, and one cup of cucumber contains about 19 percent of the recommended daily intake of vitamin K. One review published in Nutrition noted that vitamin K intake might reduce fracture rates, work with vitamin D to increase bone density and positively affect calcium balance.
The human body uses vitamin K when building bones, and the effects seem to be especially important for women. A large 2003 American Journal of Clinical Nutrition study showed that low vitamin K levels were associated with low bone density in women, but not in men. Another study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 1999 found that low intakes of vitamin K were associated with an increased risk of hip fractures in middle-age women. This is especially interesting because the women saw results from eating lettuce, showing that dietary consumption of vitamin K via eating vegetables (not supplements) is beneficial. When it comes to men, the affects of vitamin K and bone health may become more apparent as they age: A 2000 study saw reduced risk of hip fracture among both elderly women and elderly men who consumed more vitamin K.

5) Antioxidants
Cucumbers contain several antioxidants, including vitamin C, beta-carotene and manganese, as well as flavonoids, triterpenes and lignans that have anti-inflammatory properties. Vitamin C is well known for its immune system benefits, and beta-carotene has been shown to be beneficial for vision, according to the Mayo Clinic.
According to a 2010 animal study published in the Journal of Young Pharmacists, fresh extracts from cucumber showed increased scavenging of free radicals. Free radicals are associated with a variety of human diseases, but can sometimes be held in check by antioxidants, according to the Pharmacognosy Review.
Another study of cucumber extracts in animals, published in the Archives of Dermatological Research, found increased overall antioxidant benefits. Though this study focused on the cosmetic applications of this use of cucumbers, decreased free radicals can improve your inside organs as well as your skin.
An additional study published in Current Pharmaceutical Design found a positive association between the triterpene cucurbitacin and reduced inflammation, particularly in cancer cells. A review of triterpenes on the immune system, published in the Journal of Ethnopharmacology, suggested that they can help with inflammation and encouraged future research.

6) Heart health
“Eating a variety of fruits and vegetables of all kinds is associated with a reduced risk for many health conditions, such as heart disease, diabetes, stroke and obesity,” said Ware. Cucumbers’ potassium content may be especially helpful in this regard. One cup of sliced cukes contains only about 4 percent of the body’s daily potassium needs, but it comes with significantly fewer calories than most high-potassium foods like bananas. Potassium is an essential part of heart health, according to the American Heart Association. Many studies have linked it with lower blood pressure because it promotes vasodiliation (widening of the blood vessels), according to Today’s Dietitian. A study of 12,000 adults, published in Archives of Internal Medicine, showed that those who consumed 4,069 mg of potassium each day lowered their risk of cardiovascular disease and ischemic heart disease by 37 percent and 49 percent, respectively, compared to those who took 1,793 mg per day.
The vitamin K in cucumbers is also known to be essential in the blood-clotting process, according to the Harvard School of Public Health.

FOODS TO AVOID DURING FASTING

A fasting person needs good, nutrient-rich food that provides the energy necessary for the priorities of daily life and no other time of year is that more important than during Ramadan when we are fasting for long hours, some of us in very hot climates or in the summer season.

Here are top tips for eating healthy during that short time of day in the month of Ramadan when food and drink are meant to be consumed.

White foods

White foods (i.e., white bread, white rice, white sugar, etc.) can fall into some of the above categories, but they’re worth the mention for what not to eat. White breads are made from white flour, which is processed and stripped of the nutrition that should be in bread and the same goes for rice and even the type of sugar you use. Instead, choose breads from whole grains and organic brown rice (even basmati). Surprisingly, they don’t have to break the bank, either, since much of this is available in bulk at quality grocers like whole Foods.

Know the foods that hydrate your body

When fasting, we’re slowly being dehydrated over the course of the day, so once we break our fast and during the non-fasting period we need to have foods that put water into our body, not deplete it further. It can be difficult to eat a lot of watermelon or squash, even though they’re super-hydrating foods, but you can make juices out of the fruits and soups out of the vegetables to give your body the additional water it needs. Avoid salty spice mixes and condiments that sneak their way into our rice and meat dishes only to leave us wondering why we’re so thirsty afterwards. A great way to break the fast is to enjoy your favorite dates, of course, but also consider having coconut water, or making smoothies, coolers and fruity drinks which are super-hydrating. They can be consumed at the Suhoor (pre-dawn meal before the fasting day begins) or at the Iftar (meal at the time of breaking the fast) followed by soup to preface your main meal.

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