Lee Holmes - Eat Yourself Beautiful: Supercharged Food

In memory of Arthur and Paul

CONTENTS

How To Get Started

We all want to look, and feel, our very best. In our quest to do so, we often fall prey to the claims of beauty experts, inviting us to try this and smooth that with various creams and treatments. This book is my antidote to those beauty myths, inspired by what I have learnt in recent years on my own journey.

In 2006 I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia and all of the views I previously held on what constitutes beauty went out the window. Barely able to get out of bed in the mornings, with my hair falling out and hives covering my body, I set out on a quest to heal myself through my diet. I succeeded and in doing so I discovered that beauty ageless, radiant, ethereal beauty is affected more by what we feed our bodies and how we feel inside than any cream we put on our skin. I encourage you to spend your time and money at your local grocery store or farmers market, rather than the cosmetic counter, for real foods to establish a naturally beautiful you. An authentic you.

You dont have to pay squillions of dollars for a daily supply of collagen drinks to have beautiful skin and look ageless. An inexpensive bunch of organic spinach is packed with enough collagen to boost new skin cells, plump up lips, keep skin firm and provide lustrous shiny hair, bright eyes and strong nails. Coconut fans rejoice a coconut water will set you back just a few dollars, but will eliminate toxins and provide you with all the vital minerals required to rehydrate the skin, revealing a plumper, more hydrated complexion.

Spinach and coconut water theyre a lot cheaper than a cosmetic surgeon.

My grandmother, who believes the kitchen is the heart of the home, is still kicking on at the ripe old age of 102. Shes as fit as a fiddle and her giant stack of weathered, hand-written recipes and accompanying eating principles can only be described as humble, simple and unmodified. Grandma eats a balanced diet of natural, untainted foods, limits packaged foods and says that the key to a long life is following your passions, enjoying what you do and having fun along the way.

Just as its important to know what foods to add to your shopping cart for head-turning, truly vibrant and glowing beauty, its also important to know your body type and love it, regardless of whether it conforms to what this months issue of a fashion magazine tells us is beautiful. The key to aging gracefully is to accept and embrace change. A healthy mindset, along with healthy eating habits, will be reflected in a beautiful face and body.

As well as identifying and rejecting unhealthy mindsets, identifying unhealthy eating habits may keep you from nose-diving from a diet to a splurge and back again. Remember that fad diets dont work and the philosophy behind them could be hurting you more than you realise. Denying ourselves food often means that the forbidden food becomes our focus. Enter cravings.

Giving in to food cravings is a very common occurrence. Many of us spend our lives skipping from one diet to another, taking up a fad rigorously for a short period of time before giving in to our cravings and starting on the next food fad.

Have you ever told yourself, When my skin clears up / I lose weight / I get fit Ill be happy? This mindset leaves us feeling more frustrated, insecure and unhappy. The most important thing is to set yourself good intentions around how comfortable you feel with you. Instead of focusing on what you dont want to be, focus on how to be the best you. Youll discover that you will slowly start to have a shift in energy. This could perhaps lead you to go for a walk or take a meditation class. Take a step in a new direction and see where it leads you. With this new you mindset, find a quiet space and give yourself some time to explore this book. Use the icons to discover which recipes are free from specific ingredients and best suited to your individual dietary requirements. Remember that this is not a strict diet book, but if ingredients cause you problems and create inflammation, it makes sense to avoid them.

Inflammation is the immune systems self-protection mechanism. It aims to remove harmful stimuli, including damaged cells and irritants, from the body. It is initially beneficial, but prolonged inflammation causes a raft of problems and is one of the precursors to aging and disease.

Before we get started on the recipes, youll find some fool-proof ways to detox your skin and youll learn about the best nutrients, vitamins, minerals and good fats to consume for a beautiful you. If youre suffering with a specific beauty condition, find out about how to rectify it with food. Theres a shopping list and a meal planner to guide you once youve decided on which recipes youd like to include. If a certain ingredient in a recipe doesnt agree with you, just swap it out for one that works for you. Remember, the recipes are just a guide for you to create the food that you enjoy eating and that make you feel beautiful.

The Key To ageless Beauty

Ensuring that your body is supplied with the vitamins, minerals, amino acids and phytonutrients it needs to build your cells, improve your organs and skins structure and reduce oxidative stress and inflammation is one of the first steps to achieve ageless beauty. Unless you have a healthy body and a clear mind, youre not going to feel beautiful.

There are many factors that can drive aging and its effects on our bodies: environmental pollution, cigarette smoke, food and cell division and degeneration. Our cells secrete inflammatory cytokines which can produce low levels of inflammation throughout the bodys cells and tissues, thereby increasing the visible signs of aging.

Chronic stress is another contributor to inflammation. Stress causes the release of the hormone cortisol, which destroys brain cells, demolishes your immune system and damages your organs. Finding ways to deal with stress on a day-to-day level is imperative for your physical and mental health. Getting enough sleep at night can help you to manage your stress levels, as will engaging in a morning routine that includes gentle exercise, such as walking, stretching or yoga. These exercises jump-start the brain to release euphoric neurotransmitters. Other calming ways to start the day include meditation, writing a diary or listening to your favourite music. These methods will alleviate tension and clear your mind, readying you for the stresses of the day ahead.

Its not about being Peter Pan and looking for eternal youth. Thats never going to happen. The key to aging gracefully and beautifully is to find ways to lower inflammation in the body, throw fad diets out for good and adopt a healthy way of eating following the 80/20 rule, eating well 80% of the time and giving yourself some wriggle room, indulging yourself 20% of the time. Combine that with a positive mindset and attitude to life, a sprinkling of spirituality and you have all the ingredients to enjoy life and be able to cope with its inevitable ups and downs.