Eat This to Look Even Prettier

ByMelinda Carstensen,SELF magazine


You already know that noshing on nutrient-rich fruits and veggies can make you healthier and even help you lose weight -- but now, new research suggests it could help you look prettier, too!

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Produce contains yellow-red pigments called carotenoids, which can give your skin a healthy glow, researchers from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland found.


Researchers tracked the fruit and veggie intake of 35 Caucasians during a six-week period and noted how their skin tones changed. They found that the more produce they ate, the redder their skin tones became. These changes are considered attractive among other species and may be among humans, too, the researchers write in the study, which was published in the journal PLoS ONE.

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So why does this happen? Amazingly enough, molecules make their way into our skin and contribute to our skin color, says Valori Treloar, M.D., coauthor of The Clear Skin Diet.

"You may have noticed an orange tint, especially to your palms, if you have eaten lots and lots of carrots in a short time -- not optimal for beauty," Treloar says. "However, a bit of each of the carotenoids is likely to give your skin a rosy hue." For optimal beauty, Treloar recommends about 10 fist-sized servings of fruits and veggies a day.

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To get the most beauty bang for your buck, reach for antioxidant-rich, non-starchy veggies, and carotenoid-rich orange, yellow and red produce in your grocery aisle. Peppers, tomatoes, strawberries, oranges, the list goes on -- just pick your favorite, and gobble till you glow. After all, you are what you eat.

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