Natural Beauty Begins Within - Healthy Tips for Women

While you can apply makeup, get botox, or style your hair, the best way to get natural beauty is to start on the inside. What you eat can have a profound affect on your complexion and your body in general Keep the following foods handy in your kitchen and make a point of adding them to your diet to enhance your natural beauty.

Eat the whole citrus fruit for the fiber too.

Citrus Fruits are rich in Vitamin C, which promotes healthy cell reproduction. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that slows the rate of free-radical damage -- free radicals are unstable molecules that damage collagen and cause skin dryness, fine lines and wrinkles. New research shows that ascorbic acid 2-phosphate, a derivative of vitamin C, not only neutralizes free radicals, but also reverses DNA damage [source: University of Leicester].Be sure to eat the fruits whole instead of as juice only. The fiber is essential.

Add fish oil to your diet for natural beauty.

Fish Oil is rich in Omega 3 essential fatty acids such as Docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and Eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA). Other useful essential fatty acids include Alpha-linolenic acid or ALA and Gamma-linolenic acid or GLA. Not only is fish oil good for the heart and warding off a variety of conditions, it is also beneficial for psoriasis and acne.

Carrots are excellent for your natural beauty diet.

Carrots are a rich source of Vitamin A and beta carotene which offer strong skin support. Carrots also help balance the pH of your skin surface, increasing the acidity slightly which kills bacteria.

Sprinkle ground flax seed on your cereal.

Flaxseeds are another good source of Omega 3 oils to use for natural skin care. Use ground and add to recipes or sprinkle on a fruit salad.

Eggs support your natural beauty.

Eggs contain several vital nutrients that support and skin and body function:

• Choline: necessary for healthy cell membranes in the body.
• B vitamins folate and riboflavin converts food into energy. 
• Lutein is an anti-oxidant and is used in the retina of the body for blue-light absorption.
• Selenium supports a strong immune system and is a powerful antioxidant.
• Vitamin A is needed for general cell growth and healthy skin.
• Vitamin E is an antioxidant that works synthetically with vitamin C and selenium to prevent damage to your body from free radicals.

You can never have too many green leafy vegetables in your diet.

Green leafy vegetables are packed with anti-oxidants, B vitamins, fiber, calcium, iron, Vitamins A, C and E and are rich in carotenoids - beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin. All these combined support healthy cell function and repair, and help clean out free-radicals and carcinogens from the body. Additionally, a diet that is heavy on the green leafy vegetables will aid in raising the body's pH to a more alkaline state; a state where disease cannot live.

photo credits: D'Arcy Norman, magstefan, designkryt, thebittenword.com, KeRmo, brokenarts