By Anna Cortesi

You’ve read countless tips for glowing skin in magazines, blogs and brochures.

You’ve dabbed toothpaste on zits, tried cleansing pads that stung, spent a fortune on wrinkle creams, used miracle oil made from special pearls, exfoliated until you were raw, buffed massaged, and polished your cheeks, and have done embarrassing face exercises, all in the name of a younger, firmer, clearer face.

Irony is that all of us generally overlook the easiest, safest, most effective and cheapest forms of treatment which is consuming healthy foods. Healthy foods nourish your body from the inside; in order to help your skin glow on the outside. The right combinations of fruits, vegetables and vitamin rich foods can protect your skin from the damages of not just aging but also the environment. Of course, genetics, lifestyle and environmental factors play a pivotal role but diet intake is the key for healthy skin.

Here is the key for glowing skin:

1) Vitamin A
Vitamin A stimulates the production of new skin cells without it the skin would become super dry. Eating a diet that includes a wide range of foods high in vitamin A is a good way to support skin health.

What foods are rich in Vitamin A?
Salmon, beef liver, milk, eggs, fish, cod liver oil, shrimps, carrots, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, leafy green vegetables, mangoes, apricots and plums.

2) Vitamin C
Vitamin C is an antioxidant and can neutralize free radicals, helping the skin to fight against oxidative stress-induced damage. It can also help improve and fight against pigment disorders and inflammation.

What foods are rich in Vitamin C?
Blackcurrants, oranges, berries, guava, kiwis, broccoli, papaya, lemons, strawberries and sweet potatoes.

3) Vitamin E
Vitamin E contributes to the protection of cells from oxidative stress, which can help protect against premature ageing and wrinkles as well as improve the appearance of scars and imperfections.

What foods are rich in Vitamin E?
Wheat germ, sunflower, safflower, corn, soybean oils, almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts, sunflower seeds, spinach, broccoli and fortified breakfast cereals.

4) Zinc
Zinc is an essential mineral that helps maintain the health of your largest organ: your skin. Due to its anti-inflammatory effects, zinc is especially beneficial for inflammatory acne and related scarring. Therefore, it is used in skin damage repair.

What foods are rich in Zinc?
Beans, dairy products, fortified cereals, nuts, oysters, poultry, red meat and whole grains.

5) Selenium
Selenium ensures that the skin remains firm and protected. It stops free radical damage before premature wrinkles have a chance to form and helps protect cell membranes against UV damage, inflammation and pigmentation.

What foods are rich in Selenium?
Crab, salmon, tuna, prawns, turkey, chicken, brown rice, lentils, peas and potatoes.

6) Omega 3

Fatty acids Omega-3 fats help reduce inflammation, which can cause redness and acne. They can even make your skin less sensitive to the sun’s harmful UV rays. Omega 3 fatty acids keep skin thick, supple and moisturized
What foods are rich in Omega 3?
Salmon, mackerel, herring, flaxseed, chia seeds, walnuts, flaxseed oil, soybean oil, canola oil.

Remember it is important to keep realistic expectations as overnight miracles are not possible. It usually takes 1-2 months for new skin to emerge and for visible results to show. I hope this article was useful and motivated you to change your diet, leaving you with better looking skin!

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By Anna Cortesi

Many times the phenomenon of childhood obesity tends to be ignored in the family. In particular, parents are resting on the belief that their child will grow taller and lose  their unnecessary weight will disappear without any effort on their part. However, if the child is obese, it is not just wishes and hopes that with growth the child will achieve the ideal weight automatically. Therefore, it is necessary to have a targeted partnership with a professional who is thoroughly familiar with the science of nutrition. In short, the contribution of a dietitian is needed. 

Where Will the Dietitian Help? 

A dietician will ensure that the whole family is educated in the field of healthy eating. Without overdoing the dieting part and with properly structured nutrition advice, the dietitian should enrich the family’s meals with the right choices and should constantly provide incentives for extra exercise. As a result of working in harmony with other health professionals (gymnasts, psychologists, etc.), the dietitian will seek to build sound developmental bases for the obese child. Instead of focusing on appearance, the dietitian emphasizes the importance of proper nutrition to a person’s good health. Therefore, they are the link that combine the taste, the exercise and the nutrients of healthy eating choices. Furthermore, diet should not be considered as something transient and restrictive. Instead,  a healthy diet should cover all the needs of the child and the family, without deprivation and without excessive diet instructions. 

 What Dangers Prevent Proper Nutrition 

It is important that we all understand the dangers we could be avoiding by adopting a healthy diet. Knowing how many health problems are directly or indirectly related to obesity (child or adult), we can encourage our children to pursue a healthier diet ourselves. More specifically, obesity is responsible for problems such as: 

• Type 2 Diabetes 
• Cardiovascular diseases 
• Cancer 
• Depression 
• Sleep apnea 
• Asthma 
• Disorders in the liver 

Numerous health problems can make us to realize that childhood obesity is far more important than just the aesthetic part emphasized by society. Parents, please welcome the professional dietician into your family’s life. They are the experts who will lead you to a healthy and nutritious lifestyle change!  

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For the majority of people, weekends are days of relaxation. At the young age of school-going children and after-school students, this can be said to be a given, with the difference that they have to deal with their readings over the weekend.

For the older who work they are the most common, though here we will find many jobs that do not cease to exist. For example, shopkeepers work on Saturdays, or waiters in cafes and restaurants also work on Sundays.

For all these people, staying home and trying to get rid of the stress and stress in their workplace and not only, it is very important what they choose to do or not do for their nutrition and therefore their health.

It is known that, most of the time, a man who returns from work wants to rest, both physically and mentally. The weekends offer plenty of time towards this direction, and this is where the choice is made to determine whether we will overload ourselves with food. It is common practice for people to stay at home without even knowing what to do. They usually sit on the couch, watch TV either alone or with relatives or friends and of course eat ready-made foods and snacks, which in the majority are harmful to the body. More specifically, both the way they are prepared and the way they are cooked is not the most appropriate.

People need to improve their diet daily, even while dieting, in order to lose unnecessary pounds that are physically and psychologically stressful. For these people, choosing to do nothing all weekend will be a major disadvantage to their body and will probably disrupt every effort they have made the rest of the week. This effort is aided by the fact that on weekdays a person spends most of his hours at work. There, he must work and produce work, thus minimizing the times he puts something in his mouth, while at the same time training both his body and his mind, depending on the work he does. Based on the above, the body is still in operation and burning calories.

So, in conclusion, I could say that it is very important for a person on a diet to keep himself in motion and engage in various activities so that his body can burn more.

In a weekend that we have plenty of free time, we should not be fooled. We cannot believe that the past week was all about being faithful to a diet and now, at the weekend it is the time to reward ourselves with “forbidden” diet hacks.

We must stay true to a balanced nutrition plan and thereby minimize deviations from it. Thus, our healthy eating efforts will not be destroyed and thrown away into the trash.

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By Anna Cortesi

We all now know that olive oil is an important nutritional choice, which benefits to our body and health.

That is why some people do not hesitate to call it “the elixir of life”!

With high antioxidant properties and great nutritional value, olive oil should always accompany our daily diet.

Its exquisite taste is an additional motivation for its consumption, especially when consumed in raw form.

In this article, we will learn about some less known facts about olive oil. As a result, we will appreciate it even more and understand the way it is made, as well as its different production methods.

Extra virgin olive oil is theoretically the best choice for our table. Its acidity cannot exceed 0.8%, giving it a wonderful taste and a fruity aroma. This olive oil variety also has the greatest anti-inflammatory properties because of its perfection. Therefore, this olive oil is ideal for fighting diseases and for shielding our immune system. To enjoy the extra virgin olive oil, the first pressure/extraction of olive is enough.

There is also the extra cold pressed virgin olive oil, which you will find to be an even better dietary choice for each of us. In a temperature-controlled environment, olive oil is produced naturally and without any deterioration. Otherwise, the high temperatures we encounter in mills for specific olive oil production methods would alter the taste and nutrition of our olive oil.

So, if you want to take your nutrition to the next level, try cold pressed olive oil. You will be amazed not only by its density, but also by its full flavor and characteristic aroma. Without the addition of chemicals and other harmful substances, it keeps its ingredients intact and provides us with 100% of the value of olive oil in every meal.

Where Can I Use Olive Oil?

Practically, olive oil is the ideal fatty substance for any of our meals. You can add it while cooking, enrich your salads with it, eat it raw with some bread and olives or even use it in pastry. However, it is recommended to consume olive oil in raw form or as less processed as possible. This avoids the production of free radicals and as we all know, these radicals are extremely harmful to our health.

Since olive oil is more resistant to high temperatures, experts advise using only olive oil in frying (in moderation, of course). One tip you can follow in cooking is to add olive oil at the end of cooking. As a result, all of its flavor will diffuse into the food naturally and you won’t have to worry about raising the temperature while cooking.

So, don’t overlook the extraordinary gift of the goddess Athena to the world, olive oil! Learn to use it daily instead of other plant based or animal fats and you will find it to be the most appropriate option. It adds flavor to any food, while simultaneously shielding our body and strengthening our immune system!

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Oh so many fad diets out there, that I don’t know which to pick for this article. Many people are in a hurry to taste the brand new fads out there, and they are even welcome these delicious innovations.

However, a little later something new is again being seen in the public domain, and then the previous fad diet becomes history in our timeline. Some diets, however, seem to withstand the passage of time. And some of them, are very bad.

Let’s get a taste of the nutritional trends that would be great to finally overcome, because of the dangers they pose:

Paleo Diet

The Paleo Diet claims that eating what the primitive people used to eat is the perfect choice for us. Of course, noone pays attention to the fact that the average primitive human lived not more than 30 years. With this diet, we will bid farewell to dairy and whole grains, pulses and other foods that were not accessible to cavemen.

Smoothies – Juices

New eating trends dictate the daily consumption of smoothies and juices. Although this may seem innocent and even healthy at a first glance, a second reading can raise some questions. The truth is that through smoothies and juices, we consume larger quantities of fruits and vegetables, unable to control the calories we consume. Especially prepacked juices and smoothies are not so healthy choices.

Detoxification Diets

Our body has its own detoxification organs. Therefore, a detox diet is not necessary to enhance our health. In addition, detoxification diets have been described as extreme and potentially dangerous. Those who follow such a diet may cause health problems because of too low calorie intake throughout the day. After all, any weight loss that we enjoy during a detox diet is temporary.

Low Carbohydrate Diets

Low carb diets have become very popular, dramatically limiting carbohydrate intake throughout the day. Fans of such diets argue that weight loss is constant and constant when avoiding carbohydrates as a whole. However, by avoiding carbohydrates, our health, blood sugar and metabolism are threatened and hormones may be disrupted in our body. Yes, our metabolism gets slower than ever and we do not have the energy needed to perform regular exercise.

Gluten Free Diets

This is one of the biggest fad, especially for people who are not coeliac. But if you do not have a health problem that requires gluten to be avoided, such a move un-necessary. Some gluten-free foods contain far too many calories, preservatives, sugar and fat. Therefore, not every gluten-free food is automatically labelled as a healthy choice for us.

Striving for a healthy diet, with all the benefits it entails, is timeless. We are all interested in the ideal diet and we all want to maintain at the right weight, healthy and keep up with full of energy. Contrary to the fashion of every season, it is worth adopting a healthy diet rich in vitamins and nutrients. This diet is also the secret to a better life!

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By Anna Cortesi

The problem of obesity and unnecessary pounds in humans is timeless and always timely.

Too many scientists, physicians and nutritionists have been called upon to analyze the factors that help us consume larger quantities of food than the body needs to function properly. To combat the problem, several diets have been developed, some effective and others less so.

In this direction, chemical diets such as those of Dr. Herman Tarnower, known as the Scarsdale Diet. According to this diet, you are fed 43% protein, 22.5% fat and 34.5% carbohydrates. Examples of this type of diet are many, as are other exhaustive ways of eating. According to deprivation diets, a number of foods are banned from the diet. However, in all these diets there is a major problem and it has to do with the fact that the human body needs all kinds of nutrients and vitamins that it can accept from foods. You just need them in certain quantities and not excessive or not at all.

The saying ‘Metron Ariston’ belonging to Cleoboulos (6th century BC) is perfectly applicable in this case, since man is required to find a balance between the foods he receives and the way he receives them on a daily basis. In this way, he will nourish his body and live well, minimizing the given health problems that he will face in the opposite case.

So, it is not enough to say to ourselves that sugar, bread, fried foods, etc. We have to study our bodybuilding and build a diet plan based on our daily activities and tasks. This program should not exhaust our body. Instead, it must give us all the nutrients we need, give us energy and health, and, in conjunction with the right amount of water, make us not dehydrate and think we are hungry while doing everything else.

A proper diet consists of at least 5 appetizers a day, which start from the time we get up to work and finish about 3 hours before falling asleep. This means that we have to put something in our mouths every 3 hours. If we do this systematically and correctly we will see that we can consume everything in small quantities without disturbing, straining or oppressing our bodies. In addition, in a short time we will feel other people having activated the burning mechanisms within us.

Of course, all this without exercise or walking will not have the perfect effect. Therefore, we need to understand the enormous importance of our body exercise and incorporate it into our daily program.

For these reasons, therefore, proper and systematic nutrition combined with anticipated water consumption and daily exercise is the real solution to the problem of obesity. In no case exhaustive or deprived diets are needed to achieve the desired result, only to follow the aforementioned!

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By Anna Cortesi

You have already prepared the kids for school and you have provided them with a hearty snack so they will not go hungry.

You should do the same for yourself, as the day in the office is demanding and difficult.

To be able to cope, you need a healthy and hearty meal. So instead of going to the vending machine or ordering something unhealthy and heavy, see what you can prepare for the office!

Alternatives to Office Lunch

It is very important to have the necessary packages to help you store and transport your lunch to the office. So buy a special lunch box in colors you like and with enough room to fit all your delicacies. Alternatively, purchase jars for the various dips or larger jars for soups.
When you make your lunch for work, add the vegetables later. This way, they will first appear in front of you when you are hungry. This will reduce the calories you receive and help you control your weight effectively. Of course, it makes sense to prepare meals that you like. Otherwise, it’s great to be tempted to forget your own lunch and choose something else!

Color affects our mood and appetite. That’s why we need to be real artists when preparing our lunch. We experiment with different colors in our salad and dish, playing with textures and ingredients. The combinations are amazing and the result very interesting! We always take care to select fruits and vegetables in season. In their time, fruits and vegetables are much more delicious and you will find them at extremely low prices. It’s the best time to enjoy them.

Don’t confuse things with regard to your food. Keep everything as simple as possible, with tried-and-true combinations. Without exaggeration and without trying to impress, we must feel that our lunch is intimate and delicious. The overwhelming combination for the office contains protein and salad so that we can satisfy our hunger and not get lethargic afterwards.

If possible, avoid bread and its derivatives for some days of the week. You will be amazed at how delicious a sandwich without bread can be, using a lettuce to keep the filling. Try foods rich in vitamins and nutrients, such as legumes. Put them in your salads or experiment with combinations of legumes on the same plate. Their sense of satiety is unique!

The daily life of all of us is extremely demanding. So, it is only natural that we need energy to meet the challenges of each day. In order to be always full of energy and to have the power we need for our activities, lunch at the office is a must. Follow our tips and enjoy a hearty meal at the office that will give you everything you need and keep you healthy!

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By Anna Cortesi

How to accept food as a source of enjoyment and pleasure:

Food is splendid and it’s ok to feel pleasure from eating or drinking it. In fact, if you start eating foods that you genuinely enjoy, you will notice that you will eat less overall because you’re not left obsessing over the food you really wanted. And again, remember that there’s no guilt in eating foods you love, as long as you are truly in the mood for it and you are not using it as a substitute for emotional comfort. Food can make you feel good in the short term and long term.

Focus on feeling wonderful:

There is a test anyone can benefit from and that is to simply ask if what you’re eating makes you feel good at the exact moment you’re eating it, two hours after or the next day. If the answer is yes to all above mentioned three options, then we say, go for it! If the answer is no to any of these, then it’s time to have an honest, understanding conversation with yourself about your relationship with that food, the reason you want it, what emotions it brings you, etc. Put the focus on feeling wonderful and find a way to make food be a part of that.

How to eat with moderation non diet foods:

Do you know that there is a fascinating study revealing that subjects had increases in hormonal hunger markers after eating a food labeled “diet”? But you probably already know from your own experience that you’d likely feel more satisfied with the real deal. The reason is that there isn’t any need for artificial sugars, fake fats, etc. in a healthy diet. You can eat with moderation non diet foods and remain healthy and with a good mood. If you’re struggling with the appropriate amounts, we suggest starting to use the above tips to embrace more intuitive eating strategies.

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