When you’re a Green Queen, you get pretty excited right away when you realize how much clearer, healthier, and brighter your skin becomes on a diet of greens, but of course, there is no end to the lovely raw food tricks you can use to make yourself feel and look royal. So today, I’m happy to share with you a contribution from the lovely Lisa. Just try to keep your fingers out of your toiletries!!
- by Lisa Bolard
Before I got serious about going raw, I didn’t give any real thought to the fact that the skin is the largest organ of the body. I’ve since realized that as a major organ of your body, what you put on it should be given some importance. It might not be the same as ingestion through the mouth, but your skin gives and takes nutrients and harmful substances, and it should be accorded appropriate consideration. Vibrant skin is the result of a healthy body, and no chemical process or makeup can be a substitute for healthy skin.
There are many ways to care for your skin that do not involve costly products (most of which have all manner of unhealthy ingredients). It is key to remember that no matter what you topically put on your skin, it will never be healthy if you eat and drink an unhealthy diet. Removing processed foods from your daily food intake and adding high water content foods to your regular diet will go a long way to improving your skin. The second thing to remember is that it is ideal to only put things on your skin that you feel good about putting in your mouth.
If you want to evaluate your existing skin care products, here is a list of things that you should avoid in any skin care (or makeup) product:
- Mineral Oil, aka paraffin, paraffin wax, petrolatum (these prevent the skin from breathing)
- Dioxane - a derivative of coconut
- Fragrance
- Parabens, such as methyl, proply, butyl, ethyl papaben (these all create long shelf life)
- Alcohols: ethanol, ethyl alcohol, methanol, benzyl, isopropyl alcohol, SD alcohol (these dry and strip skin of natural cover that protects against moulds, viruses and harmful bacteria
Here are some foods that have helpful properties for the skin:
- Almond oil: for dry skin, removes old pimple scars
- Apples: good for preventing fine lines, treats itching or cracked skin
Apricots: use juice for sunburn, itching, or eczema
- Cucumber: use juice for skin eruptions
- Honey: Use 1 tsp with water for blemishes - also adds a nice glow
- Paw Paw: Use as a rub for glow; or use juice of the entire fruit for pimples, whiteheads and acne
- Potatoes: grate and create poultice for blemishes; wrinkles, blackheads
- Tomatoes: Use for 1 hr on face for pimples
RAW FOOD RECIPES FOR BEAUTY
Shrinking Large Pores: 1 Tbsp tomato juice with a few drops lime juice; Use for 15 minutes
Whitening Lotion: 1 Tbsp cucumber juice with few drips lime juice; dash of turmeric powder for 30 minutes
Tonic for Sensitive Skin: 1 Tbsp cucumber juice and 1 Tbsp milk, few drops rose water; use for 15 minutes
Tonic for Oily Skin: 1 Tbsp apple juice, 1/4 tsp lime juice; Use for 20 minutes
Cleaning Pores: massage peach skin/peals on skin every night; don’t rub off; also tightens muscles to prevent sagging
Cleansing Lotion: 1/4 tsp lime juice plus 1 tsp milk, 1 tsp cucumber juice; use on face for 15 minutes
Wrinkles: Mash banana and add 2 Tbsp warmed honey and make paste
Removing Scars and Blemishes: Orange or Tangerine juice; blanch and grind almonds and make paste with the juice; optionally mix in 2 Tbsp milk, 1 Tbsp carrot juice; apply thickly on face/neck for 30 minutes
Astringents: A few tablespoons of any of the following, boiled in water: Geranium leaves, oak bark, pine needles, and sunflower leaves
Basic Skin Food: one avocado mashed, 1 tsp flaxseed oil, 1 tsp honey all mixed until smooth and creamy; Apply to face and use for 15-20 minutes, then rinse with warm water
I wanted to try something new with my family this year so I came up with a strawberry green smoothie for dessert that I will serve on Christmas Day. We have been spending the holidays in Atlanta with my family for as long as I can remember and every year we get together to laugh and talk about old memories and enjoy good food. Well I have been talking to my family about raw foods and if you could hear some of the comments and questions that come out of their mouths, you would be shocked! Well needless to say, I decided that instead of talking about how delicious the foods taste and the fact that you can actually taste the flavors of foods when they haven’t had all of the nutrients cooked out of them, I’m going to give them a little sampling with a delicious recipe for a srtawberry green smoothie. My family loves dessert and what could be better than the sweet taste of strawberries.
Aloe Vera, also known as Medicinal Aloe, is a species of a succulent desert plant originating in northern Africa. As a skin care therapist, I have seen the many wonderful benefits of using aloe vera in skin care treatments, but the health benefits of aloe vera go way beyond skin care treatments. Here are some of the amazing health benefits of aloe vera. Information taken from the editor at 
Strawberry Green Smoothie Recipe
