Tag Archive for: INGREDIENTS

THE NUTRIENTS THAT EVERY WOMAN NEEDS

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Most of us are happy to spend a fortune on face creams, serums and other lotions and potions to put on our skin, but what you feed your skin from the inside is what really makes a difference. A healthy, balanced diet must always be the foundation, plus there are some specific nutrients that can be of great benefit to your skin and your general health.

collagen-molecule

Collagen

The main structural protein in the body, collagen supports the structure of the skin’s epidermis, keeping skin firm and elastic, which minimises wrinkles and gives skin that youthful ‘plumpness’. As we get older, production naturally declines in the body, so taking collagen can help compensate for this. Collagen peptides work by triggering the body’s own collagen production as part of a natural feedback system. Scientific studies have found that taking collagen improves the elasticity and firmness of skin, helping skin look younger. Collagen is included in all Beauty & Go drinks as a key bioactive ingredient.

Hyaluronic Acid

Produced in the body and found in almost all body cells, especially the joints and skin. This water-attracting molecule is a fountain of youth for your skin, acting as a natural hydrator and lubricant from within. Levels decrease with age, so replacing it helps prevent the typical signs of ageing. Hyaluronic acid supports skin’s structure, helps maintain elasticity and suppleness of skin, and encourages skin regeneration and repair.

what-is-collagen

Vitamin A

Skin ‘hero’ vitamin A is your ally in the fight against skin ageing, being essential for skin health and maintenance. It is needed for new skin cell formation, skin repair and maintaining skin’s ‘integrity’ – keeping it firm and resistant to damage. Vitamin A also plays a central role in wound healing, as well as maintaining the immune system including the immunity of the skin. It influences the ability of skin to withstand sun damage and helps prevent collagen breakdown. Food sources include sweet potato, carrots, spinach, kale, butternut squash, peppers, dried apricots and mango. Beauty & Go Skin Brillance and Vitality drinks contain vitamin A.

Vitamin B3

An essential vitamin needed for energy production and keeping skin healthy. This water-soluble vitamin helps the epidermis (upper layer) of the skin retain moisture. This will help skin appear softer and smoother with less dryness and a reduction in fine lines. It is also needed for toxin elimination and is used for acne treatment. Other health benefits include anti-inflammatory effects, lowering cholesterol and relief of arthritis symptoms. Vitamin B3 is found in fish, chicken, nuts, seeds, peas, mushrooms, avocadoes and Beauty & Go Skin Brillance drink.

collagen-powder

Coenzyme Q10

Coenzyme Q10 is a vitamin-like substance used by the body to convert food into energy. It is also a powerful antioxidant, protecting against free radical damage, one of the causes of skin ageing. It promotes skin repair and may even help reduce the appearance of wrinkles. Under perfect conditions the body produces enough of its own Q10, however stress can block CoQ10 production and levels naturally decline as we get older. Coenzyme Q10 also supports the function of the immune system and can lower blood pressure. Food sources include sardines, mackerel, chicken, nuts, seeds, broccoli and spinach. Beauty & Go Skin Vitality drink contains as much Coenzyme Q10 as 120 sardines!

Omega-3

Omega-3 fats act as a natural moisturiser and illuminator from within, keeping your skin soft, supple and radiant. They also have strong anti-inflammatory properties helping to soothe breakouts and redness.  Omega-3s are also great for keeping hair and nails strong and healthy and are vital for healthy brain and nerve function, helping to balance emotions. The number one best source is oily fish such as salmon, mackerel, sardines, trout, herrings and sardines. Good plant sources are flaxseeds, chia seeds, pumpkin seeds and walnuts.

molecula-vitamina-c

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is found in high levels in both the dermis and epidermis of the skin, where it has an essential role in collagen production. Without vitamin C collagen cannot be made in the body, as it is needed for the enzymes that synthesise collagen to work properly. It is also a potent antioxidant protecting against free radical damage and even helping to limit the damage caused by UV rays. Ageing, UV light and pollutants can all lower the vitamin C content of the skin, so the more we get in our diets the better. The best sources are peppers, guavas, green leafy vegetables like kale, kiwis, broccoli, blueberries and other berries, citrus fruit, tomatoes, peas and papaya. The entire Beauty & Go range contains vitamin C.

Zinc

Zinc is needed for healing and repair, so is important for skin healing, the healing of blemishes and preventing scar formation. Clinical trials have also shown it can reduce the severity of acne. Zinc is needed for protein synthesis and cell growth in the body so is also essential to healthy hair and nails, both helping with repair and boosting growth. This mineral is also important for healthy immune system function. The best sources are seafood, spinach, nuts, seeds, cocoa & dark chocolate, lean meat, beans, mushrooms plus Beauty & Go Skin Detox & Skin Brillance. Alcohol and caffeine both block absorption, so cutting back on these will also help keep your levels up.

Vitamin E

Vitamin E helps skin retain moisture, aids skin healing and can help relieve skin complaints. It is also an antioxidant, so protects skin from the ageing effects of free radicals. Vitamin E may also help protect against sun damage and reduce inflammation in the skin, which is involved in acne, eczema and skin rashes. The best sources are spinach, kale, nuts, seeds, avocadoes, fish, broccoli and butternut squash. It is also found in Beauty & Go Skin Revive.

super-food-hair-nail

Selenium

An essential mineral needed for a healthy immune system, plus the functioning of the body’s inbuilt defences against oxidative stress caused by free radicals. Selenium can help protect against age spot formation on the skin and even reduce the risk of more serious skin damage. It is also great for keeping hair and nails healthy. The best sources are Brazil nuts, seafood, fish, wholemeal bread, rye bread, seeds, brown rice and Beauty & Go Skin Revive.

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ALL ABOUT COLLAGEN BENEFITS

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THE IMPORTANCE OF WATER IN THE BODY

the importance of water in the body

The human body is made up of approximately 60% water, the brain is 75% water and our blood is 83%. We are continually losing water over the day through urine, sweat and in our breath as vapour. This water has to be replaced, as the body cannot store water. In fact, the human body can last weeks without food but only days without water; water is absolutely essential to life.

Essential Functions of Water

  • Acts as a delivery system, taking nutrients to cells and removing waste
  • Forms the base of many bodily fluids such as blood and saliva
  • Helps regulate body temperature
  • Forms fluid surrounding joints
  • Needed for digestion, softening and dissolving food components
  • Essential for normal bowel movements and preventing constipation
  • Keeps skin hydrated

FACTS

  • Men have higher body water content than women
  • Body water content falls with age to around 50% in the elderly
  • During a 3-hour flight you can lose up to 1.5 litres of body water!

water-skin-hydration

Dehydration

Dehydration can result from not drinking enough, from losing too much fluid through sweat  – for example in hot temperatures or when exercising for long periods, or from vomiting and diarrhoea when we are unwell. The cells of the body cannot function properly without water and a drop in our body’s water levels can trigger the following symptoms of dehydration:

  • Headaches
  • Fatigue
  • Loss of concentration
  • Mood changes and slow responses
  • Light headedness or dizziness
  • Dry mouth and throat
  • Dry skin
  • Dry and cracked lips

Furthermore, if the body is continually dehydrated there is a risk of more serious problems such as constipation, urinary tract infections and kidney stones. The simplest way to tell if you are getting enough is to check the colour of your urine – it should be light in colour, dark urine is a sure sign you need to drink up.

stress-skin-woman

Energy and Exercise Performance

Dehydration is one for the fastest routes to low energy; a drop in body water of just 1 or 2 percent can result in your energy levels dropping significantly. And it’s not just physical energy, its mental energy too; ability to think clearly, mood, concentration and memory all suffer when we are dehydrated. If you feel your energy or concentration is flagging, a glass of water may be all you need to perk up. Water is also essential for exercise performance, as your muscles cannot function properly without adequate fluids.

brain is water

Appetite and Weight

The feeling of being thirsty is often mistaken for hunger, particularly as we get older as the thirst mechanism declines with age.  Therefore, drinking plenty of water can actually help with appetite control.

Water ‘pre-loading’ (drinking water before meals) can help you to eat less and is a relatively easy habit to implement if trying to lose weight. A 2015 study for example, found that simply drinking 500ml of water 30 minutes before each meal, helped overweight adults lose an extra 1.3kg in 12 weeks (1). Foods with a high water content will also help keep us feeling full and help appetite control; fruit and vegetables, porridge and soups are especially good for this.

Detoxification

Water is important to remove waste products from the body and to help the body process and get rid of any toxins. The kidneys require plenty of water to filter and remove impurities and waste from the blood. The liver, your body’s main detoxification organ also needs water to neutralise harmful substances so they can be safely removed from the body. Adding a squeeze of lemon to your water will further stimulate the liver’s detoxification pathways.

drink-water

Skin

Dehydration causes the skin to become dry, and look dull and even makes wrinkles look worse. Staying well hydrated is essential for your skin to stay radiant, to help prevent acne and to generally look and function at its best. Fluid retention also occurs when the body is short on fluids, as it hangs on to the precious water it does have – this can make skin look puffy and can make you feel bloated all over. When we drink plenty of water, it helps the body rid itself of excess sodium and ironically reduces water retention.

How Much?

Women need around 2 litres of fluid per day, while men require 2.5 litres to stay hydrated. We do get some of this from foods, so a woman eating 7 or more portions of fruit and vegetables per day, for example, may only need 1.5 litres. However, requirements will increase in hot temperatures or if exercising.

Tips and Help

Simply keeping a bottle of water on your desk at work, or filling a jug of water to drink during the day at home can help you drink more. Seeing it is a reminder and it also means you can easily monitor how much you have drunk, compared with trying to keep score of how many glasses you’ve had.

The best way to stay hydrated is to drink plain water, preferably filtered or mineral water.  However other drinks such as spa water, diluted fruit juice, vegetable juice, herbal and fruit teas can be included for variety.

NOTE:

It is not good to drink gallons of water with a meal, as this will dilute the digestive juices making them less effective. Limit yourself to a glass of water with meals if possible.

glass of water

Try the following for some variety

  • Simply add a squeeze of lemon or lime to your water
  • Spa Water – add slices of fruit and herbs to water and leave in a jug or bottle overnight for the flavours to infuse into the water. Try orange and lemon slices, strawberry and basil, mint and cucumber or make your own combinations.
  • Steepers – like spa water but with hot water – apple slices and a cinnamon stick or ginger with lemon are great.
  • Make a juice with mostly vegetables and a little bit of fruit to sweeten; cucumber and celery are both high in water and work well. Cucumber, pear and mint is a refreshing combination, apple, carrot, celery and parsley is also good.
  • Some good herbal and fruit teas are: Pukka vanilla chai (caffeine free), Pukka Apple and cinnamon, Teapigs Rhubarb and ginger
  • 1-3 daily Beauty & Go drinks will contribute to your fluid intake as well as feeding you and your skin with essential nutrients, antioxidants and skin-feeding superfoods.

beauty and go detox tea book

Referencies
1. Parretti HM1, Aveyard P2, Blannin A3, Clifford SJ1, Coleman SJ3, Roalfe A1, Daley AJ1. Efficacy of water preloading before main meals as a strategy for weight loss in primary care patients with obesity: RCT. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2015 Sep;23(9):1785-91

Beauty & Go Ingredient Curiosities

ingredient-curiosities

This week I am going to tell you about some of the more unusual and less well-known ingredients in Beauty & Go drinks, focusing on one ingredient from each drink. We have included the best of Nature in every bottle; discover its most incredible benefits!

 

hibiscus

Hibiscus

Skin Revive Drink

The flowers of the common shrub Hibiscus are rich in flavonoids and proanthocyanidins, which are powerful antioxidants with protective benefits for the beauty of the skin and your general health. Antioxidants fight damage caused by free radicals, which contribute to ageing of the skin and the body and also towards some disease processes. Hibiscus, in combination with patented MacroAntioxidants®, pomegranate, raspberry and resveratrol mean this drink provides powerful and long lasting antioxidant protection.

Hibiscus also has anti-inflammatory effects, which again make it beneficial to skin and the fight against ageing – as inflammation contributes to the ageing process. Studies show that the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of hibiscus are powerful enough to help to reduce slight pain, spasms and other symptoms of fever (1).

Hibiscus contains substances that stimulate specialised skin cells called keratinocytes (2). Keratinocytes help to form a protective barrier in the skin, protecting against environmental damage and may also promote healing of the skin.

Other health benefits of hibiscus include blood pressure lowering effects, (3) which may be as powerful as some blood pressure lowering medications (4,5). There is also some evidence from test tube experiments that hibiscus extract can lower cholesterol levels and reduce damage caused by UV light, although this has not been tested in the body (6,7).

In India, hibiscus tea has been used for centuries as a traditional remedy for Type 1 and 2 Diabetes and some preliminary research indicates that there may well the science to support it (8).

 

nettle

Nettle

Skin Detox Drink

detox-beauty-and-go-englishNettle is a common plant well known for it’s mild stings when you touch the little hairs on its leaves. The root and leaves of the plant are used as a herbal remedy with various health benefits, including anti-inflammatory properties. These are thought to be due to inhibition of the inflammatory chemical prostaglandins being formed in the body (9). Nettle leaf is also rich in flavonoids with possible antihistamine effects and may help relieve hay fever symptoms such as sneezing and itching (10)

Nettle has a diuretic effect, helping to flush out water from the body and reduce water retention. It helps keep your ‘water works’ healthy, protecting the bladder and helping to flush out bacteria and other toxins from the urinary tract. This helps reduce the chances of getting urinary tract infections (UTI’s). For men, nettle has been shown to have benefits for keeping the prostate healthy, helping to ease the symptoms associated with an enlarged prostate (11).

 rosa-mosqueta

Rosehip

Skin Brilliance Drink

Rosehips are the fruits of the rose plant, left behind on the plant after it has flowered. As well as being taken internally for its health benefits, rosehip oil is used on the skin for improving complexion.

Rosehip is naturally very high in vitamin C, containing 50% more than oranges. This makes it excellent for supporting collagen production in the skin, which helps to keep the skin supple, elastic and radiant. Rosehip also contains other nutrients beneficial for the skin including vitamin E, vitamin A and selenium.

Rosehip is a good source of bioflavonoids, natural plant substances with strong antioxidant powers. Again, this helps to protect the skin from ageing and damage and has benefits for general health.

Other health benefits of rosehips include contributing to the natural defences of the body by supporting the immune system. It has also been shown to benefit joint health and mobility and to reduce pain and stiffness in arthritis sufferers (12).

 

BAOBAB-cuadrado

Baobab

Skin Vitality Drink

Baobab is a superfood, which comes from the fruit of the African baobab tree. Its flavour is described as citrus with a hint of pear and it is used by the Africans both as a food and a traditional remedy for diarrhoea and coughs.

vitalityBaobab is one of the richest known sources of vitamin C, containing six times more than oranges, making it great for supporting healthy collagen formation in the skin. It also has exceptionally high levels of antioxidants (66 times higher than orange pulp according to an Italian study (13)), to help protect the skin and body from environmental damage, disease and ageing. Other nutrients include vitamins B2 (riboflavin), B3 (niacin) and fibre.

Its high vitamin C content makes baobab great for supporting the immune system. In addition to this it contains bioactive compounds with antiviral effects, which help neutralise both flu and cold sore viruses (14). Taken in concentrated form baobab may even help relieve minor pain.

Baobab has a prebiotic effect in the body, which means it stimulates the growth of friendly bacteria in the gut and aids a healthy digestive system. This has many benefits to health including supporting the immune system. To read more about the benefits of prebiotics please click here.

Research has found that drinks containing baobab can help balance blood sugar and insulin levels, which is great for having good energy levels (15). Baobab drinks are also extremely effective at hydrating the body – as effective as rehydration salts – so make a great post- exercise drink.

In addition to these ingredients all Beauty & Go drinks contain MacroAntioxidants®, collagen and hyaluronic acid to help you achieve beautiful, glowing skin.

Discover our 4 drinks


References1.    Dafallah AA, al-Mustafa Z. Investigation of the anti-inflammatory activity of Acacia nilotica and Hibiscus sabdariffa. Am J Chin Med 1996;24:263-9.
2.    Brunold C, Deters A, Knoepfel-Sidler F, et al. Polysaccharides from Hibiscus sabdariffa flowers stimulate proliferation and differentiation of human keratinocytes. Planta Med 2004;70:370-3.
3.    McKay DL, Chen CY, Saltzman E, Blumberg JB. Hibiscus sabdariffa L. tea (tisane) lowers blood pressure in prehypertensive and mildly hypertensive adults. J Nutr 2010;140:298-303.
4.    Haji Faraji M, Haji Tarkhani AH. The effect of sour tea (Hibiscus sabdariffa) on essential hypertension. J Ethnopharmacol 1999;65:231-6.
5.    Herrera-Arellano A, Flores-Romero S, Chavez-Soto MA, Tortoriello J. Effectiveness and tolerability of a standardized extract from Hibiscus sabdariffa in patients with mild to moderate hypertension: a controlled and randomized clinical trial. Phytomedicine 2004;11(5):375-82.
6.    Zheng MS. An experimental study of the anti-HSV-II action of 500 herbal drugs. J Tradit Chin Med 1989;9:113-6.
7.    El-Saadany SS, Sitohy MZ, Labib SM, el-Massry RA. Biochemical dynamics and hypocholesterolemic action of Hibiscus sabdariffa (Karkade). Nahrung 1991;35:567-76.
8.    Alam MM, Siddiqui MB, Hussain W. Treatment of diabetes through herbal drugs in rural India. Fitoterapia 1990;61:240-2.
9.    Obertreis B, Giller K, Teucher T, et al. Antiphlogistic effects of Urtica dioica folia extract in comparison to caffeic malic acid. Arzneimittelforschung 1996;46:52-6.
10.    Mittman P. Randomized double-blind study of freeze-dried Urtica diocia in the treatment of allergic rhinitis. Planta Med 1990;56:44-7.
11.    Safarinejad MR. Urtica dioica for treatment of benign prostatic hyperplasia: a prospective, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover study. J Herb Pharmacother 2005;5:1-11.
12.    Ginnerup-Nielsen E1, Christensen R1, Bliddal H1, Zangger G1, Hansen L1, Henriksen M2. Improved gait in persons with knee related mobility limitations by a rosehip food supplement: A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Gait Posture. 2015 Jul 19.
13.    Besco E, Braccioli E, Vertuani S, Ziosi P, Brazzo F, Bruni R, Sacchetti G, Manfredini S. The use of photochemiluminescence for the measurement of the integral antioxidant capacity of baobab products. Food Chemistry 102; 2007;1352–1356
14.    Hudson JB, Anani K, Lee MK, de Souza C, Arnason JT, Gbeassor M. Further investigations on the antiviral activities of medicinal plants of Togo. Pharm Biol. 2000;38(1):46-50.
15.    Coe SA1, Clegg M, Armengol M, Ryan L. The polyphenol-rich baobab fruit (Adansonia digitata L.) reduces starch digestion and glycemic response in humans. Nutr Res. 2013 Nov;33(11):888-96.