How to reverse wrinkles using food (and only food)
November 20, 2010 by Yafa Sakkejha
Filed under Anti Aging Articles, Featured
Tomato skin contains the mineral Silicon, which rebuilds the skin’s collagen
I visited my doctor this week and noticed some brochures about botox, microdermabrasion, and restylane fillers. I asked the resident aesthetician if she thought it was possible to reverse wrinkles using food only, and she replied, “No. There’s no way. Fillers are the only way.”
I have to respect that she’s trying to make a living, but since I personally know several women who indeed have reversed their wrinkles using only specific food choices, I thought I’d post about how one can do this at home, using a grocery store in place of a needle.
Why are wrinkles caused?
Our skin has 3 layers: epidermis on top, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue underneath.
The dermis contains the structural elements of the skin, the connective tissue. Collagen is one protein that is a type of connective tissue which gives the skin its strength. Elastin fibres are another type, which lends to elasticity.
Where the dermis and epidermis meet is where connective tissue delivers nutrients from blood vessels to the epidermis. The stronger the connective tissue, the more nutrients reach the skin, giving it a youthful appearance.
As we age, less collagen is produced by the body, and the elastin fibres wear out. The connective tissues weaken without a diet high in minerals. These changes in the scaffolding of the skin cause tiny sags, which are wrinkles. Other factors leading to breaking down our body’s collagen are the sun, pollution, free radicals, and toxins.
Imagine it as a building that has pillars keeping the roof up: if the pillars weaken over time and the roof starts to sink, the thing to do would be to rebuild the pillars – we wouldn’t put something on top of the roof to fix the pillar. So, anti aging serums and creams fill in the holes temporarily, but cannot restore the youthful plumpness, stretched look, and elasticity for the long term.
Many people are starting to discover this and reverse their wrinkles themselves, at home, simply by instituting a simple change in nutrition.
Foods & minerals that erase wrinkles
1. Sulfur-residue foods
Sulfur-residue foods contain enzymes that help keep the skin flexible and the collagen strong, rebuilding it and protecting it from damage. Many people are deficient in sulfur because it’s extremely volatile: it’s either evaporated or destroyed by cooking.
Sulfur-residue foods:
- Bee pollen
- Cabbage
- Hot peppers
- Broccoli
- Garlic
- Horseradish
- Radish
- Kale
- Onions
- Pumpkin seeds
- Spirulina
- Watercress
2. Foods containing the mineral Silicon
Silicon maintains the strength and elasticity of cell walls and connective tissue. It directly aids in the regeneration of tissues, and thus makes a direct impact on the skin’s wrinkles.
Sources of Silicon:
- Radishes
- Romaine lettuce
- Burdock root (can be consumed as a tea)
- Cucumber skin
- Bell pepper skin
- Tomato skin
- Young leafy greens
- Steel cut oats
- Barley
- Spinach
- Bananas
- Apricots
- Nettles
- Red lentils
3. Foods containing the mineral Zinc
Zinc is essential for skin beauty. It promotes cell repair and growth, and is a key member of a group of enzymes that helps to maintain its collagen supply.
Without zinc, the enzymes that rebuild new collagen do not function properly.
In addition to preventing wrinkles, Zinc also prevents and aids in the healing of stretch marks, cellulite, and other outward signs of aging.
Great Zinc sources:
- Poppy seeds
- Pumpkin seeds
- Sunflower seeds
- Pine nuts
- Cashews
- Macadamia nuts
- Sesame seeds
- Young coconuts (“old” ones are the brown ones we see in regular stores, and won’t do. “Young” ones can be purchased from Asian markets).
We highly recommend that these foods are eaten raw, since heating foods over 118°F causes the enzymes to be denatured, and destroys 50% to 80% of the nutrients.
Good luck, and let us know how it goes!
Sources:
- Dr. Heather Brannon, MD
- Dr. Gabriel Cousens, MD
- Jessica Moore, Registered Holistic Nutritionist
- Eating for Beauty, by David Wolfe, Nutritionist
- Victoria Boutenko, Author, Green for Life, and a woman who reversed her wrinkles naturally
- Cambridge University Press: A provisional database for the silicon content of foods in the United Kingdom http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=924600
Laura-Lynn McPherson on Fri, 6th Mar 2009 11:32 am
Just wishing that more people would really take a look at Dr. Robert O Young’s miraculous work .
To understand the full anti aging benefits of alkalizing .
http://www.phmiracleliving.com
Kind Regards Laura-Lynn
Maureen on Tue, 10th Mar 2009 1:26 am
I am a homecare worker that has many clients of age. They are wise and experienced in health and nutrition.. The lists of food that will help with wrinkles is in fact and excellent diet of wrinkle repellent. I have seen it myself as my clients age and what they eat. Also you always wondered what Sophia Lauren used to keep wrinkles at bay, Plain old Penoten medicated creme. Made for babies butt’s but works better on a womans skin..
Martina on Mon, 8th Jun 2009 8:23 pm
Hi,
I’m just wondering…
If i made an avocado dip with raw garlic, would the Dorito chips as a combined snack override or cancel out the goodness?
Yafa on Wed, 10th Jun 2009 2:08 pm
Hi Martina!
Jessie Moore, RHN for the House of Verona, has this in response to your question:
“Try to think of your health and wellness not only on one dish, snack, meal or even day, but as a whole. As for the doritos…MSG, food colouring, salt, corn, sugar, fried fat…not to mention the highly allergenic foods, dairy, gluten and corn…. that will always be challenging to your health no matter what you eat it with.”
MSG, sugar, and fried fat are proven wrinkle-creators, so you might want to consider dipping some celery sticks or cucumbers into your avocado dip instead!
If you still want a crunch, you can try making your own healthy chips:
- If you have a dehydrator at home, slice up zucchini or sweet potatoes and dehydrate them. Taste like chips!
- Make raw corn nacho chips by blending together flax seeds and corn, and dehydrating them (if you have one) http://goneraw.com/node/1676
10 Health Myths Debunked : House of Verona on Fri, 23rd Oct 2009 12:28 pm
[...] who have “before” photos that look older than their “after” shots. View these articles on wrinkles and gray hair to learn [...]
Carolina on Sat, 29th May 2010 10:49 pm
Dear Yafa: I am not sure that you are still answering questions related to this. I have a pretty clean diet, avoid (conscious sun exposure) and seemingly have good skin at this point (I am 41 but look at least a few years younger, I think). I find myself a little panicked now though. I moved into an apartment about seven years ago with an east facing window in the bedroom and no shade. The curtains were transparent and I did not even think of the possibility of sun damage through them. My work schedule means that I sleep from 3 a.m. until 11 or noon. I just used an eye shade to block the sun. Though I use sunblock during the day — I certainly do not when I sleep — and though in summer I thought that I began to look tan, I could not really think that it had to do with the sun streaming through my windows and curtains. Now I have just found out that UVA rays do penetrate glass, and though I have bought heavier curtains, I have done six years of damage — including hot summer months. My skin has definitely aged, and I fear that the UVA damage will show up in time to come. Do you think that this can be reversed?
Best to you,
Carolina
Yafa Sakkejha on Fri, 11th Jun 2010 8:18 am
Hi Carolina! Thanks for your question.
We’ll do a bit of research into this for you. There are certainly people who have reversed their wrinkles, but we’ll have to check in on UVA damage for you.
In the meantime, consider the fact that eating as much fresh, raw, organic vegetables as you can will definitely not accelerate your UVA damage, while eating any sort of sugar, junk food, refined carb, and cooked meat will definitely not help you to reverse UVA damage.
A.G.E.s in cooked animal products are a large contributing factor to why we get wrinkles (see http://houseofverona.com/how-glycation-causes-wrinkles/ for more on why) so cutting these out will help to slow skin damage, period.
When you say you have a clean diet, how would you describe it? Vegan? Raw? That would help us answer your question.
Thanks!
Yafa
Carolina on Mon, 14th Jun 2010 11:57 pm
Hi Yafa:
Thank you SO very much for your response. Since having been diagnosed with high blood sugar, a little over a year ago, I have mostly cut out grains completely, and yes do eat a mainly raw food diet (easy in the summer months in California). I do eat some mozzarella or farmers’ cheeses on occasion with salads — but do mainly eat raw produce and am lucky enough to enjoy a great variety. Also, beans and nuts.
My guess is that 80% of what I eat is composed of raw vegetables. I also have begun to drink unsweetened coconut milk, and aloe vera juice mixed in water. My biggest vice: daily strong espresso (about four shots in the morning). Organic coffee.
Every so often (maybe once weekly?) when I eat out, I will eat some grains. Rice with sushi and/or a slice of bread. Ditto for alcohol: I don’t keep alcohol at home but will have a glass of wine, perhaps twice a month. No bread or pasta at home. No meat, either.
And lately since I have become worried about my skin, I swear that it has gotten older-looking! Am trying not to fixate. ( : It used to be that my skin looked a decade younger than my age, but now people are gauging my age more or less accurately, and so I know that there is a difference. Alas.
Thank you again SO MUCH for the response.
Best,
Carolyn
zayna on Wed, 17th Nov 2010 3:09 pm
Hi Carolyn! I read your post and funny enough went through a similar “looking older” stage. I realized it was due to the lack of fat. I take hemp oil or omega 3′s daily to lubricate my skin internally. Alcohol and coffee dehydrate the skin, so if you do ingest it, drink a glass or 2 to level it off. Are you doing any sort of light excercises? Are you sleeping well? A lot of factors contribute to skin and its freshness. I am a believer in balance so having grains and other foods which are clean and healthy is fine. Go with your instinct and gut. Also, on a side note, what are you using for your skin externally? There are many great organic products out there. I personally use lemon to cleanse and olive oil to moisturize. Some people advise mixing lemon with milk to reduce the acidity before applying to the skin and rubbing for a minute. In any case, hope this helps!
Yafa Sakkejha on Mon, 22nd Nov 2010 12:27 pm
Zayna, thanks for your contribution!
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Carolina on Sun, 13th Feb 2011 8:05 pm
Dear Zayna and Yafa:
Thank you both SO much for the responses — I am so sorry that I did not check back sooner! You are absolutely right, and I have recently begun to include some grains and feel much better. And you are right about the coffee and water — I’m not great at hydrating during the day. I try to sleep with nothing on my face, since I wear makeup (not good, I know) during the day, and just assume that my skin needs to breathe. I have been experimenting with Argan Oil, but mostly to support the Berber women’s collectives which produce it. I also use an Omega 3 oil Formula (and ingest Omega 3) since I assume that my skin will uptake oil better than any cream — as it is more like that which we naturally produce.
I have been doing something lately and I really do think that it is making a tangible difference with my skin (even better since I have recently bought an all glass tea kettle so that the acids don’t react with the metal). I slice and simmer ginger, a cinnamon stick, a little cayenne powder, and some lemon (or lemon rind) for about forty minutes, and then sip all evening. It is really tasty (and pink! ( : ) and I have noticed my skin looking much clearer. I vary the recipe every so often (orange rind instead of lemon rind, or infusing some nettle tea in the end, or chamomile or whichever variation works for you.) It is tasty, inexpensive, and the volatile compounds are at their freshest.
Thanks again for the response and I so appreciate all your help and support!
Best,
Carolina (or Carolyn — depending on the language I’m speaking at the time!)
claire on Wed, 28th Sep 2011 11:36 pm
Hi there I am 35ys old and sad to say have lead a very unhealthy lifestyle thus far. Due to malnutrition and a diet high in carbs and sugar and severe stress over the last few yrs I have aged horribly in comparison to others my age. Due to sudden weight loss my skin is sagging unbelievably. I have recently begun to juice and cut out the carbs and sugar and eat higher intake of fruit nuts seeds healthy oils msm and veggies. How long before I see a change in my skin. I also suffer from anemia and need to put on healthy weight so I am not too keen to go completely raw or vegan. I am desperate to tighten my skin and restore some of the damage down to my skin.any suggestions and help would be most welcome…