Weight loss solutions such as calorie counting, the Times alleged, were out – the outlet called dieting “tacky,” “anti-feminist,” and “arcane.” Instead, whole wellness solutions that focused less on a number on the scale and more on feeling better in your skin were on trend – and it’s exactly this mindset that certified wellness expert Robyn Youkills explores in her new book, “Thin From Within – The Go with Your Gut Way to Lose Weight.”

The book promises from page one that its goal is to show readers how to lose weight, not by simply reducing portions and exercising more, nor even from eating from a prescribed list of foods, but rather from tuning into their own bodies and learning to “heal from the inside out.” The book delivers on this promise.

Youkills offers readers the perfect balance of useful tools for losing weight and overcoming the devastating mindsets that decades of yo-yo dieting have instilled, starting with the four-part “Go with Your Gut” mindset (Go: poop every morning, With: what you eat, Your: take your time, Gut: heal your gut with probiotics, ferments, and Youkills’ own Good Gut Gellies, a combo of apple juice, psyllium husks, and cinnamon).

The “Good Gut Rule of Five” offers a roadmap for creating healthy plates. Gone are the pie charts of meat, veg, and carbs: instead, the book teaches readers to incorporate greens, healthy fats, proteins, fermented foods, and cooked vegetables into every meal. Helpful asides, which are highlighted by multi-colored boxes throughout the book, explore why it’s important to drink water first thing in the morning but not with meals, or when to make the most of your probiotics (hint: at night, when your digestive system is most relaxed). The book also offers tips for self-care in just a few minutes, new and improved shopping lists, and a three-day good gut reset plan to get you off on the right foot.

There are unfortunately a few eyeroll-inducing portions, for instance, when Youkilis attempts to redefine weight as “more than just a number on the scale,” claiming that “weight is a feeling in your body.” While of course, feeling healthy is more important than weight, using the buzzword “weight loss” to discuss feeling fulfilled in your body is more of a confusion in terms than anything else. But this is easily forgiven, given the plethora of useful tools that the book does offer.

Above all, the overarching thesis of the book is for each reader to get in touch with his or her own body: the book asks readers to be forgiving with themselves, find their own intuitive voice, learn to enjoy their food again, and discover which foods are good for their individual microbiome. Tools like the food mood journal and a plethora of healthy gut recipes for all times of day reinforce this message and make the book as much aspirational as it is inspirational.

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The post Go with Your Gut for Weight Loss [Book Review] appeared first on EcoSalon.

The secret to a gorgeous glow isn’t all in the skincare. The key is to nourish your skin from the inside out.

We’re all familiar with the skin hangover you get from going overboard on junk food. Breakouts? Check. Dark circles? Double check. What isn’t so clear is why the way we eat affects the way our skin functions so closely. We’re not just talking negative effects either; with the right diet, you can actually work toward healing skin issues, and slow aging.

But don’t just take our word for it! Nutrition and beauty expert Paula Simpson, who is also the brains behind ZSS Skincare, has spent her entire career exploring the deep connection behind the way we eat and the impact it has on our skin. We chatted with her to find out more about essential nutrients skin needs to stay healthy, why a skin condition could be a sign of poor gut health, and got the scoop on the best glow-inducing, wrinkle-fighting foods on the block!

EcoSalon: The road to beautiful skin can be tough! Why is it so important to start from the inside out?

Paula Simpson: Dietary toxins are often stored in skin tissue. A growing body of research suggests that many of the chemicals we ingest daily through food, water, and air can build up in our system, especially when the diet lacks certain nutrients impairing our natural ability to neutralize and remove chemicals. Over time they can overload our eliminative organs, causing toxins to be stored in the skin or fat tissue. The typical western diet is acidic and concentrated with simple sugars, chemicals, and preservatives. The combination of a poor diet, lifestyle and environmental pollutants can offset the skin’s natural balance affecting its function and overall appearance.

A plant based, low glycemic and antioxidant-rich diet (similar to the Mediterranean diet,) offers the best source of nutrition because it supports skin cell renewal and metabolism (which slows as we age), alongside antioxidant defense in skin tissue to protect skin from environmental aggressors and internal stressors (such as excess sugar), keeping skin firm and even in tone. This type of diet also provides the right balance of omega fatty acids to support strong skin cell membranes that plump and smooth out skin, bringing out a natural glow and shine to hair.

ES: Sometimes it can feel like despite eating a clean, healthy diet that skin conditions don’t improve. What could be the cause of this?

PS: There is a gut-skin axis. Many chronic skin conditions are correlated with digestive health (i.e. leaky gut syndrome, food allergens, harmful bacteria overgrowth within the gut,) that can depress skin immunity and offset normal skin function and structure. Numerous studies have shown a correlation between increased oxidative stress, bacterial overgrowth, and chronic skin conditions such as acne, atopic dermatitis, rosacea, and eczema. Consuming a plant-based, high fiber diet with lacto-fermented foods along with dietary supplements and pre/probiotics may help neutralize toxic by-products, defend the lining of the intestine, increasing the bioavailability of nutrients and protect against infectious microbes. Promoting the health of the digestive system and can be a primary defense to restore health and balance of your skin.

ES: Which simple easy sources do you recommend to get a daily dose of good bacteria to positively impact the gut-skin axis (and are any of them vegan)?

PS: Definitely! Plant-heavy diets, in general, improve microbial diversity. Focusing on plant-based foods with pre and probiotic rich foods can build and balance a healthy skin barrier and microbiome. Prebiotic foods help build good microflora, such as fermented sauerkraut, kim chi, kombucha, and pickled veggies. Probiotic rich foods include live-cultured yogurt, kefir, miso or kimchi!

ES: While that covers skin conditions, there’s one thing none of us can avoid – aging! What beautifying foods you can easily introduce into your diet to keep skin youthful?

PS: Wrinkles are rooted from within. Aging is, of course, a natural progression, but our diets and lifestyle we choose can make our skin age faster. The most visible effect of skin aging occurs when there is a weakening in the structural foundation of skin within the deeper dermal layers (collagen, elastin, and glycosaminoglycans). Visibly, skin becomes thinner losing its smoothness and structural strength and elasticity. When this connective tissue is healthy and strong, nutrients and oxygen can easily reach skin tissue while efficiently removing toxins and wastes. This is the site where new skin cells are produced then pushed towards the epidermal (outer) skin layer, keeping skin plump and healthy.

By adding certain protein-rich foods to your diet, you can promote a healthier rate of collagen renewal and protect your skin from premature aging. Mineral copper that is found in nuts, raisins, sweet potatoes, kidney beans, lobster, and oysters facilitates collagen production and therefore should be included in your diet. Lastly, be sure to include foods rich in Vitamin C as it is essential for collagen synthesis. Some top collagen boosting foods include; poultry, eggs (particularly egg whites,) cod, crab, lobster, oysters, oranges, tomatoes, lemons, bell peppers, sweet potatoes, sunflower and sesame seeds, almonds, raisins, adzuki, kidney, chickpeas, seaweed (spirulina, dulse).

Seeking out antioxidant-rich foods is also key! As we get older, our bodies become less efficient in neutralizing harmful free radicals that may permanently damage healthy cells (including skin cells.) Clinical studies have shown that catechins from green tea, anthocyanins from berries and red cabbage, bioflavonoids from citrus, carotenoids such as lycopene and lutein from tomatoes, and resveratrol from red wine offer potent secondary antioxidants that protect the skin cells from free radical damage. By including these types of foods more often in the diet, their additional antioxidant protection can support skin health particularly with regards to photoprotection.

ES: Are there any new superfoods on the block you think will be big this year in the beauty world?

PS: Spices are hot right now! Paprika is rich in zeaxanthin, which is a fantastic free radical fighter, especially when it comes to skin. Although other dietary sources include dark greens like kale and spinach, the purified and concentrated amounts from paprika pepper have been shown more effective to help protect the skin from premature photoaging and bring out a natural radiance and glow

Turmeric is another big one. It is a great detoxifier with strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Curcumin is the active ingredient in the spice turmeric, which gives it its yellow color and promotes liver and digestive health while calming the skin. Turmeric has also been used in the treatment of cicatricial alopecia, a scalp condition caused by inflammation that damages the hair follicles and prevents the growth of new hair. Try adding turmeric to foods more often. A dash of turmeric brings color and flavor to rice, soups, root vegetables or eggs.

Let’s not forget ginger, too. Active constituents found in the rhizome and root may offer a soothing and calming effect to the skin. When it comes to hair, ginger has long been used in ayurvedic medicine as a hair treatment. The antiseptic properties help to combat dandruff and the natural source of vitamins, minerals, and essential oils help to rebuild thinning dull hair.

Related on EcoSalon
Why Probiotics Could Save Your Skin (Yes, Bacteria!)
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The post How to Eat Your Way to Glowing Skin (and a Happy Gut!) appeared first on EcoSalon.

Gas and bloating can be embarrassing for you and uncomfortable for those around you. But it may also be a characteristic of good health.

The foods that often cause those gassy side effects are also nutrient dense and important for staving off disease and increasing immune system health. Roughage, or the indigestible parts of cabbage, kale, broccoli, and so many other foods, may make you fart, but they’re also good for your heart, and it turns out, your immune system as well. As good bacteria in your gut digest your food, they also create molecules that boost immunity.

“Eating foods that cause gas is the only way for the microbes in the gut to get nutrients,” says Purna Kashyap, a gastroenterologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn on NPR’s The Salt. “If we didn’t feed them carbohydrates, it would be harder for them to live in our gut.”

These microbes, along with swallowing air when you chew, cause gas and bloating. Like fiber, they don’t digest. But at the same time, they promote the growth of good bacteria. Up to 18 farts a day is perfectly healthy. And while gas is usually odorless, it’s not such a bad thing when it smells. That means sulphur made its way in the mix, and sulphur is linked to a reduction in cancer.

“Yes, a more fiber-rich diet will produce more gas,” Kashyap adds. “But completely eliminating fiber from the diet should not be the first option. You don’t want to starve your microbes.”

But if gas is downright uncomfortable and embarrassing, take a gradual approach. If you go from 0 to 60 in a day, it’s no surprise that your system is fighting back. Increase your fiber intake about 5 grams per day until you’re at the required amount for your age group. And as you add in fiber, also make sure that you’re adding in water to push the fiber through. The combination of dehydration and roughage isn’t a pretty sight.

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Image: Dave Austria

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