Eating for good skin

Everybody wants good skin.  As a make up artist it is my canvas. As human beings our skin

introduces us through facial recognition and touch via a handshake. so it is important how we feel about our skin and how we look after it. The skin is the largest organ in the body and has many functions that are necessary for life, but being external to the elements, skin has to fight off so many things and protect us from so much. 

I really believe that skin health begins within and what we eat really can be who we are. There are of course factors that can defy this. Certain skin conditions can be caused from circumstances beyond our control, but even then what we eat and how we live our lives can have a huge impact on our skin health and appearance. 

General wellbeing warrants a lifestyle with plenty of activity which includes social, physical, educational and a good balance between this and your working life. Your skin would definitely choose this. A healthy skin loves fresh air, exercise, a happy social life and to be as stress free as possible. The cherry on the sugar free cake is a healthy balanced diet.

Foods for great skin

I would firstly recommend reducing sugar, cutting out junk foods, watching your alcohol intake and eating at regular times through the day. A balanced diet that contains all the macro and micro nutrients, making sure you include all the following to repair and vitalise your skin.

Beta Carotenoids- vegetable form of Vit A best consumed with fats for absorption. 
Carrots, Sweet potatoes, dark green leafy veg, dried apricot, Cos lettuce

Fats include Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats - provide essential fatty acids which act as a natural moisturiser for your skin, keeping it supple. These fats also come packaged with a healthy dose of vitamin E and help absorb vitamin A.
nuts, avocado, oil
Don't be afraid to add a small amount of saturated fat to your diet. butter, cheese and especially coconut oil. 

Vitamin C - helps repair tissue damage, great for immune
Oranges, Lemon, Clementines, Green peppers, Kiwi, Berry fruits, Broccoli

Vitamin E- Antioxidant aids immune, keeps skin sutble. 
olive oil, avocado, Almonds, pistachio and walnuts, tofu, broccoli, fish

Vitamin B2 Riboflavin and B3 Niacin both important for your skin, nervous system and important for releasing energy from food.
Milk eggs,meat, fish and fortified cereals

Zinc skin health and immune
shell fish, red meat, cashews, Almonds, dark chocolate,chicken, beans, mushrooms, spinach

Selenium element that is a powerful antioxident works along side vitamin E & C
Brazil nuts, shellfish,cooked tuna, whole bread, seeds, pork and ham.

Water essential for life, but will keep your skin plumped and hydrated and aids your digestion which in turn keeps skin glowing.

A balanced diet should include all these foods, but remember if you are changing your diet
it takes time to see an improvement in your skin. After 5 to 6 weeks you should start seeing a healthy glow.

Coconut repost

Oh my goodness what a turn around it seems that the powers at B have decided there is not enough evidence to link saturated fats with coronary disease and no significant evidence that omega-6 and omega-3 polyunsaturated fats protect the heart.

However, some of the studies involved people with cardiovascular risk factors or with cardiovascular disease, so the results may not necessarily apply to the population at large.

 

The study was carried out by researchers from the University of Cambridge and Medical Research Council, University of Oxford, Imperial College London, University of Bristol, Erasmus University Medical Centre and Harvard School of Public Health. It was funded by the British Heart Foundation, Medical Research Council, Cambridge National Institute for Health Research Biomedical Research Centre and Gates Cambridge.ases 

My belief has always been to avoid too much red meats and full fat dairy,
It seems the saturated fat myth wasn’t proven in the past and still isn’t really proven today. It does suggest that not one food group can be held responsible for coronary disease and high cholesterol and only emphasizes the importance of a varied balance diet to remain healthy. Which is what we should all strive for.

I have always used Coconut oil in beauty, but have in the past been a bit wary of coconut oil in the diet because of it's is 90% saturated fat content. So with this new revelation on saturated fats I thought I would look into the use of coconut oil in cooking.

Firstly, it appears that the fatty acids in Coconut oil are different to fatty acids from animal fats they are Medium Chain Triglycerides (MCTs) – which are fatty acids of a medium length.

Most of the fatty acids in the diet are long-chain fatty acids, but the medium-chain fatty acids in coconut oil are metabolized differently.They go straight to the liver from the digestive tract, where they are used as a quick source for energy.

Coconut oil is made up of fatty acids:

§ Saturated fatty acids: Most of them are medium chain triglycerides, which are supposed to assimilate well in the body’s systems. Acids include Lauric acid representing more than forty percent of the total, followed by capric acid, caprylic acid, myristic acid and palmitic.

§  Polyunsaturated fatty acids: Linoleic acid.

§  Monounsaturated fatty acids: Oleic acid.

§  Poly-phenols: Coconut contains Gallic acid, which is also known as phenolic acid. These polyphenols are responsible for the fragrance and the taste of coconut oil and Virgin Coconut Oil is rich in these polyphenols.

§  Certain derivatives of fatty acid like betaines, ethanolamide, ethoxylates, fatty esters, fatty polysorbates, monoglycerides and polyol esters.

§  Fatty chlorides, fatty alcohol sulphate and fatty alcohol ether sulphate, all of which are derivatives of fatty alcohols.

§  Vitamin E, vitamin K and minerals such as iron.

Secondly, Coconut oil has many benefits and uses.Making it a healthy choice to include in your diet and beauty routine. However it is always a good idea to use a variety of oil products to get the benefit from all and keep a healthy balance.

• The medium chain triglycerides in coconut oil can increase 24 hour energy expenditure by as much as 5% and reduce appetite which can aide in long term weight loss
• The fatty acids and breakdown products in coconut oil can kill harmful pathogens, potentially helping to prevent infections.
• Studies in both humans and rats show that coconut oil improves important risk factors like Total, LDL and HDL cholesterol, which may translate to a reduced risk of heart disease.
•  Coconut oil can be applied topically as well, studies showing it to be effective as a skin moisturizer and protecting against hair damage. It can also be used as a mild form of sunscreen and as mouthwash.

Uses and the types of Coconut oil to use

Cooking————–Refined Coconut Oil

Weight Loss———Virgin Coconut Oil

As a Carrier Oil—–Virgin Coconut Oil, Fractionated Coconut Oil

Good Health———Virgin Coconut Oil, Organic Coconut Oil

Massaging———–Pure Coconut Oil, Refined Coconut Oil

Hair——————–Pure Coconut Oil, Refined Coconut Oil

Medicinal uses—–Virgin Coconut Oil, Virgin Organic Coconut Oil

Like all oils it is best to get oils that are coldpressed so no nutrient value is removed.

My conclusion after researching the use of coconut oil in cooking is that the oil seems to contain many benefits to your health and should definitely be used, but not to use it as your only source of oil. Keep your diet varied and balanced and keep rubbing into your skin and hair to get the most out of the oil.

Bridal looks spring summer 2017

A bit late welcome to 2017

A busy start to 2017 with weight loss plans and make up assignments.
This year I am working towards really bringing my skills together, improving my knowledge of nutrition, mental health and beauty. 
Healthy diets for healthy life, beauty inside and out. Glowing skin, makes us feel and look great and sends a message to all - look at me I'm great.

Smiling

Smiling Is InfectiousAuthor Unknown

Smiling is infectious,
you catch it like the flu,
When someone smiled at me today,
I started smiling too.

I passed around the corner
and someone saw my grin.
When he smiled I realized
I'd passed it on to him.

I thought about that smile,
then I realized its worth.
A single smile, just like mine
could travel round the earth.

So, if you feel a smile begin,
don't leave it undetected.
Let's start an epidemic quick,
and get the world infected!

I am very interested in the concept of smiling and laughing to aid wellbeing. I came across this poem and thought it very apt and it made me smile.

May Contain Food

I recently went to see May Contain Food an amazing fully participating musical theatre piece,
performed by the brilliant Luca Silvestrini's Protein Dance company. Protein uses a blend of original choreography, text, humour and music to entertain and provoke audiences. 

For me it was fascinating and visually pleasing, being sat as if in a bizarre restaurant with the performers acting as our virtual waiters kept us, the audience a fully participating part of the performance.



Luca and the Protein performers took us on an incredible journey exploring every aspect of food and eating you could possibly think of through the brilliant contemporary dance moves and classical voices.


  'we know food is not just for keeping us going, but instead a more complex system of habits and patterns intimately connected to who we are and how we feel.It has been fascinating to explore this subject and discover how intricate, and often disturbed, our relationship to eating can be;
and how easily food becomes a substitute for something we miss, have lost or need.'  Luca Silvestrini.

Couldn't put it better myself.

Facing Me Workshop - confidence through make up

Working with Look Good Feel Better, giving female cancer patients a boost through make up, chat and lots of fun has given me a whole new skill set working within a hospital environment. This has also inspired my image workshop, Facing Me.

Testimonial: The make up made us feel much more confident

Facing Me Workshop  

'Facing me' is a workshop designed to help women to feel confident about themselves. Using self compassion, mindfulness techniques, positive facial and body language and make up. This workshop is fun, focused on self image and confidence building.

'Facing Me' is perfect for women in the board room, young women starting out in the work place or women wanting a bit of a confidence boost.

Having worked for many years as a make up artist I have seen the massive impact that make up can bring to ones confidence. Adding self compassion into the workshop makes this an empowering session for all involved.

• Posture
• Mindful breathing exercise
• positive body posture
• Face expression
• skin care
• Break
• Make up step by step
• Mindfulness self compassion exercise

(workshop delegates need to supply own make up)

Contact me for details : info@karen-lockyer.co.uk