5 foods for natural beauty

Keeping well hydrated and nourishing yourself with foods packed with antioxidants will help you stay healthy and contribute to your natural beauty. Here are five enjoyable foods.

Help your internal organs eliminate toxins by drinking enough — at least 1.5 litres per day, preferably mineral water, unsweetened fruit juices, green tea or herbal teas.

• Fruit juices or juices from freshly squeezed organic vegetables are true elixirs of beauty and health. However, do not underestimate the caloric intake of these beverages: two cups can be as sugar-dense as a filling snack.

Under the effect of pollution, smoking, ultraviolet rays and stress, the body produces free radicals. In excess, these unstable oxygen molecules attack the tissues and accelerate the aging of the skin.

• Vitamin C, vitamin E, beta-carotene, polyphenols, lycopene and selenium interact with free radicals, stabilizing and neutralizing them, so that they become harmless for the organism. Also, a diet rich in antioxidants reduces the risk of certain serious diseases.

Berries are extremely rich in antioxidants with healing properties.

• Blueberries, raspberries and blackberries contain proanthocyanidins that can help prevent cancer and heart disease.
• In addition, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries contain ellagic acid, which has anti-carcinogenic properties.
• Finally, it appears that blueberries have the effect of delaying the onset of senility.

More rich in vitamin C than oranges and containing more calcium than a glass of milk, broccoli is a real nutritional mine, and it also includes an amount of phytonutrients known to fight disease.

• Serve it boiled, steamed or in soup.

Garlic acts as a natural antibiotic: it destroys certain harmful bacteria strains and also helps to fight against cancer, heart disease and the effects of aging.

• Roast it whole and spread it on a baguette, or sautee it with a little butter and add it to pasta.

Water, garlic, berries, broccoli, antioxidants — so many beautiful ways to feast, eat healthy and enjoy natural beauty!