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Each fortnight a box of organic fruit and vegies is delivered to my door. I love this arrangement because a. it means I don’t have to go to the shops as regularly (I hate going to the supermarket and generally avoid it when possible) and b. it is organic! This fortnight the box contained peaches and nectarines, which I have been enjoying immensely. As I was eating my organic peach this morning I felt especially good because I remembered that peaches are on the Dirty Dozen List, a list of fruit & veg most affected by pesticide contamination. The other fruit & vegetables on this list include (most affected to least):

1. Peach
   

   Strawberries have the potential for a higher pesticide load

2. Apple
3. Capscicum
4. Celery
5. Nectarine
6. Strawberries
7. Cherries
8. Kale
9. Lettuce
10. Grapes
11. Carrot
12. Pear

While I momentarily felt ok because I was eating an organic peach I realised that my other favourite fruits are also on that list, namely cherries (cannot share them with anyone) and nectarines.  There are some alarming statistics and facts bandied around about pesticide contamination:

• If you eat the 12 most contaminated fruit & vegies, you consume an average of 10 pesticides a day
• Washing or peeling fresh produce reduces pesticide residue but it does not eliminate it.
• Conventionally grown produce contains less nutritional value than organically grown produce

Reading all of this I felt a bit glum so I did a search to find out if there was any produce that wasn’t unduly affected by pesticide residue. At one of the best resources I have come across, www.ewg.org, I found the answer which cheered me immensely. Eating from the list below minimises pesticide ingestion significantly (around 2 pesticides daily and less if washed).  So my new resolution is to ensure that when I buy conventionally grown produce, I will choose from the list below:

1. Onion (from least contaminated)
   
2. Avocado
3. Sweet corn
4. Pineapple
5. Mango
6. Asparagus
7. Sweet peas
8. Kiwi
9. Cabbage
10. Eggplant
11. Papaya
12. Watermelon
13. Broccoli
14. Tomato
15. Sweet Potato

How does this relate to skin care? Well the pesticides, herbicides, synthetic chemicals, petrochemicals we eat, inhale

or absorb all contribute to our overall toxic burden. The more burdened our body’s are, the harder it is for them to get rid of all the toxins and waste byproducts which are either stored or eliminated via alternative pathways such as the skin. In those with skin conditions, reducing the overall toxic burden by eating whole foods, choosing organic where possible and using natural skin care & cleaning products can help improve the condition of the skin. For those that just want to improve their wellbeing, it is also a good idea.

Do you eat any organic produce and if so how important is it to you and your family. Is it as important as using organic skin care? I would love to hear your comments.

In part 2 of this topic, Karen Fischer from her book The Healthy Skin Diet discusses how to measure body acidity or alkalinity and importantly how to shift the balance from acid to a more alkaline system.

How is body acidity or alkalinity measured?

Your body has a natural acid and alkaline balance which is measured by the traditional pH scale (pH literally means ‘potential for hydrogen’). For example, a pH of 1.0 is completely acid and a pH of 14 is all alkaline, and 7.0 is neutral. The pH of a substance is determined by how many hydrogen ions are in a substance. All acids in the body give off hydrogen ions as they dissolve in water.

Now, for the body to remain alive and well the blood needs to be slightly alkaline — at a pH of 7.365 to be precise. If your blood pH becomes slightly acidic your blood would burn holes in your blood vessels. As you can imagine, you can’t feel healthy if you have holes in your veins. In fact, if the blood pH was to vary by about one-tenth, your body’s biomechanical function would fail and you’d die. However the body, being the wise thing that it is, has many back-up plans to ensure the blood’s pH balance is maintained:

1. The body uses its alkaline reserves such as alkaline minerals to keep the blood pH at the correct level. If you keep having an acid lifestyle, these stores run out and your body needs to go to back-up plan number 2 …

2. Back-up plan number 2 involves quickly removing excess acids from your blood and storing them safely in your fat cells. Unfortunately, overweight people who have heaps of acid stored in their fat usually have an incredibly difficult time losing weight because their body will do everything to avoid the influx of acid that would be released during weight-loss. An acidic body holds onto excess weight, making dieting extremely difficult.

3. After your body uses up its alkaline reserves and after it has stored acids in your fat, what happens next? Back-up plan number 3: your body takes

alkaline minerals such as calcium from your bones. This is one of the reasons why people getosteoporosis and shrink as they get older. Their acid lifestyle is threatening to disrupt their blood pH and the body is protecting the blood by leeching calcium from their bones. Unfortunately the modern Western diet is excessively acidic. There are two ways you can find out how acidic you are.

Firstly (and this is the more accurate way), your doctor can test your blood pH with a simple blood test. You need to ask for this test specifically as it is not a routine blood test. A healthy pH reading for your blood is between 7.35 and 7.45; as you can see it’s a very narrow range.

Secondly, you can test your saliva or urine pH with pH strips that you can purchase from your local pharmacy. These pH strips are made of litmus paper, which changes colour when acidic or alkaline substances come into contact with it. Dr Guerrero, a famous American doctor who studied traditional Chinese medicine and is the author of In Balance for Life, recommends testing the urine rather than saliva as the kidneys are one of the body’s organs that eliminate acids. However the urine test is not as accurate as a blood test but it can reveal if you’re acidic and you can do the test daily. This is useful because acid and base (alkalinity) levels fluctuate daily. When your body’s pH is in balance, your urine pH will be between 7.0 and 7.5.5

Cross-check your results from the first blog by doing a pH urine test for five days in a row (to get a more accurate average). Do the urine test first thing in the morning, on rising.

What causes excess acidity in the body?

• acid-forming foods, poor diet
• stress (covered in Chapter 10)
• coffee and other products containing caffeine
• alcohol
• smoking
• chemicals
• dehydration/not enough water
• parasites (worms)
• candida albicans
• drugs, including prescriptive medications
• constipation/poor bowel health.

Acid-forming foods

There are many types of acid-producing foods and the most common ones come from animal produce. Now these foods don’t seem acidic before you

pop them in your mouth — they contain some acids but they also form acids once they’re digested. Acid-forming foods are okay in moderation but when your body is continually trying to counteract an acidic state, acid can become poison to your system.

When you have an acidic system, your body will eventually tire of shunting calcium away from your bones and storing acid in your fat. And if you’re a thin person, with limited fat cells, then you’re in a worse predicament than an overweight person.

Where is your acid being stored? As you can imagine, skinny people can get sick very, very quickly. This means that Skinny-Minnies need to be extra healthy to feel great and have beautiful skin. You can probably guess most of the common acid-forming foods as they’re also the usual ‘offending’ foods that already have bad reputations, such as sugar, white flour products, foods high in saturated fats and damaged (trans) fats, meat, dairy, soft drinks, chips and alcohol. But what you may find surprising is that when you chomp on a piece of fruit, it creates acid during digestion. This is because most fruits have an extremely high sugar content. Yes, these are natural sugars but they promote acidity and they provide a quick and easy meal for thriving microbes.

Acid-forming foods — the worst offenders

vinegar	liquor/spirits/whiskey
pork	beef
processed fruit juice	yellow cheese
milk kefir	yoghurt sweetened with fruit
sugar & artificial sweetener	carp
processed meat/ham/devon	crayfish
herring	salmon
lobster	mackerel
black tea	artificial sweeteners
sugar	chocolate/cocoa
coffee	milk
soft drinks	tap water
wine	hydrogenated fats
peanut & walnut oils	commercially made tomato sauce
pickles & mustard	processed table salt
chickpeas	peanuts
hazelnuts	pecans
sunflower seeds	walnuts
pstachios	blackcurrants
kiwi fruit	mandarins
oranges	pineapple
milled	white rice
white flour products	white/yeast breads

Acid-forming foods — the milder ones

Beer	Wholegrains, wholewheat
Amaranth	Brown rice
Oats	Barley
Qunoa	Spelt
Soft cheeses	Eggs (whole)
plain organic yoghurt	chicken
flounder	lamb
oysters	kidney beans
Trout	sole
lentils	peas
cashews	coconut
pine nuts	sesame seeds
apples	fresh apricots
blueberries	cherries
figs	grapes
mangoes	watermelon, melon
pears	plums
pomegranates	strawberries
most dried fruits	carbonated mineral water
(heated) cold pressed oils	organic mustard

READER QUESTION

Q ‘I’ve heard that acid-forming foods are bad for me. Do I have to totally avoid them to be healthy?’

A No! The foods and liquids that exert the strongest acid-producing effect can be enjoyed in moderation. However, during the Healthy Skin Diet these substances will be strictly limited to no more than three serves per day. Two serves is two glasses of alcohol or one coffee and salmon or chickpeas for dinner. Keep your animal protein serves small — about the size of the palm of your hand — especially if you’re eating meat.

Keep it in balance aiming for a 50:50 ratio of acidic to alkaline forming foods.

Foods that are mildly alkalising:

Asparagus	Cauliflower
Garlic	Onions, shallots
radishes	endives
turnips	egg yolk
whey (fresh)	brazil nuts
avocado	bananas
grapefruit	tomatoes (uncooked)
dates	raisins
almond milk	herbal teas
natural mineral water (non-carbonated)	spring or filtered water
butter, buttermilk	cold pressed olive oil (unheated)
herbs & spices	sea salt (unrefined)

Foods that are strongly alkalising:

Most vegetables	Dark leafy greens
Artichoke	Beets, beet greens
Broccoli	Carrots
Cucumber	Dandelion greens
Green beans	Cabbage
Lettuce (not iceberg)	Potatoes
Sweet potatoes	Spinach
Squash	Capsicum
Yams	Zucchini
Almonds	Lemons
Limes	Freshly made vegetable juice
Apple cider vinegar	Green drinks: chlorophyll, wheat grass

Remember: keep it in balance aiming for a 50:50 ratio of acidic to alkaline forming foods.

Related Articles:

Improve your blood alkalinity and detoxification with Chlorophyll

Aging – does diet really make a difference?

Lemon Meringue Detox

Our first Blog!! The healthy skin diet

After a weekend of hot pizza and red wine followed by cold pizza and coffee the next morning, I felt pretty bad (for those of you wondering, yes I really did eat that. I have no excuse except to say that my partner is away so I am eating rubbish). So I decided to do another skin detox and so got out my copy of The Healthy Skin Diet by Karen Fischer. One concept from the book I really like is the idea that acidic systems create health problems, including of course skin issues. This is neatly explained by this excerpt from Karen’s book in which she explains why acidosis is so detrimental.

Chapter 3 from “The Healthy Skin Diet” by Karen Fischer (printed with permission from Karen and Exsile Publishing)

Think green and friendly

‘Think green and friendly’ is not a mantra for a hippy commune; it is an essential step for beautiful skin, involving ‘friendly’ gut flora and ‘green’ foods and drinks that have an alkalising effect on the body. Technically speaking, some parts of your body should be acidic, such as your stomach when it produces digestive acids and your outer layer of skin with its protective acid mantle. However in general, your body’s tissues and blood should be slightly alkaline.

For years I ignored the concept of balancing the body’s pH with alkalising foods. Now when I look back I feel so silly. This guideline is really simple and you quickly see and feel your health improving so you know it’s working!

What happens if your body is too acidic?

The Healthy Skin Diet

According to Dr Guerrero, acidosis can damage cells in your body. An acid-producing lifestyle can also reduce the amount and quality of collagen and elastin being produced so you can end up with premature ageing and wrinkles. Good quality collagen and elastin is essential for youthful-looking skin. Too many acids in the body can also cause demineralisation, which can lead to dry and cracked skin, fingernails that split easily and thin, brittle hair. According to Dr Guerrero, having an overly acidic system can also do damage to your red blood cells so they alter in shape, clump together and they can die prematurely. Your red blood cells should look like round, flat discs — a bit like red frisbees or a throat lozenge — floating freely through your blood plasma. They should also have a negative charge on the outside and a positive charge on the inside. When your red blood cells are negatively charged on the outside as they should be, they cannot clump together. They repel. Unfortunately, when acid strips some of your red blood cells of their negative charge they start attracting each other and they form clumps. Your red blood cells should not clump together unless you’ve cut yourself and the blood flow needs to be stopped from escaping. Otherwise your blood needs to flow without clotting.

Your skin is usually the first thing to suffer when red blood cell health is poor. Your red blood cells carry oxygen to your skin but when they are sticky and bulky they cannot give your outer layer a quick and efficient supply of oxygen. Your skin may also look dull and possibly even pasty or greyish from low oxygen supply. You can also feel very lethargic if your blood is sluggish with damaged red blood cells that aren’t supplying enough oxygen. No wonder people often wake up tired after eight hours’ sleep and need a coffee pick-me-up! Fill out the following questionnaire to see if your body is showing any signs of acidosis. Circle any symptoms you experience on a regular basis (three or more times a week):

Common symptoms of acidosis

• fatigue, chronic fatigue syndrome
• fatigue or weakness after eating meals
• frequent colds and flu, low immunity
• poor circulation, cold hands/feet
• low blood pressure
• burning sensation during urination
• kidney stones
• excessive urination
• headaches
• pallor, dull complexion
• gastrointestinal problems: abdominal pains, cramps, acid reflux, diarrhoea, gas, ulcers
• agitation, nervousness, anxiety,
• depression, lack of ambition, lack of joy
• dental problems: bleeding or inflamed gums, cavities, cracked lips, loose teeth, tooth sensitivity
• muscle cramps or spasms, tension in neck and shoulders
• joint pain, arthritis-like pain
• nail and hair problems: brittle hair, hair loss, split nails
• allergies, runny nose, chronic bronchitis
• vaginal discharge, candida albicans
• skin problems: dry skin, eczema, acne, hives, itchy skin, red and patchy skin
• osteoporosis, brittle bones
• insomnia, restless sleep.

If you have circled four or more symptoms then you may have too much acid in your body. In the next blog (a few days from now) Karen discusses how to test for acidosis and what you can actually do to change this state for yourself. Hint: chlorophyll and green leafies help. And I should know, after the weekend, I am focusing on a largely plant based diet to give my body a break!
Related Articles:

Improve your blood alkalinity and detoxification with Chlorophyll

Aging – does diet really make a difference?

Lemon Meringue Detox

Our first Blog!! The healthy skin diet

Herbal teas are a delicious way to start the day and to deliver health benefits. Gentle acting, herbal teas will achieve results if consistently used over time. The added benefit of an herbal tea is that you are getting at least a cup of liquid at the same time which helps to keep up hydration levels and flush toxins out of your body via your kidneys. Savory tasting, Tea Tonic’s Complexion Tea help support elimination via the kidneys, liver and lymphatics thereby reducing the toxic burden on the skin. Roechelle, one of the Vitale Team has been drinking Complexion Tea for the last 3 weeks and has this to say “combining this tea with chlorophyll on a daily basis I have seen real improvements in my skin – mainly less congestion which is great. I noticed the changes after about 2 weeks on this program”.

This video blog looks at the therapeutic benefits of the individual herb in Complexion Tea and a general review of the process of elimination.

Click here to see Complexion Tea.

The pH or acid and alkaline balance of the blood is a key factor in detoxification and inflammation. An acidic blood pH is more likely to be associated with increased inflammation throughout the body and with a greater incidence of skin conditions such as congestion and acne. By contrast alkaline blood is associated with reduced inflammation. Green foods such as chlorophyll can assist in balancing acid/alkaline balance, which may be helpful during detoxification. This video goes examines the acid/alkaline balance and the benefits of chlorophyll.

Grant’s Liquid Chlorophyll is a gentle, low dose product that assists with the acid/alkaline balance in the body. Recommended by Karen Fischer’s book “The Healthy Skin Diet“, chlorophyll is a useful supplement as part of an overall skin detoxification program. It also helps to reduce body odour – underarm, foot and bad breath.

The simple answer is yes. Environmental factors, nutritional status and dietary intake more than genes can add years to a person’s appearance. While topical applications make a difference, a healthy glow is more often a sign of internal health than anything else. There is a growing body of evidence to show that what we eat certainly influences skin aging and not surprisingly, the dietary correlations that relate to reduced skin aging also relate to reduced aging in general. Apart from dietary interventions, research is showing that supplementation with specific nutrients and antioxidants supports the use of topical anti-aging products and that in fact the combination is more effective than either treatment alone. Below is a review of the most significant dietary and nutritional influences on aging.

An Australian study at Monash University looked at the effects of food and nutrient intake on skin wrinkling in areas exposed to the sun. The participants were from Melbourne, Greece and Sweden.

Food intake questionnaires were used to measure diet and microphotography of the skin was used to measure skin wrinkling. The study showed that Swedish had the least skin wrinkling, followed by Greeks and Australians had the most. The types of foods consumed did have an effect on the degree of skin wrinkling with more damage seen in those with a higher intake of meat, dairy and butter. Foods that had a protective effect against skin wrinkling included vegetables, legumes, olive oil, tea, prunes and apples (see full list below). Overall, positive dietary habits trended towards a low-GI diet.

Another study supports the above food associations showing that skin wrinkling in a sun-exposed site in older people of various ethnic backgrounds may be influenced reducing intakes of fats and carbohydrates and increasing antioxidants and beneficial fats, dietary measures which are associated with better skin-aging appearance.

It is worth noting that research linking skin aging and dietary habits should not be taken out of context. Overall dietary trends produce these effects rather than any single food group in isolation. However, the dietary trends in both studies show that high GI and saturated fats seem to have the most significant pro-wrinkling effect. Due to their higher saturated fat content meat, dairy and butter can increase skin inflammation and lead to faster skin aging. In addition a high sugar intake is also associated with greater skin wrinkling. Simple sugar has a pro-inflammatory effect but it also promotes the production of advanced glycosylation end products (AGE). AGEs are closely associated with oxidative stress. A combination of a high antioxidant diet and low sugar reduces inflammation, free radical damage and AGE production in the body. Again the trend shows that the protective foods are low or have no saturated fats and are low GI and rich in phytochemicals which support skin collagen and reduce inflammation.

The Monash study indicated that these foods associated with less wrinkling:

• Mono-unsaturated fat including those from olive oil and olives
• Nuts and legumes
• Vegetables
• Fish (particularly those rich in essential fatty acids)
• Low fat milk and milk products, such as yogurt
• Wholegrain cereals
• Fruit and fruit products (especially prunes, cherries and apples)
• Eggs
• Tea and Water

More wrinkling was associated with diets that included higher intakes of:

• Saturated fat (including butter)
• Trans fats (including margarine)
• Meat (especially fatty processed meats)
• Full fat dairy products
• Refined carbohydrates and sugars such as cakes, pastries and desserts
• Soft drinks and cordials
• Confectionary of any kind
• Many packaged and processed foods contain hidden sugars
• Packaged cereals

Apart from dietary trends, certain nutrients also show promising effects on skin aging. Studies have shown that antioxidant nutrients, specifically vitamins C and E, as well as lipoic acid and flavonoids, exert protective effect against oxidative stress in the skin, in particular photoprotective effects. That is they help protect the skin from the oxidative damage caused by the sun. Lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin as a specific subset of carotenoids may also be used as oral sun protectants and contribute to the maintenance of skin health. In fact, taking carotenoids prior to sun exposure will increase the depth and lasting effect of a sun tan (not that extended tanning is advised).

In other research, a daily dosage of soy isoflavones (40mg per day) resulted in the improvement of fine wrinkles and increased skin elasticity after 12 weeks of supplementation in middle-aged women with aged skin. Interestingly, a common arthritis supplement glucosamine also improved the appearance of visible wrinkles and fine lines. Glucosamine is incorporated into glucosaminoglycans (GAGs) in the body. GAGs work to increase epidermal thickness and elasticity of the skin although they have no effect on skin hydration.

Research into oral proanthocyanidins flavanoids from grapeseed extract or pycnogenol has shown they both have a significant protective effect on the collagen matrix of the skin and capillaries. They work by reducing capillary fragility and inhibiting collagen, hyaluronic acid and elastin breakdown. Both substances also have an anti-inflammatory effect and can improve peripheral circulation.

Again it is important to note that while supplemental nutrition can support skin health in a number of ways, if concurrent dietary changes aren’t made, the supplements will be combating the constant inflammatory cascade from high GI foods and saturated fats. Removing these dietary items will ensure that inflammation, AGEs and oxidation are all reduced allowing the supplements to work to their optimal level and effect real changes in skin health.

Author: Ananda Mahony ND. Ananda is a naturopath and skin specialist. She owns Vitale Natural, an organic skin care store and beauty salon in Paddington, Brisbane. www.vitalenatural.com.au

A Wonder Drink from The Healthy Skin Diet

Last month I bought a blender for the express purpose of making this Wonder Drink! And since then I have been drinking it every morning and I love it. Called the Lemon Detox Drink, one of our clients Kelly says it tastes like a tart lemon meringue. The recipe is as follows:

1/2 lemon (wash the outside)
1 tablespoon of soy lecithin (German is better than US variety)
1 tablespoon of flax oil (organic)
300mls of filtered water

Method: finely grate the rind of the lemon into the blender then squeeze in the lemon juice. Add the lecithin, flax oil and water. Blend for 1 minute until frothy. Pour and drink.

Why is this drink so good for you? Well the lemon has an astringent effect which means it stimulates the liver to release bile into the digestive tract to be eliminated. The bile contains stored toxins so effectively you are dumping waste from your liver. The lecithin and flax oil prime your digestive system for the day, particularly your fat digestion so again supporting the liver. And of course water is just plain good for you and helps flush out daily waste particularly via your kidneys.

In addition to all the good detoxing, flax seed oil supports the moisture holding capacity of your skin cells and has a anti-inflammatory effect thereby supporting your skin’s health.

Another client that has been having this drink on a daily basis told me her skin was less red and much more even toned. This was a result I didn’t necessarily expect but a good one nonetheless. For myself, my elbows are soft again. They were getting a bit dry and I was having to moisturise a couple of times a day. Now once is more than enough.

If you decide to try this drink, let me know how you go. I love hearing your feedback.

Find out more about “The Healthy Skin Diet”

Welcome to our new Blog!! It is very exciting and we are looking forward to have some great interactive conversations with our readers. Myself, Ananda Mahony and Roechelle Williams will be chatting with you about heaps of great natural skin stuff!!

Most of our regular newsletter readers know that I am passionate about skin nutrition and there are some basics foods that I always avoid; inflammatory foods such as too much sugar, saturated and trans fats and packaged foods. So generally my diet is good. However, after doing Karen Fischer’s book “The Healthy Skin Diet” I have made a whole lot of changes to the way that I eat. I confess the reason I made the changes was mostly because my skin looked so much better – clear, even toned, glowing (so I am told) and so much more hydrated but also because I felt so good.

The nuts and bolts of the dietary principles that Karen recommends are similar to what I have recommended to skin care clients but the definitely advantage of Karen’s program is so easy and simple to use. For me this means that some of the principles I have been following for the last 4 weeks will be lifetime principles. One I will tell you about is “green water”. Karen recommends adding a teaspoon of liquid chlorphyll to your water (I used Grant’s Liquid Chlorphyll from the health food store). Chlorphyll is a natural detoxifying agent and is also excellent for reducing body odours – foot, underarm etc. It also tastes good which I think it actually the peppermint oil in the chlorphyll but I add it to my waterbottle and make sure I drink at least 600mls of “green water” a day.

Karen has put out a book obviously called “The Healthy Skin Diet” which we now have available on-line.