Dr. C M Kishor Reddy

What you eat has a direct effect on your skin; eat healthy and your skin looks healthy, eat unhealthy food and your skin looks dull. Eating right can even fight signs of aging thus, negating the need for procedures like Botox. Not only does it cost less, but healthy food boosts your overall health as well.

Here are 6 such foods that can help you fight signs of aging and give you a flawless complexion.

1. Turmeric: Turmeric is well known for its yellow colour and anti-inflammatory properties. Many home remedies suggest the use of turmeric for a number of health ailments including skin conditions. Turmeric can fight signs of aging by reducing inflammation and oxidation. This, in turn, helps the skin heal faster. This spice can be added to your food or mixed with warm milk to benefit from it.

2. Tomatoes: Tomatoes are rich sources of vitamin C and lycopene. Vitamin C helps stimulate the production of collagen and hence keeps the skin firm while lycopene protects the skin against harmful UV radiation. As a general rule of thumb, the deeper red the tomato is, the better it is.

3. Berries: Berries such as blueberries and raspberries are excellent sources of Vitamin E and antioxidants that fight against the effects of pollution and rids the body of free radicals and other toxins that cause premature aging. These berries also have anthocyanins that boost the effects of vitamin C

4. Honey: Honey can be eaten or applied topically on the skin to benefit from it. Honey helps keep the body hydrated by absorbing moisture and preventing the skin from drying out. It also has antibacterial properties that prevent acne and other breakouts. Ideally, honey should be used and consumed in its raw, unprocessed form.

5. Nuts: Nuts are a great snack that keeps your skin looking young and fresh. Almonds are excellent sources of vitamin E that help fight acne, psoriasis and eczema among other skin ailments. Walnuts are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids that keep the skin soft and supple. Brazil nuts are also rich sources of vitamin E. However, keep in mind the high calorific value of these nuts and do not overindulge in them.

6. Avocados: Avocados are filled with essential fatty acids that moisturize and nourish skin. They are also rich in Vitamin B, C and E. While vitamin C boosts collagen production, vitamin E maintains the elasticity of skin and prevents sagging. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult a doctor and ask a free question.

Red wine is a ladies' drink; if you are averse to alcohol, especially to its usual, piquant taste, you must have been suggested with the lightness of red wine by officious onlookers. That surely isn't a remote possibility when you are a lady and of age. Cautious introspection backed with years of medical or scientific research tells millions how wine, when consumed in moderation, helps improve a woman's physical health: the facet of mental health can be taken for granted as inebriation of most kinds results in mood elevation. It is therefore a ladies drink indeed.

While being perturbed about the health of your skin, the sagging cheek muscles, a double chin or wrinkles that start showing once women are in their thirties, you must have rarely conjured the image of a vineyard to relax and repair. A vineyard can actually be your key source to youthful skin. Take a look at the following points to believe the same: 

1.  Red wine can act as an anti-aging intervention in case of both men and women. A glass of wine every day can keep a woman's skin young and taut while two glasses of the same drink can let a man enjoy the look of a young adult.
2. Free radicals are active causes of aging. Red wine is rich in antioxidants and thus can do away with such radicals. Many use grapes and grape juice for a glowing skin. Grape juice is way less effective as compared to wine as the latter contains the seed and skin of the fruit during fermentation. The fruit as a whole has polyphenols such as resveratrol that can successfully counter free radicals.
3. If you are a health freak and insist on going by a Mediterranean diet, wine is part of your regular diet. You will experience the benefits in a few weeks' time.
4. When consumed in a measured and controlled manner, red wine can reduce the chance of contracting breast cancer. Wine sharpens your mind while you age; your cognitive faculties therefore do not rust.
5. Red wine can make your skin glow from within, unlike any other wine, as white wines have only a little amount of antioxidants.
6. Your skin feels young and rejuvenated on drinking red wine as the drink aids arterial functions of the body. Thus proper blood circulation is ensured.