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Eat yourself handsome
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Unlike our female counterparts, we men can’t simply stick on a bit of slap to cover up bad skin, pop on a bit of eyeliner to make our peepers look pretty or jump into a pair of high heels to make our legs look great.
We all know we should be doing our bit to make ourselves look our best – and this doesn’t just stop at buying the latest threads from a designer shop.
It starts at home, in your kitchen, with what you eat. Your diet can affect all manner of things, but what dishes should you turn to in order to make yourself more dishy?
What’s the ingredient?
Kiwis
How can I eat it?
Halve and eat with a spoon like a boiled egg for breakfast.
AP Photo
What do they do?
Each furry fruit contains more potassium than a banana and more vitamin C than an orange. Potassium aids with the elasticity in your skin (often damaged by smoking) and vitamin C is great for cell repairing.
Recent studies indicate that the kiwi is the most nutritionally dense fruit, richer in minerals, vitamins and anti-oxidants than any other. It is also rich in vitamin E, another vitamin that is great for your skin and contains as much fibre as a bowl of All Bran which helps to purge your body of toxins that lead to bad skin and acne.
What’s the ingredient?
Blueberries
How can I eat it?
Blitz blueberries with natural yogurt and skimmed milk (and protein powder) for a smoothie or with mixed berries (you could use frozen) until smooth. Add a measure of vodka for a tasty cocktail.
AP Photo
What do they do?
If you’ve ever seen someone with a very red nose from too much booze, blueberries are the answer. The purple wonders are rich in bioflavonoids which strengthen your blood vessels and prevent leakage and breaking. Recent tests on rats also show blueberries lower cholesterol and decrease the absorption of fats too, particularly around the abdomen – which can only be a good thing.
What’s the ingredient?
Eggs
How can I eat it?
Poach or soft boil eggs and serve with purple sprouting broccoli and a dressing made from anchovies, single cream and a splash of vinegar.
PA Wire
What do they do?
Not eating properly is one of the fastest routes to going bald along with stress and the inevitable genetics. Eggs slow the balding process. They are also fantastic for healthy hair – they are rich in iron which can prevent the loss of hair; sulphur, also high in eggs, prevents and counteracts brittle hair and vitamin B, another component, helps you cope with stress.
What’s the ingredient?
Spinach
How can I eat it?
Use young spinach and throw into a hot pan with a splash of olive oil. Let it wilt down and then add toasted pine nuts, sultanas and a squeeze of orange juice, season and serve.
AP Photo
What does it do?
Keep your peepers bright with healthy spinach; it is particularly good at keeping the whites of your eyes clear as it contains the protective carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin.
The green leaf is also high in calcium which helps keep those teeth pearly white as well as strengthening bones for that all important bone structure.
What’s the ingredient?
Avocado
How can I eat it?
Make classic guacamole; mash ripe avocados and mix with coriander, diced tomatoes, chilli and lime juice and season.
AP Photo
What does it do?
Living in the city is a dirty business – pollution and dirt, the filthy air on the tube, smoke and vehicle emissions all destroy your skin, clogging up your pores and stopping it being healthy. Pollution also gets rid of the vitamin E in skin which is essential for keeping it smooth. Avocados are rich in vitamin E but quite high in calories, so don’t tuck in too often.
What’s the ingredient?
Cabbage
How can I eat it?
Shred it into a slaw with carrots and raisins and make a dressing of buttermilk and mayonnaise. Sprinkle with poppy seeds and serve.
AP
What does it do?
The leafy green contains both sulphur and iodine which help to cleanse the gastric intestinal mucous membrane of the intestine and stomach and aids in the break-down of fat.
If you’re suffering the effects of middle aged spread around your stomach or are beginning to sport a pot belly or paunch, cabbage is ideal as it breaks down fat in this area.
What’s the ingredient?
Grapeseed oil
How can I eat it?
Use instead of olive oil in French dressing.
What do they do?
Free radicals increase skin ageing and grapeseed oil is rich in anti-oxidant dense flavonoids which work to reduce free radicals in the body.
The oil is also used in a number of cosmetics as a softener and moisturiser and in anti-wrinkle creams as the extract from grape seeds prevents the breakdown of collagen.
It also contains vitamin E that aids in the reduction of the appearance of wrinkles and lines. You can, if the mood takes you (or her) use it as a massage oil.
