Obstacle Mud Runner - issue 13

obstaclemudrunner.co.uk ForEliteAtheletes toFunRunners 12 foods to healthy skin Whilst a good mud pack is great for drawing out impurities from our skin, how else can we help keep our largest organ looking and feeling its best? Well, remember the teenage years when our parents told us we we’re spotty because we ate too many sweets? There is some truth in it. I’m sure I used to blame hormones but actually what we put into our bodies really does significantly affect how we look. Here are 7 of my favourite foods that you should include in your diet to help keep your skin glowing and radiant looking. 1 Quite possibly my favourite choice... Dark Chocolate. As if you need another reason to add it to your shopping list which quite frankly it should already be on. Cocoa is really high in antioxidants. Choose one that is at least 70% cocoa in order to really reap the rewards. Cocoa is known to help protect your skin against UV rays and can help improve wrinkles, hydration and your skin texture. 2 Tomatoes. Grown in abundance in OMRMHQ garden every year! A brilliant source of vitamin C and contains all of the major carotenoids such as lutein and lycopene which both protect your skin from sun damage and wrinkles. Try to consume these with a source of fat such as avocado or olive oil as the fat increases the absorption of all the best bits of a tomato. A handful of cherry tomatoes a day could take years off you. 3 Following on from 2 , let’s look at that humble avocado. Not everyone’s cup of tea but I really urge you to try one at different stages of ripeness. The taste and texture changes throughout it’s lifetime but when it’s brown and mushy, it’s past it’s best and time for the bin. Avocados are known for being one of your “good fats” and they really are. These are absolutely essential to keep skin soft and supple, helping you to stay younger looking and healthy. Avo’s are loaded with fibre, contain more potassium than a banana. 4 Go Fishing. OK, that in itself won’t help although the fresh air will benefit you. I’m talking about what you catch. The omega-3 fats in fish not only help reduce inflammation but also makes your skin less HEALTH : SKIN are you glowing and radiant? We all know keeping our skin healthy is only ever going to be a good thing and most of us have our daily routine of washing and moisturising 7 sensitive to UV rays. As well as that, the fatty fish oils help keep your skin moisturized, avoiding dry skin. Another benefit to consuming fish regularly is that it is high in protein needed to maintain the strength of your skin and finally, zinc, helps skin cell production so will make you heal faster. 5 Sunflower seeds. OMRMHQ have these in our homemade breakfast granola. Most of us know that nuts and seeds are good for us and contain more “good fats”. However, did you realise the actual power of these little beauties? Just 1oz of sunflower seeds contains 37% of the recommended daily intake (RDI) of vitamin E which helps maintain healthy skin and eyes and strengthens the body’s immune system; 32% RDI of selenium which is an antioxidant helping protect cells from damage; 10% of the RDI for zinc, good for cell production; and 5.4g of proteins which are essential building blocks for bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood within our body. 6 Red or yellow pepper. An excellent source of vitamin A which actually your body has converted from beta-carotene. Just 1 cup of pepper provides a whopping 92% of the recommended daily intake for Vitamin A. Peppers are also a great source of Vitamin C which is necessary to create collagen which reduces the likeliness of suffering from drier skin. 7 Red Wine is technically from grapes so therefore 1 of your ‘5 a day’ right? This is not permission to down a bottle of your local offy’s finest every evening. The beneficial element of red wine actually comes from resveratrol which is found in the skin on red grapes so maybe just stick to eating those instead. However, for those who prefer their red in liquid form, it is known to offer a wide range of health benefits. It’s the resveratrol which can help reduce the effects of ageing (someone hand me a glass, quick!). Research suggests that it slows down the production of harmful free radicals which damage skin cells. However, red wine is alcoholic and therefore brings a negative impact to your health unless consumed in moderation. Moderate is defined by livestrong.com as 1 glass per day for women and 1-2 for men. NHS guidelines for alcohol consumption in the UK are no more than 14 units per week. Go to www.drinkaware.co.uk or www.nhs.uk for more information on alcohol consumption guidelines.