5 Ways to Maximize Your Natural Beauty

Beauty radiates from the inside out, glimmering a hint into your health and well-being. A healthy lifestyle supports optimal circulation, appropriate body weight and muscle tone, and abundant energy. Here are five of the most effective habits you can integrate into your routine to maximize your attractiveness and catapult your health at the same time:

1. Replace acidifying, toxic foods that wreak havoc on your skin, hair, and body with a nutrient-dense, whole food, plant-based diet, which improves skin tone and clarity, helps maintain optimal body weight, and promotes shiny, thick hair. 

Simply eat less:
• Processed foods
• Animal products
• Sugars
• Oils
• Artificial sweeteners/flavors/colors

And eat more:
• Raw and cooked vegetables (especially leafy green vegetables, like spinach, kale, collard greens, broccoli, bok choy, and chard)
• Fruits
• Whole grains (try to include super-grains like quinoa, buckwheat, and wild rice)
• Legumes (all varieties of beans, lentils, and peas)
• Nuts and seeds (emphasize flaxseeds, hemp seeds, walnuts, and almonds)

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2. Exercise at least 5 times per week. Two of my favorite adages are that “you will rust out before you wear out” and “use it or lose it.” Among the infinite advantages of working out regularly include promoting full-body circulation, enhancing detoxification, and stimulating muscle and bone growth. Each exercise opportunity need not be formal and you can mix it up throughout the day. Three 10-minute segments are equivalent to one 30-minute bout. Pick any type of exercise that you enjoy. The only rules are that you mix it up regularly and that you just plain do it…


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3. Eat at least 3 servings of carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables every day to boost skin glow and help protect against acne, scarring, and aging. These include leafy green vegetables, and vegetables and fruits with red/orange/yellow flesh (i.e. carrots, sweet potato, squash, bell peppers, tomatoes, and cantaloupe). One serving equals ½ cup raw or 1 cup cooked.

4. Slough and slather your skin. The skin is your largest organ and its job is to protect your body by keeping foreign invaders out. Keep your skin happy and healthy by improving circulation with regular body brushing and moisturizing. Begin with a large, soft body brush and gently brush your entire body from your toes to your nose with circular and/or long strokes, aimed towards the heart. This removes dead skin and stimulates circulation. Do this before you hit the shower or bath and you will notice a comfortable tingle and rosy glow. Follow your wash with a chemical-free body lotion that can include a few drops of your favorite essential oil (lavender to relax, tea tree oil to boost immunity, or citrus to improve mood).

5.  Eliminate chemicals from your beauty care products.
Choose products that include minimum chemicals, especially: parabens, phthalates, PEG, petroleum, triclosan, fragrances, artificial colors, sodium lauryl/laureth sulfate, sodium methyl sulfate, preservatives, and silicone. There are now multiple brands on the market that are free from these toxic ingredients and, instead, are made with essential oils and other natural products. You can even make your own products using simple household ingredients like:
• Coconut oil and sugar body scrub
• Rosemary oil and almond oil hair conditioner
• Green tea facial toner
• Tea tree oil blemish buster
• Beet juice and olive oil lip stain
• Olive oil with lavender, rose petal, or mint leaf body lotion

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Julieanna Hever, also known as The Plant-Based Dietitian, is the author of the best-selling book, The Complete Idiot’s Guide To Plant-Based Nutrition, and the nutrition columnist for VegNews Magazine. She is the co-author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Gluten-Free Vegan Cooking. Julieanna was recently featured on The Dr. Oz Show, The Steve Harvey Show, Reluctantly Healthy, Issues with Jane Velez-Mitchell, and E! News, co-stars on The Chef and The Dietitian, on numerous radio shows, and has lectured extensively throughout the United States. She co-produced and starred in To Your Health, and counsels a variety of clients worldwide from her Los Angeles-based private practice including elite athletes, adults, and children with various nutritional and/or medical concerns. She taught as part of Dr. T. Colin Campbell’s eCornell Plant-Based Nutrition Certification Program, and worked as a personal trainer and clinical dietitian. Her work as Executive Director of EarthSave, International has provided an opportunity for Julieanna to bring whole food, plant-based nutrition to the forefront of efforts to improve the current global health crisis. Julieanna received her Bachelors degree from UCLA and Masters of Science in Nutrition at CSUN, where she also completed her Dietetic Internship.