The next shift is about accepting your body’s natural ability to renew itself. Life is renewal, and therefore so is beauty. Although you can’t see it, a renewal process is constantly taking place inside your body. Some cells, such as the villus cells in your intestinal tract (which help you absorb nutrients) and the taste buds in your mouth, might be replaced in a few days, while other body parts, such as bones, take much longer to renew. Yet even the most solid-looking parts of your body are exchanging molecules that move in and out of each cell. Some experts believe that the average age of all the cells in an adult’s body is seven to ten years.1 This doesn’t mean that you have to wait that long to see results. Rather, everything in your body is relatively new, even the bones that seem so permanent and fixed. You are actually renewing all the time. This is exciting news, for it means that you can start fostering exceptionally healthy new cells today.
Your red blood cells, which carry oxygen to your skin and provide a glow, course through almost 1,000 miles of arteries, veins, and capillaries; red blood corpuscles have a life span of only about 120 days before being deposited into your spleen.2 According to which researchers you consult, the cells that make up your liver—the all-important filter of toxins, pesticides, and drugs—can be turned over in as little as 1503 to 500 days.4
Fresh, glowing skin is very important to any woman who is beauty conscious, but your skin is also an extension of your overall health. When you shift your attitude in this direction, you can use this very visible aspect of your outer appearance as a message from every cell in your body about your well-being. Before we delve into this shift, please do a quick examination on the current state of your skin. Go to the closest mirror and check out your face, neck, and hands. What is really going on?
Dry skin can indicate a deep level of dehydration, which needs to be addressed from within by hydrating with the right-temperature liquids and foods (more on this on this page) as well as with proper skin-care products. You also might not be getting enough of the proper kinds and amounts of nourishing beauty fat. Some undernourishment or malabsorptive digestive issues may also be at play.
Excessive oil buildup in your complexion might indicate that your liver is overloaded and needs extra care or that you are not adequately metabolizing and assimilating your foods. Are you constipated? Perhaps you are overeating fats, especially the worst kinds (cooked, fried fats and heated vegetable oils). You also may be eating foods that are congestive or allergenic, or that you aren’t digesting completely.
Breakouts can indicate a toxic buildup in your system. Your elimination organs may be overwhelmed, which can encourage impurities to push out through your skin. There may be excessive phlegm buildup from overeating congestive, difficult-to-digest foods (such as dairy), or your digestive system may be compromised.
Inflamed, red, or rashy skin might indicate that you are consistently eating something that is triggering an inflammatory or allergic response. Alternatively, you might be eating foods that are too “hot” for your system. In Ayurveda, internal overheating, known as excessive Pitta, is considered a major cause of aging.
If you are experiencing any of these skin conditions, don’t worry! We bring these up so you have an honest base of assessment as we start to delve into dietary remedies. These skin issues can be balanced, starting with establishing powerful new nutritional rhythms for your long-term lifestyle. Let’s dive in.
Optimal circulation is extremely important. Consider a huge, majestic apple tree. The roots of the tree, buried deep in the soil, have to absorb minerals and water from the earth and then pull them upward into the trunk and outward branches of the tree to nourish each tiny burgeoning twig and, ultimately, the fruit—in this case, the apples. Without proper circulation throughout the tree, the apples would not get the nourishment they need, and they certainly would not be as juicy, delicious, or beautiful.
It’s the same with your body. Circulation ensures that nutrients flow efficiently throughout your entire body, including up into your hair follicles to nourish every hair on your head. It also allows oxygen to reach all of your cells so they can turn over and the new cells grow healthily. Tissue healing is an intricate process that is also regulated by circulation.5 Fat stored in your fat cells needs to be accessible so it can be flushed out to help you maintain your ideal weight. This process also removes aging toxins, pollutants, chemicals, and additives from your body.
Think back to the tree analogy. In your case, the “fruits” of your beauty include the outer, visible parts. But your body cannot possibly be expected to build healthy hair or glowing skin without excellent circulation supplying all its needs and efficiently removing the waste that constantly builds up in your system.
Excessive toxins, mucus, arterial plaque, and waste buildup can congest your system and reduce your circulation. Capillaries, which are very tiny and narrow, carry nutrients and oxygen-rich blood through their thin walls to surrounding tissues. They also allow for cellular waste to return to the blood so it can be excreted from the body. If there are buildups or obstructions in your circulatory system, beauty-building nutrition and oxygen become blocked, and your hair, skin, and nails all suffer. A buildup of toxicity in your system also taxes your whole body and contributes to accelerated aging. For instance, research shows that heavy metals, one of the many types of toxins we are exposed to from the food and water supply, as well as the environment, contribute to aging.6
Your outer beauty isn’t the only element of Radical Beauty that requires excellent circulation. Magnetic energy is also captivatingly beautiful and dependent on this process. Have you ever met someone who was so full of passion and life that you couldn’t help but feel drawn to her? A certain light pours out of her eyes and her authentically joyful smile. Her gestures and movements and even the way she walks all seem fluid and full of liveliness. We’re all attracted to that kind of energy. Energy comes from the combustion of fuel, which requires oxygen. Prana, or your life-force energy, is circulated through the blood, or rakta. The better your circulation, the more oxygen is available to all of your body’s cells, and the more naturally energized you will feel. This will make you all the more positively energetic and, in turn, all the more beautiful.
There are actually two different circulatory systems that work together to keep your body healthy: the cardiovascular circulatory system and the lymphatic circulatory system. The lymphatic system is discussed in detail later (see this page); here we focus on using foods to boost your cardiovascular circulation. But both systems have to be supported in order to maximize your beauty results.
Perhaps you’ve only thought of your cardiovascular system in terms of how it impacts your heart health, but it also has a big effect on your beauty. The cardiovascular system pumps nutrients throughout the body to nourish the glowing skin and the strong hair and nails you desire. With each heartbeat, oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood is distributed to every cell. To boost your beauty, you need this pumping action to efficiently reach all your cells and carry the maximum amount of oxygen and nutrition.
Listed below are some of the most effective foods for boosting your cardiovascular system. Eating these foods is not a quick fix; you can’t munch on a handful of blueberries and expect dramatically thicker hair the next day. But these are excellent foods to incorporate in order to see gradual but long-term shifts in your hair, skin, and energy. Going at your own pace, start incorporating them into your regular routine.
BLUEBERRIES, STRAWBERRIES, GRAPES, AND CHERRIES: All delicious bounty from nature, these tasty fruits contain flavonoids that protect your blood vessels and heart from cell-damaging free radicals.
CITRUS FRUITS: Citrus fruits are high in vitamin C, which helps to prevent plaque buildup in your arteries, are alkalizing upon metabolism (see this page for more discussion on this), and have cleansing properties to help flush out your system. Lemons are forever and always a top Radical Beauty fruit with many versatile uses. Just squeeze them into water or use them as a base for salad dressings. Other great citrus fruits include grapefruit, limes, oranges, and pomelos. (Be sure to seek these out when traveling in Asia and India, where they are natively grown and extra delicious.)
BEE POLLEN: Besides being rich in protein, antioxidants, and minerals, bee pollen contains a compound called rutin, which is an antioxidant bioflavonoid that has been found to strengthen capillaries and blood vessels and improve circulation. It has a faint honey taste, but it’s not sweet per se. The best place to source it is from a local beekeeper. (Check out your local farmer’s market.) Store extra amounts in your freezer. Bee pollen is a great addition to smoothies, and you can also take just a little spoonful of it plain and chew well. Note: As with any new food, be sure to start with a tiny amount first to see how your body reacts. If you have a honey or pollen allergy, bee pollen may not be suitable for you.
AVOCADOS: Avocados supply skin-softening, beautifying, and circulation-supporting monounsaturated fats, as well as lots of folic acid, B vitamins, and fiber. All of this will help support healthy blood flow.
CHIA SEEDS: These are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, which help contribute to healthy and increased blood circulation. It is very important to consume chia seeds after they are fully hydrated (soak chia seeds in about a one part seed, nine parts liquid medium of water, almond milk, or coconut milk, for at least half an hour) in order to get their full beauty benefits. They also include both soluble and insoluble fiber. Chia pudding is always a great bet, not only because it’s delicious but also because it has a perfect gelatinous form that is as cleansing as it is filling.
DARK CHOCOLATE: Dark chocolate contains flavonols that can improve your blood circulation. Pick up some organic, raw cacao powder and add it to your afternoon smoothie. When choosing chocolate bars, go for a high percentage of cacao and a low percentage of sugar. Also be sure to avoid milk chocolate and white chocolate, which do not contain flavonols. Dark chocolate is a great source of beauty minerals, and a moderate amount will help nip your sweet tooth in the bud.
DOCOSAHEXAENOIC ACID (DHA) SUPPLEMENTS: This algae-based healthy fat helps lower triglycerides, reduce blood pressure, thin the blood, and ensure optimal circulation. Your body can make DHA from omega-3 fats, but you can also supplement for extra insurance. Fish obtain their DHA from algae, so rather than take a fish oil pill, which may be rancid, you can go right to the primary source and take an algae-based supplement. (For more about DHA, see this page.)
WARMING SPICES: Ginger and cayenne pepper are great for helping clear congestion and increase your blood circulation. They also boost your metabolism and help strengthen your arteries and blood vessels. Be sure to keep cayenne handy to sprinkle onto wraps or sandwiches. Keep fresh ginger in the fridge, perhaps in a small bowl near eye level so you remember to use it often. Grate it into stir-fries or slice it and add it into soups and teas.
GARLIC: Garlic contains a compound known as allicin that helps open up your circulation and loosen congestion throughout your body. Garlic is a natural blood thinner that can improve blood flow to your limbs.7 It’s especially potent in its raw form, so try adding garlic to raw dips and salad dressings. Garlic still has benefits when heated, so you can add it when cooking, too. Radishes, onions, and leeks are also helpful in a similar fashion.
PUMPKIN SEEDS AND ALMONDS: These both have high levels of vitamin E, which is great for keeping blood flowing freely throughout your body. They’re both also great sources of beauty minerals such as calcium and zinc.
WHOLE GRAINS: High in fiber, gluten-free whole grains such as brown rice help lower cholesterol by binding to bile acids and escorting them out of the body. (Bile acids, manufactured by the liver using cholesterol, are used to digest fat.) Because the fiber helps remove bile acids from circulation, the liver has to manufacture new acids and then uses up more cholesterol. This process lowers the amount of cholesterol circulating in the body. Soak all of your grains (and nuts) overnight to make them easier to digest for nutrient absorption.
While the foods above will help boost your circulation, there are some foods that will have the opposite effect, slowing down your circulation and promoting aging throughout the body. For the best beauty-boosting results, try limiting or omitting the following foods from your diet.
When heated, vegetable oils produce large amounts of beauty-destroying free radicals.8 Free radicals are basically “damaged” atoms or molecules with unpaired electrons that are believed to cause and accelerate aging and tissue damage. Stick to cooking and baking with coconut oil, which is made up largely of medium-chain fatty acids that can withstand high heat without becoming rancid and digests well, supplying energy and even boosting metabolism.
In vegan diets as well as in some Asian societies, dairy products are absent. In veganism the contention is that dairy is mucus forming, contains no fiber, and is very hard for many people to digest. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases estimates that 30 to 50 million Americans are lactose intolerant.9 Many people experience digestive relief after eliminating dairy from their diets for various reasons. As the Harvard School of Public Health states, “Clearly, although more research is needed, we cannot be confident that high milk…intake is safe.”10
Of the two authors of this book, Kimberly feels strongly that cow’s milk is not in tune with the human body and its nutrition requirements. It’s debatable that people have been conditioned to believe that dairy is automatically healthy to consume, but that does not make it biologically right for everyone. Many people worry that without drinking cow’s milk, they won’t get enough calcium and will therefore have bone density issues, but this is not true. Clinical research shows that dairy products actually have little or no benefit for bones. There are numerous studies to back this up, including a 2005 review published in the journal Pediatrics, which concluded that milk consumption does not improve bone integrity in children.11 As for women, the Harvard Nurses’ Health Study followed more than 72,000 women for eighteen years, and its results showed that there was no protective effect of increased milk consumption on fracture risk.12 The consumption of dairy products has also been linked to higher risk for various cancers. The Iowa Women’s Health Study found that women who consumed more than one glass of milk daily had a 73 percent greater chance of developing ovarian cancer than women who drank less than one glass per day.13
Besides, there are plenty of great plant sources of calcium to work into your diet, including Brussels sprouts, collard greens, mustard greens, cabbage, celery, oranges, sesame seeds/tahini, spinach, Swiss chard, and turnip greens. These have beneficial calcium but none of the risks associated with drinking cow’s milk.
Deepak respects the research but feels that milk has been a part of traditional diets in India as well as Western societies for centuries. In keeping with our policy in this book that no food should be demonized, our position is that personal experience can be the best guide if you stay receptive and intuitive to how you react to certain foods after you eat them. Certainly there is no medical harm to giving up dairy as long as you have adequate vitamin D both in your diet and through some exposure to sunlight. Try giving up dairy for two weeks and see if you personally experience any improvements in your digestion and energy.
In the United States, soy is now largely genetically modified. It is also a top food allergen that many people don’t digest well. Though your first reaction is probably to think of soy in the form of tofu, derivatives and highly processed forms of soy are actually in all kinds of packaged foods. For instance, if you look on the label of most packaged energy or protein bars you’ll see “soy protein isolates” listed as an ingredient. This is a fragmented and highly processed soy derivative. If you can’t get organic soy, which by definition means it is not GMO, or derived from a genetically modified organism, then you should avoid it completely, but organic miso, tempeh, and natto are all great choices you can rotate into your diet. These forms are fermented, and the long process of fermentation makes the soy easier to digest and assimilate properly.
Gluten is the dominant protein in wheat, barley, and rye. Like soy, gluten is a top food allergen. Those with celiac disease cannot tolerate gluten, but many others are sensitive to gluten despite not having celiac disease. Gluten sensitivities can lead to bloating and inflammation in the intestinal tract, and gluten may also exacerbate or possibly contribute to autoimmune disorders.14 Wheat is a top pesticide-sprayed crop that often is grown in largely mineral-depleted soil. Try eliminating gluten for two weeks and see if you notice a difference in any existing bloating or digestive issues, or if your overall energy improves. But be sure to avoid processed, low-quality gluten-free products and switch to more whole-foods-based choices instead.
No, cigarettes aren’t a food, but they’re worth mentioning here because of the disastrous effects they have on your beauty and your health. Along with caffeine and alcohol, they constrict your circulation flow and greatly contribute to accelerated aging.
Work to reduce your intake of red meat, dairy, and, especially, artificial trans fats such as margarine. While there is some debate today about whether or not cholesterol is as bad for you as we’ve been led to believe over the past few decades, it’s still a good idea to be conservative with your consumption of animal fats. Plus, toxins and impurities like arsenic-based drugs,15 E. coli bacteria,16 and hormones17 can get stored in the fat of animal foods. Choose lean cuts and avoid oily skins.
In addition to efficient circulation, optimal digestion is key for the proper nourishment of cells and tissues, leading to exceptional health, vitality, and beauty. The body expels solid wastes through the digestive tract, but if there is a blockage or an inefficient flow of elimination, then toxic overload may ensue. This can even lead to the reabsorption of toxins into the bloodstream, filtering through the wall of the colon (a problem commonly known as leaky gut).
Your kidneys, lungs, liver, and skin are other eliminative, cleansing organs able to complete their functions more efficiently if there is no backup in the colon. The gut-liver axis refers to the close anatomical and functional relationship between the gastrointestinal tract and the liver. There is an interaction and exchange between the two organs.18 A study out of the World Journal of Gastroenterology found that taking probiotics to nourish the gut can help support the liver as well.19 Many have reported that the alleviation of constipation has helped clear up the stubborn acne and oily skin that can be a function of an overloaded liver.
There is a strong connection between your gut health and the quality of your skin. One study found that small intestine bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), a condition involving inappropriate growth of bacteria in the small intestine, is ten times more prevalent in people with acne rosacea, and that correction of SIBO in these individuals led to marked clinical improvement in their skin.20 We can also see evidence of the gut/digestion/skin connection as probiotics can help improve skin conditions. The first case that studied this was back in 1961, when physician Robert Siver tracked three hundred patients who were given a commercially available probiotic and found that 80 percent of those with acne showed some clinical improvement.21 More recent studies, including one from Italy, demonstrated that probiotics taken by acne patients in addition to standard care led to better clinical outcomes than standard care alone.22
Even if you take isolated vitamin supplements such as biotin (B7), vitamin C, or zinc (which is commonly recommended for acne) to improve your complexion or your hair, nothing will really work if you have compromised digestion. Digestion is the integrative process of absorbing and assimilating vitamins and other nutrients and expelling everything the body does not need. It makes sense that optimal digestion helps nourish and create beautiful, healthy skin.
More efficient digestion can also allow you to clean out toxins more productively and make it easier to restore and maintain your natural weight. It is well documented that those who struggle with obesity have significantly impaired gut function compared with the general population.23 Obese individuals are shown to have problems with effective digestion and absorption of food, gastrointestinal illness, unstable or pathological intestinal microbiota, poor immune status, and overall lower well-being. This all strongly suggests a lack of gut health.24 Diets high in vegetables or fiber lead to healthier functioning colons with a reduced risk of disease.25
If you are constipated, it is essential that you do something about it immediately for your beauty and health’s sake. Another symptom of sluggish digestion is everyone’s least favorite feeling: bloating. There’s nothing beautiful about trying to peel out of your seat at dinner feeling like your belly is going to split your dress down the middle, or trying to focus on your staff meeting or be present to go over your kids’ homework when your widening midsection pushes past your pants seam, internally screaming at you to pay attention to it and it alone.
Bloating is more than unpleasant; it’s a sign that your digestion has been compromised in some way. Luckily, there are many Radical Beauty recommendations to help you reduce bloat once and for all. The tips below will help increase your digestive power; alleviate constipation and irregular, uncomfortable, or incomplete elimination; banish bloat once and for all; and amplify your energy. All of this can contribute to the unfolding of your own natural beauty’s expression.
Now that you know how important good digestion is to your beauty, here are the most effective steps you can take to improve it.
A high-quality probiotic supplement will help balance the bacteria in your gut and promote better digestion. When choosing a supplement, remember that it’s not all about numbers; don’t look just for the highest culture counts on the label. Instead, look for a product with the widest array of soil-based organisms (SBOs), which are the types of bacteria that can fully survive your stomach acid and take up long-term residence in your gut. This paves the way for continuing gut health and beauty. A formula containing both prebiotics and probiotics is also great, as the prebiotics serve as the “food” to help nourish the probiotics in your gut.
To increase your fiber, eat more veggies in general and include them at all meals, as only plant foods contain fiber (while meat and dairy do not). It’s also important to diversify. The bacteria that digest your food, known as intestinal flora, consume the fiber that we cannot digest. There are between 500 and 2,000 species of these microorganisms in the digestive tract, and they feed on all manner of fiber. Variety is therefore essential, covering the entire plant kingdom in your diet, which means fiber from whole grains, fruits, and vegetables. To maximize the effect of any fiber, use the whole food; choose whole fruits over straight fruit juice, for instance. Buy brown rice in place of white, and choose steel-cut oatmeal over sugary, processed cereals. This natural diversity is much healthier for you than commercial fiber supplements. Care should be taken with the rough bran in bran-rich cereals, however, since it can scrape against the intestinal wall and even injure it. See this page for tips to increase your fiber intake while avoiding excessive gassiness.
Drinking hot water in the morning (with some lemon squeezed in) can encourage your bowels to let go and allow for more efficient elimination. This morning practice contributes to good hydration, which, as noted earlier, is really important. It’s also a good idea to get up earlier. Your gut does not respond well to being rushed, so allow for ample bathroom time after drinking your hot water to let your body relax and do its thing!
Processed foods, fried foods, and dairy are particularly hard on your digestive system.
The more detoxified your body is, the more beautiful you become.
Try waiting at least 3 hours between meals instead of constantly grazing during the day. This allows the foods in your system to digest more fully. Bloat (see this page) may be compounded if your digestive system is constantly full of food, and you pile more and more food that doesn’t have enough time to digest on top. Also try simplifying your meals by using fewer components.
Boost sluggish digestion, or agni in Ayerveda, with spices like turmeric, cumin, black pepper, and ginger. You can sprinkle these spices into stir-fries, soups, and salad dressings, or try adding them to hot water and make your own spice tea.
This nonlaxative, non-habit-forming aid helps clear out accumulated waste in your system. Constipation and waste buildup may also contribute to bloating.
These are capsules you can take to help your food break down more efficiently and support better digestion and assimilation. There are various kinds of enzymes included in various formulations, but in a nutshell, proteases break down proteins, lipases break down fats, and amylases break down carbohydrates.
The carbon dioxide that makes soda and even plain seltzer bubbly can cause or exacerbate bloating.
If your system is rebuilding, try steaming your veggies instead of eating them raw. This can help break down the fiber and make them easier to digest.
The latter probably seems quite obvious, but if you scarf down your lunch while hunched over your computer or lap up a huge plate of food in record time as soon as you get home after a long workday (maybe because you skipped lunch), you may find that eating quickly has a sneaky way of contributing to overeating. Slow down your consumption and you’ll leave the space in your stomach needed to break down foods, which can help abate bloating.
Fat takes longer to digest than protein or carbohydrates and can make you feel uncomfortably heavy if you consume too much of it at once. Avoid bloating by limiting fats in your everyday diet. (You do need the right amount and type of fat, but you don’t need to overdo it. See this page for more info.) A little bit of oil goes a long way when cooking. Try getting a ceramic (non-Teflon) nonstick pan that allows for easier cooking and cleanup while letting you use less oil overall.
These foods contain sugars called oligosaccharides, enzyme inhibitors, and phytic acid, which bind to essential minerals and inhibit their absorption. Soaking can help deactivate these substances, which in turn assists in preventing bloating while improving nutrient absorption.
Brassica or cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and leafy greens are fantastically high in nutrients but can be particularly gas inducing due to the sugars and starches they contain. If you are having major bloating problems or especially if you are transitioning your diet, try temporarily cutting back on broccoli, cauliflower, and Brussels sprouts and having leafy green salads instead of kale salads, as kale (a popular new “superfood” rich in minerals, vitamins, and amino acids) also happens to be in this vegetable family.
Pineapple contains the enzyme bromelain, which helps break down proteins in your body and aids digestion. Try using pineapple as the fruit component of your Glowing Green Smoothie (this page) or having a bowl of cut-up pineapple midmorning.
Especially if your system is sensitive, hot sauces and spices like chili powder, garlic, onions, and vinegar can cause irritation in your stomach that can lead to bloating. Try using flavorful fresh herbs such as basil, oregano, and parsley instead.
Drinking through a straw makes it easier to swallow excess air, which can contribute to bloat. Along those same lines, give up chewing gum, which traps air and gas in your system, contributing to bloating. Chewing is a signal for your body to start breaking down food and begin digestion. Gum chewing is therefore useless and confusing to your body as it is not accompanied by anything nutritive to digest!
Most of us do our best to focus on what we put into our bodies, but the truth is that what you clean out is just as important. To be your most beautiful, you have to constantly support the removal of toxins from your cells.
There are two kinds of toxins: exogenous toxins come from pollutants and chemicals in the environment, while endogenous toxins are the normal by-products of metabolism that are created within your body. Your cells are being renovated daily by two opposite processes, either building up (anabolism) or breaking down (catabolism). As a result, your body has to clear out an enormous amount of cellular debris each and every day. If this is done inefficiently, it can weigh down your body and contribute to toxicity buildup.
Detoxification happens naturally, but you can take steps to raise the level of efficiency. Supporting your daily detoxification processes is vital to maintain clear, glowing skin and a youthful appearance.
Your liver is a critical beauty organ. Weighing around 3 power-packed pounds, the liver is your primary organ for detoxification. It works tirelessly to cleanse your blood of toxins and bacteria and neutralize pollutants. In fact, it filters around one hefty quart of blood per minute, dealing with all the agrochemicals, toxins, pollutants, food additives, preservatives, residues, pesticides, and countless other unnamed residues and chemicals that you put into your body unknowingly (or knowingly, in the case of those margaritas you had at happy hour last Friday!). After processing all these toxins, your liver secretes them into the digestive tract to exit the body or into a water-soluble form to be filtered through the kidneys and excreted as urine.
It’s extremely important to support your liver if you want beautiful skin, eyes, and hair. In addition to its role in detoxification, this organ is the keeper of some sacred beauty goods. It stores vitamins A, B12, and D, as well as iron, copper, and glucose, releasing these nutrients into the bloodstream as needed.26
Your liver is also a major fat burner, since it produces bile and bile acids, which emulsify fats. One issue that brings home the importance of the liver is cholesterol. For decades the link between cholesterol and heart attacks, now the leading cause of death among women as well as men, has been controversial.
Does this surprise you? We’ve all taken for granted that cholesterol is bad for you. In fact, the majority of cholesterol is manufactured by the body itself and is a necessary part of building cells. There is no controversy over this fact, or the risk posed by “bad” cholesterol, or low-density lipoprotein (LDL). The thorny issue that arises is over the cholesterol you eat versus the cholesterol your body makes. There is ample proof that high cholesterol in the blood puts someone at risk for heart disease. But the same has not been proved for cholesterol in the diet. This is because of the liver, which stands midway as a kind of processing plant to turn all the fat you eat into fat for your body to use.
How your liver processes fat is genetically determined. Some people can eat a high-cholesterol diet and still have low cholesterol in the blood; they are lucky when it comes to their liver. Other people are unlucky, and they exhibit high levels of cholesterol in the blood even on a low-fat diet. But most people fall somewhere in between. Their liver will process the cholesterol in their diet into a moderate level of cholesterol in the blood. This natural ratio is considered healthy, but it must be noted that aging causes cholesterol levels to rise. This may be genetically programmed, but it is just as likely that eating a typical high-fat diet for decades causes the liver to decline in function. For the moment, it’s probably best to be prudent, regularly eating the foods rich in the omega-3 fatty acids that we recommend on this page, such as chia seeds, which have a beneficial effect on fats in the blood, and cutting out or greatly reducing the “hard fats” found in red meat.
After being produced by the liver, bile is stored in the gallbladder and secreted into the small intestine to break down those beauty fats and put them to good use. In Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), the liver is considered a primary organ responsible for circulating blood and qi throughout the body. According to TCM, a healthy, well-functioning liver is important for healthy menstruation and fertility.27
When the liver is overloaded by toxicity or mistreated, it becomes dysfunctional and cannot complete its important tasks—from detoxifying to fat burning and blood cleaning—as efficiently as it should. This can lead to premature aging and diminished energy and beauty. When your liver can efficiently process toxicity, your skin becomes brighter and more beautiful, more nutrition is able to reach your hair follicles, and you have more beautiful energy overall. The great news is that this is a resilient organ with super-regenerative powers. Unless you have an extremely damaged liver or a condition like cirrhosis, there is much you can do to help it rebuild and regenerate even if you’ve abused your liver in the past. Taking care of your liver is an essential beauty task. In addition to all of the tips for boosting digestion, following are some of the best techniques and foods to nourish your liver and increase detoxification within your body on a daily basis.
High protein diets have become popular ways to lose weight, but they may also contribute to accelerated aging and disease.28 Nowadays, most people consume far more protein than their bodies really need. Valter Longo, director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California, states, “The majority of Americans are eating about twice as much proteins as they should.”29 Research has shown that long-term high protein intake results in increased cancer risk, precipitated progression of coronary artery disease, disorders of bone and renal function, and disorders of liver function.30 Clearly, when it comes to protein, too much can have negative effects on your system (see this page). Lesson: You can clearly overdo it, so be mindful of how much you are consuming.
Your liver plays a role in protein metabolism, including processing amino acids,31 converting them into glucose for energy, and removing ammonia, a natural waste product of protein metabolism, from the bloodstream.32 The liver also synthesizes nonessential amino acids. An overabundance of protein places a burden on the liver. Try cutting back on animal protein in particular and eating more nutrient-dense plant-based meals to help your liver stay on top of its vital health- and beauty-boosting functions.
Only use over-the-counter drugs when absolutely needed. This includes acetaminophen, also known by the brand name Tylenol, which research has shown has a particularly strong effect on the liver.33 While drugs can be critical in emergencies and accidents, as well as very helpful in treating various medical conditions, your liver does have to detoxify them. Keep this in mind when choosing which medications to take. If you have a headache, resting and rehydrating instead of immediately popping a pill is better for your liver. Very often, drinking water, restoring B vitamins by eating a banana, or getting a massage to help alleviate stress will relieve a headache without taking any type of drug. Speak to your doctor about which prescription medications are absolutely necessary.
All the preservatives, pesticides, artificial dyes, and chemicals that go into packaged foods can distort metabolic processes in the liver. Eat clean and have clean, beautiful skin.
Increase your intake of fruits and especially vegetables, which are very nourishing to your liver. This is easy to accomplish by drinking the Glowing Green Smoothie (this page), eating bigger salads at meals, and keeping fresh, cut-up veggies around to munch on.
Water helps flush out wastes and supports your liver, as well as the functioning of your entire body. Hot lemon water helps purify and stimulate the liver and liquefies bile while inhibiting excess bile flow. It supports your digestion and even has a similar atomic composition to saliva and hydrochloric acid, which are used in digestion.34
Several studies suggest that substances in the milk thistle plant (especially a flavonoid called silymarin) protect the liver from toxins, although research has been limited, mixed, and preliminary.35 If you are new to this herb, be sure to consult your health-care professional first.
This particularly includes foods made from heated vegetable oils (such as potato chips). Cooked, reused, and rancid oils can put an especially big burden on your liver and on digestion in general.36 In lab research, even olive oil cooked at high temperatures has been shown to induce oxidative stress on the liver.37 It’s best to cook with coconut oil, which can withstand high temperatures.
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, if someone has “liver yin deficiency,” the liver has been compromised. This results in hair loss and sallow skin. To strengthen your liver, this ancient Asian medical system recommends eating zucchini, squash, potatoes, sweet potatoes, string beans, beets, mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, carrots, parsley, apples, banana, mulberries, mango, coconut, peaches, lychee fruit, melons, oats, tempeh, and black sesame seeds.38
Radical Beauty is more about creating a balanced lifestyle than adhering to absolutes, but one hard-and-fast rule is to steer clear of beauty-diminishing foie gras. Foie gras sounds fancy, and some people claim it’s delicious, but it’s quite literally the toxic liver of geese and ducks that likely have been fed an unnatural diet of GMO corn. Such a diet creates fatty liver disease in these animals, and the excessive fat makes their liver taste rich and buttery, but it’s a lot less tempting when you realize that it’s disease making it taste this way, isn’t it? Although consuming offal (the internal organs and entrails of butchered animals) has become an en vogue gourmet phenomenon, it’s best to avoid consuming animal liver from any four-, two-, or no-legged creature (i.e., fish). Now that you understand the liver is the detoxifying center for the body, you probably want to avoid eating an organ full of toxins without any extra encouragement.
Grapefruit is high in vitamin C and antioxidants and can help your liver flush out carcinogens and toxins. It also gives your liver a boost in dealing with various medications. In a lab study, grapefruit juice was shown to prevent damage to DNA molecules that were exposed to conventional anticancer drugs.39
Beets are high in plant flavonoids and cleansing fiber and can improve the overall functioning of your liver.
Leafy greens like spinach and romaine lettuce contain chlorophyll and thousands of phytonutrients that can help neutralize the metals, chemicals, and pesticides that may be in your food, thereby helping to protect the liver.
Green tea is full of plant antioxidants known as catechins, which improve the liver’s functioning.
Avocados are a great source of an antioxidant called glutathione, which your liver uses to filter out toxins and harmful waste.
Cruciferous veggies like broccoli and Brussels sprouts increase the amount of glucosinolate (organic compounds) in our bodies, thereby increasing the digestive enzymes that flush toxins and taxing pollutants from the body. (Temporarily delay or start slowly when introducing these veggies if you currently are prone to bloating or transitioning your diet.)
The spice turmeric is not only a fantastic anti-inflammatory aid, but it can also help detoxify your liver by stimulating the production of bile to help your body digest fats better. Start incorporating it into your cooking regimen—check out the Radical Beauty Liver Tonic recipe (below) and the Creamy Masala Vegetable Stew (this page).
Like avocados, walnuts are also high in glutathione and omega-3 fatty acids, which can support your liver’s cleansing functions.
It’s probably obvious by now that if you want to be as toxin-free as possible, you should avoid alcohol. No one would suggest that alcohol is a beauty booster. But the divide between theory and reality can be wide! It’s perhaps unrealistic to think you’ll never drink an alcoholic beverage again. This may be the case for some of you, but for others, it’s a distinct possibility that you may have a drink (or a few) here and there, as well as some big nights out. (Though if you are serious about preserving your beauty, these would be increasingly less frequent.)
Alcohol is a hepatotoxin, meaning it specifically damages your liver and impairs your body’s ability to detoxify itself. Alcohol is also dehydrating and causes your skin to look less fresh and smooth, especially the day after imbibing. There is no doubt that alcohol is depleting. If and when do you decide to indulge, there’s some important information to keep in mind when picking your poison.
Chances are you’ve never heard of congeners. But if you drink alcohol, you have unknowingly consumed them. Congeners are substances produced during fermentation that can include small amounts of chemicals such as esters, tannins, acetone, methanol, and aldehydes. Congeners are responsible for most of the taste and aroma of distilled alcoholic beverages and may contribute to the symptoms of a hangover.40 Darker liquors such as whiskey or scotch contain more congeners than clear liquors. Research has suggested that whiskey and dark liquors can produce stronger hangovers due to their high levels of congeners.41 This means that because of their extra impurities, darker liquors hit your body in a stronger and perhaps more damaging and aging way. If you are going to drink hard liquor, stick to clear varieties such as vodka or gin.
The simplest drinks are, of course, shots, but these are definitely not the best idea as they go down way too fast and may lead you to consume far more than you realize. A better option is to nurse a simple drink of vodka, soda water, and lime. Avoid sugary mixers, which add inflammation on top of the toxic effects of the alcohol and further age your skin, adding a sallow appearance, dark under-eye circles, and puffiness. Skip the mojitos and other mixed drinks that call for pure cane sugar. Also avoid sugary mixers such as orange juice, sodas, energy drinks, margarita mixes, and the like. It’s simply too much for your poor body to take all at once. If you really want a sweet drink, try adding some stevia, xylitol, or a little coconut sugar or raw honey to unsweetened and diluted cranberry juice and vodka. Of course, it would be hard to find this at a bar, but you could make it for yourself and your friends during a festive home hangout.
Red wine contains more antioxidants than white, so it is generally the better choice. However, red wine can also inflame the skin and trigger a histamine release in some people (especially those of Asian descent). This can cause redness and preexisting rosacea to flare up. Unfortunately, wine often comes with added sulfites, and the sugars in wine can contribute to candida and sugar-imbalance issues. Still, if you have none of these aforementioned issues, red wine (in moderation) is not a bad choice.
Beer shouldn’t be your go-to alcohol of choice (minus those occasional tailgating parties, perhaps). Because of the hops that are used to brew it, beer has some estrogenic effects, meaning it can disrupt your hormones.42 It can also be very bloating and often contains gluten.
Alright, so it happened. You woke up feeling completely lousy from one (or a few) drinks too many. It’s too late now to try to alternate drinks with water or to pass on that last cocktail. (Who knew it would come back to bite you this badly!) What should you do?
Drinking lots and lots of room temperature water to rehydrate your entire system is a good place to start. You can also sip on hot water with lemon to help flush out your liver. Add some ginger, which will stimulate digestion and help you process the excess alcohol lingering in your system. Coconut water will also help, as it contains potassium, electrolytes, and some B vitamins that will combat dehydration and replenish your body.
For breakfast, eating fiber-filled foods will make you feel more balanced. A simple gluten-free avocado sandwich will stabilize you, and the carbohydrates in the bread will absorb the excess alcohol in your system while helping your achy head. Also try eating a banana, which contains potassium and B vitamins, to help replenish what your body lost from your little alcohol binge; some oatmeal with a banana would actually be a fantastic choice.
At lunchtime, a hummus and veggie wrap or sandwich (preferably with gluten-free bread) can also be comforting and digests well during this “delicate” time. A nice big lentil or veggie soup with some brown rice, or vegetarian sushi rolls, are also good choices. Try some chopped cabbage either in a salad or in a healthy slaw with a little tahini as the base. The cabbage will help stabilize your blood glucose levels. Stay away from greasy foods (as tempting as they may be) or the misguided “hair of the dog” approach (which refers to drinking more alcohol the next morning to ease a painful hangover), which will just add to the digestive burden and make it harder for you to get back to normal. Don’t worry; this, too, will pass.