How Deep Does Your Beauty Go?

Article first published as How Deep Does Your Beauty Go? , by Linda Voss, on Technorati.


You know the old saying that beauty is skin deep. My dad used to take it one step further and say "beauty is skin deep but ugly goes to the bone". That saying is referring to the inner beauty of a person's character but have you ever wondered how deep your physical beauty goes? Could it be that what is underneath the skin and deeper into the body factors into the beauty we see on the surface?

As women we are bombarded with images of the “perfect” woman. With everyone being professionally made up, lighted, touched up and air-brushed it is understandable why there is such a distorted view of beauty today. Since we don’t all have those services at our fingertips what can we do to give ol' Mother Nature a little help?

There is an article in the The Sun Times, by Janice Norris, quoting two doctors who touch on this very topic.

Dr. Thomas Spies, at an annual meeting of the American Medical Association, said “As tissues become damaged, and they lack the chemicals of good nutrition, they tend to become old. They lack what I call ‘tissue integrity.’ If we can help the tissues repair themselves by correcting nutritional deficiencies, we can make old age wait.”

Dr. Oz says that sugar and hydrogenated fats (basically processed foods) are the two things that age us fastest.

Both quotes give very timely and relevant information. Would you believe, however, that Dr. Spies said this in 1957? If he was concerned about nutritional deficiencies then just imagine what he would be saying 50 years later.

We all know that diet and exercise is the best way to keep our body healthy and fight the signs of aging. Still, I struggle with this. Some days I just don’t feel like getting on the tread mill and, dang it, I want a brownie. That being said there are small changes we can make that will impact our health and therefore our beauty.

Eating at home more frequently and cooking some of our meals. This cuts out many of the processed foods that Dr. Oz talks about. Eat more whole grains. Instead of buying Wonder Bread try heartier whole grain breads, or, learn to make whole wheat bread yourself. Eating more fresh fruits and vegetables will also make a big impact in giving you vital nutrients such as vitamins and minerals that processed foods are lacking.

It won’t happen overnight but it can help. Go for a short walk and have an apple. The fresh air will do you good and it’s a start in a positive direction.