Free Holistic Beauty from the Inside Out by Julie Gabriel Page A

rather than plant sources, so if you are a vegetarian you should think about supplementing your diet with zinc in the form of zinc citrate or zinc gluconate. Whole wheat, rye, oats, and beans are good sources of zinc. Pecans and Brazilian nuts are also good sources of zinc for vegetarians and omnivores. You can also consume zinc from cooking liquids, especially from vegetables. Zinc is readily soluble in water, so when you cook your grains or beans, much of the zinc is lost in water. Think twice about discarding that water from boiled beans or Brussels sprouts! Save it to make a batch of soup or a sauce for your next meal; cooking your rice or pasta in the water where your vegetables cooked not only saves time, but also adds flavor and nutrients to your meal.

    THE BEAUTY OF FIBER
    There is yet another reason to embrace complex carbs: they are incredibly rich source of another beauty essential, namely, fiber. “Roughage” is crucial for healthy complexion and trim, flat tummy as it binds to toxins and helps eliminate them from the body before they hit the bloodstream and reach other vital organs. Less stress for your liver means clear, healthy skin and less abdominal fat as your liver is the main organ of detoxification. Since fiber cannot be broken down by enzymes, it travels through the intestines, grabbing up all the dirty bits along its way. A sluggish, stagnant colon causes your belly to protrude and your skin to work double shifts eliminating toxins. And there’s yet another reason to eat lots of fiber-rich foods: this natural scrub for your intestines also helps reduce excessive levels of estrogen hormones in the body, which may help maintain glowing complexion and reduce the risk of breast 71 and uterine 72 cancers.
    Choosing the right type of fiber for your body can be tricky. If you are not accustomed to ample amounts of fiber, then “hard” fibers, such as cellulose found in wheat bran and psyllium husks, can clog up your colon and cause even more trouble. To avoid this, you should slowly teach your body to operate under extra fiber weight with soluble fibers, such as pectin, gums, and mucilage, which form gels in the colon and have a gentler yet effective cleansing effect. Pectin is contained in apples, guavas, quince, plums, gooseberries, oranges, and other citrus fruits. Gums are present in oat bran, oatmeal, beans, and sesame seeds, while ample amounts of mucilage can be found in psyllium fiber.
    Introducing more fiber is quite easy. An apple a day may not keep the doctor away, but three apples are more likely to do the trick. All nuts, seeds, and whole grain cereals such as barley, buckwheat, quinoa, millet, and whole wheat supply our bodies with ample amount of fiber along with vitamin E, magnesium, and other minerals and vitamins contained in their unprocessed form. For other foods, fiber and sugar content are interlinked.Because of the food particle size, chocolate has lower glycemic index than brown rice—yet, of course, brown rice provides our bodies with much more fiber than chocolate! With other highfiber foods, there’s a battle between water soluble and insoluble fiber. For example, barley has a lower glycemic index and therefore lower potential to cause skin problems than whole wheat. So which sources of fiber are most beneficial?
    When choosing natural sources of fiber, low glycemic index types should be your first option. The World Health Organization recommends that you take up to 40 grams of fiber daily. Barley, rye, peanuts, soy beans, and other legumes have relatively low glycemic index and therefore provide a good balance between fiber and sugar intake.
    Fiber comes as a supplement too. If needed, for best results, take your supplements with a probiotic or after eating a natural yogurt enriched with milk bacteria, followed by two glasses of pure water.
    However, be careful of fiber supplements. Sometimes too much fiber can cause as much problems as too little. When you overload your body