Berries Prevent Sun-Induced Wrinkles

We know you.

You love the golden look of a natural tan, but hate the fact that it makes your skin wrinkle. It’s scary how you can see the aging immediately after spending an extended period in the sun, unprotected.

We posted earlier on about how tocotrienols (i.e. raw coconut oil) can help to prevent sun damage when ingested or applied topically at night.

Now, new research coming from Koren and American researchers found that myricetin, a major flavonoid found in berries, grapes, tea, red wine, fruits, vegetables, and walnuts, inhibited UVB-induced wrinkle formation in the skin of mice.

What’s really interesting is that myricetin was shown to interfere with the chemical reaction that takes place when UVB interacts with skin to form wrinkles. The flavonoid literally nips skin aging in the bud:

There’s also evidence that myricetin is one of the flavonoids which helps to fight cancer cells.

These foods all have a high source of myricetin:

• onion leaves
• papayas
• guavas
• raspberries
• cranberries
• black currants
• crowberries
• blueberries
• bilberries
• fresh fava beans

Ingrid’s got a great recipe for a berry tartlet here. Enjoy!

By the way – our Hot Yoga Retreat in April is filling up quickly. Grab one of the last spots before prices go up April 1st!

Sources:

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf9811065

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11410016

http://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/jf00024a011

Sun’s Out! Eat This To Avoid Wrinkling

We all know that Vitamin E plays an important role in maintaining our skin’s beauty, and it is often assumed that almonds or olive oil are the best sources. While these two sources are abundant, they contain Vitamin E from the tocopherol family, which is less effective at preventing skin aging than its tocotrienol cousin.

Tocotrienols should be “our first line of defense” against preventing skin damage by the sun, according to dermatologist Dr Nicholas Perricone, MD, CNS.  It’s a powerful anti-oxidant, which has also been shown to contain anti-cancer properties.

The best sources of Tocotrienols are the following foods:

• Cold-pressed palm oil
• Cold-pressed rice bran oil
• Cold-pressed coconut oil
• Barley
• Oats
• Rye

When applied topically, tocotrienols absorb rapidly into the skin, enhancing the concentration and protection of Vitamin E that your body is getting.  We would strongly recommend against rubbing any of these oils on your skin before heading into the sun, since this increases your risk of burning. Instead, use coconut oil as a night cream, and your regular sunblock during the day.

Since we advocate a raw food diet at the House of Verona, we’d recommend that you buy raw, unprocessed forms of these foods, and to eat them without cooking, in order to keep the tocotrienols intact.

But how does one eat grains raw?

Raw barley, oats, and rye can be soaked for 6 to 8 hours until soft, and then either eaten with salads or cereals, or blended in with a morning shake.

Sources:

• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-nicholas-perricone/sun-and-tanning_b_174844.html
• Nesaretnam, K.; R. Ambra R, K. R. Selvaduray, et al. (2004). “Tocotrienol-rich fraction from palm oil and gene expression in human breast cancer cells”. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1031: 143–157.
• Tocotrienol metabolism and antiproliferative effect in prostate cancer cells”. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences 1031: 391–394.
• http://www.ehow.com/how_4502222_soak-sprout-grains-nuts-seeds.html
• The gorgeous photo is from Isabel Watson