The Beauty Diet Read online

  the BEAUTY DIET

  Looking Great Has Never Been So Delicious

  LISA DRAYER, M.A., R.D.

  Copyright © 2009 by Lisa Drayer. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

  ISBN: 978-0-07-154478-8

  MHID: 0-07-154478-X

  The information contained in this book is intended to provide helpful and informative material on the subject addressed. It is not intended to serve as a replacement for professional medical advice. Any use of the information in this book is at the reader's discretion. The author and publisher specifi cally disclaim any and all liability arising directly or indirectly from the use or application of any information contained in this book. A health care professional should be consulted regarding your specifi c situation.

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  To my wonderful husband, David, with lots of love

  Contents

  Acknowledgments

  Introduction

  1 Body Beautiful

  2 The Top 10 Beauty Foods

  3 Nutrition for Smooth, Glowing, Clear, Taut Skin

  4 Nutrition for Rich, Shiny, Strong, Soft Hair

  5 Nutrition for Long, Shapely, Strong Fingernails

  6 Nutrition for a Gleaming, White, Healthy Smile

  7 Nutrition for Clear, Bright, Sparkling Eyes

  8 The Beauty Diet Lifestyle

  9 The Beauty Diet Meal Plan

  Index

  Acknowledgments

  I would like to express my utmost appreciation to those who helped to make The Beauty Diet a reality.

  To my agent, Stacey Glick: Thank you for encouraging me to write this book! It would not be here today without your terrific advice and insight. To my editor, John Aherne: Thank you for all of your support, especially when times got tough! I appreciate all of your efforts and enthusiasm for this book. A very special thank-you to Judith McCarthy, Julia Anderson Bauer, Joseph Berkowitz, Tom Lau, Amy Morse, Staci Shands, Heather Cooper, and the entire staff at McGraw-Hill, for your dedication to this project.

  I am extremely grateful to Melissa Gaman, the most talented chef ever! Thank you for your hard work, diligence, and creativity in developing the most delicious Beauty Diet recipes, incorporating the Top 10 Beauty Foods. You are a dream to work with. To Nellie Sabin: I am convinced you work miracles! I am forever grateful for all of the hard work you put into this book. Thank you for all of your time and effort in making the manuscript the best it can be. To my fabulous dietetic intern, Anar Allidina: Thank you for all of your supporting research on the Top 10 Beauty Foods and "Beauty Myths."

  A very special thank-you to Julie May, for your wonderful insight and hard work in helping to bring The Beauty Diet full circle, and to the amazing beauty publicist Madeline Johnson, for your great enthusiasm in spreading the word about The Beauty Diet wherever you go!

  My deepest appreciation and thanks to my wonderful family, for their love, support, and encouragement: my extraordinary parents, Barbara and Barry Drayer, who—with their love, patience, and guidance—made me who I am today; my very special brother, Jeff, who is near and dear to my heart; my loving grandparents, Edie and Bernie Cooper and Sylvia and Nat Drayer, who mean the world to me; and my wonderful new parents, Dolores and Edwin Strumeyer, whom I am so lucky to have in my life.

  Last but not least, a big hug and kiss to my loving husband, David: Thank you for all of your support and guidance during every stage of this book, and for showing me firsthand the meaning of beauty from the inside out. I am so lucky to have you as my partner in life, and I cannot imagine this road without you. I love you.

  Introduction

  As a beauty nutritionist, helping people look and feel their best is what I do for a living. Most of my clients are women for whom looking great is a high priority. And I mean high priority! Whether it's a bride-to-be who wants glowing skin on her big day, a television anchor who needs to appear polished in front of the cameras, or a model whose business is her looks, my clients must look terrific. I advise all kinds of people, from New York moms who maintain a high standard of attractiveness for their active lifestyle to those in business and politics who need to look stunning for their events and media coverage. Behind closed doors, I help my clients lose weight, counteract years of sun exposure, and resist the effects of aging—not with drastic surgery or expensive potions, but with everyday foods you can find at your supermarket.

  Any woman would like to have a trim figure, glowing skin, glossy hair, shapely fingernails, bright eyes, and a captivating smile. Happily The Beauty Diet makes all these possible—plus it gives you the high energy and mental clarity that come from nourishing your body and brain with nutrient-rich foods.

  As a woman in my 30s, I am concerned about keeping a youthful appearance more than ever before. The many advertisements for beauty-related products and procedures tell me I'm not alone. I am in the company of many friends, clients, and colleagues who are looking for ways to prevent the signs of aging and enhance their beauty. Women are sta
ying active and beautiful longer than ever before, and I am excited to share my expert advice about eating for beauty with women from all walks of life.

  How did I get started with beauty nutrition? I love reading studies and articles that reveal new facts and offer sound antiaging advice. In fact, I am a pack rat when it comes to this kind of information. If you open my file cabinet, you'll find dozens of pink file folders, all labeled according to topic. My "skin" section alone includes the latest scientific research into topical antioxidants, the link between diet and acne, the effect of omega-3 fats on skin, which vitamins can help counteract sunburn, whether collagen creams really work, and more.

  My personal interest in achieving wellness and beauty through diet has turned into an exciting career. I have expanded my beauty practice to include appearances on national television shows, a column in Women's Health magazine, and consulting work with manufacturers of health and beauty products.

  So what does this mean for you? You can consider me your friend and adviser on all things related to nutrition and beauty. My goal in writing this book is to offer noninvasive solutions to women who share similar desires for maintaining their beauty, in a safe, cost-effective manner. Turn to this book whenever you are searching for answers on enhancing your natural beauty using the nutrients in the foods we eat.

  In Chapter 1, you'll find important information that will help you make good food choices when it comes to staying fit and beautiful for the rest of your life. As long as you're eating, try to make every calorie count for something! Here you'll learn how to choose nutrient-dense foods that are beneficial to your health and appearance in a variety of ways. Through my experience and research, I have identified what I consider the Top 10 Beauty Foods, described in Chapter 2, which are the best sources of beauty nutrients, including proteins, healthy carbohydrates and fats, vitamins, minerals, and anti-oxidants. To use them in as many different delicious ways as possible, see "The Beauty Diet Meal Plan" in Chapter 9. Each breakfast, lunch, dinner, and beauty snack on the four-week meal plan contains at least one of my Top 10 Beauty Foods, so by following the plan, you can maximize your intake of beauty nutrients without any guesswork. The meal plan includes a ton of delicious recipes and, while your taste buds will be tempted, your figure won't suffer: each day averages about 1,500 calories, to help you stay slim and sexy.

  I encourage you to read this book from beginning to end, because you'll pick up all kinds of useful information in every chapter. If you need information about nutrition for glowing skin right away, turn to Chapter 3. For fuller, shinier hair, see Chapter 4. For longer, stronger fingernails, consult Chapter 5. For your brightest teeth and most winning smile, see Chapter 6. For clear and sparkling eyes, see Chapter 7. And be sure to read Chapter 8 to enrich your new healthy lifestyle with antiaging, beauty-enhancing routines.

  Throughout the book you'll find special in-depth descriptions of the vital vitamins and mighty minerals that help you wake up gorgeous every day. You'll also find different kinds of sidebars: each "Beauty Myth" addresses a common misconception, each "Beauty Diet Rx" offers prescriptive nutrition advice, and each "Beyond the Beauty Diet" provides up-to-the-minute beauty advice you can use in your daily life. I have also included useful information from my guest experts, which you will find in various chapters.

  In the final chapter are my Beauty Diet meal plans and recipes for four weeks of spectacular breakfast, lunch, dinner, and beauty snacks—all using one or more of my Top 10 Beauty Foods. You'll be ravishing in no time!

  Sound tempting? Stay with me, and I'll teach you how to make every calorie contribute to your head-to-toe transformation. You'll experience the full glory of your natural beauty and, of course, a feeling of fabulousness that you have never known before. When the compliments start to roll in, just say you're on the Beauty Diet!

  1

  Body Beautiful

  I'm a firm believer in the idea that beauty starts with a healthy lifestyle.

  —Bobbi Brown

  It's a great time to be you! Gone are the days when there was just one standard of beauty. Open a catalog or magazine and you'll see beauty of all shapes, sizes, ages, and colors. Models and movie stars are skinny and plump, tall and short, young and old. Beauty can mean ample curves or elegant angles; long, luxuriant hair or a short bob; smoky eyes or a freckled face. What's not in style is looking super-skinny, undernourished, and unhealthy. Today the key to attractiveness is radiant health and abundant energy.

  By making the most of your natural beauty, you'll turn heads and capture hearts. If you were born with pale skin, freckles, and flaming red locks, you can be beautiful. If you have golden skin, almond eyes, and pin-straight hair, you can be beautiful. If you have ebony skin, lush features, and wild curls, you can be beautiful. Whether your hair is jet black, snow white, or anything in between, you can set your own standards of beauty because your allure is going to come from inside.

  When you start really nourishing the beautiful body you were given, you'll find yourself reaching less often for the concealers you've been using to hide troubled skin or camouflage those dark circles under your eyes. You'll use less makeup and fewer maintenance products once your skin regains its youthful suppleness, your thick and glossy hair grows in, and your nails grow long and strong. People will comment on how fabulous you look—or, if they can't quite put their finger on your new appearance, you'll get comments like "Did you get new glasses?" or "Did you cut your hair?"

  As you will read in the pages ahead, I stand firmly behind the fact that what you put into your body—including all of the food and beverages you consume on a daily basis—will come out through your physical appearance. When you eat a healthy, antiaging beauty diet, you exude confidence while looking your absolute best.

  How Food Makes You Beautiful

  While I have to admit genetics plays a role in how we age, it's now clear that there is a lot we can do to stay looking youthful well into our 40s, 50s, and beyond. It's good to know that eating my Top 10 Beauty Foods—and drinking my two Beauty Beverages!—can help keep our skin firm, eyes sparkling, hair glossy, nails strong, and teeth gleaming.

  When I see celebrities and Hollywood legends who look especially terrific for their age, I feel inspired. So, in that spirit, here are some age-defying beautiful women. If I look half as good as they do when I reach their age, I'll be more than happy! Follow my antiaging Beauty Diet, and you may look like Raquel Welch (born in 1940), Helen Mirren and Diane Sawyer (born in 1945), Susan Lucci and Susan Sarandon

  BEAUTY BITE

  What Is a Beauty Food?

  To make the most out of every calorie, choose foods that are:

  Nutrient dense, meaning rich in nutrients—including high-quality proteins, healthy carbohydrates, and beneficial fats—compared to calorie content

  High in micronutrients, such as beauty-enhancing vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and phytochemicals

  Fresh, and preferably grown locally, to preserve the natural vitamins

  Organic, or at least grown and prepared without preservatives, pesticides, antibiotics, artificial colors, and other additives

  Unrefined, unprocessed, and unbleached

  High in fiber, to slow digestion and promote satiety and slimness

  (born in 1946), Meryl Streep (born in 1949), Mary Hart (born in 1950), Kim Basinger (born in 1953), Oprah Winfrey and Christie Brinkley (born in 1954), Iman (born in 1955), Sela Ward (born in 1956), or Michelle Pfeiffer (born in 1958).

  First, some food basics. Don't worry, this will be fun. I just want you to understand the concepts of eating for beauty so that you will make the best possible decisions for your health and appearance for the rest of your life.

  When we eat poorly, it shows. Even if we maintain an ideal weight, our skin tends to break out or become wrinkled. Our hair looks dry and damaged, our fingernails may have ridges or white spots, and our teeth become stained and even cavity-ridden. Definitely not the picture of beauty! Thankfully, changing our diet is e
asy, and the rewards are both rapid and radiant.

  What makes a Beauty Food? Look for quality proteins, wholesome carbohydrates, healthy fats, and plenty of beauty-enhancing vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. The more healthful nutrients a food has, the more you'll want to include it in your Beauty Diet.

  Protein for Youthful Skin, Strong Nails, and Glossy Hair

  An important beauty nutrient, protein is the main structural component of our bodies, and it plays a key role in the health of our features. Hair, skin, fingernails, muscles, bones, organs, tissues, and cells all need a constant supply of protein for growth and repair. By nourishing our bodies with protein, we are more likely to attain beautiful hair and fingernails. Protein also is an essential component of collagen, the connective tissue that provides support for beautiful skin. To keep skin supple and slow down the signs of aging, it is important to consume an adequate amount of protein on a daily basis.

  On the Beauty Diet, I recommend consuming about 25 percent of your calories as protein. Based on 1,500 calories, this is equivalent to 94 grams of protein a day. More than this amount is not necessary, and consuming excess protein (such as the amounts indicated on very low–carbohydrate diets) can stress the liver and kidneys; plus, the body converts any protein it can't use into fat. Because you do need some high-quality protein every day—it's critical to beauty!—my Beauty Diet meal plans give you the amount that you need without going overboard.

  Carbohydrates for Radiant Energy