Even with the plethora of faddy diet trends and beauty products claiming to take us to the fountain of eternal youth and gift us bodies that would make even a young Adonis green with envy, the truth is actually like most truths a much simpler affair. The shocking thing is as we open our purses to buy yet another pill, another jar of magic lotion, a low-calorie, sugar-free, gluten-free, dairy-free pre-packaged and highly processed little plastic container of microwaveable food we know deep down that the value in these are often little more than overhyped and over-dressed but are ultimately empty promises. We want to believe in the quick-fix fairy tale.
Well call me your fairy godmother of hard knock truths! It may be because of my frugal upbringing within a stern Chinese culture where everything and everyone had to earn their place by proving their worth (“until you can tell the time on the big clock you’re not allowed a watch” – an actual conversation I had with my parents as a child trying to convince them to buy me a watch so I can be like the other cool kids who couldn’t tell the time either but had funky cartoon-themed watches) or my mum’s belief (and incidentally my belief now) that good health and therefore beauty comes from what we eat and drink. Genetics aside, what we feed our bodies forms the strong foundation upon which we build our good health which as we all know directly affects how we look and feel internally and externally.
Your body can only use what you give it. Think about that. If you give it rubbish how do you think you will feel? I’m a believer of feeding yourself nutritious and wholesome food as well as using beauty products that are as natural as possible. Over time, everything else will follow suit – better health, suppler skin, brighter eyes, thicker hair, stronger bones and increased efficiency of your internal organs which in turn encourages all the above.
Educate yourself. We all know that eating our fruit and veggies is good for us but did you know that eating oranges can help you on your way to glowing skin as it is full of vitamins that your skin needs or that drinking a high-quality green tea can help cleanse your blood making it more efficient for delivering nutrients around your body? Every natural food has its superpower – go seek them out and give your body the chance to shine!
Extra tip: when buying your next day cream, look for one with an SPF to give your skin protection from the sun’s UV rays which can cause wrinkles and blemishes in the long term!
Susan is the owner of Sunshine Tea Lounge, local tea lounge, deli and bakery shop at 29 Buchanan Street, Baillieston. Check out #sunshinetealounge on Facebook and Instagram for more ideas!
