Defy age with fruits and veggies

Dear Betsy, I would like to find a way to reduce the ageing look of my skin without doing surgery or anything chemical. I am 56 years old and stopped smoking about a month ago.

I have been reading about free radicals and understand they are bad for my skin. What can I do to reduce this risk and how can I naturally improve my skin.

Moira.

Dear Moira,

Congratulations! Stopping smoking is one of the most important things you can do to improve not just your skin, but your health in general. Your skin will have 'falsely' aged due to smoking so now you have to drink at least two to three litres of water a day as a first step to improving your skin and your general health.

Free radicals and antioxidants are two terms most of us have heard of. Understanding what they are can make your quest for improved skin, health and longevity simpler.

Electrochemically unbalanced molecules are continually being generated in our bodies as we expose them to chemicals, stress, environmental pollution and sun damage.

In simplistic terms, these naughty-free radicals target collagen, a protein which helps keep our skin plump and wrinkle free. Antioxidants are like the anti-ageing police and they quickly hunt down and neutralise the free radicals and their activities.

So, logic tells you that one way of keeping those free radicals at bay is to introduce more antioxidants into your body. How? Eat healthily, in particular, uncooked fruits and vegetables which are bursting with antioxidants just dying to be let loose on your free radicals! As a general guide the stronger the colouring of the fruits and vegetables, the more powerful their antioxidant properties.

Bring 'super foods' to the rescue.

Try heaping your plate with spinach, tomatoes, broccoli, carrots and sweet potatoes, plus high quality proteins such as salmon, tuna, turkey and lean red meat. Fill up for dessert menu with strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, apricots, blackcurrants, cherries and mangoes.

Antioxidants don't just help keep the wrinkles at bay they also protect us from cancer, heart disease and minor infections.

Get your fix today and every day and you will look better, feel better and strengthen your immune system.

Here in Bahrain, we have no excuse for not eating enough fruits and veggies as the supermarkets and markets are bursting at the seams with fresh goodies from all over the world.

Regular exercise is also important and a skin care routine that is simple enough to ensure you follow it every day.

Cleanse before bed and apply a night cream to your throat and face and an eye cream around the delicate eye area. In the morning, cleanse again and apply your eye cream moisturiser with at least a sun protection factor of SPF 15 and a light application of foundation or tinted moisturiser.

Get that 'glow' by adding a few drops of Benefit's High Beam to your foundation, but Moira, following a healthy regime such as above, will soon produce a glowing complexion from the inside out and if you have found the strength and willpower to quit smoking then this will be a breeze.

BETSY SAYS RELAX

Exercising in the fresh air is a wonderful way to unwind. If you have not tried playing golf, then you are missing out on one of life's most interesting physical and cerebral pastimes.

The Royal Gulf Club and Awali Golf Club offer lessons for beginners and if you find the nineteenth hole the most appealing, then the latter club has plenty on the menu to satisfy you.