By Lauren Rashap
LaurenCouchHere are 7 steps to help restore the skin and get the glow:

Probiotic Push – IT Begins in the GUT. Our second brain. Probiotics are bacteria that line your digestive tract and support your body’s ability to absorb nutrients and fight infection. There are actually 10 times more probiotics in your gut then cells in your body! Your skin and digestive system by themselves host about 2,000 different types of bacteria. Probiotic benefits have been proven effective in supporting immune function and healthy digestion, as well as beautiful skin.

Skip the Sugar/Suppress the Starches – Excess sugar consumption produces advanced glycation end products – a fancy name that is one of the root causes of inflammation, advanced aging and Alzheimer’s. I recommend keeping your sugar/fructose consumption to 25 or fewer grams per day. That’s including fruit, too.

Bone Up with Broth and Consume the Collagen – If you haven’t jumped on the collagen band wagon, I recommend you do so today! Your joints, skin, hair, nails, digestion, and sleep will thank you for it!

Ante up the Anti-oxidants – Foods rich in vitamins A, C, B3, lycopene feed your skin from the inside out. If you’re diet is lacking, see me for supplements.

Face the Fats – Coconut oil, ghee are healthy saturated fats that improve UV resistance and plump up the skin.

Other Skin Miracle Workers – Green Tea inhibits the development of skin tumors; Red Wine and Blueberries – proanthocyanidins prevent UV damage; Turmeric -major anti-inflammatory that’s 5-7 times stronger than vitamin C.

Practice Mindfulness/Meditation – Last week my talk culminated in a 3 minute meditation to demonstrate that it doesn’t take 20 minutes, 2 x daily to reap the calming, anti-aging benefits. In fact, research shows that meditators are physiologically 12 years younger than their non-meditating counterparts.

Lauren Rashap is a Certified Clinical Nutritionist and Certified Yoga and Meditation Teacher.