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Beauty Is Wellness: Super-Slimming Summer Beauty Foods

by Jolene Hart

Welcome to Beauty Is Wellness, a column about the link between nutrition, lifestyle and beauty based on my health coaching practice of the same name. I’m thrilled to share information about my favorite beauty foods, original recipes for beautiful skin, hair and nails and nutritional tips for beautifying from the inside out in the months to come. If you have specific questions about the beauty and nutrition connection that you’d like to have answered in this column, contact me at jolene@beautyiswellness.com.


You’re heading to the beach or pool this weekend, and you want to make sure your bathing suit fits just right. You could cross your fingers that you wake up on Saturday with a flat belly, or you could get proactive by filling your diet with naturally slimming, seasonal beauty foods. Where to start? It’s all about cutting back on the foods that cause you to retain water and pack on the pounds, while adding in the delicious summer beauty foods that have powerful de-bloating properties. These foods are natural diuretics, meaning they fight fluid retention, a common hot weather beauty complaint.

What foods contribute to extra water weight in our bodies? Processed foods, especially refined carbs, are a big culprit. Processed foods require extra water for digestion, often contain an extremely high quantity of sodium (a major cause of extra water weight), and spike blood sugar, encouraging your body to put on extra pounds. The extra preservatives, additives and artificial sweeteners in these foods can also cause bloating and indigestion.

In place of the chips, pretzels and juices that serve as typical hot weather snacks, eat these slimming foods:

  • Cucumber. These water-rich, kidney-cleansing foods keep you cool and prevent fluid retention.
  • Celery. The balance of sodium and potassium in celery make it an excellent supporter of fluid balance.
  • Watermelon. Yes, adding more water to your diet actually helps you lose excess water weight. Same goes for sipping water throughout the day—it’ll help you stay slim.
  • Lettuce. Add a salad to your meal- the fiber in lettuce helps you feel full while its water content encourages detox.
  • Tomatoes. The high water content in tomatoes means that your kidneys can flush excess fluids and your body can release toxins.
  • Eggplant. This veggie is 90 percent water, and has gentle diuretic and laxative effects, so you’ll say slim and hydrated after eating.
  • Parsley. Not only does parsley freshen your breath, it reduces water retention and supports healthy blood vessels with its high vitamin K content.
  • Lemon. Don’t forget your morning lemon water! It offers a slimming, cleansing start to your day.

For an extra fluid-releasing boost for your body, add dry brushing to your routine. You’ll increase the flow of lymph, which carries away toxins and helps fluids flow throughout the body. Bathing suit weather never looked so good.

For more beauty nutrition news and recipes, check out beautyiswellness.com.

Image ©cbookman17. Text ©2013 Jolene Hart. All rights reserved.

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