Keeping Your Skin Hydrated – Beverages & Foods to Avoid (or Consume in Moderation)

A well-hydrated skin ensures that you keep those fine lines and wrinkles at bay. You can spend an exorbitant amount of money on a really good moisturiser, but do you know that the simplest way to keep your skin hydrated is to drink as much water as possible? Nevertheless, there are beverages and foods that you should consume in moderation or as little as possible in order to avoid dehydration.

Beverages

1. Drinks with high sugar content

    Such drinks are known to add other health problems such as weight gain and diabetes, but they also can increase water loss in the body. What happens is that the body's water storage capacity is reduced and enzyme function is impaired due to the acidic environment that is created when one consumes these sugary drinks. This is compounded by the fact that water and enzyme function are needed to metabolize the additional sugar. People who do excessive physical activities must watch what they drink, especially sports drinks that contain sugar as it may cause them to lose extra fluids.

Sodas on supermarket shelves
(Shared on Flickr by francois schnell)

2. Alcohol

    We're not asking you to abstain from your favourite wine or beer, but please drink in moderation. Alcohol is a diuretic, which makes you go to the restroom to do #1 on a frequent basis. For those of you who enjoy a night of drinking with friends, you face the prospect of a headache in the morning as your body has become dehydrated due to all those restroom visits. Your lack of energy in the morning is also due to the depletion of water after all the alcohol consumption.

Beer
(Shared on Flickr by Martin Garrido)

3. Coffee

    Okay, coffee lovers. We know what you're thinking. "Oh no, not coffee, too." Unfortunately, coffee is also a diuretic. This goes for caffeinated tea as well. Caffeine itself speeds up dehydration. To ensure that your coffee/tea intake is balanced, drink less than two cups a day. Otherwise, you should increase your water intake to prevent fluid loss. Those who are heavy coffee drinkers, like roughly five cups, or exceeding 500 miligrams per day, should watch out as you will definitely be dehydrated.

Steaming cup of coffee
(Shared on Flickr by waferboard)

Foods

1. Diet high in protein

    The nitrogen that occurs naturally in protein requires more water to metabolize. Otherwise, cells can become water-depleted. Foods that are high in protein and also salty, like cured meats such as pepperoni, can also lead to dehydration. Speaking of salty foods ...

Pepperoni pizza
 (Shared on Flickr by rob_rob2001)

2. Foods high in sodium

    Salty foods should be taken in moderation as the sodium needs to be leveled out with a high intake of water. Otherwise, eating too much salty food and not drinking enough water could lead to fluid loss. Foods high in sodium include fried foods, sausages, popcorn, soy sauce and other condiments, canned or frozen meals, fast food and salad dressings.

Popcorn
(Shared on Flickr by jayneandd)

3. Certain vegetables that have a diuretic effect

    Of course, most vegetables are good for you, as all vegetables have water as their main component. However, do consume in moderation those that have a diuretic effect. These include asparagus, celery, artichokes and parsley.

Asparagus 
(Shared on Flickr by liz west)

Source: chopra.com

Skin Serum: 4 Fabulous Facts

Living Jungle's WhiteSynergy Effect Stempowered Essence

Alright, you may be thinking, "I don't want to spend too much on skin care products that may or may not work." Or, you may be thinking, "A good skin care set, regardless of price, is an investment in how I want to look like 20 years from now." Whatever your thoughts are, almost all women and a number of men do care about their faces. It's the first thing that a person looks at 99.99% of the time when they meet new people. Your face is important and if you say, "Naah, I don't care about how I look", there's a small likelihood that you're lying to yourself and others.

So, how does skin serum fit into all of this? Well, skin serums are considered to be more expensive than most of the other skin care products that include cleansers, toners and moisturisers. We believe that a number of people still do not realize the importance of skin serums. Well, here are 5 facts from stylecaster.com that will hopefully convince some of you to go and get a bottle of skin serum, in particular Living Jungle's WhiteSynergy Effect Stempowered Essence. 

Fact #1: Skin serums will save you money

Yes, you read that right. This is how stylecaster.com sees it: either you purchase 5 cheaper skin care products that not only do nothing for your skin, but also take up space on your shelf; or invest a little more on 1 product that does amazing things for your skin. Bottom line: a great serum that works for your skin will produce results that are visible, such as reducing fine lines or giving your skin a better complexion, among others. Thus, you won't waste money buying multiple products when you already have that one great product.

Fact #2: Using skin serums will result in fewer breakouts

Acne ... Everybody hates acne. Many skin serums are water-based, rather than oil-based. Thus, they absorb into the skin much faster without leaving an oily residue that will lead to skin breakouts such as acne. 

Fact #3: Skin serums will give you a less oily complexion

They keep your skin hydrated, at the same time they are far lighter and faster to absorb than moisturisers. This will result in your skin not overproducing sebum that leads to a less oily complexion. 

Fact #4: Skin serums contain up to 70% active ingredients, compared to the 5% to 10% active ingredients contained in cleansers in moisturisers.