eating vegetarian is not as hard as it seems.
Essential Fatty Acids (EFAs)
Essential fatty acids are your skin’s best friends. Essential fatty acids serve lots of important
functions: they reduce inflammation, improve cell signaling, ease mood disorders, and protect DNA
from damage. Last but not least, they can literally save your face, nourishing the skin, keeping it
glowing, and even improving eczema and psoriasis. Omega-6 fatty acids are particularly helpful in
restoring the barrier function of the epidermis, and omega-3 fatty acids preserve collagen and elastin.
You can add essential fatty acids to your salads and stews. You can drink them undiluted (as in the
Green Liver Flush, described later in this chapter) or take them as a food supplement. Fish oil
capsules should be the only source of animal-derived fat in your diet during the detox. Plant sources
of EFAs include flaxseed (linseed), hemp oil, soya oil, canola (rapeseed) oil, chia seeds, pumpkin
seeds, sunflower seeds, leafy vegetables, and walnuts.
Omega-6 fatty acids are particularly helpful in restoring the barrier function of the epidermis,
and omega-3 fatty acids preserve collagen and elastin.Fruits and Vegetables
Fresh, organic fruits and vegetables are the key ingredients of your Green Beauty Detox. Every
piece of fruit, every bunch of salad, should be organic or locally grown without fertilizers, pesticides,
or herbicides. Some stores do not carry as many organic varieties as we would like. If you’re buying
nonorganic produce, stay away from the most contaminated fruits and vegetables, which include
apples, apricots, bananas, cabbage, cantaloupe, celery, cherries, lettuce, pears, peppers, potatoes,
raspberries, spinach, strawberries, and watermelon. Whenever you want one of these delicious
creations of nature, buy only organic. However, the following fruits and vegetables are found to be
lower in chemical additives and can be eaten in limited quantities even when grown conventionally:
asparagus, avocados, beans, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, onions, peas, tomatoes, and zucchini.
What to Avoid
By all means avoid the following during the Green Beauty Detox: alcohol, artificial sweeteners,
hydrogenated fats, butter, refined sugar (other than in body rubs and facial scrubs), and refined
carbohydrates (white bread, white rice, cereal or pasta made from white flour, etc.).
Water: The Essential Skin Remedy
There’s so much water in our bodies, one may wonder why we don’t drown in all the water in our
brain, blood, and lungs! Water regulates body temperature; carries glucose, oxygen, and nutrients;
cushions joints; and removes waste from the body. Drinking water is a well-known health and beauty
tool, but how many of us actually drink the recommended eight glasses a day?
Keep water flowing. Dehydration is the surefire way to increase the toxic burden in your body. It
has been estimated that when we feel thirsty, approximately 28 percent of blood plasma is lost. Even
mild dehydration slows cell metabolism by 5 percent, which speeds up the accumulation of toxic
metabolites in your blood. Skin cell turnover slows down and bowel movements become scarce,