The Perricone Diet That Can Help You Have Better Skin And A Smaller Waistline

Yes, it does seem too good to be true that following a diet can do this, however, I have always been a firm believer in you truly are what you eat ... I know that when I binge out on junk food and alcohol and stop exercising that within a few days I really start to feel sluggish and unhealthy. As soon as I get back on a diet which includes lots of raw salads, veggies, fruits and healthy proteins plus a little bit of exercise, I can totally feel those roses coming back into my cheeks and I just feel better altogether. I don't believe that we can all be "good" all the time, but I think that keeping some good diet rules always at the back of your mind means that its OK to splurge out sometimes, but you need to balance it with an overall healthy lifestyle. And, if this also keeps me younger and slimmer then I'm really happy to follow some simple guidelines.

I read about Dr Perricone, who is one of the leading dermatologists in the USA, and his "Wrinkle Cure Diet" which has a large celebrity following and was interested enough to buy his book.  There are skeptics that don't believe all he says is true and many of his points have never been scientifically proven, but when you read his diet many of his guidelines make a lot of sense, but see what you think - they are listed below:

Drink Lots Of Water

• Pretty obvious, we have all heard a thousand times how good drinking lots of water is for your skin. There are experts on both sides of the fence with this one, some who say we get enough water from eating sensibly (as there is  a lot of water in fruit and veg) and others who promote drinking at least 2 litres of pure water a day - which seems a lot.  I do try to incorporate at least 3 large glasses of water into my diet each day as well as eating fruit and vegetables.

Eat Lots of Brightly Coloured Fruits and Vegetables

• Dr Perricone advises eating lots of fruits which are brightly coloured such as peppers, avocados, all kinds of berries, dark leafy green vegetables like spinach or spring greens, tomatoes and orange squashes and melons. These types of fruit and vegetables are highest in antioxidants which fight off all those nasty free radicals which can cause chaos with our bodies and skin.

Eat The Right Kinds Of Fats

• Dr Perricone advises avoiding many kinds of fats such as saturated, trans-fats (those are the nasty hydrogenated ones found in cheaper brands of biscuits and cakes which can clog up your arteries), and polyunsaturated fats. He advises eating lots of extra virgin olive oil which is rich in oleic acid which helps Omega-3 fats to protect cells and also to eat lots of fish rich in Omega-3 fatty acids such as mackerel, salmon, trout, herring and tuna.

Eat Good Quality Protein

• Look for wild salmon or if this is too expensive tinned Alaskan red or pink salmon, choose egg white omelettes, organic chicken without the skin or turkey breast. These are all healthy proteins and low in saturated fat.

Foods To Avoid With The Perricone Wrinkle Cure Diet

• All dairy products should be organic, and ideally should include plain yoghurt (which you can mix with berries), Feta cheese or organic Swiss or Cheddar cheese. You are recommended to limit your milk intake if you are lactose intolerant - but we all know that for girls its important that we get enough calcium, so I'll leave that one with you. Dr Perricone also recommends that all processed foods and carbohydrates are avoided, apart from those with a low glycemic content such as whole-grains, beans and non-instant oatmeal.