Registered dietitian Jessica Butcher goes over a number of ways to maintain and protect your healthy skin.
Host, Gerry Barnaby - Hey, what’s happenin’, Barnaby here.  Not usually a hat wearin’ sort of a guy, but because it is summer coming up here, with a lot of beatin’ down by the sun’s rays, I think it’s time to protect my skin.  Which, Jessica Butcher, Registered Dietician, is the largest organ of the body and probably the most abused!
Health Coach, Jessica Butcher, RD – That’s very true, Barnaby.  You know, we all know right away to stick with our sun screen, even getting some SPF right in our chapstick to keep our skin healthy.  Our lips are one of the thinnest area of skin on our body.  We certainly need to be safe, otherwise we’re going to be setting ourselves up for skin cancer and melanoma.
Barnaby – Well, my big wonder is all about the food that you put into your body as regards your skin.  How important is it to eat healthy to keep your skin healthy?
Jessica – It’s very important.  Food – if you’re getting a lot of anti-oxidants, can act almost as sunscreen internally for our bodies.  Tomatoes provide us with lycopene, and that’s an incredible way to fight off that inflammation that’s occurring in our body.  Acts like that internal sunscreen.
Barnaby – So when I think of lycopene, I think of tomatoes, am I correct?
Jessica – Yeah, yep.  Tomatoes are exactly it.  And some other great sources, I mean, other great sources of other anti-oxidants would be like, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, so you can get those from your bright orange, bright yellow vegetables.  Some – you can get them in your dark, leafy vegetables, lots of different choices out there.  Just try to get – the brighter the fruits and vegetables, the more anit-oxidants you’re going to be getting in your diet. 
Barnaby – Well now, what about dreaded fast food?  Is that doing you any favors as regards the look of your skin?
Jessica – That’s not going to do you a whole lot of good.  That’s just going to be boosting inflammation and there’s not really a whole lot of vitamins in there.  Whereas, if you’re grabbing something like an orange, that’s full of Vitamin C.  And when you think of Vitamin C, think of collagen, because that Vitamin C going to spur collagen formation in your skin.
Barnaby – Ok, for the young among us, a lot of people are worried about their complexion.  And so certain foods promote blemishes?
Jessica – There’s definitely some controversy on that topic . But, a diet that’s high in sugar, perhaps high in dairy, perhaps high in those fast foods, that may spur breakouts for those people.  But, it’s a little bit of a controversial area.  But if you do stick with some organic and try to stick with whole grains and maybe watch out for those added sugars, you’ll have a lot less inflammation in your diet and you’ll have a lot less inflammation causing those breakouts.
Barnaby – Alright.  So, wear a hat, cover your skin, put some sum protection on and you’ll be good to go.
Jessica – Excellent!  That’s great advice!
Barnaby – Alrightie.  And you know, this is the value of the HelloLife Moment.  We are a life science technology company out of Grand Rapids, Michigan, all about matching your commitment to a healthy lifestyle.  Hellolife.net. Tell everybody you know about us!