By Assunta Ng
NORTHWEST ASIAN WEEKLY
“You have nice skin, what cosmetics brand do you use?” many women asked me.
Well, ladies, that’s the wrong question to ask. You should focus on what we put in our body. We are what we eat.
The other reason is, I have stories to share that cosmetics can hurt you sometimes, if you choose the wrong kind.
Some women assume that the more expensive the cosmetics, the better it is.
However, it doesn’t work for me. When I saw my former part-time employee last year, it was a transformation. Instead of acne and rough patches on her skin, her complexion is flawless. She applies both Korean and Japanese cosmetics. Korean skin care products, one of the finest in the world, are high-end. I just don’t want to pay that much for cosmetics. I told her I would try the Japanese brand.
But my skin is sensitive and stubborn. It doesn’t matter how good they are, I am picky about cream. At first, my skin felt smooth. But after a year, it rejected those creams and began to act up with allergies. It was the same old story for me for decades.
Naturally, I went back to the cheapest and safest moisturizer, thick and greasy jelly Vaseline, highly recommended by my dermatologist. Then, my skin cooperates after that. I tried different products from, including American, French, and Italian products and they all failed me.
What I haven’t changed is my diet. I choose food carefully, not for aesthetics, but to feel good physically and mentally. I pray every day, “Please don’t let me get sick.”
Here is my list of food to raise my energy and immunity. My food list also provides me with good nutrition and fine skin.
- Eat watermelon year round, even in winter.
- Have an egg every day.
- Vitamin C is necessary for good skin. It’s important to include fruits and vegetables in every meal.
- Almond is the best nut to enhance skin texture. I find that almonds are hard to chew. Instead, I buy almond powder from Asian grocery stories. Once a while, I drink water mixed with almond powder.
- Limit your white sugar intake as much as possible. It sags your skin.
- Restrict the amount of daily carbohydrates. I stopped eating white rice years ago. Quinoa is what I eat now in place of rice for dinner.
- Avoid greasy foods, especially deep-fried stuff. An oily diet can give you pimples and oily skin.
- Have fewer chocolates. I have a hard time with this as I enjoy dark chocolate. I never exceed three pieces. Eating too much chocolate can cause acne.
- Drink less caffeine. I limit myself to one cup of tea in the morning. I need some caffeine in the morning to jump start my energy.
- Drink lots of water and soups to eliminate dehydration.
- Find healthy snacks so you don’t stuff yourself with the wrong foods.
- Eat less spicy foods. This doesn’t work for everyone. Some people have great-looking skin, and yet eat lots of spicy foods. You just have to experiment with different kinds of food.
- Make it an adventure to discover what foods work well for your skin.
- Finally, stay away from the sun. Wear a hat like I do.
Assunta can be reached at assunta@nwasianweekly.com.