It's a Bird...It's a Plane...It's SUPERFOOD!

Ok Beautistas, its time to put antioxidents IN your face, not on your face. Nowadays, almost every skincare product claims to be a free radical fighting, antioxidant containing, super cosmeceutical.  What are we, in a cosmetic comic book warp zone??

If your skincare product claims that it contains antioxidants, that’s great!  But do you need to spend oodles of money on these products? Not necessarily….why not just eat your antioxidants instead? 

What you may be spending on expensive products, you could get much more beauty and health benefits by changing around your diet instead. Some of you might be asking, what are antioxidants anyways?  To put it simply, antioxidants can help prevent the effects of free radical damage in the body - they basically neutralize the process of oxidation and cellular damage which contributes to aging and disease.    Some foods are incredibly high in antioxidant content and they are very easy to add into your current diet.  Superfoods can can considerably reduce the signs of aging, reduce blood pressure and help prevent various diseases.  I'm not going to bore you with all of the things your parents told you ("eat your broccoli, its good for you") but I will list some of the best foods to introduce into your diet if you haven't already!

• Berries - who doesn’t want berries in their diet?? Raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries - they all offer so many antioxidants that can help prevent cancer and heart disease.  Eat blueberries as part of your 3:00 work snack instead of chocolate, buy frozen berries and throw them into your smoothie, or start growing a blackberry bush (on my bucket list)!
• Chia Seeds - I started eating chia recently after being introduced to them by my sister and now I put chia in EVERYTHING.  This is a superfood that was an important part of the Aztec & Mayan diet.  Not gonna lie, that’s what sold me on this, because underneath it all I just want to feel connected to my Aztec homegirls.  Anyways, chia seeds are super rich in antioxidants, and you can put them in just about anything.  They have a mild nutty flavor and can be sprinkled in a smoothie, in yogurt, oatmeal, in banana bread, chia chocolate pudding, cereal, salads, I could go on and on.  Chia needs its own blog post - just go to your nearest health food store and pick up a bag of this superfood!
• Green Tea - This should be an easy addition to your general diet because green tea is everywhere!  Try substituting your morning coffee with green tea instead...or if you are drinking 2 cups of coffee a day, try substituting at least one of those with green tea.  Green tea has been shown to be preventative against cancer, heart disease and high cholesterol.  It has a high concentration of catechin polyphenols which work with other chemicals in the body to increase levels of fat oxidation.  If regular green tea bores you, make a quick stop to DAVIDS Tea and prepare to be amazed by all of the green tea options available!
• Tomatoes - If I could name a favorite vegetable, this would be it.  All I need in life is a good tomato and good cheese!  And its sooo easy to put tomatoes in everything!  Tomatoes are the richest source of an anticancer agent called lycopene.  For optimal absorption to occur, lycopene needs fat!  What does that mean for you? Include some healthy fat olive oil when cooking with tomatoes to help increase levels of lycopene. 
• Broccoli - Yup I just wrote that.  Ok who am I kidding, I don't eat broccoli.  But if YOU want to, it’s so good for you, I promise!  It has more calcium than a glass of milk and more vitamin C than an orange...now say that in a super hero announcing voice...

It's true what they say...you are what you eat.  So in simple terms, really I'm just hoping you turn into a free radical fighting, antioxidant containing super woman instead of relying on your skincare to save you!