Health: Eating good food and cutting stress is a kinder path to looking young than the surgeon’s knife

Published on Tuesday 24 January 2012 00:00

IT REMAINS to be seen whether the ongoing PIP breast implants scandal prompts a backlash against cosmetic procedures.

Certainly, it is already set to lead to tighter regulations in the industry as a whole, with the Health Secretary promising dermal fillers will be next to come under the spotlight.

A review ordered by Andrew Lansley will aim to prevent a repeat of the last few weeks, examining “whether patients and consumers can be confident that the people who carry out procedures have the skills to do so”.

But in this increasingly ageist society, when how young we look can determine everything from whether we get that promotion to, it seems, how successful our marriages are, can we ever learn to love ourselves – and each other – just the way we are? “When you go to the mirror, you might be pulling your tummy in, looking at your backside, saying, ‘You’re fat, you’re a mess’ and that self-criticism breaks down self-confidence and creates a frowning brow,” says Dawn Breslin, a life coach based in Edinburgh.

What we need more of is the anti-ageing chemical oxytocin. “When we relax, when we have an orgasm, when we light a candle and actually enjoy things, it is naturally produced in the body and that regenerates and rejuvenates cells. You can start to rejuvenate your skin instantly when you start to drop that harsh internal dialogue.”

She also believes we can do more with what we have, without the need for painful, sometimes “poisonous” surgery. “I was at a party recently and one of the prettiest girls there had the most fabulous cleavage. There was conversation about it, then she started to rave on about this incredible bra she was wearing. She was the centre of attention at this dinner party and she’d done it all naturally.”

Ultimately, though, might we finally be learning to grow old gracefully, to embrace the wisdom that comes from each new stage in our lives? “In the States they’re talking about this phase called regenopause,” says Breslin, “which is after menopause, when you have an amazing opportunity to have increased sexual desire, rejuvenate your cells, really transform your life. In our society, the minute you’re out of your teens or early 20s, there’s this panic button to stay young instead of embracing the fact that you’re older, you’re wiser.”

Food, too, can have a powerful anti-ageing effect if we use it in the right way. A naturopath to celebrities, models and actors – Thandie Newton has endorsed her latest book – Elizabeth Peyton-Jones is a firm believer that if we put the right things into our bodies, we will not only begin to feel younger on the inside, we'll also see dramatic benefits on the outside. “Food can make you look 20 years younger," she insists.

Even clients considering surgery have changed their minds once they discover the powerful anti-ageing effects of food. “If they start with diet, the chances are they won't want to do anything more serious," she says. "They will age more slowly and better. I've seen it happen. It's remarkable.

“But are we heading for a backlash?” she adds. “In all honesty, no. People are always going to find a way of quick-fixing. We are never going to turn into a society that is completely comfortable with ageing naturally because we've gone so far away from it."

Her tips to eating younger include drinking a glass of water with the juice of half a lemon each morning. “Think of the avocado or apple when you cut it,” she says. “It doesn't take long to go brown as it ages and deteriorates. However, if you squeeze lemon on it, it stays fresh. Our body is the same."

She also recommends switching to coconut oil rather than olive oil. “It is a saturated fat,” she concedes, “but a very good one. If you heat it up it doesn't alter its natural state. It doesn't become carcinogenic, which olive oil does."

Garlic, beetroot, turmeric and red beans all get the thumbs up. “Bean eaters are generally slimmer around the middle," she says. “One study showed they weighed 3kg less and had less abdominal fat, even though they ate 200 calories a day more."

If some foods are anti-ageing, others have the opposite effect, the worst offenders being sugar, salt, ‘bad' fats, dairy and meat. “Protein is absolutely essential for the body, so I'm not against meat, I'm just against highly processed red meat. And it’s not the only protein; vegetable protein is very good and beans incredibly versatile."

As for fats, she says, “We need fat, just the right kind. Omega 3 fats will make sure wounds heal fast, improve digestion, sleep, stamina and keep the skin flexible. You get it from walnuts, hemp, flax seeds and oily fish."

In the end, though, it's not just about looking young. “If someone is extremely vital but has a few wrinkles, they will always remain youthful and that's what people are missing. They're forgetting they're losing that incredible vitality that makes you youthful. You could have an absolutely wrinkle-free face but if you're sitting there like a lump, you don't find anything funny and you're a bit stressed and haven't slept, you're going to look 100. It's not about the wrinkles. If you revitalise your inside, you revitalise your outside. It's the power of feeling young that will make you young and will draw people to you, and then age is not an issue."

Eat Yourself Young, by Elizabeth Peyton-Jones, Quadrille, £12.99; Dawn Breslin (www.dawnbreslin.com)

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HorridHenrietta

Friday, January 27, 2012 at 12:43 PM

testing bitch

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HorridHenrietta

Friday, January 27, 2012 at 12:42 PM

Peacebitch

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Charles Linskaill

Tuesday, January 24, 2012 at 01:51 AM

It's All the case of living your life in the present time, Knowing what Love Is, and applying It, Not being Vain, And accepting who you are, and the way you were made that you are meant to be.

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