Natural anti ageing with Michele Chevalley Hedge

Leading nutritionist, author and She's Delicious interviewees, Michele Chevalley Hedge shares her natural anti-ageing tips and secret ways to slow the ageing process... without piling chemicals on your skin.

Slow ageing, beautify your diet!

We all worry about that next fine line spreading across the middle of our forehead. I swear I can see mine getting deeper as I stand here and stare in the mirror! But aside from piling up our skin and hair with lotions and beauty products, there is something else we should be doing.... Beautifying our diet to enhance natural anti-ageing. A diet full of nutrients and low in sugars helps to slow down the ageing process towards our complexion, our mindset and our body. Glycation is a process which occurs naturally in the body when an excess intake of sugar, particularly simple carbohydrates is consumed. Simple carbohydrates include things such as lollies, soft drinks, bakery goods and processed foods. These foods cause advanced glycation end produces (AGEs… the name suits, right?) which cause the ageing process to quicken. Collagen and elastin in our skin are targeted by AGEs, damaging their strength and elasticity and bringing on those lines we call wrinkles. AGEs can also negatively affect antioxidants speeding around our body. Normally, they would be protecting us against free radicals, which in turn helps to maintain a smoother, brighter complexion. However, the glycation process causes a reduction in the amount of antioxidants, making our skin more susceptible to damage from the sun’s UV rays. Despite these negative effects, excess sugar consumption also causes inflammation… And when we thought it couldn’t get any worse it seems to cause havoc to our natural anti-ageing process. Inflammation, not only bad for your complexion can also cause diabetes, arthritis, lower your immune system, and over time damage your cognitive and memory divisions. But it’s not all bad news! With some simple changes we can prep our body to sustain a radiate, youthful glow for more of our… not so youthful years and encourage natural anti-ageing.

So how exactly do we beautify our diet and encourage natural anti ageing?

Add nutrients and reduce sugar!

1. Simple steps such as swapping sugary drinks (soft drinks/sports drinks/store bought smoothies) for water, sparkling water or herbal teas. You could even add lemon or lime to your water to provide a different flavour.
2. Fresh is best, remember to buy fresh food, not those that are packaged/boxed. Buying seasonal foods helps to reduce prices.
3. When buying packaged food, always know what you are eating. If you divide the amount of sugar by 4 (4g/teaspoon) it will help you to grasp an idea of just how much sugar you will be consuming.

And don’t forget to look after yourself mentally. Natural beauty can radiate from within, so provide your body with relaxation, sleep and make time to do something you enjoy. Michele Chevalley Hedge is an Australian-American nutritionist, health writer, presenter, founder of nutrition clinic A Healthy View and author of 'Beating Sugar Addictions for Dummies'. For more articles by Michele go to her website www.healthyview.com.au. and make sure you look up her Cleanse & Nourish classes and retreats.