Its Sunday, 10:30 am. You’ve showered, dressed, had your morning reflection time…and a questionable breakfast. The elegant burnt orange summer dress, turquoise liner and jewelry you adorn breathes perfection. Congratulations. You are officially ready for Sunday worship. But when you arrive, the sanctuary looks as though a small tornado just passed through. There are programs everywhere, trash, and worst yet, evidence of eating! Who? What? Why? How could anyone leave the Church in such disarray? Before you pray for the misguided soul who left God’s holy place a mess, consider this. According to the word of God, your body is a temple. It is the physical dwelling place of of the holy spirit within you. A sacred, though temporary home left under your care. Sounds important huh? Well how great is the upkeep of YOUR temple? It’s easy for us to dwell on our appearance, the outside of our temple, but just think about the inside of that sanctuary. There are inner and outer cleaning duties we often neglect.

A healthy diet is essential to natural beauty. Your skin, hair, and body overall, simply reflect what you put into them. Exercise is also critically important. The body is built to perform best when used often! That means get off that couch and move around. So you’ re a relatively healthy eater who still doesn’t get the results you want? Your body type may be to blame. You probably need to work out more than you’re accustomed too. Fitness also helps your insides much more than the outside. Maintaining a regular workout schedule can do wonders for your figure AND that invisible inside health.

But just what are your insides made of? Let’s talk Diet.

We’re not talking diet in terms of crash dieting, south beach, low carb, etc., but diet in terms your regular eating habits. There’s one good thing about food that’s bad for you…It makes you feel gross! Instead of making you feel great, (minus that 3 minutes of taste heaven), you typically get an unfavorable reaction from food that is unhealthy. Food that is good for you does the opposite. You feel less heavy or bloated, and your energy goes through the roof. Let’s start with the obvious, fruits and vegetables. They are all pretty much great for you, but we are going to focus on the ones that give you great beauty results. Fruits with high levels of antioxidants like tomatoes (my fav), and cantaloupe brighten and tighten your skin (who needs botox!). Dark green vegetables carry loads of vitamin A. So DON’T YOU DARE skip over the collard or turnip greens. Take a tip from Popeye and eat that spinach! If you don’t get enough vitamin A , your skin will appear tough and dry. Inside of having skin like Olive Oil yours will look more like Super Mario’s nemesis Koopa. Green Tea’s EGCG does what the antioxidants do and then some. It also gives you a stimulating boost, kicking your metabolism into high gear.

What about your hair?

Well, there are two main ways to use food to benefit your hair: consumption and application. In other words, adding several foods to your regular diet can have positive effects on your hair AND there are also foods commonly used as natural remedies for hair care.

First, Consumption.

Poultry offers high amounts of protein. Protein of course strengthens your hair. Whole grains have multiple benefits providing zinc, B vitamins, and iron. Even dairy can be helpful (Low fat dairy that is)! Skim milk and yogurt can both be a great source of calcium— which is critical for stimulating growth. And let’s not forget my other favorite, carrots! Besides being tasty and quite possibly the reason I have perfect vision, Carrots have vitamin A which keeps your scalp, (aka the most neglected part of your head), healthy.

Application. So you’re hair won’t grow? Try some rosemary oil..natures secret remedy for stimulating hair growth. Eggs, Coconut milk and yogurt all have the same effects on your hair. Deep-down-softening-feel-good-old-fashioned conditioning!! For course hair, try honey to soften and smooth.

Needless to say this is an incomplete list. There are many foods that can improve your skin, hair, and most importantly…your health overall. It is YOUR job to make sure what your putting in and on your body is TRULY beneficial. Now off you go, to the nutrition fact labels…and beyond!!