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My inspiration for writing “Cooking Well: Beautiful Skin” was manifold. I love to cook and am a natural chef, intrigued by beautiful ingredients like pomegranates, rainbow chard and monstrously beautiful heirloom tomatoes. I found that as a writer, I could communicate my existential philosophy of existing in a state of “beautiful flux”, essentially becoming more beautiful from the inside out. I was inspired to create a unique, beauty cookbook, with antioxidant-rich recipes for glowing skin. All the while, my inspiration for redefining beauty and my love of cooking morphed into this interesting, healthy book! My mantra is that beauty and health are synonymous, and the book embraces this theory of true, authentic beauty from within.
In an effort to treat skin internally and nourish one’s self from the inside, rather than merely applying topical treatments, Cooking Well: Beautiful Skin addresses all skin-types as a whole, without categorizing a typology of skin. Your skin will glow with a radiant complexion when you eat the antioxidant-rich meals found in my book. The very act of taking care of yourself and striving for healthy, beautiful skin, is an act of self-love.
Cooking with antioxidant-rich ingredients is the healthy, beautiful way to nourish your body, in its totality.
Antioxidants are responsible for preventing free radicals from oxidizing, thus slowing the aging process and preventing disease. The human body is not capable of producing antioxidants. Therefore, in order to prevent the oxidant process and protect ourselves against the skin damage from exposure to free radicals, we must incorporate antioxidant foods into our diet.
Free radicals are highly reactive chemicals that attack molecules by capturing electrons and modifying their chemical structures. One of the harmful effects of these toxic molecules is gene mutation, which affects the ability of the skin to repair itself, causing aging. Biologically speaking, antioxidants donate electrons to stabilize and, in effect, neutralize the harmful effects of free radicals. Ultraviolet radiation (sun exposure) and airborne pollutants like cigarette smoke, both commonly found in the environment, are examples of free radicals. Smokers often find the glow in their skin restored once they quit. Essentially, antioxidants cancel out the cell-damaging effects of free radicals.
Free radical damage is closely associated with oxidation damage because free radicals are released as a result of oxidation. Oxidation is the process that occurs when oxygen molecules interact with different substances. Some common examples are the rusting of iron, the browning of sliced apples, and the aging of your skin. For humans, the process of oxidation is commonly linked with the breakdown of collagen in one’s skin, which causes wrinkling and aging. Furthermore, oxidation works to continuously burn calories to produce energy for our cells, so that we can function and live. However, this process of oxidation, while enabling us to live, releases free radicals, making the consumption of antioxidants essential for promoting health and glowing skin.
The human body can’t produce its own natural antioxidants, leaving us to rely solely upon our diet to nourish our body and to maintain beautiful skin and prevent aging. Fruits and vegetables are an excellent source of natural antioxidants, which is why they are common ingredients in the recipes in this book. Furthermore, this book offers plenty of creative recipes for appetizers, entrees, desserts, and snacks, to help you incorporate antioxidants into any meal of the day.
Our outer beauty and aesthetics reflects an inner beauty, well being, and sense of self. The warmth and contentment shown in a smile, or the love shown in the twinkle of our lover’s eyes, draws us to the face. If one’s eyes are truly the windows to the souls, then our face is our mirror of one’s self to the world. It reveals our favorable tastes, distastes, curiosities, longings, passions, doubts, sympathies, loves, and desires. Our faces, our complexions, are reflections of our souls.
Harmony and balance are at the core of the connection between mind and body, which translates as “beauty”. I define beauty as one's inner, authentic self. There is a syncing of energetic waves through our body and our mind. Recognizing that the energies of our mind and body are connected can give you the strength and focus to achieve a balance and sense of wellness.
Antioxidants are a component of this connection because our body, our skin, needs nourishment for a healthy balance. In addition, as we nourish our skin with antioxidant-rich recipes, we are feeding our brains, as well!
Elizabeth TenHouten, a former model, is a beauty and skin-care expert. She has authored the unique beauty cookbook, Cooking Well: Beautiful Skin, Antioxidant-Rich Recipes for Glowing Skin. Her recipes and "Beauty Bytes" have been featured in several online and print publications, namely: Natural Health Magazine, Teen Vogue, Celebutante Sisters, and this month's issue of Health Magazine. Elizabeth is also the Editor-in-Chief for Celeb Life Magazine, where she covers many of her charitable events. She is a passionate animal rights activist involved with the ASPCA, HSUS, FARM, and IDA-Africa. She resides in NY, FL, and CA with her husband.
