GOOD SKIN IS MORE THAN SKIN DEEP’ BY ROSEMARY FERGUSON

Beautiful in every sense, naturopath and nutritional therapist {Rosemary Ferguson} knows a thing or two about looking good - a self-confessed foodie, Rosemary learned how to 'eat pretty' during a long, and successful career in modelling - so when it comes to understanding how to maximise the benefits of what 'goes in', we can think of few women better equipped to share their pearls of dietary wisdom. Therefore, in celebration of the launch of her new book 'Juice' - a compendium of juice recipes to boost beauty, enhance skin health and promote overall wellbeing - we caught up with Rosemary, who talked us through some tips to 'drinking' (not that kind of drinking...) your complexion back to its clear and beautiful best.

"When we think of skin, we usually think along the lines of what we can put on it to promote a glow - serums, treatments or cosmetics which enhance its appearance, but don't necessarily address the cause of its upset. Now, I love beauty products as much as the next person, but I also know that the amount of time we spend on 'keeping up appearance' should be replicated on the inside. I can quickly see a difference in my skin when I have been in the sun, when I have been out for the night, not had enough sleep or am stressing - and it isn't because I'm neglecting my skin care regime… it's a signs that I'm not fuelling my body with the vitamins and minerals it needs to make my skin glow.

"So, which nutrients are good for skin? Well it is a little bit more complicated than that... in order to maintain good skin, we need to maintain things like good hydration, liver support to help keep toxins at bay, circulation to keep the blood moving around the skin; we need to keep the lymph on the move too as this assists the elimination of any unwanted fluids. We need to stimulate collagen synthesis and we also need to limit inflammation in the body, so we don’t (quite literally!) get red in the face. You need to adopt a 360 degree attitude towards skin maintenance, to recapture skin's youthful, lit-from-within radiance.

"The easiest way to describe skin-targeted nutrition is to keep things 'clean'… eat lots of fresh fruits and lots of vegetables, including things like spinach, kale, artichoke, beetroot, watercress, carrots, cucumber, celery, asparagus and Swiss chard. Fruit wise, things like papaya, pineapple, citrus, blueberries, strawberries and peaches are phenomenally skin-beneficial. Orange fruit and veg is usually indicative of a potent beta-carotene content - a vitamin A-derivative, which enhances skin cell efficacy and promotes strength and resilience.

"Good fats help to keep your skin bright and smooth in appearance, so make sure you are getting them from things like avocados, nuts, seeds, fish and coconut oil (avocados and coconut oil are great on the outside too - try an avocado face mask!). And at the same time as increasing your consumption of these 'good' things, try and cut down on alcohol - drink more water to promote skin's 'plumpness', and jazz it up with a squeeze of fresh lemon, orange or pomegranate juice to boost the antioxidants and help maintain complexion clarity.

"Juicing is a great way of getting all the ingredients above into the system on a daily basis and in a large amount - they are brilliant antioxidant vehicles and if you are making smoothies you can add so many wonderful things like evening primrose oil, or green powders that will help detoxify the body and leave the path clear for you and your skin to shine!

"You could try doing a detox/cleanse to really give your system a 'kick start'. Right NOW is a really good time before the summer is upon us, as it's not just good for the skin, but for overall energy and wellbeing. You can juice fast for one day or do more… you will quickly look and feel rejuvenated!"

Pictured above, this is a lovely juice for the skin - among other things, it is brimming with beta-carotenes which are found in orange fruits and vegetables, and are essential for granting skin a gorgeous glow. Vitamin C is also present in abundance, which is brilliant for boosting collagen-synthesis, and turmeric root will help calm any inflammation - brilliant for when your skin's reactive or upset.

Just juice... 1 carrot, 1 handful of spinach, 1 orange, 1 red pepper, 5 strawberries and roughly 3cm of turmeric root for a zingy, skin-enhancing cocktail.

Cucumber, romaine and celery are all wonderful hydrators - and also contain silica, which is fabulous for the complexion. Parsley is a diuretic and will help combat fluid retention, while pineapple not only tastes delicious, but possesses potent anti-inflammatory properties (pictured above).

Just juice... 1/2 romaine lettucs, 1/4 cucumber, 1 handful of parsley, 1 stick of celery and 1/4 pineapple. This is ideal when you system feels a little sluggish.

To learn more about Rosemary, and to purchase her book brimming with over 100 juice recipes - you can visit her website - www.rosemaryferguson.co.uk.

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