It can be hard to be a lady. Everyone in magazines, movies, and hell even people's Facebook photos, are getting increasingly further away from reality. It seems that nowadays there is no excuse to look anything less than flawless. Life is more messy than that unfortunately and real women have real bodies. I for instance am secretly scared every time I don a bathing suit because I have stretch marks on my thighs. Causes of stretch marks include weight loss or gain, growth spurts, and body-building. They are natural, but oh man are they a pain to get rid of!
If like me, surgery isn't your thing, treatments for stretch marks include massage, creams, exercise and food. Yes, eating certain foods can apparently help reduce stretch marks. The key ingredients to target are Vitamins C, A, E, zinc, and fatty acids. If these ingredients sound familiar, it's because they are commonly cited as Nature's anti-aging defenders. Here are some common food sources for each:
- Vitamin A: carrots, broccoli, spinach, eggs, mango, pumpkin, milk
- Vitamin C: citrus fruits, blueberries, oysters, guava, parsley, red peppers
- Vitamin E: almonds, spinach, tomatoes, asparagus, papayas
- Zinc: bran & whole grains, almonds, pumpkin seeds
- Fatty acids: soya oil, leafy vegetables, fish, shellfish
This simple soup I made the other day is a great idea to incorporate many of these great stretch mark fighters. Just mix in a tablespoon of miso paste into a bowl of boiling water, crack in an egg, throw in a few fistfuls of spinach, tofu and rice to taste.
Do you have any tips on getting rid of pesky body marks like stretch marks and scars?