Summary: Lisa Drayer tells us the secrets to look absolutely gorgeous from the inside out.<br> <br> Host: Gloria Tsang, RD<br> Guest: Lisa Drayer, MA, RD<br> <br> True beauty comes from within, so the key to a healthy glow may possibly come from your fridge and pantry. Nutritionist Lisa Drayer, author of the Beauty Diet, tells us the secrets to look absolutely gorgeous from the inside out.<br> <br> <br> <br> <br> Transcript:<br> Gloria Tsang, RD: True beauty comes from within. So the key to a healthy glow may possibly come from your fridge and pantry. Welcome to the Nutrition Tidbits podcast. This is Gloria Tsang, Editor-in-Chief for HealthCastle.com. Joining me today is nutritionist Lisa Drayer, author of "The Beauty Diet". She is here today to tell us the secret to look absolutely gorgeous from the inside out. Thank you for joining me Lisa.<br> <br> Lisa Drayer, MA, RD: Thank you for having me.<br> <br> Now we know that keeping skin well hydrated is one secret to keeping it young. You suggested drinking enough fluids and including omega-3 fatty acids in your diet. You also recommended avoiding a high protein diet. So tell us how a high-protein diet causes dehydration?<br> <br> Lisa Drayer, MA, RD: That's a good point that you bring up and I talk about it in my book, "The Beauty Diet." Basically, when the protein intake is very, very high, and I am talking about a really low carbohydrate, high protein diet. When there is too much protein, it can cause water loss from our bodies because our body excretes water in order to break down the products of protein metabolism. Also, when our protein is really high. Our carbohydrate intake tends to be lower and a low carbohydrate diet can also result in water loss. I recommend protein intake of about 80-100 grams, which is about 25% of calories on a 1,500 calorie diet. That's what the beauty diet gives you. It gives you an excellent amount of protein to feed your features without going overboard.<br> <br> Gloria Tsang, RD: Perfect. That's 25% of total calories. Lisa in your book, you have given a list of skin protecting antioxidants, including beta-carotene, Vitamin C, Vitamin E & selenium. You also mentioned anthocyanins. Tell us more about anthocyanins.<br> <br> Lisa Drayer, MA, RD: Anthocyanins have antioxidant properties. They can help rid our bodies and skin cells of free radicals, which can cause damage that can lead to skin aging and skin cancer. So it's really important to consume lots of antioxidants in our foods. That's why the beauty diet gives you a wide variety of fruits & vegetables and whole grains that offer antioxidants. The anthocyanins are the actual pigments found in blue and red fruits like blueberries. Blueberries are an excellent source of anthocyanins and I included blueberries on my top 10 beauty foods list because they are the highest in antioxidant activity. This high antioxidant activity is definitely due to anthocyanins in blueberries.<br> <br> Gloria Tsang, RD: So anthocyanins are found in blue and purple fruits & vegetables. What about pomegranate and plums? Those are also high in anthocyanins?<br> <br> Lisa Drayer, MA, RD: Exactly. Alot of berries and anything with a blue or purple or a red hue carries anthocyanins.<br> <br> Gloria Tsang, RD: Right, like in grapes.<br> <br> Lisa Drayer, MA, RD: Yes, they are also present in red wine. But blueberries have 5 different kinds of them (anthocyanins). And it's also thought that they can protect free radical damage to our collagen, which is the skin's support structure.<br> <br> Gloria Tsang, RD: Great! Now let's move on to green tea. We've discussed the health benefits of green tea many times on our show but you pointed out one health benefit that no one else mentioned before. You claim that green tea is an edible sunscreen. Tell us more.<br> <br> Lisa Drayer, MA, RD: Research has found that green tea polyphenols,
