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As
described in his New York Times bestseller, The Wrinkle Cure
(Warner Books, $13.95, paperback), Dr. Nicholas Perricone, this diet and skin
care plan is not intended for weight loss, and there is no mention made in the
book of this incidental benefit. Dr. Perricone is a Fellow of the New York
Academy of Sciences and American College of Nutrition, and a world-renowned
dermatologist. His book focuses on the relationship between food and its
nutritional components to health and skin care. A correlation is made
between nutrition, skin care and the aging process -- that is, how certain
foods, vitamins, nutritional supplements and skin care products affect the look
and appearance of your skin and improve your overall health. Perricone
believes that much of the skin damage, wrinkles, and lines result from
inflammation caused by eating the wrong foods.
Dr.
Perricone's Anti-Inflammatory Diet consists of 5 main components:
-
Always Choose
Whole Grain Carbs
Select whole grain bread, beans, legumes and cereals that rank low on the
Glycemic Index ("good carbs") and avoid all refined carbs that rank high on
the Glycemic Index ("bad carbs" which cause us to secrete insulin rapidly).
-
Moderate Your
Intake of
Dairy
Products
Limit your intake of whole milk and hard cheeses (high in fat), and choose
low-fat alternatives like low-fat milk and yogurt and soft cheeses (cottage,
ricotta, Feta), and Cheddar or Swiss cheeses.
-
Choose Fruits
and Vegetables High In Anti-Oxidants
Best include: avocado, bell peppers, berries, cantaloupe, honeydew, dark
green leafy vegetables (like spinach and kale), orange-colored squash,
Pineapple, tomatoes. Avoid dried fruits.
-
Eat More
Protein
Especially fish (wild salmon or canned Alaskan red/pink salmon), egg whites,
skinless chicken and turkey breast. Dr. Perricone strong recommends eating
salmon, since it is rich in the powerful antioxidant DMAE (Dimethylaminoethanol).
-
Eat the Right
Fats
Limit saturated fats, avoid trans-fats (hydrogenated fats), and
polyunsaturated fats (from vegetable oils). Use Olive oil, which is rich in
oleic acid that helps omega-3 fats to protect cells). Fish is an
excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids.
-
Limit Your
Intake of
Dairy
Products and Sugars
Limit your intake of whole milk and hard cheeses (high in fat), and choose
low-fat alternatives like low-fat milk and yogurt and soft cheeses (cottage,
ricotta, Feta), and Cheddar or Swiss cheeses.
-
Drink Lots of
Water
Perricone strongly recommends drinking lots of water -- both for it's
benefits to the digestive system, and for great skin.
 Given the obvious nutritional benefits of Perricone's healthy diet program, this
diet plan will undoubtedly improve one's general health, and appears to show
benefits for the health of one's skin as well, based on feedback and comments
from fans of his book. His
emphasis on foods rich in omega-3 fatty acids, nutrient-rich fruits and
vegetables high in anti-oxidants, and low-fat, whole grain foods is not
particularly new. Diabetic diets, the Anne Collins Diet and others are
similar in many ways. Having lived through the Low Carb
trend popularized by the Atkins Diet and the South Beach Diet, there's probably
no one out there who is not well-versed on the difference between "good carbs"
and "bad carbs" at this point. Perricone's diet program can be a strain on
your budget -- salmon is a pricey food choice, and buying some of the specialty
items he recommends, such as organic vegetables, may be a budget breaker as
well.
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