Animal Free Antiaging

Welcome to the Antiaging Extra. This e-zine will offer extra information on antiaging including news items, product suggestions and recipes each month. Looking for more antiaging tips and tricks? Check out the articles below as well as some suggested links. Don't look your age - Look younger!

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November 2009, Issue # 15

Table of Contents

In this issue you'll find:

• Animal Free Antiaging
  
• This Holiday, Think Purple
  
• Give a "Sweet" Gift This Christmas
  
• Join the Discussion
  
• Cranberry Sweet Potato Bake
  

Animal Free Antiaging

Much of this depends on your point of view. Some people will quickly decry the use of animal products because of what is actually going into the cream or lotion. But this doesn't mean the products don't work.

For others, the use of animals in any product, or to eat, is strictly frowned upon. So what is best? There has been a shift in the past few years toward a more botanical approach. That should give us all a clue. I recently read a news article that solidified my decision to stick to totally botanical products.

Neocutis, Inc, a cosmetics company in San Francisco, has developed an antiaging product line whose key ingredient was developed from an aborted boy. The ingredient was developed at the University of Lausanne in Switzerland. No matter you opinion on abortion, the idea that we need to use babies in this way is appalling.

Although the company says that the donation of skin tissue of the 14-week-old boy was approved by the University of Lausanne Hospital's medical ethics committee and that "no additional fetal biopsies will ever by required" I wonder if this will really end here. And what of other companies trying to "compete?"

I don't want human cells in my skin care or antiaging products. To be totally sure of that, I'm sticking to products that contain only botanical ingredients. To read more about the public outcry against these products, visit The Washington Times, just one of many papers reporting on this story.

This Holiday, Think Purple

Most everyone has heard of resveratrol, the fat-soluble compound found in some purple foods like grapes and wine. You can buy all sorts of supplements and potions with this ingredient that has been shown to increase longevity in some animals (although not proven in humans.)

There are so many purple foods that there are sure to be several of your favorites among them. Although some look more "red," they are still considered a "purple" food. Do you like vegetables? Eggplant, beets, purple cabbage and even purple carrots will provide the "purple" benefits.

Do you prefer fruit? The list is even longer. Berries, like blueberries, black raspberries, blackberries and the popular acai berry top the list. But black cherries, plums, grapes and pomegranates also contain "purple" nutrients.

Since we should be eating more fruits and vegetables anyway, why not include some of these purple foods in your diet this holiday.

Give a "Sweet" Gift This Christmas

1 cup sugar (this is one recipe where it's okay to use sugar)
3/4 cup coconut oil (You can use olive oil, but coconut oil helps soften skin and adds to the fragrance)
2 to 3 drops essential oil, your choice of fragrance.

Simply mix these three together and put in a glass or plastic gift container. If you don't want to make your own, you can buy sugar scrubs. Several nice ones are: Fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish ($65), Tonicity Eucalyptus Mint Body Sugar Polish ($28), and Arbonne Ginger Citrus Sugar Scrub ($28) Arbonne also has a three pack of smaller scrubs that make great stocking stuffers ($30).

So whether you make purchase sugar scrubs or make your own, why not give a naturally "sweet" gift this year. They benefit the skin, plus don't contain any animal products.

Join the Discussion

Cranberry Sweet Potato Bake

Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
1 large apple, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes
1/4 cup butter flavored grapeseed oil (You can also use melted butter)
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup rapadura (you can also use agave nectar or other natural sweetener)
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 cup cranapple juice cocktail
1/3 cup pecan halves, toasted

Directions
Combine sweet potatoes, cranberries, apple and raisins in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine grapeseed oil, sugar and spices. Add to sweet potato mixture. Toss to coat.

Place in a shallow 2-quart casserole dish. Pour juice over top of casserole. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 50 minutes or until potatoes are almost soft, stirring occasionally. Stir in pecans and bake, uncovered 10 more minutes or until sweet potatoes are soft. Let sit for 10 minutes before serving.

Makes 8 servings.