Banana split, humus with lots of black olives and a side serving of salmon pâté, hot pita bread accompanied by an ice cold glass of freshly pressed, mint spiced, cucumber juice is a gourmet meal to drool for and which, surprisingly enough, is a milestone on the highway to health and beauty.

‘You are what you eat’ is a oft quoted phrase but it is a very appropriate expression when directly related to both looking and feeling good . A diet heavy in fried and  starchy foods overloads the system and these toxins resulting in a lacklustre feeling, pimples and many other skin problems, dull hair, bad teeth and also overly brittle nails. And did I mention the excess fat stored on thighs, hips, face and body, in fact all over. Yet a diet full to bursting with fruit, vegetables, herbs, grilled steamed or baked fish, fresh hard cheese, natural yoghurt, fresh milk, a mix of nuts and whole grains will, and very quickly, bring a healthy glow to your skin and your hair. It will strengthen your bones, teeth and nail, and gently cleanse the entire body in the process. Now  combine that with a little regular exercise, and you will  melt away your  excess fat and have radiating beauty from the inside out.

Naturally, eating your way to good health is not as easy as the current move to using products and medical procedures instead, with each claiming to work miracles as the never ending search for beauty scales new heights. However doing it naturally might very well prove to be the most effective method of all.

Almost all beauty aids claim that natural substances, extracted from some or all of these - flowers, herbs, fruit and vegetables and are the mainstay of their appeal to cut out any possible trace of apparent chemical interference and choosing to go with the natural thing itself makes lots and lots of sense when achieving a healthy body is the aim.

Achieving physical beauty as well as a healthy body through a diet heavily reliant on natural goodness is a completely painless process and an extremely pleasurable one. All you need to do is to tune your body  in and it will adapt to dietary alterations.

Look at all the fuss  surrounding collagen for example. This natural anti-aging compound works to hold skin cells together thus preventing wrinkles and other outward signs of ageing, after all it is only a protein. However  it cannot be successfully applied outwardly, despite some advertising of that, it  and some products do claim otherwise,

Most beauty treatments include expensive injections of the collagen to ward off visible signs of deterioration when all that is actually needed is for you to have two servings citrus fruits anyway you want to eat or even drink them. Citrus fruits are high in vitamin C, are themselves a potent antioxidant, which boost the operative strength of vitamin E, they contain vitamin B1, pectin and fibre plus help the body to absorb iron from other food sources if eaten at the same time.

Other natural skin foods include sweet potatoes which are  tissue restoring, and as an  anti-wrinkle - garlic. This is becauase these are high in anti-wrinkle agents in the form of vitamin A. Both vitamin A and vitamin C rich foods are such as tomatoes and wheat germ which will  clear skin blemishes and pimples.

Carrots can also prevent premature aging of the skin working in a similar manner to Retin A, green leafy vegetables too, are sources of the all important vitamins of C and K and both wheat germ and eggs can work towards maintaining clear and glowing skin.

A predominantly vegetarian diet is the ticket to healthy beauty though it is important that you include regular servings of some oily fish including the bones along with doses of all of sunflower oil, olive oil, sesame seeds, (even in the form of tahini), other nuts and whole grains which will provide zinc and vitamin B complex nutrients, all of which are essential for the metabolism of highly important fatty acids which are needed.

A basic beauty diet does not have to be tasteless and boring: All that is needed is eat as many tasty kinds of fresh food as you like and in any way you want as long as they are not fried. And no unnecessary addition of sugar together with strict avoidance of all types of processed food no matter how convenient.

As your body makes the initial adjustments to taking on wholly natural foods it is normal to feel a few hunger pangs,  but these can be relieved by snacking on something which is good such as a toasted hard-cheese and onion sandwich or a luxurious papaya smoothie. You may also experience a headache or two as a kind of withdrawal and perhaps a nasty taste in your mouth which indicates your body is clearing itself of years of accumulated toxins and once these symptoms disappear, which should be in  a few days, your body will be well on the way back to radiating health and beauty.

As easy as A for Apple, B for Broccoli and C for Citrus.