Stupendous Strawberries

Growing up, I was never into fruit. Yup, I was one of those kids who chose junk food over fruit! When I got home from school, I went for the “Cheetos” and “Funyuns (that was a fave of mine.) Of course, due to my bad eating habits, I was overweight. I finally made the commitment to eating better and exercising when I reached adulthood. I started eating more fruit and vegetables and feeling better. What a concept! I even got creative with my fruit. I researched and found many smoothie and dessert recipes which were quite delicious and completely guilt-free! (Smoothie recipe and video coming soon!) One of my favorite fruits are strawberries. They make a great snack in the summer and all through the year. What versatility! Not only can you eat them, but you can use them on your face and for your teeth! Intrigued? Read on…

Mash ‘em on Your Face

We love our "skrawberries!"

When I was little, I liked to play with my food. I still do, I guess, because I love using food on my face. Strawberries contain healing antioxidants and phenols which protect your cells and prevent oxidation (a.k.a ANTI-AGING!) These little red gems are also chock full of phytonutrients. What the heck are phytonutrients? They help protect against cancer. They also help treat inflammation, sometimes better than aspirin and keep your peepers (eyes) healthy. Whew! So do you think strawberries should be your new best friend? I think so! Here’s an awesome strawberry face mask which brightens dull skin (from my favorite book, Babushka’s Beauty Secrets):

1/2 cup fresh strawberries
1 Tbsp. oatmeal
1/4 Tsp honey (you may want to increase, I found it to be too little)

Mix ingredients in a blender. It will look like a smoothie (yum.) Apply to face and leave for 15 minutes. You will feel it cooling and tightening as it dries. Wash off with warm water and apply moisturizer.

Your skin will show an immediate glow!

“Skrawberry” Delight

What else are strawberries good for besides eating and putting on your face? They’re fantastic natural teeth whiteners. Yes, I am not joking. The enzymes in strawberries whiten and cleanse teeth. Use once or twice a week for best results. You can do it in a few different ways:

1. Crush a strawberry and rub the pulp on your teeth (I’ve tried this and it’s quite messy and the pulp slides right off.) This method gets an “F.”
2. Just rub a cut strawberry all over your teeth (good method.)
3. Crush a strawberry or two and mix with a bit of baking soda for extra whitening and cleansing. In this manner you are almost making a “paste.” Dip your toothbrush in the mixture and brush away! You can make enough for a few weeks and store it in a little container in the fridge. (I love those teeny Rubbermaid containers for this.)

Attention visual learners: watch the You Tube video below. It really explains how to do this process quite simply and correctly. Actually the video is a MUST WATCH if you’re going to try this out. So break out the “skrawberries” (that’s what the kids in my kindergarten class call them.)  and beautify your smile!

Stay natural…stay beautiful…go green!

Robin Adler

Robin started her career as an educator of children and has now become an educator for adults everywhere who want to know the truth about what they put into their bodies through the skin. She is passionate about educating people to make better health and beauty choices.
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