Naturally, it's expected that I would constantly get asked "skin care” questions. The fact is that I get asked almost as many questions regarding nutrition and diet. It is understandable. We are constantly surrounded by unhealthy food choices. Advertisements make us feel that we are entitled to splurge on foods that cause our insulin levels to spike, trigger inflammatory responses and provide us with more calories than a professional athlete could burn. We are presented with an endless array of "miraculous” diets. Fad diets abound and many diet books are immediate best sellers. Even the most preposterous dietary advice is embraced by hordes of individuals who are perfectly willing to let someone else take responsibility for what they consume.

Eating in a healthy and productive manner is fraught with inherent contradictions and pitfalls. Food is not only addictive but necessary to survive. If one chooses to end an addiction to smoking or drugs, success is usually maintained via total abstinence. But food is a necessary addiction that is impossible to control through total abstinence. The fact is that we are constantly exposing our selves to the very substance that we strive to moderate.

I am not a "diet” expert. But through my extensive medical research, I have amassed a lot of relevant data pertaining to eating methodology that you might find useful.

How and What do I Eat?

I eat lots of food. I eat until I am full. I don't feel hungry and I don't feel deprived. I enjoy eating. I have never dieted and I don't expect to ever "go on a diet.” I am very slender but I don't think I am skinny. I am lean but I definitely have curves. Does obesity run in my family you ask? Well, my mother struggled with her weight most of her adult life and weighed nearly 200 pounds when she died. Also, I am extremely healthy (knock on wood). I have excellent bone and muscle mass. My blood pressure is great. My good cholesterol is very high and I haven't had a cold or flu in over 15 years. So I must be doing something right. What is my secret? I don't have one. I have chosen "a way of eating.”

There are a wide variety of foods that exist for me. I eat them whenever I want and I eat very generously. Other foods just don't exist for me much like smoking doesn't exist or recreational drugs. Drugs and cigarettes may be pleasurable or popular and used by huge numbers of people and the media may make it seem socially acceptable, but for me, they simply are not a choice. It is the same with food. I have committed myself to a "eating philosophy” that encompasses all of my food choices. Here are my basics. I eat meat such as beef, pork, veal and lamb. I don't eat bacon or sausage. I eat poultry. I eat various kinds of fish and most often, salmon. I eat a wide variety of vegetables. I eat beans and certain fruits. I include some grains. I eat a lot of sweet potatoes and yams and some white potatoes. I also consume dark chocolate in the higher cocoa percentages. The point is, I eat well and I don't feel guilty or deprived.

Fast Foods

Fast food can mean a lot of things. Mostly it refers to choices that originate from McDonalds, Burger King or numerous other famously poor choices. But it also refers to our need to provide and consume meals that don't require much preparation. One of the reasons people select fast food is because it is convenient and it generally tastes good. Much of the public believes that really healthy food requires a lot of time to prepare. I eat a lot of fast food. My life is hectic and unpredictable. I travel frequently and I don't have time to expend much effort on food preparation. Even if I did have the time, it's not something I choose to do.

As an example, last night I had a whole spaghetti squash (when it's cooked it looks like pasta). It took about 15 minutes in the microwave. I scooped out the insides into a large bowl, poured lots of my favorite bottled heirloom tomato sauce over the top and sprinkled parmesan cheese over everything. Yum! Delicious! Tonight, I'm planning on having a rib steak (3 minutes on the George Foreman Grill) with an entire bag of baby greens. I'll top the greens with a mixture of Follow Your Heart® Spicy Southwestern Ranch dressing (12.5 calories a tablespoon) and Wish-Bone® Bountifuls™ Simply Santa Fe™ dressing (10 calories a tablespoon). For the record, this dressing combo is totally delicious.

I always have poached salmon in the refrigerator. I can poach a weeks worth of salmon in seven minutes. I always keep a very easy to make vegetarian type chili in the fridge. It can also be frozen. It is tomato based with lentils, black beans, kidney beans, carrots, onions, other miscellaneous veggies, garlic and other spices. It is astoundingly good. I warm it up in three minutes and eat it alone or over salmon. One of my favorites is to microwave a huge white potato (eight to ten minutes) and heap chili over the top along with some broccoli. I eat giant, microwaved sweet potatoes or yams heaped with tasty butter substitutes that raise your good cholesterol levels. Often, for breakfast, I will consume a giant bowl of oat bran (50 seconds in the microwave). I'll add non-sugar sweetener, throw in some raisins and heap on cinnamon. It tastes like a bowl of gourmet oatmeal cookies!

I could go on and on but I think you get the idea. I am never at a loss for choices and they are all fast, fast, fast. Plus, I can easily order within my sphere of food when I am traveling. It is truly, never a problem.

Make a Lasting Decision

There are lots of "diets.” Atkins, South Beach, Eat Right for Your Blood Type, Picture Perfect Weight Loss, The Perricone Weight Loss Diet, Nutri-System, Weight Watchers, Jenny Craig and on and on. There are endless options. Most of them have at least some merit. I know you don't want to hear this, but diets don't work. Dieting is like drug rehab. It provides a very structured, step-by-restricted step program. You are expected to stay precisely within the guidelines of the plan. Sometimes this is accompanied by group therapy or counseling. Like rehab, dieters frequently relapse because the plan is stringently unrealistic or the dieter has not committed to eating in a manner that can become a lifestyle as opposed to an aggravating burden. The real issue is whether you can commit to an eating philosophy indefinitely. Don't make a hasty decision because you want to lose a quick five or ten pounds. You can be your appropriate weight and healthy for life and you can eat whatever you want within your sphere of healthy food choices. Make a decision you believe you can live with. Once you begin, commit to a minimum of six months. You need adequate time to establish a routine and explore interesting food combinations. Six months is also enough time to begin to see real results regarding how you look and feel. Whether you are a meat eater or a vegetarian, whether your food budget is lavish or frugal, there are options. No food philosophy works for everyone, just as everyone's body type and goals are individual. It should be about what works for you and what meets your specific needs.

Comfort Food

Everyone has certain foods that evoke special feelings or sensations. They may trigger a pleasant childhood memory. It may be that the food is really sweet or very rich or spicy tasting. Some people feel anxious and deprived without their comfort fix. Making comfort foods completely off limits can trigger more intense cravings and possible bingeing. I have comfort foods also. I used to think it was mainly Rocky Road Ice Cream, Carrot Cake with thick cream cheese frosting or pizza. We often crave comfort foods. My weaknesses are still appealing, but I have discovered that there are a number of other choices that meet my comfort food needs. For example, there is a particular soup that I find immensely satisfying that I might sip while watching T.V. I found that my favorite non-fat, very sweet, sugar free, 80 calorie yogurt (Dannon® Light & Fit®) is amazing when I pour it into a large bowl and add a ripe, cut up peach. This combination creates a huge, very filling portion that tastes incredibly rich and decadent. I know it may be hard to believe, but when I eat this (which is whenever I want); I truly don't miss the Rocky Road Ice Cream. And I have other options that satisfy my craving for pizza or carrot cake. I guarantee you that you can uncover fabulous and sinfully delicious concoctions that will satisfy your comfort food craving regardless of whether they are sweet, spicy, crunchy, etc.

The Glycemic Index

Notice that nothing I've discussed includes refined carbohydrates. I could take a great deal of space just expounding on that subject. I'll give you the quick overview. Refined carbohydrates cause insulin levels to rise very quickly (spike). This in turn, triggers your body to store more food as fat instead of burning away the calories. These foods also trigger inflammatory reactions. Aging is largely an inflammatory based process and inflammatory food triggers accelerate this process. As a result, you are more prone to Diabetes, heart disease and a host of other opportunistic health issues. Inflammatory triggers cause your skin to age much more rapidly. For example, sun exposure triggers inflammation, which we all know is an undisputed primary cause of skin wrinkling, brown spots, loss of elasticity and coarse skin texture. Well, foods can be inflammatory as well and also result in premature skin aging.

Here's another fact. Acne is an epidemic among females in their 20's, 30's, and 40's and beyond. There is now an established link between refined carbs and adult acne. When food triggers glycemic spikes, over extended periods, it appears to initiate higher levels of testosterone or testosterone sensitivities. In any case, it is believed to be an underlying factor in that persistent, resistant pustular and nodular acne that predominately pops up on the chin, jaw line and perioral areas. I could go on and on about refined carbs. I won't, accept to add that food truly has a profound and very tangible affect on how you look and feel.

Exercise

I am a huge believer in exercise, but not to lose weight. Do I weigh less than I did ten years ago? Yes, but I weighed less before I regularly exercised. I have been very consistent about core and weight training for over two years. I am fortunate that I have an excellent and dedicated trainer, Eric Fakiri. But I weigh approximately the same now as I did before I started training. Yes, my butt is higher and firmer. My calves are more defined. My arms are more sculpted and I feel strong and taut and energetic. However, my trainer will be the first to agree that the most important factor is food. Eric will tell you that he has clients who spend hours at the gym, but whose food choices don't change. If their goal is to slim down substantially, it won't happen. Food is critical. Eric will also insist that "dieting” or feeling hungry and deprived is never a solution. You must determine your personal "food sphere.” You must define what your "food life” will be, just like you decide where you will live or what career you will follow or what your religious or ethical beliefs will be. Make that commitment, not just a choice, but a belief system. Make it something you embrace, look forward to and weave into the very fabric of your life.

Nutrition

I believe that well meaning nutritionists and the media burden us with unrealistic standards. You're probably familiar with the adage that we should consume a nutritionally balanced diet consistency of 3 – 5 servings of vegetables each day, 2 - 4 fruit servings, 2 - 3 dairy servings, whole grains, etc. You've got to be kidding! Some of us feel overwhelmed at the prospect or feel that we are going to fail before we have even begun. The fact is that even if you had the time and seasonal availability, most experts feel that we may still not get the nutrients that are optimal. Fish oil (omega 3 fatty acids), is critical in my opinion. They benefit your brain, mood, heart, hair and skin. You can eat several pounds of wild salmon a day, or you can take high quality Omega 3 supplements (2,000 to 4,000 mg/day).

Resveratrol, a promising anti-aging compound found in red wine can be consumed in a stabilized capsule daily. Or, you can drink hundreds of glasses of red wine to consume a similar concentration.

My personal physician, Catherine Grellet, MD, insists that I take CoEnzyme Q10 supplements. I would not be able to find an equivalent amount through food consumption.

Don't get me wrong. Supplements don't replace food and I believe many highly touted supplements are unfounded and unnecessary. But there is more and more validation regarding selective supplementation. I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I have benefited immensely because of my supplements. I am very discriminating and I have done a tremendous amount of research in order to determine and support my choices. Much of my research resulted in my development of our anti-aging supplements, C-ESTAMINS®. C-ESTAMINS have always been my basic supplemental foundation and I have never come across a finer or more effective supplemental basic. I don't have the space to list the benefits I have experienced. It's not the only thing I take, but as I said, my C-ESTAMINS are the all important foundation. Supplements, when taken appropriately, can change your life in untold ways.

Skin Care

Does your diet affect your skin? You bet. The right nutrients give you a vibrancy and youthful well-being. You just look healthy and fit. It impacts your longevity and ability to function free of illness and disease. Believe me, you can't fake good nutrition. Nothing can replace it. But even if you eat well, you still have to contend with the ravages of sun exposure and the cumulative damage your skin has experienced. Even the best nutritional program can't erase textural changes, rosacea, acne, lines and wrinkles, and brown spots. The good news is that we have topical agents that can produce nearly miraculous results. I don't mean to imply that they can replace cosmetic surgery, but cosmetic surgery doesn't give you great skin or replace skin care.

As a product researcher for over 35 years I am passionate about skin care. I have worked with countless individual case studies that were considered hopeless because of concerns such as extensive aging, acne or rosacea, who now enjoy glowing beautiful skin. My research has resulted in proprietary developments that don't exist outside of JMSR. Sometimes I amaze myself with what we have been able to achieve. This sentiment is shared by thousands of physicians who work with our products. I don't want to sound like a braggart or zealot, but the fact is that the skin care landscape is rapidly evolving. New technologies are emerging that produce results we did not think were possible just a few years ago. We can manipulate receptor sites, rebuild the epidermis, signal specific responses and to some extent we can even reset your skin's aging clock. You can spend obscene amounts of money on products that don't produce measurable results or you can spend reasonable sums on products that have medical validation. Today, there are products that can visibly transform your skin.

The combination of diet and skin care is astoundingly powerful. I am dedicated to researching and identifying the options that can provide us with an ageless look and a healthy body and a sense of well being that enables us to productively enjoy every aspect of our lives.

Do You Want To Know More?

I know I have only skimmed the surface of this vast and complex subject. Maybe you want more specifics about diet or supplementation or skin care. If that's the case, I want to hear from you. If I receive enough response, I will write further.

Jan Marini

Read Part II of Jan Marini's Food & Dieting Article >>