Have you ever heard the phrase “you are what you eat” or “real beauty comes from within”? These phrases are not only true, but explain in very few words the importance of how you treat your body and others. Taking care of yourself and extending that care to others, not only helps you feel better, but also enables your inner beauty to shine externally.

Let’s start with diet. Eating fruits and vegetables will improve your skin and will add purposeful and good calories to your body, rather than empty calories. Foods like ultra processed chips and candy may seem delicious, but the horrible additives can cause you to feel tired and look unhealthy. A bad diet does not allow you to be the best version of yourself! If you are looking for better skin, start by cleaning up your diet and adding foods that will make your skin healthy: fatty fish, avocados, walnuts, sunflower seeds, sweet potatoes, red or yellow bell pepper, broccoli, tomatoes, dark chocolate, green tea and red grapes have all proven to be great for your skin. These ingredients are also good for your hair! Eggs, berries, and any sort of protein make for healthier hair. Eating good food not only helps keep your body in good shape, but a healthy diet also greatly improves your skin, hair, nails, teeth, and eyes.

Though these beauty tricks are great, you can never achieve true beauty until you have mastered kindness, elegance and peace. These virtues help you radiate beauty from the inside out, and these features will stand out when you meet anyone. Kindness means doing simple things with great love. Holding the door for someone, smiling, or just saying hello. Being aware of your surroundings and kind to others has been proven to improve your mood and thus make you a more attractive person. Elegance, means being the bigger person even if that means you don’t get the last word. At times achieving true elegance can be difficult. It may seem tempting to do what everyone else is doing and give into trends that are not classy. By maintaining elegance, you differentiate yourself from others by being poised and serene. Lastly, peace means bringing a sense of calm wherever you go. Beauty doesn’t only mean looking your best, but also making others feel their best. By avoiding being frazzled or spasmodic, you will appear more beautiful to others because you can bring serenity to their day.

No amount of makeup or hair appointments can help you achieve true beauty. If you want to be truly radiant, start with a healthy diet and build virtuous habits, then you will be on your way to unlocking your most beautiful self!

By: Elizabeth Barrette ‘29

Sports and Beauty Editor

29ebarrette@montroseschool.org

Works Cited

Jones, Taylor. “The 11 Best Foods for Healthy Skin.” Edited by Amanda Caldwell. Healthline, Healthline Media, 14 Oct. 2024, www.healthline.com/nutrition/12-foods-for-healthy-skin#takeaway. Accessed 14 Oct. 2024.

Raman, Ryan. “The 13 Best Foods for Hair Growth.” Edited by Cynthia Cobb. Healthline, Healthline Media, 5 Feb. 2024, www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods-for-hair-growth. Accessed 5 Feb. 2024.