Andrea Kurpiewski swore off junk food for months, vowing she would never touch a potato chip or chocolate bar again. She would not even indulge the thought of hot fudge atop her low-fat, unsweetened ice cream.
All she wanted was the ultimate answer to a perfect complexion.
"I thought it would help my skin," the freshman undecided major said. "I read in Cosmopolitan that if you don't eat junk food, your skin will clear up and your hair will become shiny and healthy."
Kurpiewski's belief that avoiding junk food is the way to a clear complexion is much like many other people's hope that a one step food choice will be a solution to all their aesthetic problems.
A smooth complexion, lovely locks, beautiful nails and an ideal weight are among the purported characteristics of beauty that many individuals expend energy trying to attain. In searching for a shortcut, some make decisions that might be detrimental.
Janice Cochran, a dietician and nutritionist with the Center for Student Health, described an experience with a young man who wanted better hair and asked if a supplement purported to assist in hair's healthy growth would be effective.
Cochran responded that trying to find a quick fix in one supplement or food will not yield results.
Cochran warned against falling into a pattern of eating the same foods and avoiding others.
"My concern in terms of students wanting to know how to best beautify themselves, is if they're restricting (themselves), like avoiding carbs or avoiding protein food or a monotonous diet, they only eat one kind of bread... or one kind of fruit."
According to Cochran this goes for limiting foods that are perceived as bad.
"There has been no research that says eating high-fat foods leads to acne. Low fat and low protein diets can actually damage your skin and hair," said Cochran.
Cochran advised students to learn more about each nutrient's effect on the body and to endeavor to get a good enough amount of each nutrient for their over-all health.
Cochran said some examples of good nutrition expressing itself physically are the positive effects of protein that can be seen in the hair, vitamin A and B vitamin are much needed by the skin, vitamin C which is essential for collagen is also skin-friendly. Iron, B vitamin and folate - which many women do not get enough of - have an effect on eye health.
According to Cochran, the surest way to get adequate amounts of each nutrient is with variety in one's diet.
"Eat a colorful diet, we tend to eat white and brown and tan."
Amanda Domm's, a freshman exercise science major, said she believes shiny, healthy hair and clear skin that have nothing to do with her diet.
"I eat whatever I want, and everyone else should too," said Domm, about how much consideration goes into her food choice.
Alicia King, a hairstylist at Steven Robert Salon on Long Island, said that her clients have a variety of reasons for having great hair.
"Whenever I ask customers with healthy hair how it comes out so nicely, they usually say they have an expensive hair iron or they were just born that way," said King.
However, even though characteristics that are considered beautiful such as clear skin and luxurious locks are, according to Cochran, mostly genetic, there may be some ways to enhance the health of the skin and hair.
"Water keeps the skin moist and regulates function of the glands," said Dr. Gary Vogin, an internist from WebMD.com.
The experts agree that consistent and adequate water intake might be one of the answer beauty-seekers have been looking for.
According to Cochran, while a majority of what individuals look like has a lot to do with luck of the genetic draw, eating well, drinking enough water and maintaining mental health all can assist in making the best of what nature created.
"In terms of general self care you get into the mind/body aspect. Self-care that includes how well nourished you are ...are you in the sun too much... are you getting enough sleep, and the emotional side as well," Cochran said. "Your state of mind can even take a toll, if you're stressed all the time, if you're frowning all the time that can play an aspect."
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
