Have you ever heard of the term "guilt-free" ? "Guilt" means " guilt" in English. "Free" means "free from constraints" in English. In other words, "guilt-free" means not being bound by guilt, or being freed from guilt.
In fact, guilt can have a negative effect on beauty. When you feel guilty, you feel guilty or anxious. This can cause various symptoms in our bodies in the form of stress . In this article, we will explain the skin problems caused by the stress brought about by guilt and the beauty benefits that can be achieved by releasing guilt.
:The relationship between stress and skin problems
The autonomic nervous system is responsible for controlling the activities necessary to maintain life, regardless of our awareness, allowing our bodies to breathe, maintain a constant body temperature, digest food, and move muscles without us even being aware of it.
Stress is one of the factors that disrupt the function of the autonomic nervous system. When the autonomic nervous system is disrupted, hormone balance is disrupted and blood circulation becomes poor, causing skin problems as well as insomnia, fatigue, headaches, gastrointestinal problems, and other problems in various parts of the body.
It is also known that stress causes the production of reactive oxygen species in the body . Reactive oxygen species are substances that are constantly produced in the body and have very strong oxidizing powers, but they also protect the body by killing and disinfecting pathogens that enter the body from the outside. Most of the useless reactive oxygen species are transformed into harmless water.
However, even in small amounts, active oxygen can attack normal cells in the body, and when this happens to the skin, it can cause spots, wrinkles, and sagging skin.
Now let's take a closer look at skin problems that can be triggered by stress.
: Makes acne more likely to occur
Stress can disrupt the autonomic nervous system, disrupting hormone balance and increasing sebum secretion. When excessive sebum secretion is combined with adverse conditions that cause the abnormal proliferation of acne bacteria, such as clogged pores, acne becomes more likely to occur.
: Skin becomes more prone to dryness
Stress disrupts the autonomic nervous system, causing poor blood flow and insufficient blood flow to the skin. Blood carries the nutrients the skin needs, so skin function declines and the skin's turnover cycle is disrupted. This makes the skin more prone to dryness. It also makes pores more likely to become clogged, which is linked to acne problems.
:Your face will look older
When the amount of active oxygen increases, it destroys the collagen in the dermis layer, which is responsible for the skin's elasticity, leading to wrinkles and sagging skin. Active oxygen can also cause blemishes.
This, combined with dry skin, can make you look older than your actual age. When you smoke, your body produces active oxygen, which may be why smokers often look older than their actual age.
: Guilt-free reduces stress
Let's get back to the topic of guilt-free. Guilt-free means not being bound by guilt, or being free from guilt. Guilt, simply put, is the feeling that "I have done something bad." More specifically, it is the feeling of blaming yourself for having done something bad.
It's painful to blame yourself. You feel cornered and depressed. This painful feeling leads to mental stress . When you feel stressed, your body has a negative reaction. In terms of beauty, this can lead to skin problems.
In other words, when it comes to beauty, it's best not to hold on to stress. People who want to lose weight or have beautiful skin tend to hold off on their favorite sweets. But, being human, it's natural to sometimes want to find a reason to eat something sweet as a reward.
It's common to feel a strong sense of guilt after eating, but when you consider the stress we've discussed so far, it's hard to ignore the negative effects that feeling guilty can have on your body.
It's best to avoid excessive stress when it comes to beauty and dieting. I think it's important to find as many ways as possible to reduce stress. So, I'd like to introduce an example of the idea of forgiving yourself a little.
: Guilt-free feeling with coconut milk
Coconuts bring to mind images of tropical countries, and many people may not know much about them. Coconuts are the fruit that grows on palm trees . Young coconuts are green, and there is a clear liquid inside the shell that is drunk as coconut juice . When the fruit ripens, the shell turns brown, and the inside of the shell turns into solid endosperm (a white solid). The white liquid obtained by scraping off this solid endosperm, boiling it in water, and straining it is called coconut milk . Coconut milk is completely different from coconut juice in appearance, taste, and nutrients.
Desserts and dishes using coconut milk are slowly becoming more common in Japan. Coconut milk is a rich-tasting food that is high in fat, but it's also very good for your beauty. While eating too much of it is obviously not good for you, learn about the benefits of coconut milk and try enjoying desserts made with it guilt-free. Next, we'll explain why coconut milk can be guilt-free.
: The fat in coconut milk is not fattening.
When you hear that coconut milk is high in fat, you might worry that it will make you gain weight. However, the fat contained in coconut milk is called medium-chain fatty acids , which is one of the nutrients that is recommended to be actively consumed among fats. There are even health foods specifically designed to contain medium-chain fatty acids.
:What are the medium-chain fatty acids found in abundance in coconut milk?
Let's take a closer look at medium-chain fatty acids. Fatty acids are composed of three atoms: carbon ( C ), oxygen ( O ), and hydrogen ( H ), and there are many different types of fatty acids depending on the number of carbon atoms and how they are connected. Some have as few as two carbon atoms, while others have as many as 22 carbon atoms. Medium-chain fatty acids are fatty acids with a medium number of carbon atoms ( C8 to C12 ).
The medium-chain fatty acids found in coconut milk are caprylic acid ( C8 ), capric acid ( C10 ), and lauric acid ( C12 ).
Next, we will explain what is good about medium-chain fatty acids. Medium-chain fatty acids are more easily broken down by lipase (an enzyme that breaks down fat) than long-chain fatty acids, which have longer carbon chains, and are quickly absorbed and used as energy. For this reason, they are said to be less likely to become body fat.
Unreasonable dieting can lead to energy deficiencies and make your skin more susceptible to roughness. Even without strenuous exercise, your body constantly consumes energy to function, so it is important to replenish your energy sources appropriately. Medium-chain fatty acids are an excellent source of energy.
H3: Compare the fatty acid composition of coconut milk and cow's milk
If you compare the fatty acid composition of coconut milk with dairy products, you can see the difference.
The following table shows the amount of medium-chain fatty acids contained in 100g of coconut milk and cow's milk.
|
Caprylic Acid ( C8 ) |
Capric acid ( C10 ) |
Lauric acid ( C12 ) |
|
|
coconut milk |
1.1g |
0.87g |
6.9g |
|
milk |
0.53g |
1.1g |
1.3g |
Quoted from the Food Composition Database (Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology) https://fooddb.mext.go.jp/index.pl
Coconut milk has more medium-chain fatty acids than cow's milk. Cow's milk also contains a lot of long-chain fatty acids, but coconut milk only contains a small amount.
: Guilt-free beauty benefits
I hope you understand that the beauty benefits of guilt-free eating come from reducing stress. If you're going to eat, you want to eat something that's good for your body and won't make you gain weight. I think coconut milk is a good option instead of cow's milk.
Enjoy eating guilt-free while keeping nutritional balance in mind.