10 Food secrets of Russian beauties

Even though Russian women are endowed with special Slavic beauty by nature, they know that food is the main tool to maintain it. Here are 10 food secrets of Russian beauties.

Russian women pay lots of attention to what they eat for two reasons. Firstly, they perfectly understand that food can make them healthy and beautiful which are pre-requisites for a happy family life. Secondly, from early youth, they’ve been taught by their mamas that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach.

Russian women cook. Ready-made frozen foods are not a custom; it’s an exception.

10 Food secrets of Russian beauties

1

100% Rye Bread

Dark in color and strong in flavor, rye bread is lower in calories and 3 times higher in fiber than wheat bread. It’s loaded with vitamins B1, B2, B3 and B6, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, and zinc. With each and every one of these nutrients, their health and beauty benefits follow. Since ancient times, Russian women have been using rye bread masks in skin and hair care. Actually, they do wonders to female beauty making the skin flawless and hair silkier, stronger and healthier.

2

Sauerkraut

Being one of the best-known national dishes of Russia, sauerkraut is finely cut raw cabbage that has been fermented by various lactic acid bacteria. Sauerkraut is even more nutritious than the original cabbage because the fermentation process increases the bioavailability of nutrients. So many health and beauty benefits have been claimed for sauerkraut that it’s impossible to list. For centuries, from generation to generation, fiber and probiotics from sauerkraut do wonders to Russian women; and its well-kept recipe goes from mother to daughter.

3

Fermented milk products – cottage cheese and yogurt

There are two fermented milk products – cottage cheese and plain yogurt – that any Russian woman cannot imagine her life without. The main difference between them that yogurt is a drink. Also, yogurt has a slightly more sour taste, while cottage cheese is a little bit sweeter.

Beside calcium, cottage cheese is packed with other essential for beauty nutrients:

• phosphorus – 24% of its Daily Value (DV)
• sodium – 30% of DV
• selenium – 37% of DV
• vitamin B12 – 59% of DV

Cottage cheese also contains an amino acid tryptophan, a precursor of hormone of happiness serotonin. Due to its astringent properties, it is often used in a variety of face masks.

However, the main beauty secret of these fermented milk products is probiotics. Bacteria are what make cottage cheese and yogurt superfoods. And in turn, they make Russian women beautiful and happy.

4

Beets

Russian women love beets. There is a funny saying there: when a lady comes to a restaurant, a waiter asks does she prefer the salad with beets or with beets.

No other food can replace beetroots in the human diet. It’s because of two things:

1. Firstly, it is the set of nutrients that is not found anywhere else
2. And secondly, beets contain a large number of substances that are not destroyed during thermal cooking.

The anthocyanins and betalains in beets are not only responsible for their scarlet hue. They have also been shown to provide antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and detoxification support for your body. In fact, beets are a broom for your body that swepts all toxins away making you look radiant. Naturally.

5

Aspic (kholodets in Russian)

Prepared hot but served cold, aspic is a savory meat jelly made with a meat stock. Traditionally, Russian kholodets is made with pig, cow and/or chicken legs and served with spicy horseradish-and-beet relish. In cold months, there are no celebrations or family reunions without kholodets. It can be made in advance, put in a few bowls, and kept for a week on the balcony (to save rooms in the fridge). The gelatin keeps out air and bacteria, keeping the cooked meat and other ingredients fresh for longer.

When you eat aspic, it literally melts in your mouth. But kholodets is not only delicious dish; it’s also the best natural source of collagen, a protein that delivers the main building blocks for every cell in the body. It’s number one nutrient for bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, hair, and nails, as well as overall health. Collagen is what keeps the skin from sagging, giving it that plump, youthful look.

6

Buckwheat

Wikipedia says that the world’s largest gross buckwheat consumption per capita is in Russia, with 15 kg per year, followed by Ukraine, with 12 kg per year. The most popular buckwheat porridge (kasha) recipe is simply crumbly boiled buckwheat seasoned with salt and butter. It can be eaten at any time of the day, either as a separate dish or as a side dish.

Buckwheat is considered the healthiest cereal in the world. Despite its name, buckwheat is not related to wheat and is thus gluten-free. It’s a low calorie food that well absorbed by the body, very rich in fiber and satisfies hunger for a long time. It is also high in minerals and antioxidants. Buckwheat cleanses the body by removing toxins and speeds up metabolism. It also contains a large amount of flavonoids, substances that actively fight free radicals, significantly slowing down the aging process of the skin.

7

Red caviar

Coming from different species of salmon and usually served on buttered bread or pancakes, red caviar has been part of Russian cuisine for centuries. It is packed with essential nutrients that provide you with endless health and beauty benefits. However, caviar’s number one beauty benefit is its ability to prevent against collagen and elastin breakdown and stimulate the collagen production. It’s the main red caviar secret that works wonders on lessening the appearance of wrinkles.

Today, red caviar is considered a delicacy. However, if you think that red caviar is too expensive and you can’t afford it, it’s not quite true. If you buy bulk red caviar, it will cost you about $7-$10 per 100 gram. For a regular slice of bread with butter, 1-1.5 teaspoon of caviar is enough. The caviar layer has to be thin; if it’s too thick, it won’t be tasty. It is the rare case when the less the merrier. Do the math – how many sandwiches you can make?

8

Wild mushrooms

Mushrooms are the most mysterious creatures. Neither meat nor vegetable, they can heal, they can kill, they can make you high, and they can make you more beautiful. In each Russian woman lives the image of a forest witch who collects secret wild mushrooms and prepares a special magical mix for irresistible beauty.

These enigmatic creatures hide lots of secret ingredients for your overall health and natural glow. Three of these unique components are ergothioneine, glutathione, and kojic acid

• Ergothioneine is a sulfur-containing amino acid that prevents wrinkles and signs of aging skin.
• Glutathione is a powerful antioxidant that makes your skin flawless.
• Kojic acid is a compound that naturally brightens the skin and prevents melanin pigment forming.

From time immemorial, mushrooms have been traditionally used by Russian women for their overall health and natural glow.

9

Wild berries

In late spring and early summer, the ruby-red wild strawberries pop up near the edges of woods in the emerald green grass – first edible gifts for health, beauty and pleasure from Mother Nature. During long summer days, they are soaking in sunlight making their vitamin and antioxidant content incomparably richer than any cultivated berry. And they smell divine. They are not the ones you can usually buy in a supermarket.

Wild blueberries, raspberries, cranberries, lingonberries, cloudberries, and stone berries … Wild berries are one of the best-kept secrets of Russian beauties. Since time immemorial, for their inside out beauty, Russian women have been eating them fresh or drying for herbal teas in winter. And when berries are fresh, they never miss a chance to rub a few on the face.

10

Pine seeds

Being grossly under-appreciated in the rest of the world, pine seeds and gossiping have been daily amusement for Russian women for millennia. Pine seeds are rich in many goodies, just mention a few:

• Vitamin E hydrates the skin, prevents its aging and promotes its overall health.
• Copper helps reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by increasing collagen and elastin production. The effect of copper on inflammatory cells and granulocytes is the most important mechanism related to acne.
• Iron improves the health of your skin, hair and nails by increasing production of your red blood cells, which are responsible for the nutrients supply.
• Magnesium improves your skin’s overall appearance, reducing acne and other skin disorders by lowering cortisol levels.
• Pinolenic acid triggers hunger suppressants that provide a sense of fullness preventing the weight gains. The highest percentage of pinolenic acid is found in Siberian pine nuts.

However, there is one problem with these delicately flavored pine seeds – it’s very hard to stop at just one serving. Try!