Tocotrienols should be “our first line of defense” against preventing skin damage by the sun, according to dermatologist Dr. Nicholas Perricone, MD, CNS. It's a powerful anti-oxidant, which has also been shown to contain anti-cancer properties.

The best sources of Tocotrienols are the following foods:

• Cold-pressed palm oil
• Cold-pressed rice bran oil
• Cold-pressed coconut oil
• Barley
• Oats
• Rye

When applied topically, tocotrienols absorb rapidly into the skin, enhancing the concentration and protection of Vitamin E that your body is getting. We would strongly recommend against rubbing any of these oils on your skin before heading into the sun, since this increases your risk of burning. Instead, use coconut oil as a night cream, and your regular sunblock during the day.

Since we advocate a raw food diet at the House of Verona, we’d recommend that you buy raw, unprocessed forms of these foods, and to eat them without cooking, in order to keep the tocotrienols intact.

But how does one eat grains raw?

Raw barley, oats, and rye can be soaked for 6 to 8 hours until soft, and then either eaten with salads or cereals, or blended in with a morning shake.

Refined sugar is a major cause of wrinkles, so here is a recipe that will give you your fix and actually help protect your skin's cells from aging.

Time:

• 5 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1 cup raw dates
• 1 tbsp raw chocolate powder (this is expensive, so I will look the other way if you use regular cocoa powder)
• 2 tbsp cold-pressed coconut oil/butter
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tbsp bee pollen
• Pinch Celtic sea salt
• Couple squeezes of raw agave nectar or raw honey

Tools:

• Food processor

Directions:

• Pour the seeds, chocolate powder, and salt into the food processor. Blend until coarse.
• Keep blending and add the dates in one at a time, to avoid clumping.
• Add the agave nectar, coconut oil/butter, and vanilla last. Blend again.
• Form into small balls, or into bars to wrap up and keep in your car, purse, or desk.

Wrinkle-Fighting Details:

• Pumpkin seeds contain zinc, which promotes cell repair and growth, and is a key member of a group of enzymes that helps to maintain skin's collagen supply. Without zinc, the enzymes that rebuild new collagen do not function properly. In addition to preventing wrinkles, Zinc also prevents and aids in the healing of stretch marks, cellulite, and other outward signs of aging.
• Bee pollen is a sulfur-residue food, which contains enzymes that keep the skin flexible and the collagen strong by rebuilding cells and protecting them from damage. It's also nature's natural multi-vitamin.
• Coconut oil contains tocotrienols, which are type of vitamin E that protects the skin from wrinkling caused by the sun.