12 Days of Polyphenols Article 1

Gift-giving season is upon us and this year with everyone’s focus on health we’ve decided to share with you our top 12 gift ideas for health and wellness! We will be splitting this into two articles so we can give you all you need to know to make the best decision for the ones you love. 

You’ll notice a trend with all of the suggestions we give — they’re all sources of natural health through polyphenols. Think of this as your 12 days of polyphenols gift-giving guide. 

Why polyphenols?

Well, they’re extremely beneficial in so many ways. We will provide science-backed research to show you exactly why each of these gifts should be at the top of everyone’s gift list this year. 

1. Natural Skin Care Products

We know that stress leads to wrinkles and baggy, dark under eyes, and acne. This year has been loaded with stress from the start. So to help your skin-conscious friends and family members out, get them natural skincare products. 

Over-the-counter skincare can be riddled with toxic chemicals that are absorbed into your skin. With your skin being your largest organ and the first line of defense, this is actually a big deal. The chemicals are then sent throughout your body for it to try and dispose of them and this can cause damage to other organs and lead to disease. 

When choosing a natural skincare product, polyphenol-based products are going to be your best bet. Sometimes this means they are oils. Hold on! Before you object that your skin is too oily and you’ll get more acne, here’s some information to calm your fears. 

Polyphenols have been shown to help with acne, sunburn, anti-aging, and evening skin tone. Double-check products that you’re considering buying to make sure they take care of the problems your recipient is experiencing.

• Resveratrol for evening skin tone
  • Resveratrol, the polyphenol credited for the healthiness of wine, was shown to help to even out your skin tone. It reduces inflammation and fights oxidative stress/damage. This helps to lessen the appearance of age/sun spots and redness.

• Tea-derived polyphenols for acne
  • Tea is helpful for so many different things. Oftentimes it is the EGCG polyphenol that gets the credit, however tea (of any kind) has more than just this one beneficial phytochemicals. The different polyphenols from tea were shown to help reduce sebum secretions when applied topically. This helps to fight acne vulgaris. If you’re looking for a great product to help your teen with their acne, a tea-based skincare routine could help give them the confidence they’ve needed.

• Natural sunblock polyphenols
  • When people start looking to travel again, sunblock is going to make a great gift. But much like other skincare products, sunblock that helps to prevent photodamage to your skin is riddled with chemicals. Polyphenols have been shown to help protect your skin from UV damage. They can be used both topically and ingested to fight the sun’s rays. Sources from tea, grape seeds, cocoa, and several other plants were proven to give you the best protection in the sun. An added benefit of getting out into the sun is the vitamin D you’ll be providing your body, which has been shown to have antiviral effects!

2. Natural Hair Care 

Hair is highly affected by stress. Cortisol levels can be tested in hair strands and it’s been shown that less stress equates to healthier, shinier, fuller hair. While high-stress levels lead to shedding, breakage, and more dry or brittle hair. 

Natural hair care is the best route for protecting and strengthening hair. Since everything inside of our bodies affects our outward appearance eating healthy is one way to do that. If something is safe to ingest then it’s safe to use topically too and actually, this is some of the best hair care we can provide our hair. 

If you’re looking to get someone a hair care gift try looking for masks that have natural whole-food ingredients in them.

• Apples
  • An apple a day keeps the doctor away, but it might also keep away the need to see your hairdresser so often as well. Apples have polyphenolic compounds called procyanidin oligomers. This specific type of polyphenol is great for stimulating hair growth and helping it to appear fuller especially for thin-hair. Look for products that use apple extracts in them as a great gift for someone concerned about their thin hair.

• Oils
  • Yep, you read that right! Oils for your hair are actually extremely healthy and keep your hair looking shiny, full, and healthy. Using oil-based hair masks are important for the integrity and health of your hair.
  • This is even true for people who typically have oily hair. When you overwash your hair your body overproduces oils to make up for the oils lost. By putting oil-based masks on your hair your body has to create less and over time will reduce the oily-look you’ve been trying to avoid.
  • The best oil for your hair based on studies is coconut oil. It outperformed both mineral and sunflower oils in repairing the damage. Coconut oil can also be used in skincare. Finding products for both hair and skincare with coconut oil bases can be a great two for one gift that promotes health and beauty!

3. Fruit cake

Okay, so fruit cake isn’t the healthiest thing out there, but if you’re strapped for time you can rest assured that there are some good qualities about a fruit cake. Fruits and nuts are jam-packed with polyphenols. While the high sugar content makes fruit cake a not so great option as a gift, it is the holiday season and sometimes you break your healthy diets. 

• Dried fruit
  • Dried fruits are sometimes seen as not as being as healthy as fresh fruits. While fresh is always best, the dried counterparts are still packing a healthful punch. One study actually found that pairing dried fruit with tree nuts can help to fight chronic illnesses. Now the sugar in fruit cake can inhibit this a bit, but if you get your hands on a lower-sugar fruit cake option you could be on your way to better health with this gift.

• Nuts
  • Typically when we think of polyphenols it’s fruits and other parts of plants, but did you know that nuts are full of polyphenols too? Or that they come from plants in the first place? Well, they do and they are some of the best sources of polyphenols! Polyphenols in nuts have been linked to anti-inflammation, antioxidants, chemoprotection, and hypocholesterolemic actions.

4. Turmeric crackers and chips

If you’re just looking for a quick gift to bring to a family or friends get together, then this might be your best option. Your normal crackers and chips can be full of nasty oils and fats that are unhealthy. By grabbing healthier options like turmeric crackers or kale chips you’re getting more polyphenols in your and your loved one’s diets. Turmeric has been shown to reduce inflammation and improve heart health. 

If you like cheese, with your crackers but you know someone has lactose intolerance, picking harder and more aged cheeses like Cheddar and Swiss can allow your lactose-intolerant friends to join in the delight. 

5. Hummus spreads

Another polyphenol filled option for a healthy gift is hummus. Hummus is a blend of chickpeas, tahini, lemon, and some other spices or ingredients to make a spread. It goes great with the turmeric crackers mentioned above and it’s so healthy! Hummus is helpful in weight management and the prevention of cardiovascular disease. 

6 .Mead/Honey Products

Did you know that honey is full of polyphenols? Honey comes from the pollen in flowers and bees help to turn that into honey. Honey is full of antioxidants and has been shown to help reduce the risk of heart diseases. 

If wine isn’t quite your thing, but you’re looking for a healthier alcoholic option to give as a gift, then mead might be a great option for you to choose. Mead is made from honey and fruit juices being fermented together. It provides you with similar benefits to those of wine but has a different flavor. Plus you’ll be supporting small businesses and promoting the bee-keeping industry!

Keep an eye out for our next article for the second half of your 12 days of polyphenols for holiday gift ideas! Give this article a “Share” if you saw something you’d like to add to your gift-request list this year.