We all want to be healthy and beautiful. Being healthy comes with a host of benefits, including the ability to fight off infections and participate in the activities we enjoy. Beauty comes from within. It comes from the light you carry, your smile, your personality, and your confidence. Of course, being healthy can contribute to your ability to feel beautiful. In turn, feeling beautiful and being confident are good for your health. Read on for hacks in three areas to unlock the secrets to health and beauty already inside of you.

Diet

Let's get one thing straight. Diet is what you eat. No matter what types of food you prefer, whether or not you have sensitivities, or whether you prescribe to a specific method, you have a diet.

The key to any diet is healthy food. Your diet should contain a balance of protein, carbs, and fats. These are called macronutrients or macros. Scientific research and anecdotal evidence is rallying behind the idea that protein is the most important macro, with recommendations being that you should eat approximately 1 gram per pound of your body weight per day. The opinions on carbs and fat differ, but you do need both. Regardless of the ratios of macros you are focusing on, you should try to get the majority of your nutrients from whole foods.

One thing that most diet methods will agree on is the importance of vegetables. Choosing a wide selection of leafy greens and other colorful produce and implementing it into every meal and snack is the optimal way to get your vitamins and minerals and other micronutrients.

Supplements

While it is preferential to get your micronutrients from whole foods, due to issues like soil depletion, genetic modification, and climate change, our food is not as nutrient dense as it used to be. Many people choose to supplement their diets with a multivitamin. Additionally, depending on your specific health and beauty goals, you can easily find additional beauty supplements that provide nutrients to benefit specific systems in your body.

Many beauty supplements specifically target the hair, skin, and nails. In order to grow long, healthy hair and nails and to infuse your hair and skin with a natural glow, you need collagen. The body starts to slow down in its production of collagen around 25 and by the time you hit your mid-40s, you have wrinkles and stiff joints due to the decrease in collagen and elastin in your body. Taking a collagen supplement is becoming increasingly popular. There are various forms of collagen, including animal, marine, and plant-based collagens. The benefits of animal collagen, typically sourced from cows, are well known and widely used. It is harder to get complete collagen from plant and/or marine sources. Check out this article on marine collagen explained in depth.

Another popular health and beauty supplement is organic turmeric. The compound curcumin is what gives turmeric its health benefits, which include:

• Increasing antioxidants
• Anti-inflammation
• Boosting brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)

Additionally curcumin has shown to be beneficial in treating and/or preventing many health issues like: cancer, depression, heart disease, and Alzheimer's. Of course, if you like Indian food, your diet may already be benefiting from this fantastic herb. However, it is impossible to get enough curcumin simply from the use of turmeric as a spice. That is why supplementation is so popular. It is important to get a supplement that includes black pepper as well, since that helps the body absorb the curcumin.

The final health and beauty supplement that cycles in popularity is apple cider vinegar. Apple cider vinegar is a staple in many pantries. Adding a tablespoon to your pie crust gives it that little something extra. The health benefits of apple cider vinegar range from lowering blood sugar levels and aiding in symptoms of diabetes to helping with weight loss.

Apple cider vinegar has also been used for centuries as a hair cleanser/rinse. Due to its antimicrobial properties, it can help restore the balance of your scalp and alleviate dandruff and itchiness. It can also act as an exfoliant for your scalp. All of these benefits can promote hair growth.

You can opt to use apple cider vinegar in a variety of ways. It can be ingested. The taste can be extremely strong and hard to cover. Some people prefer apple cider vinegar gummies. You can also buy products like shampoos, conditioners, and rinses that contain apple cider vinegar and can provide you with the benefits without you having to make your own.

Skincare and Makeup

Your skin is the largest organ on your body, and it will absorb most of what you put on it. You want to choose good quality products when you are searching for ways to enhance your health and beauty topically. Any products--from skincare to makeup--should be free of parabens, sulfates, artificial fragrances, and other toxins.

You already know that your basic routine should include cleansing, moisturizing, and applying sunscreen. However, as we get older, other skin issues start to pop up. Perhaps you were not as vigilant about applying sunscreen or a BB cream as you should have been, and you are looking to minimize the appearance of dark circles and spots. You may be searching for products to add to your skincare routine that will treat fine lines, wrinkles, and/or the sensitive area around your eyes.

The same care you use in choosing your skincare regimen should go into choosing your makeup. There is nothing else that makes you feel quite as beautiful as putting on some makeup. Whether you prefer a more natural look or you like to go all out with contouring, fun colors, and fabulous eyeliner applications, you want your makeup to be cruelty free and free of toxins.

One area that you can pay attention to regardless of whether you are doing a natural look or going all out is your eyelashes and eyebrows. The pencil-thin, over-plucked eyebrow look is out. Whether you need to repair years of plucking and waxing or you have naturally thin, sparse brows that you want to fill out, you can use this eyelash serum to bring back volume to your brows and lashes. You want a product that provides deep conditioning and nutrients (like peptides) to the hair follicle.

Remember, no matter how much or little makeup you apply, it is important to wash it off at the end of the day. Falling asleep with makeup or SPF product still on your face can clog your pores and lead to breakouts. Your makeup and/or moisturizing SPF can trap pollution from your environment which, when left on your skin, can increase the degradation of your collagen, mutate your DNA, and lead to premature aging.

Beyond the three areas we discussed, it is vital to your health and beauty to stay active. Hit your step count; get up from your desk and stretch; knock out some pushups or squats. The health benefits of exercise are innumerable, and it will continue to boost your confidence to be able to build strength and mobility. Your beauty and strength come from within. Taking care of yourself and finding the time to care for the body you have is important in living a long and healthy life.