Many people are familiar with the truism, "you are what you eat." And a great many also know the old adage, "an apple a day, keeps the doctor away." A Chinese proverb adds to the wisdom imparted in these sayings, and firmly plants the importance of diet as the basis of healing and good health: "he that takes medicine and neglects diet, wastes the skills of the physician." Indeed, one way to appreciate the importance of diet in maintaining a healthy metabolism is to consider the contribution of necessary macro- and micro-nutrients to the processes of healing, as this proverb suggests.

In the course of a normal day, our bodies remain constantly vigilant to assaults from bacterial, viral or other infection, or engaged in damage control due to these assaults or overexposure to sun, wind, cold or other environmental factors. Metabolic processes in our bodies are continually being initiated to provide immunity or promote healing. A consistently healthy diet provides the best platform from which to launch counterattacks to the assaults of the natural world, and supplies the components that aid the healing processes and rebuild health.

Our skin, like a dam that wards off a flood of invaders, is our first line of defense and benefits from the macro- and micro-nutrients supplied in a healthful diet. Normal, healthy skin, additionally, prevents energy loss by helping to regulate body temperature and water loss. Maintaining a diet that promotes healthy skin promotes overall good health.

In this article we will explore some of the foods in a vegetarian diet necessary to a healthy defense, and a few important processes involved in making the most of the nutrients offered in vegetarian fare.

Read on for the answers you seek   

It was the hard water causing my dermatitis!

Peter lives in the UK and started to experience dermatitis suddenly. A recent visit to our website led him to our article about hard water dermatitis. Many think dry skin is just something they have to live with. They may not have given much thought to a simple environmental factor like water -- the possibility that the water they bathe in, wash dishes, clothes and linens in, and even drink may be contributing to the problem.

"Thank you for your very helpful and informative online article on hard water dermatitis. I began bathing recently in heavily lime-scaled water (washing clothes and bed linens in it also), and developed topical irritant dermatitis. I had been thinking the cause was some unidentified dietary factor, but your article has nailed it. The moment I read it, lights went on, it was so obvious. All medical practitioners should be aware of this, but they're not."

Learn more

DermaHarmony is a great place to start

Our programs promote healthy skin with nutritional supplements, cleansing and detoxification, pH balancing, mild topical treatments and dietary guidance.

• To learn more about the approach, visit How it Works.
• To assess your symptoms, take our on-line Skin Assessment.
• If you have questions, don't hesitate to call us at 1-800-827-3730.
  We're here to listen and help.