400 years ago, Hungarian countess Elizabeth Bathory was convicted for the murder of 80 tween girls. Rumor has it that she was bathing in their blood to soak in their youth and keep her looking young.
There’s a better way.
Part juice bar concoction, part mad scientist experiment, the Fresh Flesh Shot is your daily dose of anti-aging skin nutrients. The best part? It doesn’t require murder. It’s even vegan. Because regardless of what the vampire movies tell us, you don’t need to drink blood to help you skin look firm and youthful, and to mitigate the damage you did by hanging out in the sun this summer.
You need antioxidants, and this shot is packed with them.
Anthocyanins are dark pigments naturally occurring in fruits and vegetables that have antioxidant effects. As you can guess by their colors, blackberries and blueberries are rich in anthocyanins. These compounds — a type of flavonoid — protect skin from UV damage. In one study, researchers observed that antioxidants in the blackberries scavenged the UV-generated free radicals that can cause premature skin aging.
Pomegranates contain ellagic acid, which helps prevent collagen from breaking down. Collagen is a major structural protein that keeps your skin firm. Our bodies produce it naturally, but at rates that slow as you age, leading to sagging skin and wrinkles. Exposure to sun rays creates free radicals that break down collagen, so substances like ellagic acid are critical to preserving dwindling collagen levels. Researchers have also found that pomegranates can reduce the damage from UVB rays that hit the outer layer of the skin.
And speaking of antioxidants, Vitamin C is a powerhouse when it comes to skin. It helps protect from UVA and UVB damage, which means that it supports multiple levels of healthy skin. To produce collagen, you need Vitamin C. And getting the meager 75–90 mg to avoid the bleeding sores that are symptomatic of scurvy isn’t going to be enough to keep skin firm as you age.
And you can’t talk antioxidants without mentioning the OG, the master antioxidant, the mother of all antioxidants, glutathione. It earned these monikers because glutathione is so powerful that it can recharge other antioxidants like Vitamin C. That helps you get more out of all your supplements. Studies have also found that glutathione helps to lessen photoaging.
Alpha Lipoic Acid is a universal antioxidant because it can fight free radicals in both water- and fat-based tissue. Alpha Lipioc Acid encourages glutathione production. It also plays several important roles in mitigating damaged caused by excess sugar consumption. In relation to the skin, Alpha Lipoic Acid prevents the formation of Advanced Glycation End Products (AGEs), a nasty byproduct of sugar metabolism. When these AGEs accumulate, they damage collagen and cause skin to sag.
Three of the B vitamins in Lypo-Spheric® B Complex Plus inhibit AGE formation: the fat-soluble derivative of B1, benfotiamine; B6, pyridoxine; and B3, niacin. Niacin, as niacinamide, is becoming a star in the beauty world on its own since it supports the synthesis of lipids that hold together your outer layer of skin cells.
How to Make the Fresh Flesh Shot
Ingredients:
- 1 packet Lypo-Spheric® B Complex Plus
- 1 packet Lypo-Spheric® Glutathione
- 1 packet Lypo-Spheric® R-Alpha Lipoic Acid
- 1 packet Lypo-Spheric® Vitamin C
- 2 blackberries
- 2 frozen cherries, pitted
- 4 blueberries
- 3 oz. pomegranate juice
- 1 tbsp. water
Instructions:
- In a stovepot over high heat, cook blackberries, cherries, and blueberries into a compote with 1 tbsp water.
- Using a spatula or wooden spoon, smash the berries so that they are in tiny pieces and nearly liquified. It’s optimal to have a little bit of texture as you want this to look like blood clots in your shot.
- Allow to cool for about 5 minutes.
- Pour into a shot glass.
- Squeeze Lypo-Spheric® Glutathione and Vitamin C into 1–2 oz. of Fresh Flesh.
- Throw it back like a shot.
- Squeeze Lypo-Spheric® B Complex Plus and R-Alpha Lipoic Acid into 1–2 oz. of Fresh Flesh.
- Throw it back like a shot.
- Rejoice that you don’t need to resort to vampirism. You can go back out in the sun, then make another shot.
