The Foods You Need to Nosh On for Healthy Beautiful Skin
I'm an expert in the field of skincare. I can tell you exactly what to do and what to use topically to make your skin glow. However, in the case of skincare products, as the expression goes, beauty really is only skin deep. The reach of these products can only go so far and is most often very superficial. I have always been of the school of thought that, in the physical sense, you most certainly are what you eat. This especially goes for the appearance of your skin. The simple act of eating the right foods has a major impact on your skin's health and condition, no question about it. Most of us know that staying properly hydrated, by way of drinking a lot of water, is one way to boost our skin's beauty. But, most of us underestimate the powerful effect our diet has on our skin. Did you know that eating certain foods can have a huge impact on the health, and therefore the look, of our skin? A good skincare routine combined with eating the right beauty foods can make a significant difference. If you are not seeing the skin you long for in the mirror, try adding more of these foods to your plate. True beauty comes from within, nourishing your body with the right foods will make you radiate health and beauty both inside and out. So go ahead, load up your plate with these beauty boosters, and munch your way to radiant skin. I've included one of my own recipes for each that is quick and easy so you can start incorporating these foods into your daily diet. Enjoy!
Avocados
The appearance of certain foods alludes to their beauty-boosting benefits. When I look at the luxuriously soft and creamy center of an avocado, I think just that. Avocados are anti-aging powerhouses. They are full of skin-softening and smoothing compounds. This fruit, yes it's a fruit, is one of the highest in amino acids. These amino acids, most notably glutathione and glutamine, contain amazing anti-aging properties and also protect our delicate skin from environmental aggressors such as pollution. High in antioxidants along with vitamins A, C, and K, avocados boast the highest amount of vitamin E of any other food source, which softens and smooths the skin. I eat half of an avocado every single day. I try to buy around 3 avocados at a time in various stages of ripeness so they don't go bad. Once an avocado is ripe, you can store it in the fridge for up to a week to keep it longer. Once you halve an avocado, make sure to leave the pit in the other side, this will also keep it from going bad. I use an avocado saver, which works like a charm, you can get it here. I love to sprinkle my avocado with some flaky sea salt and eat it straight out of the skin with a spoon. So simple, so yummy.
Danny's Homemade Guacamole
Serves 4
2 avocados, skin removed and diced
1 small tomato
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1/2 to 1 whole jalapeño pepper(depending on desired heat level)
1/2 small red onion finely diced
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
Sea Salt to taste
In a mixing bowl mash avocado chunks with a fork until smoother consistency forms, but not completely smooth. Add in all other ingredients and mix to combine. Serve with chips or veggies for dipping.
Almonds
I love almonds. These crunchy little guys are overflowing with the super antioxidant vitamin E. Vitamin E is a real anti-aging rock star, with the ability to protect our skin from damaging UV rays, it earns the credit for making our skin soft and smooth. High in calcium, almonds protect our brain and bones too. Just one handful of these little nuts contains as much flavonoid antioxidants as green tea. Now that's impressive! Vitamin E is most effectively absorbed by the body when eaten in tandem with foods containing high levels of vitamin C. I like to throw them into smoothies or chop and serve over salad or dark leafy greens that have been sauteed with olive oil, garlic, and lemon to reap the benefits of the ultimate C and E combo.
DJ's C and E Power Smoothie
1/8 cup raw almonds
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 cups baby spinach
Juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup frozen pineapple chunks
1 cup ice
Liquid Stevia to taste
Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
Coconut
Coconut may just be my favorite food. I love it in all it's glorious forms. Coconut water, meat, milk, oil, they are all delicious and equally beneficial for your skin. Coconuts are not nuts at all, they are actually a member of the fruit family, more specifically categorized as a drupe. That is why most people with nut allergies can actually eat coconut. As with most of the other beauty foods on this list, I eat coconut in one form or another every day. I am absolutely in love with coconut manna, also referred to as coconut butter, and eat it straight out of the jar. Coconut has major anti-aging benefits as far as improving skin softness and smoothness. It is also great for your gut and digestion. This is important because it frees up your body's energy enabling it to focus on non-essential functions like nourishing the skin and hair...definitely essential for me! Coconut is also naturally antimicrobial which aids in treating conditions such as acne and psoriasis. The healthy fats found in coconut abound with delicious beauty-boosting benefits.
Dark Chocolate Coconut Beauty Bark
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4 bars of your favorite dark chocolate (I like Lily's Extra Dark Chocolate Bar or Alter Eco Blackout Bar)
2 Tbsp Nutiva Coconut Manna
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
Place 1/4 cup of the shredded coconut in a small pan on the stove over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently until the coconut is lightly browned and toasted. DO NOT walk away during this process, the coconut will burn very easily. Set aside to cool. Break the chocolate bars into smaller pieces and place them in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring in between until the chocolate is completely melted. Add the coconut manna and the other 1/4 cup of the untoasted shredded coconut to the chocolate and mix well. Cover a sheet pan with parchment paper. Spread the melted chocolate mixture over the parchment paper until it is about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle the top evenly with sea salt, I usually use about a teaspoon of large flakes, and the toasted coconut. Put the sheet pan in the refrigerator until the chocolate hardens, about 30 minutes. Remove from the refrigerator and either cut or break into pieces. Store in the refrigerator.
Spinach
Spinach is my favorite of the leafy greens. It is very easy to incorporate into recipes including smoothies. I'm telling you if you want to get your kids to eat more veggies, stick some spinach in a fruit smoothie. They won't be able to detect it, the flavor is easily masked by the fruit or fruits you use. Spinach is super high in vitamin A which, like its skincare cousin Retin A, works on an internal level to prevent wrinkles and hydrate the epidermis accelerating cellular turnover. The result? Gloriously smooth, clear skin. Iron is an important nutrient that is found in high levels in spinach and helps with blood flow and circulation throughout the body, which in turn produces healthier skin cells. To get the most iron out of this green, pair it with foods that are high in vitamin C. This will ensure maximum absorption. We've already learned that vitamins C and E are essential for beautiful skin. Lipoic acid helps these vitamins work at maximum effectiveness and guess what food contains lipoic acid...that's right, spinach! This skin-loving superfood is easy to incorporate into your diet on a daily basis. Add a handful to your rice or pasta or throw it into a delicious fruit smoothie.
No Dairy Creamed Spinach
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8 cups fresh spinach or 1 package frozen spinach
1/3 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 Tbsp coconut oil mayo or vegenaise
2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
1/4 tsp garlic powder
salt and pepper to taste
*This recipe is Low Carb, Keto, Paleo, Vegetarian, Vegan, Sugar-Free, Gluten-Free, and Dairy-Free!
Put spinach in a pot with the almond milk and cook until wilted. If using frozen spinach, put it in the pot with the almond milk, cover, and cook over medium heat until completely thawed. Next, turn the heat down to low and add nutritional yeast, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Cook for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in mayo. Enjoy!
Pineapple
This tropical fruit is high in vitamin C. When consumed, vitamin C helps your body build more collagen. Collagen is a protein responsible for strengthening and building new cells. As we age, our collagen production takes a major dip. Therefore, the more vitamin C rich foods, like pineapple, that we ingest the younger we will look. Easy peasy, right? Pineapple also contains bromelain which is an enzyme that breaks down protein. Protein is the hardest for our bodies to break down, therefore requiring more digestion and in turn energy. The less amount of energy our bodies need to put towards digesting our food, the more our skin will benefit. Due to its high enzymatic levels, pineapple is often used in skincare products such as exfoliators and peels. This fruit's enzymes will eat away the dead surface layers of the skin revealing the beautiful, untarnished new cells underneath. It is doing the same thing to you on the inside when you eat it. I love to eat pineapple and do so more often than most other fruits. It's delicious thrown into smoothies or added to a tropical fruit salad. Now, I have just one question for you...Do you like Piña Coladas?
Daniella's Clean Piña Colada
1/2 cup frozen pineapple chunks
2 oz Clear Rum
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup canned coconut milk
1/4 tsp agave or Liquid Stevia to taste
ice
Add all ingredients to a blender, you can omit the ice if your pineapple is frozen. Blend until completely smooth. Pour into a tropical cocktail vessel and sip away. Optional: paper umbrella, bathing suit, and a rum floater if you dare.
Collagen
I take collagen peptides every...single...day. Collagen may just be the single most effective anti-aging nutrient. As I mentioned before, unfortunately, as we grow older our bodies just don't produce the same amount of collagen as they did when we were younger. Our bodies produce bountiful amounts of collagen from the time we are born straight through to about 20 years old. At around 25 our collagen begins to decline...gasp...and consistently does so until around 50 when it takes a much larger hit. So it makes perfect sense, if you want to look and feel younger you need to ramp up your body's production of collagen. So how do we do this? Eating foods high in vitamin C is one way. But you'd have to eat enormous amounts of these foods to majorly increase collagen production. You can also drink bone broth, which I find quite enjoyable actually, especially in the colder months. My method of choice is drinking collagen peptides. The white powder is easily incorporated into drinks, smoothies, and recipes. It is completely tasteless. I can hear some of you shouting at me through the computer screen so let me rephrase that, it is completely tasteless if you take the right one. I've been through a lot of different brands and have only come up with 2 that are indeed tasteless. My personal favorite is Vital Proteins, which also happens to have hyaluronic acid and vitamin C in it, quite the anti-aging trio I must say. I'll link it here if you want to buy it. I can most definitely tell a difference in my hair, skin, and nails when I run out, so I just have it automatically shipped to me once a month. You can throw it into any drink or smoothie. It also works well to thicken sauces and is a great addition to baked goods.
Peanut Butter Collagen No-bake Truffles
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