Healthy, Glowing Skin Starts on the Inside

The beauty & cosmetic industries are always coming out with a new cream, cleanser, cover-up or toner that promises to make fine lines & wrinkles disappear, and leave you with healthy, glowing, youthful skin.

Unfortunately using unnatural products that are full of chemicals to improve the look of your skin is a common misconception. If you want to achieve healthy-looking skin, it’s not about what you put on your body that makes a difference; it’s what you put into your body (aka your diet) that matters.

The saying “you are what you eat” couldn’t be more true when it comes to the health & look of your skin. If your diet is high in processed, packaged foods, and low in whole, unprocessed foods and fresh fruits & vegetables; your skin will show it.

Healthy Skin Superfoods
Here is a list of specific foods that contribute to healthy, glowing skin:

– Salmon, sardines, herring, avocado, hemp seeds, chia seeds, walnuts, and extra virgin olive oil (raw) are all sources of essential fatty acids (EFAs) or “healthy fats” like omega-3. EFAs are anti-inflammatory, contribute to healthy digestion and prevent premature aging; all of which contribute to healthy looking skin.

– Tomatoes & watermelon: rich in the antioxidant lycopene. Antioxidants protect us from free radicals, which contribute to premature aging.

– Carrots, sweet potato, kale, broccoli, spinach, eggs & organic, grass-fed butter are great sources of vitamin A, which converts into retinol in the small intestine; contributing to healthy skin, hair & nails.

– Parsley & lemons are great sources of vitamin C, and Almonds & Hazelnuts are sources of vitamin E. Both vitamins C & E are potent antioxidants that protect your skin from free radicals, which can damage skin cells and lead to premature aging.

Stop putting chemicals on your skin/in your body
Anything you put on your skin is immediately absorbed into your bloodstream. If you use creams & cosmetics that are full of unhealthy chemicals, your liver (which filters the blood) is going to become overloaded & clogged with toxins, and won’t be able to filter your blood properly. This equals dirty blood, which leads to skin issues such as acne, bags under eyes, greyish hue, and puffiness (and other issues like hormonal imbalance, illness, etc).

Here’s a great recipe that includes some of the healthy skin superfoods, enjoy!

Quinoa Tabouli

Ingredients
1 cup dry quinoa
2 cups water
1 cup chopped parsley (vitamin C)
½ cup chopped mint
½ cup green onion, chopped
1 cucumber, diced
Dressing
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil (healthy fat)
¼ cup lemon juice (vitamin C)
½ tsp cinnamon (antioxidants)
¾ tsp sea salt
Fresh ground pepper to taste
3 plum tomatoes or 1 pint cherry tomatoes, diced (lycopene)

Method

In a small pot, combine quinoa & water and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn heat down to low; cover & simmer for 15 minutes or until all water has been absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

In a bowl, combine quinoa, parsley, mint, onion & cucumber.

Whisk together all ingredients for the dressing, and pour over quinoa mixture.

Add tomatoes shortly before serving, and garnish with fresh mint – enjoy!

On a side note…sorry for the break in posts, but I was busy becoming an auntie to my new neice Isla! My sister had her on Tuesday morning, and she is amazing (so is my sister)!