7 foods to eat for glowing vibrant skin
Amanda StansfieldHi Beautiful!
Time has flown this year. Can you believe we are already into the month of October, which means colder weather is just round the corner. Soon you’ll be trading short sleeve tee’s, flip flops and shorts for sweaters, gloves and boots.
While most people think gorgeous glowing skin comes from fancy routine facials or a fancy skincare routine, the truth is, our dietary habits and lifestyle play a much bigger role in the quality of our skin than you might think. Your skin is your largest organ, and what you put inside your body shows up on the outside.
Here are the top foods to get glowing vibrant skin:
1. Hemp Seeds
These tiny little seeds are rich in powerful essential nutrients that our skin thrives on. They contain about 35 percent essential fatty acids and 33 percent protein and contain all nine essential amino acids and dietary fiber. What does this mean for your skin? The omega 3 and 6 fatty acids promote cellular growth and regeneration, they also help repair and moisturize dry and damaged skin. The powerful antioxidants in hemp seeds help fight inflammation which is the cause of many skin problems, including breakouts, rashes and… wrinkles!
🖤 Add a sprinkle of hemp seeds to your kale salad, in your green smoothie and whip up a batch of hemp milk for your overnight oats or chia pudding.
2. Avocado
This creamy delicious fruit (yup, it’s a fruit) is high in beneficial fats and contains vitamins E and C which support the functions in your body including the health of your skin. Vitamin C and E are powerful antioxidants that most westerns don’t eat enough of. They protect your skin from oxidative damage (sun and environmental damage) which causes brown spots and aging.
🖤 Slice and top on salads, sandwiches or any veggie bowl. Add 1/4 to your green smoothie, smash into guacamole and a fan favourite – avocado toast (top with some micro-greens and a pinch of hemp seeds).
3. Walnuts
This delicious nut is an excellent food for your brain and healthy skin. Walnuts contain essential fatty acids which your body cannot make on it’s own yet needs to stay healthy. Walnuts contain Zinc which is an essential nutrient for your skin to function properly as a wound healer, fighting off bacteria and inflammation and by building a strong protective barrier.
🖤 Make your own trail mix with walnuts, almonds, pistachios and sunflower seeds. Add toasted or raw walnuts to your salad, and delicious as a base for vegan parmesan cheese.
4. Red, Orange & Yellow Bell Peppers
Bell peppers are an excellent source of beta carotene, which your body converts into Vitamin A and Vitamin C. Both of which are valuable antioxidants for your skin. Vitamin C helps boost your body’s natural collagen production — which is abundant in children, but needs a helping hand as we age.
🖤 Add a variety of bell peppers to any salad, soup or marinara sauce. Use in place of chips for guacamole and salsa.
5. Dark Leafy Greens
Dark Leafy Greens are Mother Natures gift. They are an excellent source of Vitamins A, C, Chlorophyll (which provides their deep colour) and sulfur. All of which play a critical role in the health of our body and the quality of our skin. Eat a wide variety of Kale, Chard, Arugula, Water Cress, Micro-Greens, Spinach, Collard Greens and Beet Greens. The darker the better!
🖤 Add dark leafy greens to your soups, salads, pasta, smoothies, juice, sauté them, make kale chips… just eat more of them!
6. Broccoli
Broccoli is a great source of vitamins, minerals and carotenoids that are important for healthy glowing skin. It protects your skin from oxidative damage by neutralizing harmful free radicals that cause wrinkles, dryness, and flakey skin, but also boosts other protective systems in your body. Broccoli helps you maintain healthy collagen levels in your skin and it’s been proven to have anti-cancer fighting properties including certain skin cancers.
🖤 Try a handful of raw broccoli with your favourite dip instead of crackers. Add to soups, salads and veggie bowls. Whip up a batch of roasted broccoli and your favourite veggies and serve as a side dish to any dish.
7. Dark Chocolate
I couldn’t not include the phenomenal benefits of raw cacao in this list. Cacao is the raw bean that is roasted and often fermented to make the chocolate you know and love. Cacao is in it’s true form contains high levels of antioxidants which helps protect and repair your skin from free radicals (causes aging). It also is a powerful anti-inflammatory — soothes redness, irritation, and rashes. Cacao also improves the thickness of your skin, hydration, blood flow, (keeps your skin healthy and glowing) texture and wrinkles.
🖤 So, no shame to eat the occasional raw dessert, but you can also apply Cacao directly to the skin for the same benefits.
Simple DIY Cacao Face Mask:
1 tsp raw cacao
1 tsp bentonite clay
1 tsp filtered water
1 drop lavender oil
Using a wooden spoon, blend the cacao and bentonite clay in a small bowl. Add water and a drop of lavender oil when you are ready to apply to your face. Mix with your finger, or a facial brush (picture a large flat eyeshadow brush) until a smooth paste forms. Apply to your face, avoiding eye area and lips with your finger or brush. Let sit for 10 minutes. To remove, use a damp warm washcloth. Be gentle when removing, try not to scrub the mask off. Follow with a serum and moisturizer.
Your turn… I’d love to hear what your favourite skin boosts foods are. Be sure to share over on my Facebook Page , or Instagram – tag me @amandavs