What To Eat For Your Beauty
“Beauty always starts on the inside.”
Niki Terlich
To be beautiful is to feel beautiful. To feel beautiful is not only a place of positive self-worth and appreciation, it is also to do with our health. In an answer to the many questions of my community of fellow #beautynerds, who regularly asked about the foods I eat, I have compiled a list of top beauty foods. Take note, this is not all the foods! There are many. I will be adding to this list over the coming months. This list is also inspired by my upcoming beauty retreat ‘The Radiance Retreat’ where myself and Angie Larsen will be taking groups of beauty lovers through Kundalini & Face Yoga, and enjoying an abundance of healthy beauty loving foods!
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1. Lemons
Starting your day with some hot water and lemon quickly helps the body to start the detoxification process, by helping your digestive system and liver eliminate waste quickly. Lightening the load on the system, helps to free congestion on the face. I recommend drinking this throughout the day, and squeezing lots of lemon on top of salads and in green juices.
2. Capsicum
The humble red pepper is simply amazing! They are sweet, fibrous and contain 400% of your daily vitamin C requirements per 100g. We now know Vitamin C is a rich super food that should be incorporated into our regular beauty diets and should be one of the first things that come to mind when thinking about nutrition for beauty. It is your skin’s best friend as it is essential for tissue repair, collagen synthesis and can act as an antioxidant. Capsicum is high fibre, low energy, and also contains nutrients such as Vitamin A, Iron, Vitamin B6, Vitamin K, Potassium and Manganese – but it’s the epic levels of vitamin C that get capsicum it’s spot on this list.
3. Berries
I’ve always been a fan of berries, delicious in smoothies and bursting with vital beauty nutrients. Berries, in general, are super nutritionally dense, fibre filled, energy light, and full of polyphenol antioxidants. Some of my beauty favourites include Acai, Goji, Raspberries, Strawberries and Blueberries. Berries are a particularly good source of vitamin C (strawberries win the vitamin C contest for berries by providing about 100% of your recommended daily intake per 100g). Goji berries are an amazing source of vitamin A, so amazing in fact, that you need to be really careful with how many you have – 1 tbsp of dried goji berries (28g) gives you about 300% of your RDI of vitamin A. Vitamin A assists with healthy skin production, acts as an antioxidant, is great for eye health and stimulates fibroblast activity (fibroblasts are the cells that build collagen fibres).
4. Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are a staple and family favourite, plus they are an amazing beauty boosting food! Adding these beta-carotene-rich starches into your daily diet can actually combat lackluster complexions. This is due to the magical skin-brightening combination of Vitamin A and Vitamin C that work’s to neutralize cell tissue-damaging free radicals. Sweet potatoes are also full of biotin, which stimulates hair and nail growth. It’s an easy win win with the humble sweet potato!
5. Almonds
Almonds are full of the super skin-beautifying antioxidant Vitamin E. Not only does Vitamin E help to create smoothness and suppleness on the skin, it’s one of the key vitamins that helps fight the first signs of aging by protecting skin against the damage caused by ultraviolet rays, whilst nourishing the skin by stopping it from drying out. Almonds also contain calcium, magnesium, manganese, copper, vitamin K, protein, and zinc, all of which contribute to bone health. As the bone on the face can easily be down prioritized by the body if the bone building minerals are needed elswhere in the body, it’s important to provide the body with enough minerals to support the remodeling cycle of our bones. Bone loss is a common, but often overlooked factor in facial aging. So by adding a mineral dense food like almonds to your face yoga practice you make sure to provide your body with the optimal environment for slow aging.
6. Broccoli
Broccoli is not only highly nutritious, but this staple green vegetable contains a large amount of vitamin C, folate (B9), vitamin A, vitamin K, iron, manganese and potassium. Broccoli also contains a range of antioxidants, so it is also very anti-inflammatory for the body and skin. Broccoli’s most studied antioxidant is a chemical called sulphoraphane – which has a huge number of health benefits, but has also been shown to improve oxygenation of the skin, promote hair and nail growth and assist the body with its natural detoxification processes. Just make sure you buy organic where possible and eat raw or lightly steam to savour all the precious beauty benefits!
7. Chia Seeds
Chia seeds are such an easy food to eat, and they offer simply beautiful benefits. These free radical-fighting beauty seeds are packed with minerals, fibre and the perfect balance of essential fatty acids—the latter which is credited for giving the well-known “glow” that made chia seeds so well known. Sprinkle them into smoothies and fruit salads, or soak them in almond milk overnight for a satisfying dessert.
8. Avocado
This delicious miracle of nature is another great food for your beauty. It’s high in monounsaturated fats (which are really healthy and great for skin barrier function), and avocados are also a source of the fat soluble vitamins E, K and A. Avocado’s can be used as a food or a face mask, what ever you decide to do with the avocado’s, your skin will thank you for it!
9. Vinegar and fermented foods/drinks
I LOVE fermented foods! Vinegar, as well as lots of other fermented products (kimchi, sauerkraut, kombucha etc) are so super healthy and are really beneficial for skin. They are incredible at helping to create a healthy gut microbiome (which is an important place that EVERYTHING in the body happens – your bodies detoxification process, they way we absorb and utilise nutrients, our mental health, our immunity… just about everything!). Acetic acid (which is formed from the fermentation process) is great for managing blood sugar levels and fighting infection making at an amazing ally for keeping skin clear and always vibrant! I have at least 2 serves a day, with lunch and dinner.
10. Medjool Dates
Dates are high in fiber and a perfect sweet treat to aid in cleansing. Rich in copper, that helps the body to absorb iron and form collagen & red blood cells. An easy snack to have on the go that keeps your skin in optimum appearance!
11. Cacao
Cacao, and dark chocolate (as in over 70% cocoa_ is really nutritious and is great for your general health as well as great for glowing skin. Dark chocolate is a good source of iron, magnesium, copper and manganese, and also contain some Zinc, phosphorus and selenium but its main super power is the huge amount of antioxidants it contains. It’s full of polyphenols, flavanols and catechins (all different types of antioxidants) and studies have found that cocoa and dark chocolate are even more effective at neutralising free radicals than many super fruits and berries (including blueberries and acai). Cacao’s amazing antioxidant profile helps to protect your skin from the sun and prevent UV damage, as well as improving circulation, which encourages new skin growth, repair, hydration and gives your skin a healthy glow. I’ve never needed a reason to devour more delicious cacao then knowing how much it is going to benefit my skin!
Stay radiant my dear friends!
With love,
Niki x