I can't express enough how important diet is for our skin's appearance! Not only does having a proper diet make you feel your best, but it makes you look your best! Just by gulping down more H2o throughout my day I notice big changes in my skin. For even better results incorporate more homemade juices. In this blog I want to share with you key information on how to get the best looking skin through diet alone. It's easy, delicious & it'll make your skin look it's best!
GLOWING SKIN DETOX
My advice to achieve beautiful skin starts with a 2 week detox. This is very important because it flushes toxins out of the body, so you can restore a healthy outer skin glow. On average your skin replaces itself every 28 days. Why detox? Our skin is a reflection of our inner health. Toxins from bad food and nutritional deficiencies lead to dull, dry, itchy skin, & a sad body. A detox removes these toxins and restores the body with nutrients, leading the body to a healthy state, which results in a better toned body & beautiful skin.
Tips before you begin: If your diet is already pretty healthy then this maybe easy for you to jump right in, but if you aren't into eating clean then I recommend slowly easing into it. I will be explaining the different food groups you must eliminate. If you feel that it may be to hard to eliminate all of them at once just try one at a time for a week until you eliminate every group. Remember these foods groups I'm about to discuss with you are scientifically proven to have harmful effects on the body, so why would you want to sabotage your body and beauty with them? Having a food diary can be fun and helpful.(I just keep mine in my daily planner). Empty out all the harmful food groups out of your pantry. Preparation is key. Make sure to stock up with the delicious healthy foods that I will be explaining to you.
Food groups to eliminate
1.Sugar
Sugar. Is. a. drug. Remember this when you go on your detox. It's also the number one food that'll age you. Sugar attaches itself to the collagen, the connective tissue that keeps the skin elastic, causing inflammation and breaks it down. I recommend watching Sugar documentary on Netflix to help you cope with the sugar addiction. It's the ultimate hardest food group to eliminate for me, but no worries because there are yummy substitutes! Pure maple syrup is a heaven sent food. Unlike any other sweetener out there maple syrup does not spike your blood sugar, making it the wisest choice. In all honesty I prefer it over any sweetener, because I think it tastes the best! I add it to my oatmeal, smoothies, homemade juices, chia puddings & lots more. It's a must have in my pantry. Another great sweetener would be honey, but beeee careful with what you buy. I know this might sound extremely crazy but there has been honey brands that add corn syrup into their honey! BTW corn syrup is the WORST sweetener for your body along with artificial sweeteners. So please make sure its honey from a good source. I recommend local, organic, pure honey.
2.Dairy products
Anything that comes from cow's milk. This includes cheeses, yogurts, milk. Dairy from most of our stores are filled with added hormones, antibiotics, bacteria & pus. Eww...I know I know cheese is absolutely delicious, but I have a substitute for it. For foods that you'd typically sprinkle cheese on try using nutritional yeast instead. This stuff is delicious it has a great cheesy/salty taste. My boyfriend sprinkles it on everything, he'll even eat it straight. I buy mine from Trader Joes. I've also tried some really great nut cheeses. These cheeses are filled with proteins and good fats and are sold at whole foods & sprouts. Dairy aggravates our skin and is a huge reason for teenage acne. I've had many younger clients dealing with acne who simply stopped dairy and in a couple weeks their acne cleared.
3. Artificial, processed, packaged foods
Artificial sweeteners, chips, granola bars, cookies, even those weight watcher tv dinners, the 100 calories packaged treats, etc.. This stuff is filled with preservatives, sugars, bad fats and artificial flavoring
4. Refined grains/gluten
Pastas, breads, cookies, cakes, cereals even some oatmeals. (make sure to get a gluten free oatmeal). You can buy a big bag of gluten free oats at Trader Joes. One of my favorite meals is soaked oats. Soak your oats in plant or nut milk for 1-8 hours and top it off with honey, maple syrup, fruits, nuts and seeds. Check out my blog 'Super food/Super body" for food ideas including soaked oats, Buddha bowls, fruit bowls and so many other healthy food choices. Another great food choice for when your feeling pasta is pasta from Sprouts that's made from lentils and chick peas. (they even have a pasta option for Keto! Learn more on Super foods blog) Plus it's loaded with 22grams of protein per serving, whose to say you can't find quality protein without animal meat? I like to make a healthy pesto, pico de gallo, or marinara sauce to top my pasta. Recipe for pesto and pasta on my Super food/Super body blog.
5. Any meat that isn't farm raised, grass fed
Stay away from the typical store bought packaged meat unless the package says organic, no growth hormones or additives & grass fed. There are so many documentaries on Netflix such as Cowspiracy, Foods inc., forks over knives just to name a few that educate us on what's happening in our world involving animal cruelty and the dangers of eating meat that isn't farm raised. So if you choose to eat meat please support local farmers or choose farm raised, organic, grass fed animals at your stores.
6. Caffeine & Alcohol
Avoid any drinks containing these ingredients. Caffeine can increase the levels of stress hormone cortisol, which increases inflammation in the body, causing premature aging & acne. Alcohol is just straight bad and dangerous for all your organs. It's loaded with toxins & sugars. I'm obsessed with tea. I recommend drinking teas throughout your day. Teas are filled with healing herbs that promote healthy glowing skin. Drinking tea through out your day will help you manage your intake of food, gives you a healthy energy boost & keeps you hydrated.
Now onto the good stuff, the food we want to be eating. Healthy food equals healthy skin, body, mind & soul.
Foods to include
1.Fresh fruits & Veggies:
Eat more raw veggies & juices. Some favorites: Avocado, bananas, sweet potatoes, beets, tomatoes, ginger, garlic....the list goes on and on... In my blog Raw Lifestyle I have lots of fresh, raw recipes that makes eating this way easy and tasty. By incorporating more of fruits and veggies into our diet is the best way for us to achieve optimal health. Plant foods are the medicines of the earth made perfectly by mother nature for us to enjoy. Start making this category the base of all of your meals.
2. Beans & Legumes:
This category of foods is what's going to be supporting the digestion during the detox and promote healthy collagen production for healthy skin, nails and hair. Beans and lentils provide beneficial carbohydrates, healthy proteins, and a huge range of vitamins and minerals.
3. Grains:
For me this is all about Gluten free oatmeal, quinoa, buckwheat, barley & bread that's gluten free, zero sugar. Sprouts has a few options. The reason for this is that I'm a firm believer that gluten, flour and wheat aren't good, but there's a lot of controversy on the subject of wheat, so I recommend just doing your own research and choose for yourself. There's a great book on this subject called Wheat belly. As I mentioned earlier in this blog soaked oats are a go to for me when I need something healthy & quick. Just soak your gluten free oats for 1-6 hours in nut milk and top it off with fruit. Another thing I enjoy making with oats is protein bars, granola and oatmeal cookies. Check out these recipes on "Super food/Super body" & "Raw lifestyle".
4. Fish, lean and clean meat:
What I mean by clean is choosing animals that are farm raised, grass fed, no artificial hormones & animals that live decent lives. It makes me sad learning about these huge corporations killing thousands of animals daily, treating them horribly, living in their own filth, not having proper diets and being injected with antibiotics, hormones and steroids. Choose your meat wisely when you're at the grocery store and help support those companies who strive to bring fourth a more humane way in providing consumers with good quality meat. Its not only better for our animals, but much better for our bodies & the environment.
5. Nuts & Seeds & fats:
These are whats going to add the healthy glow to your skin and shiny hair. These are filled with proteins and fats as well as vitamins and minerals. Include chia seeds, flax seeds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, pecans, hazelnuts, Brazil nuts and almonds and many more. I share a delicious chia pudding recipe on my Raw lifestyle blog, its a must try for those with a healthy sweet tooth. Pure cocoa powder comes from the seeds of the cocoa tree and is also considered the #1 antioxidant food in the world. You can make your very own hot cocoa by combining cocoa powder, hot water or nut milk and some maple syrup. I'm also not a big believer in giving your body fats through oils. You get healthy fats through your meats, nuts, seeds and avocado. Oils are often bad even through the expiration date might not say so. Some oils actually go rancid within just a couple weeks. They are also very processed. Although coconut in moderation is okay when frying. If your more interested in this subject check it out on YouTube, just type processed oils and many videos will come up on the health risks of oils.
6. Herbs and spices:
Herbs and spices= natural medicine. Want your wrinkles to diminish then this is what you need. Turmeric. ginger, sage, basil, rosemary, thyme. Also in this category is TEA. Tea is made with herbs, dried fruits, plants and spices. So drink up. I have a Golden milk latte Recipe on my blog "Super food/Super body" that makes your taste buds happy along with making your skin beautiful. These herbs and spices are going to be the best antioxidants. These foods are also amazing at detox because they clean out your system and decreases the toxins, this is a must to incorporate into daily food prep.
7. Healthy gut microbiome foods
Did you know taking antibiotics can dramatically shift your gut microbes? Microbes are the bacteria that's in our guts. When this shift happens, the diversity of the gut microbial ecosystem also declines. You can destroy good/beneficial bacteria by drinking alcohol, taking antibiotics, pharmaceutical drugs and bad foods. I have more information on this subject in my blog "Reasons for imperfect skin". The trillions of microbes that live in your gut help digest your food and protect you from harmful bacteria, fungi, and viruses. They also make some vitamins for you. So how do you boost healthy gut microbiome? Fruits and veggies, for instance, are good for the gut. Teas and herbal soups are also extremely beneficial. Apple cider vinegar has been linked to healthy gut flora. Also on the menu is lemon juice, fermented veggies, and coconut milk kefir.
Thank you for reading my blog. This one is definitely a favorite of mine because I get to educate my readers on a subject that I'm extremely passionate about. As an esthetician I feel that it's extremely important to teach my clients proper nutrition. I believe healthy beautiful skin starts from within.