// Part Two //
Taking Skin Care Beyond Rituals and Products - Improving Your Skin Health Through Food
Continuing our skin health journey in this part two of the Skin Health Series. If you've missed part one, where I've discussed in length the "what" and the "why" behind a multi-steps skin care ritual, I'd recommend reading that first (check it out here). It'll help you connect to today's story much better!
I also used to focus only on the skin care and the associated products. Nothing wrong with that at all as they are integral parts of our overall skin health. At the same time, I've learned that what we eat and how we live also play a key role.
Oh gosh, I love to eat and my favorite foods may not be considered super "healthy". But similar to skin care, we don't have to follow the trend because the key is to create balance - Eating my beloved Asian desserts every night wouldn't be the best choice for me, so I balance it with fruits on most nights. Remember, key word here is "balance"!
A friend recently asked me if she should do a detox. My own experience didn't turn out that great...I almost fainted at work! I've since opted for adding more fruits and veggies to my eating habits as not to shock my body like that again. The key here is the same as in skin care - Listen to your body! For me, my body didn't like detox, so I look for a different way to cleanse my body. I'll share some my of favorite foods along with their skin health benefits and super easy recipes that you can make!
I'm sharing my personal skin health journey with you and, same with skin care products, foods or habits that my body takes in well may or may not work for you. Always listen to your body and cater to your own needs. Also, always consult with your family doctor or nutritionist on any dietary needs or if you have any pre-existing health conditions.
1. You start to think of your skin in terms of overall skin health that incorporates rituals, products and eating habits.
2. Always listen to your skin and your body.
3. Skin health is a journey and there's no shortcut to it, but the rewards that you get along the way are simply priceless.
Ready to take your skin health one step further?
Let's go!!!
skin health super hero nutrients
As I was thinking about how I should write this post, I realize there are soooooo many nutrients and foods that have great skin health benefits and I can probably write a 100-pages blog post about them all! But of course, who has the time to read that and I definitely want to give you something that you can easily absorb and, more importantly, take action on! So I've narrowed down to these 3 "super hero" nutrients based on the foods I eat regularly and on the promise that the recipes are super easy to make.
~ 1. Antioxidant ~
~ 2. omega-3 fatty acids ~
~ 3. vitamin b6 ~
Now it's time to feed our skin some yummy goodness!
I'll be the first to admit that I'm a terrible cook! Fortunately, my mom has some exceptional cooking skills and I occasionally figure out a way to copy some of her causally-whip-together recipes. She's also probably the healthiest 60+ person I've known and it's because she understands how her food affects her body. Despite our occasional disagreements, she remains my motivation in my quest to live a balanced life, inside and out. Enough of my mushy stuff, let's move onto the fun part!
First, I want to share this chart with you - These are the foods I eat regularly and I dub them "Skin Health Super Foods" because they contain the skin health nutrients we've just talked about.
Now that you have a good idea of what skin health goodness these foods provide, I'm going to share below how I incorporate them into my everyday eating habits! I promise you that these are very easy to make!
~ Chia seeds + blueberries ~
Perfect For // Breakfast, Snacks
Substitutions // Any toppings will work! If you want protein, you can add protein powder or bananas.
~ matcha + bananas ~
Perfect For // Breakfast, Snacks, pre/post workout snack.
Substitutions // You can use any type of milk. I use almond milk because it's dairy-free.
~ carrots ~
Perfect For // Lunch, Dinner (with entrees or side dishes).
Substitutions // I would stick with carrots as the base and sub green carrots/radishes (if you don't like them) with tomatoes or melons. You basically want at least two kinds of veggies to get a good flavor. Note: Tomatoes are not suitable for people with GERD or suffer from heartburn.
~ carrots + beets ~
Perfect For // Lunch, Dinner (with entrees or side dishes).
Substitutions // I would stick with carrots as the base and sub beets (if you don't like them) with tomatoes or melons. Note: Tomatoes are not suitable for people with GERD or suffer from heartburn.
~ avocado ~
Perfect For // Breakfast, lunch, pre/post workout snack.
Substitutions // You can use any kind of bread. Also, you can switch out the toppings, but definitely stick with at least the boiled eggs.
~ strawberries ~
Perfect For // Dessert, snack.
Share The Love // This is a recipe by the fab Mary-June who runs Southern Meets Urban blog. Mary-June is a nutritionist by training and a mom of twin girls. She is always cooking up something in her kitchen and whipping up what I call magic with her Vitamix. For more of her recipes, go check out her blog here.
Many thanks
I had so much fun writing this particular post because I get to talk about foods I love! I hope you've enjoyed it as well!!
In full disclosure, the list of recipes here is a combination of my trial and error, my mom's homecooking and word-of-mouth from friends.
I've narrowed down the content for ease of reading, but if you have questions about anything in particular, comment below or email me...I'd be happy to help dive in further!
I also want to say thank you to all of you who have been super supportive of this blog and just want to send you lots of hugs and kisses!!!
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