People always ask me about the products that I use on my skin. And that’s totally cool. I like talking about skincare almost as much as I like talking about Justin Bieber. Soooo excited for his tour this summer!
But here’s the thing…while I totally believe in using high quality, natural skincare, what you feed your skin from the inside makes the biggest difference.
And I’m speaking from experience.
About ten years ago I cleared my skin of chronic cystic acne by cutting out inflammatory foods and making some lifestyle changes. I had suffered for decades and tried every prescription under the sun.
Having clear skin felt like a miracle. I had so much more confidence…it was truly life changing.
And I thought that if removing some foods could clear my skin up, there were probably other foods that could make it even better.
Turns out I was right. My skin improved even more as I started adding some of the super skin foods I’m about to tell you about. So that it wasn’t just clear, it was glowing. And instead of wanting to hide my skin, I wanted to show it off. I knew I was on to something when people started asking me what my secrets were.
It doesn’t need to be a secret. Here you go…my seven super skin foods:
Super Skin Food Number 1: Oily Fish
One of my top picks for healthy skin is cheap and readily available. I’m talking about sardines. They may sound gross, but sardines are amazing for your skin. I truly notice a difference when eating them regularly.
I know fish in a can sounds weird, but hear me out on this one. I only eat lightly smoked sardines packed in olive oil. They’re not pretty, but they actually taste pretty good.
Sardines are rich in vitamins A and D, CoQ10, and omega 3 fatty acids. And of course, protein.
If you’re not quite ready to jump on the sardine bandwagon with me, salmon is your next best bet. Go for wild Alaskan salmon whenever possible. It’s pretty easy to find frozen, and canned is totally cool too.
Super Skin Food Number 2: Healthy Fats
Healthy fats are crucial for gorgeous, glowing skin. We’ve been brainwashed to believe that fats are bad and will make us fat, but that’s simply not the case. I won’t go into all the science behind it right now…I’m just trying to help you look and feel amazing. And by consuming more, not less, healthy fat you will do just that.
Our brains are 60% fat. Cell membranes are made out of fat (mostly saturated fat). Fat helps us absorb the nutrients from the other foods we are eating. And fat helps our skin glow.
What do I mean by healthy fat? Well, the oily fish that I mentioned above are a great start. Also coconut oil, avocados and avocado oil, raw nuts, high quality olive oil, and egg yolks. Even butter and ghee, especially from grass fed cows. Many people that are sensitive to dairy (like me) do just fine with butter and ghee.
Super Skin Food Number 3: Fresh Greens
Fresh greens are super important. They are loaded with vitamins and minerals, which you will absorb better when eating enough fat. I like to mix things up and rotate greens each week. Spinach, arugula and baby kale are all part of the rotation. With leafy greens you are always better off going organic, and they are now easy to find in most grocery stores.
You can lightly cook them, use them in salads, and blend them into green drinks. They’re also great scrambled into eggs. Organic, pre-washed baby spinach is a great place to start since the taste is so mild.
Super Skin Food Number 4: Fresh Lemons
Lemons are good for so many things. They boost our immunity and alkalize our bodies. Lemons are loaded with antioxidants, including vitamin C. Vitamin C helps to brighten our skin and also helps our bodies produce more collagen. That is what keeps skin firm and youthful.
I always have fresh lemons on hand, and love drinking lemon water. I squeeze half of a lemon into a glass of room temperature water. Leaving the lemon out overnight makes it easier to get the juice out.
My grandmother lived to be 104 and always had beautiful skin. She swore by fresh lemon juice.
Little hint…a good lemon squeezer will make your life much easier!
Super Skin Food Number 5: Raw Organic Carrots
You may be surprised to hear that I think of carrots as one of my happy, healthy and hot skin essentials. I try to eat a whole, raw organic carrot (with the skin) every day, and encourage you to do the same.
I once read an article that said doing this is helpful to balance hormones. Now, I couldn’t find any studies to back it up, but hey, what the hell? It’s certainly easy enough.
Believe it or not, eating a raw carrot every day eventually regulated my periods. Sorry if that is TMI. But balancing hormones helps keep your skin balanced also. Especially if you are getting those hormonal breakouts.
Carrots also give your skin a glow. No joke. A study at the University of Nottingham showed that people who consumed larger amounts of carotenoids (nutrients found in orange colored veggies) had a more golden color to their skin. Other studies have shown that beta-carotene may help reduce wrinkles and photo-aging.
So channel your inner Pheobe Cates and grab a carrot!
Super Skin Food Number 6: Berries
Berries are loaded with antioxidants and phytonutrients. They taste amazing but don’t give you a sugar rush. Buy fresh in the summer when they are readily available. The rest of the year you are usually better off buying frozen. Berries are great in salads, smoothies (remember to throw in some spinach) and just as a snack.
By eating different colored produce (the greens, the carrots, and an assortment of berries) you are consuming a wide variety of vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients. And replacing processed sweet treats with fresh or frozen berries helps to avoid glycation.
Never heard of glycation? It happens when we consume too many sugary foods, and actually accelerates the aging process. Yes, sugar can cause wrinkles!
Super Skin Food Number 7: Collagen
So I saved the best for last. The seventh super skin food has made my skin look better now, at the age of 53, than it did when I was 40. My skin is not perfect, but it is definitely firmer than it was ten years ago, and I routinely pass for much younger than I really am.
So what is the Super Skin Food? Collagen. And where do you find it?
I personally buy collagen peptides and blend them into my coffee every morning. That way I’m making them a consistent part of my diet. I’ve been taking them for years now, but after the first month I started noticing a difference in my skin and nails. It appears to help with hair growth too, but for me the skin and nails are much more noticeable.
Another way to get more collagen into your daily diet is to consume bone broth. In theory, this is great. Roast a whole, pastured chicken, enjoy a nice dinner, and use the bones to make a wonderful broth.
I actually do this sometimes, but not often enough. That’s why I buy collagen peptides in powder form and blend into my coffee. That way it’s really happening.
If coffee is not your thing, collagen peptides blend well into tea or any other drink, hot or cold.
So there you have it…my seven super skin foods!
I want you to look and feel amazing. Any questions? Just shoot me an email: elizabeth@elizres.com
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