6 super skin foods

Lemme let you in on a delicious little self-care tip with beauty benefits.

That “glow” we’ve all been chasing, as in literally running to Sephora the first time you heard about illuminating CC cream, doesn’t completely come in a bottle. I don’t leave the house without my Smashbox Spotlight Palette, truth, but I wholeheartedly believe that foods nourish, heal and protect the skin.

Stop focusing on what not to eat and listen to what health and beauty bloggers, dermatologists and holistic practitioners are preaching with passion: beautiful skin comes from within.

This isn’t woo-woo news; it’s good overall health info. Funny how your brain will begin to retain the scientific stuff in the name of healthy glowing skin!

These are six of my own favorite skin glow foods that are top of mind when meal planning and ordering at a restaurant. 

1avocados

Not your grandmother’s cold cream
I always had a hunch that avocados were skin glow getters! My instincts were correct, and for two main reasons: healthy fats that moisturize and antioxidants (Vitamin E) that protect. There’s also biotin and fiber. Gracias, guacamole! It’s a favorite DIY face mask ingredient too, as avocados nourish from the inside and out!
recipe: Matcha Avocado Mask

2 salmon

Take a glowcation
Buttery salmon also earns its skin-titlement for the omega 3s. Make it an add-on to salads, savor in sushi rolls and cook it at home when you can get fresh wild caught salmon. Which is worse, polluted oceans or farm-raised practices? I don’t know, but I go with ocean or “wild caught” when given a choice. I do know that salmon is a source of Vitamin D, and that’s not easy for a woman’s body to absorb, especially since we bathe in sunscreen!
recipe: Hemp seed-crusted salmon 

3egg yolks

You devil, you!
Bursting with nutrition, who knew egg yolks held all of the sunshine in the egg? Read why I call pastured eggs “the carton of youth”and my ritual on most mornings of having one or two hard-cooked eggs “biotin for breakfast.”
recipe: Pesto deviled eggs

4cauliflower

Cauli-me-crazy
In the ’90s we had “low-fat” chemical substitutes like Olestra in faux Doritos that gave us stomach cramps and now, thankfully, we’ve come back to nature to discover all of its incredible possibilities. Pizza crust to faux mashed potatoes, cauliflower isn’t just a trendy replacement for starch and gluten, it boasts loads of  Vitamin C. And cruciferous veggies are all the buzz for detoxification. {clink}
recipe: Cauliflower mash

5kale and spinach

Throw me some shade!
Women first learn about the importance of eating leafy greens in the fertility years for folate. Think of superfoods kale and spinach also for getting enough skin-loving Vitamin A. Greens equal glow for the way they work for skin cell turnover (think retinol) and also protect the skin from sun damage. Amazing!
recipe: Homemade Kale Chips

6oysters

Skin’s love drug
Ever since I contracted a life-threatening, ugly scar-leaving staph infection on my face (lovely), I’ve studied skin-healing foods. I wanted to know what foods could actually help the scar tissue heal faster. Shellfish are loaded with zinc and that means tissue repair and wound healing. My scar treatment? Microneedling (ouch), ironically to speed up cell turnover! Since our skin is always taking a beating, slurp an oyster every time they’re passed around the table, as an internal band-aid. Pair with bubbles and raise a glass to good health!
Don’t eat oysters? Make pumpkin seeds your healer and make Glow Pesto!

Now you know, there you glow!