Foods that will make you glow inside and out

Hey Evre.one!

Meet Cat, a nutritionist, who is walking us through how food really impacts your skin! If you want your skin to look top notch from the inside out, we recommend you give this a read! 

Pimples, blackheads, dry skin, acne? Unfortunately, teenage skin can be as temperamental as the Auckland weather.  As a nutritionist I have learnt that eating well not only helps achieve clear vibrant skin but also helps you to feel more confident within yourself.

When it comes to plump, glowing skin it all begins in your gut, we want to nourish our microbiome which is the community of bacteria living in our gut. To support your gut, it’s essential to have a diverse and balanced diet and you can do this by eating as much real, whole food that you can.

So, we achieve this by concentrating on eating lots of fresh foods and limiting processed foods. Daily movement and exercise are also important to keep your blood circulating as this improves oxygen to the skin as well as removing toxins by sweating them out.  Make sure you cleanse after a workout. I recommend my favourite Evre. cleanser for this the Oh So Extra Pineapple and Coconut Cleanser.

Alongside a good skincare regime, eating lots of fresh nutritious food will not only make you feel energised and satiated but also help to keep your skin clear and support any hormonal breakouts.

Here are my recommendations for a few things that are wonderful for your health and that you can easily add into your day.

EAT YOUR WATER – Cucumber, Melons, Celery, Capsicum, Tomatoes, Lettuce

We all know we should be drinking water to keep our digestion moving and flush out toxins, but you can also eat water rich foods throughout the day to boost your hydration levels – think munching on cucumber, watermelon or celery and adding berries to your oats or smoothies, these are all delicious and are foods with a high-water content.

EAT YOUR GREENS - Spinach, Kale, Watercress, Broccoli, Bok Choy, Peas

Green foods contain phytonutrients and antioxidants which are essential for blood health and detoxifying the body. Greens are high in gut loving fibre, bountiful in skin immunity boosting Vitamin A as well as rich in water content. These green leaves will help normalise oil production, speed up healing and regeneration to fight acne and breakouts. Throw into your smoothies, stir fry’s, curries, and salads to easily incorporate nutritious green vegetables in your meals.

OMEGA 3 RICH FOODS – Salmon, Tuna, Walnuts, Flaxseed, Chia, Hemp Seeds

Omega-3s reduce inflammation, improve the skin barrier by sealing in moisture and fighting dry, itchy skin by helping keep out harmful irritants. Omega-3s are commonly found in fatty fish like salmon, tuna, and sardines but in many plant-based options too like walnuts, avocados, chia and flax seeds. A salmon poke bowl perhaps? Tuna sushi? Or an easy way to get your Omega-3s is to snack on a handful of nuts and seeds to boost your levels throughout the day.

ZINC – Pumpkin seeds, Cashew Nuts, Oysters, Quinoa

Nope, not the stuff you smear on your nose when you play cricket. I’m talking about the very important minerals found in pumpkin seeds, cashews, quinoa, lentils and seafood, especially oysters. Zinc is important for regulating your metabolism and hormone levels as well as being very beneficial for your immune system, it also helps heal inflammatory acne and scarring. Try sprinkling some pumpkin seeds on your oats, adding cashews to a smoothie or on top of your stir-fry’s, maybe even on a lentil bolognese?

These above foods can all be added into your daily meals, you can try and start small by maybe just adding in a few more greens or snack on a handful of nuts. 

Having clear skin is not the be all and end all. It is important to find the light within yourself and shine that joy on to others, this is what makes you unique and this is what truly gives you radiant skin. Remember nobody is perfect and everything is about balance, be patient and kind to yourself, have fun with your food, make it tasty and nutritious as well as nourishing for your body and your mind.

This is a super delicious snack you can enjoy for breakfast or anytime you need a sweet healthy snack to keep you going. Packed with omega-3s, fibre and protein.  

CHIA PARFAIT

For the Chia Pudding:

½ cup of chia seeds

2 cups of coconut milk (or any other plant milk you enjoy)

1 tsp vanilla extract

1-2 tbsp of maple syrup

Add all ingredients to a glass jar or a large bowl. Give it a good whisk and then refrigerate for at least two hours, I like to leave mine overnight.

Blueberry Layer:

½ frozen banana

1 tsp of flaxseeds

1 tsp of hemp hearts

1 cup of blueberries 

1 cup of soy milk 

Pop in your blender until smooth.

Maple Almond Drizzle:

2 tbsp almond butter (you can use any nut butter if you’d prefer)

1 tbsp of maple syrup

Whisk until you have a sauce-like consistency

To Assemble:

When you are ready to assemble your pudding, add chia pudding to your cup of choice then the blueberry layer then another chia layer. Garnish with coconut yoghurt, fresh fruit and a drizzle of maple almond sauce.

Enjoy!

Cat

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For more recipes or if you have any questions for our nutritionist Cat head over to her Instagram at @barreologynz or www.barreology.co.nz

Chia Parfait

 

Cat and her daughter Charlie