Glowing Skin: Easy swaps
Of course we all want beautiful radiant skin. And maybe you invest in really good night creams, drink lots of water, wear sunscreen...all the things that you read about that you should do to benefit your skin. But even with all these great efforts did you know that there are foods in your diet that could be keeping your skin from looking its best? So here are a few of the foods that I feel really can dull complexions and I'll give you some swaps so that you can “eat or drink this instead” to obtain the GLOW!
Swap your coffee for hot water with lemon. Having hot water with lemon will give you the same hot mug full of comfort as a cup of coffee but it's loaded with beauty benefits. Lemon provides vitamin C as well as enzymes shown to help regenerate liver tissue. Since your liver is your main detoxifying organ, the more detoxified your body is the more beautiful your skin will become. Coffee on the other hand is dehydrating and can overload your liver with caffeine. Plus the water will help to re hydrate after the dehydration most of us experience at night. You'll soon get addicted to the cleansing effects of this beauty ritual. Trust me. Just ask my Detoxers!
If you must drink coffee switch from dairy to coconut creamer. The goal of coffee should be to enjoy it if you want a cup not feel that we NEED it. So I know we just talked about swapping out that immediate 1st cup of coffee but maybe you still want to enjoy a cup of Joe later in the morning. That's certainly OK as long as you are controlling what goes into your coffee. And again you're enjoying a cup of coffee... that's a big difference between enjoying it and needing it. Dairy is difficult for many to digest, acid forming in the body, and it is generally congestive. After all it's made for baby cows to digest not humans. All these qualities do not create beautiful skin. Try almond or coconut milk which provide nourishing beauty fats and minerals.
For breakfast swap out an animal protein breakfast such as eggs or sausage for a green smoothie. I still have my share of eggs but nothing hits my belly before a green smoothie. The high amount of greens in a smoothie provides amino acids to build protein in your body as well as loads of beauty nutrients including minerals, enzymes, vitamins, anti aging oxidants, and fiber. Drinking a green smoothie is like drinking a beauty elixir every morning. Watch your skin truly glow. If you still feel like you need some protein (I talk a lot about bioindividuality with my clients...some people need more protein and that's fine) so if you're one of those, follow up the glowing green smoothie with some eggs or a plant based protein drink. But trust me again a green smoothie in the morning will become a new ritual that you will love. It's kind of like my Blankey.
This is one of the most simple changes to make. Cook with coconut oil not vegetable oils. The generic term vegetable oil includes everything from safflower, sunflower, canola, soy, and so forth. These oils are largely comprised of polyunsaturated fats which get denatured by heat and also exposure to air and simply time. They're on our grocery store shelves forever! The breakdown of these oils can create free radicals which does nothing but break down our beautiful skin that we are working so hard to keep fresh and glowing. Coconut oil is an awesome beauty fat option to promote glowing skin. It's high in lauric acid which enhances immunity. It digest well, it provides energy, and even has antibacterial properties that may be beneficial for acne.
And finally everyone who knows me knows that I talk about eating real food. And the biggest easiest change again is swapping out processed protein bars for real food such as almonds or easy homemade alternatives. Protein bars are easy to grab I know. But it always astounds me when my clients tell me they're more comfortable eating a processed protein bar for which they can read the nutritional content on the label vs choosing a banana because of the sugar in it. Ever look at the ingredient list of some of those bars? Fractionated sugars, whey protein isolate, oils, fillers, soy...these are not things that fuel beautiful skin. Whole real foods from nature are win-win. Choose a handful of almonds or the easy to make energy bites on the blog. Remember real whole foods are natural beauty. No more junk!
