It’s not just about the clothes you wear or the beauty products you use, true beauty truly comes from within and it’s what you put into, not onto, your body that can have the greatest impact on how you look and feel. Due to the incredible response it received in a previous post, I’ve decided to revisit the topic of eating for beauty.
I have to give a lot of the credit for my newfound healthy lifestyle to Envision Beauty founder Kimberly Snyder, who has helped me enormously with her infinite wisdom regarding health and nutrition. Since I started eating better, I have noticed a dramatic difference in the way I look and feel- my nails are longer and stronger, my hair is shinier, my complexion is clear, I rarely feel bloated, and I’ve noticed a huge increase in my energy and concentration levels!
Sure, there are professional detoxification services, but you don’t need to do a major diet overhaul to get these results. Just take small strides by adding some healthier treats to your diet and trust me, you too will enjoy these fantastic results.
Read on for recommendations from Kimberly on foods to eat for a more beautiful you!
1. Max out on Raw Greens
Uncooked raw greens are a powerful beauty secret and assist body processes like digestion, detoxification, and rebuilding. The valuable enzymes, protein, and vitamins found in plants are heat sensitive and can be destroyed by normal cooking temperatures so it’s important to go raw. An easy way to get a a large amount of digestible greens is from a green smoothie.
Kimberly’s Green Smoothie Recipe
* 1 1/2 cup of water
* 1 head of organic romaine lettuce, chopped
* 3-4 stalks of organic celery
* 2 organic apples, cored and chopped
* 1 organic banana
* 1/3 bunch of organic cilantro
* 1/3 bunch of organic parsley
* Juice of 1?2 fresh organic lemon
Bonus Tip: If you have dark under-eye circles, often caused by having too much potassium-based food in your diet, load up on celery which can correct this imbalance.
2. Add Acai to your Diet
Acai is loaded with beneficial nutrients and antioxidents. The Omega 3 fatty acids found in Acai facilitate the inflow of nutrients and the outflow of waste products promoting youthful, smooth, radiant skin by restoring skin cells and keeping them hydrated.
(Note: I personally love the acai sorbet which is such a delicious way to get your detox fix! You can find it at any health food store).
3. Drink Detox Tea
Our bodies are constantly exposed to toxins and the liver is the blood’s filtering system. When the liver becomes overloaded, it stops effectively filtering and neutralizing the toxins that enter the body. These excess toxins continue circulating and are deposited in fatty tissue, building up over time and manifesting externally in the form of wrinkle and spotted, leathery skin. One of the easiest and tastiest ways to promote healthy liver function is by drinking detox tea 2-3 times a week.
4. Switch to Celtic Sea Salt
Celtic sea salt is unique among salts because it it sun-dried- a process that allows 70 minerals and trace-element enzymes to remain intact. Other sea salts are kiln-dried which causes valuable magnesium and most other minerals to evaporate. Table salt is the worst of all and not only has no nutritional benefit, it depletes the skin’s natural hydration!
5. Eat more Onions
Onions have a considerable amount of sulfur, which helps cleanse the skin and liver and rebuild connective tissues like collagen. They are also an exceptional source of usable quercetin, which works to eliminate free radicals, protects and regenerates crucial Vitamin E, and decreases capillary fragility.
6. Add Sea Vegetables to your Diet
Sea vegetables are about 12 times richer in minerals than average vegetables. They are an especially good source of iodine (which regulates the metabolism by feeding the thyroid), iron, B6, B12, and magnesium, which opens over 300 different detoxification pathways in the body. Try throwing sea vegetables such as dulse, hijiki, and arame in salds or using them to make a wrap. You can find them at any health food store.
7. Snack on Figs
Figs are excellent blood-purifiers. Since blood transports nutrients to cells throughout the body and face, the cleaner your blood, the more beautiful your skin will be. The tiny seeds in figs are not only packed with nutrients, they help draw out and dissolve waste, mucus, and toxins from the intestinal tract.
8. Eat Olives and Olive Oil
Olives are the most mineral and calcium-rich fruit of all and they are high in magnesium, amino acids, and beneficial omega fatty acids. Olive oil is a superior source of squalene- an unsaturated oil and oxygen carrier that smoothes the skin and is an excellent antioxident.
9. Munch on Raw Pumpkin Seeds
Pumpkin seeds are loaded with nutrients that promote beautiful skin, such as B vitamins, minerals, essential fatty acids, chlorophyll and zinc. Pumpkin seeds are also an excellent source of amino acids, including tryptophane.
10. Rev up your Metabolism with Cayenne Pepper
Cayenne pepper is high in Vitamins A, C, B complex, calcium and potassium, is beneficial for digestion and boosts metabolism. It also works to clean the blood by helping break up mucus and toxins in the body- the cleaner the blood, the more beautiful the skin!
For more tips on health, eating for beauty and amazing recipes, visit kimberlysnyder.net