You know I love food. Like fashion, I could talk about it all day (sometimes I combine the two and the result is BANANAS). Today, I’m taking a bit of a different approach than I typically do. We’re going to take a look at food but from a beauty perspective. Can you eat your way to clear skin, strong hair and white teeth? Let’s find out.
Of course, I’m not a doctor or a nutritionist, but I do enjoy eating foods that benefit my body in some way. Whether it’s a natural source of energy or can possibly make my hair a little shinier, as much as I’m a carbolic and pizza is my religion, I do try to consume beneficial foods as much as I can. I think we know what’s good for us and not good for us at this point in our lives. Like I probably shouldn’t have fries EVERY time they’re offered…
But do we know what foods actually help us in the beauty department? Some I’m sure you already know but you actually may be surprised by a few…
Now many of these foods are beneficial for a lot of reasons — can help with everything from heart to hair health. Like we all know avocados, nuts and seeds are great for us. But why? And how do they help my hair and / or skin? Those foods all have essential fats and oils. You’ve heard of those must-have Omega 3s right? (I know it sounds like this season’s Chanel bag but this “must have” is a lot more budget-friendly). Well here’s when Omegas are in full-force. Typically when you hear words like “fats” and “oils” you’re not so turned on, but when you know those things can do wonders for your hair (like Blake Lively style) AND they taste good, how can you say no? If you’re going for extra shine, try key ingredients like salmon, nuts, avocado and dark leafy greens (spinach, swiss chard, etc.) for your next meal. I can tell you from experience that I’ve never eaten more spinach and avocado in my life than I have in the last 6 months or so…and my hair has never been healthier!
If you’ve taken a flat iron to your locks everyday for the last 10 years or your favorite hair color is bleach then listen up. You can finally use that arm muscle emoji when Snapchatting about your hair if you start eating more beans, oysters, salmon or walnuts. They all help with brittleness so keep that in mind when planning your next dinner party. Other foods like broccoli, beets and oatmeal have great repairing and restoring properties, but that’s not just in the hair department.
It makes sense that all these foods that are great for your hair also do wonders for the skin. Like I mentioned how avocado and salmon have those fantastic oils and fats, those are also good things to eat for more luminous and hydrated skin (artichokes too…a fantastic source of antioxidants which I just learned about today). You can even take that to the next level with foods that brighten your skin with natural sources of Vitamin C like grapefruit, dark green veggies and brussels sprouts. And if it helps you not get sick…that’s just an added bonus!
If break outs are more your thing…oysters, nuts, eggs and mint (specifically a peppermint or spearmint tea) are your new best friends. Apparently a deficiency in zinc and / or selenium has been linked to acne issues (not good Acne issues like the photo above) and foods like oysters, pumpkin seeds, brazil nuts, and egg yolks are great sources of those. When it comes to the teas, I try to drink a mint tea every night before bed. Stress can be a major trigger when it comes to acne, so a little relaxing beverage (that’s not wine…sigh) can help you wind down at the end of a long day.
Whether it’s for beauty reasons or overall health reasons, we should be all over any foods with natural anti-inflammatory properties. Especially if you eat a lot of processed foods / sugar that are super inflammatory, try balancing that out with cherries, turmeric and yet again…avocado! Another “anti” that sparks everyone’s interest in the beauty department is anti-aging. Those creams are so damn expensive. The cheaper route? You guessed it — avocados (I guess all those avocado toast Instagrams are good for something), oysters, nuts, oatmeal and grapefruit all have collagen boosting properties…that are not only delicious, but a lot cheaper than Botox!
And last but not least…did you know you can eat your way to whiter teeth? Apparently foods like broccoli, strawberries and apples are like the au naturel Crest Whitestrips. Broccoli florets can scrub surface stains on teeth, strawberries contain malic acid which acts as a natural astringent to remove discoloration, and the crispness from apples can help strengthen gums while the high water content increases saliva production to disperse bacteria. Who needs mouth wash anyway? That shit is gross.
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So if you feel overwhelmed and just want to just eat with the hope of maybe get some brighter skin and shiny hair out of it, here are the foods we went over today — avocados (are they a miracle or what?), salmon, dark green veggies (spinach, swiss chard, broccoli, etc.), beans, nuts (specifically walnuts, pumpkin seeds and brazil nuts), eggs, oysters, mint (peppermint / spearmint), beets, artichoke, oatmeal, grapefruit, strawberries, apples, brussels sprouts and cherries. I’m sure many of these foods work as natural masks, face washes, etc. but these are really just things you can eat that are beneficial for your hair, skin and teeth. So, now that your grocery list for the week is complete…what’s next?
Now I’m not saying if you don’t eat these foods, you’re going to have brittle hair, a face full of acne and yellow teeth…but if something as simple as eating can help make all those things a little brighter and healthier, I’m all for it. And like it said, it’s a lot cheaper to buy this stuff at the grocery store than pray your $200 wrinkle cream actually works. But that’s just my opinion…what do you think about eating your way to a more natural beauty routine? Do you eat these foods already? Any others I missed that help in beauty department? (especially those you’ve had a positive experience with yourself?) Let me know!
Images via Into The Gloss, Harper’s Bazaar & Pinterest
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