Maintaining a radiant complexion is a battle fought on two fronts: externally with topical skin care and internally with a healthy lifestyle.
No matter how amazing and miraculous your skin care products are, there is no replacement for eating right and exercising.
But since “eating right” is so vague and reports on what is and isn’t healthy seemingly flip-flop every other year (are eggs good for you again?), we’ve prepared 3 meals with skin-healthy food choices to make things a bit easier.
Every item on the list is full of ingredients you need to boost your internal skin care regimen and, in combination with your topical skin care, start to see noticeable results faster.
Meal #1
Appetizer: Kale salad w/ tomatoes and avocado
Boo to all those wrinkly fools who say “Kale is so 2014.” With a full range of vitamins (A, B, C, E, and K) and a ridiculous amount of minerals (iron, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, etc.), kale is the perfect skin-healthy base to start your meal.
On top of that, tomatoes are a fantastic source of lycopene – a chemical that stimulates blood circulation in your skin. Combine that with another trendy food, avocado, which is full of vitamins E and C, and you’re off to a great start.
Main Course: Sweet potatoes, salmon, and broccoli
Besides being extremely delicious, sweet potatoes are full of beta-carotene which becomes a source of vitamin A when digested. Try pairing that with a healthy protein like salmon which can aid in cellular turnover in your skin. Round out your meal with every 8-year-olds favorite snack: broccoli.
Broccoli is teeming with antioxidants, vitamins, and omega 3 fatty acids which all provide ample support for your skin’s natural healing processes.
Dessert: Dark chocolate
One of the few sweet treats that actually does more good than bad, a decadent piece of dark chocolate is the perfect way to satiate your sweet tooth after a hearty meal.
Dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants called flavonols which will help reverse the effects of UV radiation and free radical damage. Check out our article on dark chocolate to find out just how amazing it is for your skin.
Meal #2
Appetizer: Steamed artichoke
There’s nothing much more delicious than a steamed artichoke dipped in lemon butter. With its easily shareable leaves that peel off individually, it truly is nature’s bloomin’ onion. It’s also a fantastic source of antioxidants.
If you’re a true saint you could just use lemon juice and skip the butter.
Main Course: Red beans and brown rice
Red beans and rice is not only a Cajun classic, it’s also a fantastic source of healthy protein, vitamins and minerals your skin needs to keep you glowing. Why do you think people from Louisiana have such great skin? Is that not a stereotype? Well it should be.
Just make sure you use brown rice as it’s a fantastic way to get your daily dose of vitamin B, magnesium, and a fan-boat-load of antioxidants.
Dessert: Dark berries
Fruit often gets slept on when it comes to choosing desert which we think is a real shame. We’re not saying we’d choose an apple over a slice of devil’s food cake but we think the decision should be more difficult than it currently is.
Fruit is sweet and delicious. Especially blueberries and raspberries and especially when you keep them in the freezer for a bit before eating them. Besides, you never feel more like a Roman hedonist than when you lay on a chaise lounge and lazily eat berries.
Meal #3
Appetizer: Oysters
Time to get fancy. And nothing says “fancy” like slurping slime out of a dirty shell.
Oysters are a very polarizing food. You can either eat them until your sick or you avoid them like the plague. But for those of you oyster-fiends out there, you’re in luck.
Oysters are an excellent source of vitamin A, zinc, and selenium that will keep your skin as radiant as the silver spoon in your mouth.
Main Course: Grass-fed steak
Bust out the wedding china because this meal just got elegant. Regardless of your cut of choice, a grass-fed steak has an increased amount of omega fatty acids as well as all the protein you could ever want.
Since protein makes up the building blocks of collagen and elastin, you need as much of it as you can get to keep your skin plump and wrinkle-free.
Dessert: Coffee
This may come as a bit of a surprise but, as it turns out, sugar is not good for your skin. This leaves us in a precarious position of trying to choose a dessert that isn’t sweet.
So, in lieu of dessert, you should opt for a delicious cup of joe at the end of your lavish meal. Coffee is not only full of antioxidants, it also promotes blood circulation in your skin which speeds cellular turnover.
And, on the plus side, while everyone else is eating dessert, you can make judgmental eyes over the rim of your coffee cup with the knowledge that you’re helping your skin stay healthy.
While you’re winning on the internal skincare front, give your skin the help it needs externally with the amazing skincare products available at LiraClinical.com!
Enjoy these healthy tips? Check out these articles full of helpful healthy info:
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