Get the glow!
Updated: Feb 25, 2022
I recently wrote a piece for PLENISH on how to get the glow and I wanted to share with you my top tips for looking and feeling radiant this summer.
The ‘Summer Glow’ is NOT about being ‘beach-body ready’ or being perfect (perfection doesn’t exist and if it did, it would be so not sexy). For me, confidence comes from within, and it starts from knowing I am truly taking care of myself from the inside out.
Looking and feeling great starts with the foods you choose to nourish yourself with. Here are the best foods for gorgeous glowing skin, feeling alive, motivated, and brimming with vitality from head to toe!
(Psssst: if you haven’t heard of PLENISH, I truly encourage you to check them out, they make all organic cold-pressed and delicious juices, delivered straight to your door!).
Eat the right fats
Stop treating it like the dirty F-word, and make healthy fats your friend. They are essential for a healthy body and mind. The key is to eat these fat sources in place of saturated and trans fats found in dairy, fatty meats, deep fired foods and processed foods. Avocados: An excellent source of monounsaturated fatty acids, which are essential for soft, supple skin. They also contain vitamin E, which is a powerful antioxidant that neutralises free radicals, protecting your skin from dryness, fine lines, wrinkles, redness and irritation. All hail the avocado! Coconut oil: The wonder that is coconut oil: eat it, drink it, cook with it, bathe with it, moisturize with it – it’s a true beauty multi-tasker. Whichever way you choose to use it, coconut oil is hydrating, nourishing and healing. Oily fish: Inflammation in the body can manifest itself in all sorts of nasty ways, such as spotty skin, hormonal imbalances, anxiety, allergies, fatigue – the list is endless. The omega 3 fats found primarily in oily fish, and in nuts and seeds such as walnuts and pumpkin seeds, help protect your body and fight against the highly damaging effects of inflammation.
Eat the rainbow
When you eat vibrant food you create vibrant skin. Ensure you consume a wide variety of fruits and veggies to get the full spectrum of vitamins and minerals that Mother Nature has to offer. A good rule to go by is try is to and incorporate fruit or veg into every meal and snack, if you can. Greens: kale, spinach, celery and lettuce are packed with chlorophyll, which oxygenates the blood and beautifies the skin. Yellow/Orange: Sweet Potatoes, carrots and yellow peppers are packed with the orange/yellow pigment beta-carotene, which is important for normal skin cell development and healthy skin tone. Blues/Purples: The blue pigment in blueberries is called anthocyanin, which helps quench free radicals, protecting the collagen in your skin from sagging and damage, for gorgeousness from the inside out!
Ditch the baddies
Coffee: It contains high amounts of caffeine that can over-stimulate your adrenal glands, causing blood sugar imbalances that can leave you feeling all tired and grumpy – not a good look. If you still need a caffeine boost, choose green tea as your daily ‘pick me up’. It contains far less caffeine and is loaded with antioxidants and phytochemicals that actually help reverse skin damage to help keep you looking young and fresh. Sugar: A big no no. Refined sugar is highly addictive, and encourages weight-gain and skin break-outs. It can also be highly disruptive to the digestive system. An unhappy gut not only causes issues such as bloating and constipation, but can also cause knock-on effects on the skin, resulting in acne and a dull, blotchy complexion. Instead, if your caving sweetness, eat bright colourful fruits, either by themselves or in smoothies and fresh juices.