It's 2020, let's supercharge this year with glowing skin and radiant health!
I'm sure you've heard by now that your skin is a reflection of what's going on inside. If you're experiencing acne, eczema, dermatitis or rashes, it's likely there’s an underlying imbalance.
Skin imbalances can be caused by stress, substandard gut health, liver dysfunction, hormonal imbalances, diet and lifestyle. If you’re looking for that desired glow, there are several things you can do to look after your skin and take it from drab to fab.
Here are Lee Holmes's top ten tips for glowing skin.
1. One of the most underrated, yet essential, things we can do for ourselves is to drink more water. I couldn’t write a list of tips for glowing skin without it! Staying hydrated is key to maintaining a fresh glow, as well as helping assimilate and process the nutrients in the food you’re consuming. The aim is to drink at least 1 1/2 litres of water a day, and more if you’re exercising, sweating or breastfeeding. Other gut-friendly liquids to embrace are herbal teas, such as ginger, fenugreek, lavender and fennel, get my recipe here. Plus read my post about soothing drinks to set you up for a good gut day here. Looking for other ways to incorporate spices simply? check out my full spice guide here.
2. If you’ve ever seen my blog, you know I have a bit (okay, a lot) of a love affair with gut health. The skin can tell us a lot about what’s going on internally. For example, if you suffer from sluggish digestion or toxicity, it can manifest as acne on the cheeks. If you’re looking to cleanse your gut to help with the glow of your skin, you may like to try my Love Your Gut powder or my Love Your Gut capsules for a convenient gut dose on-the-go. Love Your Gut powder is made of 100% food-grade diatomaceous earth and helps clear out bacteria, viruses, pesticides, fungi and more, which may be interfering with optimal digestive function and your skin.
Another gut-friendly tip is to consume enough fibre. Fibre is abundant in plant-foods, including vegetables, fruits, nuts, wholegrains and seeds. Some of my favourite fibre-rich recipes include:
3. Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for glowing skin. These come in the form of fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and sardines, flaxseeds, walnuts, chia seeds and hemp seeds. Omega-3 reduces bodily inflammation and protects the health of the cell membrane, helping combat lines, wrinkles and even acne. If you’re looking for a delicious way to increase your omega-3 intake, you’ll have to check out my delicious bars down below. I love including fish into my daily meal rotation. One of my favourites at the moment is my ginger seared tuna.
4. Collagen exists in every bone, skin, blood vessel and tendon in the body. It helps maintain tissue integrity and the elasticity of the skin. Collagen also heals and seals the gut lining, helping us out with tip number 2 about gut health. While collagen is naturally formed in the body, it reduces with age, which can lead to wrinkled skin and loss of cartilage in the joints. If you’re looking to up your collagen intake, it can be found in my Gut Healing Turmeric Chicken Broth and Supercharged Lamb Bone Broth. Other sources of collagen include eggs and meat. And/Or buy a convenient therapeutic Collagen Powder.
If you're vegan and collagen isn't easily accessible, you can include some of these alternatives; soy products- tempeh, tofu, and soy protein, beans such as black and kidney beans, many other legumes and also sprinkle on some seeds like pumpkin, squash, sunflower, and chia. Try to include nuts in your diet too such as pistachio, peanut, and cashew.
5. If you won’t eat chemicals, why put them on your skin? To keep your skin glowing, try to use products that are as close to their natural state as possible. This includes make-up and products you use for dermal hygiene, such as face wash and exfoliants. Always make sure to use sunscreen in the morning and use unscented and natural cleansers to keep the skin clean. Control the urge to squeeze, rub, scratch or pick your pimples, wash your make-up off before bed and use natural skincare products, such as my Supercharged Food Earth Mask & Scrub.
6. Glowing skin represents what’s going on internally. If you’re not receiving enough nutrients, your skin may be struggling to glow as a result. Two major dietary deficiencies that are linked to poor skin health are zinc and vitamin A. Zinc is essential for skin healing and immune regulation. Similarly, a Vitamin A deficiency can contribute to acne. Vitamin A can help reduce sebum production under the skin and therefore, improve skin health. Increase your consumption of foods rich in these vitamins. Nuts and seeds, whole grains, legumes, shellfish, meat and eggs are high in Zinc. Foods rich in Vitamin A include orange vegetables such as sweet potato, pumpkin and carrots, and dark greens like kale, spinach, swiss chard and collard greens. Try on my Nourishing Bowl Breakfast Bowl for size.
7. Our hormones can play a huge role when it comes to the health of our skin. If we have an excess of hormones, our livers may be unable to detoxify them, causing a build-up. Hormonal imbalances, particularly excess oestrogen or testosterone, often manifest as acne on the chin and jaw. To assist the liver in doing its job, we need to be eating foods that help the liver detoxify hormones effectively. Cruciferous vegetables contain a compound which naturally support liver detoxification. Cruciferous vegetables include cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, rocket, cabbage and kale. You can't go past my Oven-Baked Broccoli and Cauliflower Steaks.
8. Superstar ingredients for reducing inflammation and helping the skin shine are foods rich in anti-inflammatories. When you think of anti-inflammatories, think of foods that are very rich in colour, such as kale and turmeric (I know, if one more blogger says to eat these two foods, you’ll go crazy, but please just listen!). Turmeric is rich in curcumin which helps reduce inflammation. If you do want an easy way to get more turmeric into your world, check out my Golden Gut Blend. Other great examples of anti-inflammatory foods include leafy greens, berries, fatty fish and extra virgin olive oil. Or try my Turmeric Seeded Loaf - it’s amazing and wonderful for breakfast with your favourite spreads.
9. When it comes to skin health, sometimes it’s not about what we ingest but about what we don’t. Alcohol, excess caffeine, refined sugar and dairy can all impact the skin and dull your glow. While I won’t say to cut your intake completely, consider reducing these and having them moderately from time to time. Or, try this delicious energy promoting mocha and banana smoothie bowl and swap out the coffee for dandelion tea if coffee isn't on the agenda for you!
10. While stress plays a common role in our daily lives, it can impact the health of our gut, liver and hormones, which can all impact the skin. One of the best ways to combat stress is by doing activities that help calm you down. You may like to try meditating, walking in nature, reading a book or spending time with your family.
Beauty is an inside job, so get ready for glowing skin and radiant health in 2020.
For more articles, recipes and healthy hacks for better health this new year, grab a copy of our FREE Healthy Hacks ebook. When you nourish your insides and love your gut, the more your beauty and body benefits - more energy, less bloating; more nutrient absorption, less build-up of waste in your system.
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