You are What you Eat: Inner Beauty

 

Ola!

A couple of weeks ago, during the usual Sunday Beauty Blogger’s chat it came to my attention that lots of you wanted to know more about how your diet could be effecting your skin. As promised, I have decided to dedicate a series of posts on my blog to help with this issue. I have also had requests to talk more about specific ingredients. Good ones that will benefit your skin, and the bad ones that your skin needs to avoid. I am not promising to solve all of your skincare woes, but I can try and solve some.

May I welcome you to the first of:

You are What you Eat: Inner Beauty. 

Today is going to be a post suitable for All Skin Types. At a later date, I will do posts specifically for certain skin types, for the first post I figured everyone would want to take something away from it. So let’s get started…

We all reach for fizzy drinks, sweets, chocolate, alcohol, cakes, biscuits. Comfort foods. Snacks. I still do it, I am no Skincare Angel. Hands up, who opens a packet of Pringles and then looks down 10 minutes later, to find the Pringles have magically all gone. Those fairies come to my house too. 

An even worse habit I have, is I love to pick…

I sit in front of the mirror, every morning, and every night and maybe some time in between analysising my skin. I have staring competitions with my pores, I battle against wrinkles, trying to work out whether they will actually stay or if in fact they are just dehydration lines. I pick spots. I pick marks where spots used to be. I pick… NO I DO NOT PICK MY NOSE. 

Who’s with me? Come on own up. You all must have done it at some point. Pretending to just pick off your mascara whilst scanning the rest of your face for imperfections. 

I may not be able to change the giant imperfection that is my nose (surgery scares me), however, I can change the blemishes that creep out and tease me. I can control them. Que evil laugh. 

Two simple things I want you to embrace. Bottled water & Superfoods.

These two superheroes will help you and your skin become better friends, and what better way to become closer, take a challenge. I challenge you to for just two weeks cut out all fizzy drinks. If you think you can handle cutting out any of the above comfort foods on top of fizzy drinks, hell go for it. I only ask you try and just drink water. Lots of it. 2 litres minimum a day. 

This is not about “losing weight” this is about flushing out the toxins and the nasties that your body holds onto because of the fizzy drinks you consume. The sugar in these drinks not only causes skin break outs, it also helps cellulite to cling onto your thighs and bottoms, it sucks at your energy by giving you false energy. Sugar is not our friend guys! 

I am not a nutritionist, I just love my skin and my body, and I care about what I put into it. This is simply advice, it’s not the Gospel and I am certainly not here to preach what is right and what is wrong in the world of dieting. 

So why two weeks? After two weeks you should begin to stop craving. The worst times will be when you are hungover and wanting to drink an ice cold glass of Coke, but don’t give in. Water only. 

Now. Superfoods. To begin (and to stop you thinking I am the Wicked Witch of the West) I thought I would give you guys something.

Say hello to my Banana and Honey Smoothie. 

Bananas and Bee products are the first Superfoods I am going to introduce you too. You can thank me later. 

Superfood Facts: Bananas

Bananas are a good source of fibre and are low in saturated fat and cholesterol. This is also one of the few fruits which contain the entire range of Vitamin B – thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, folic acid and very little B5 and B12. Compared to an apple, bananas have four times the protein, twice the carbohydrates, three times the phosphorus, five times the vitamin A and iron, and twice all the other vitamins and minerals. 

Along with all the above, bananas also contain ample amounts of copper (to prevent graying hair), chromium, fluoride, manganese, selenium (to prevent pigmentation) and zinc.

To put it bluntly, these bananas are jam packed with anti aging essentials, great for your digestion and will give you instant energy. 

Superfood Facts: Bee Products

Bee Products are known for increasing energy, healing, protection from the cold and flu viruses, boosting stamina, enhancing mood, regulation of hormones, moderation of body weight, rebuilding and their wonderful taste. Bee products contain many nutrients that are readily absorbed into the human body. 

Honey has so many uses and is best known as a miracle food as well as a beauty treatment, emollient, and contains anti-microbial properties that help heal the throat and sinuses. 

Recipe Time

 You will need the following:

2-3 Bananas

Organic Honey

Organic Pollen

Oats

Water

Blender

Prep Time: Five minutes (serves 1 person in a large glass)

      Add to your blender half a glass full of water (you can add more at the end if the smoothie is too thick for your liking). Next add a tablespoon of honey, a heaved teaspoon of pollen, and a scattering of oats – just cover the surface of the water.

Peel and slice your bananas and add them to the blender.

Blend, blend, blend until smooth. If the mixture is too thick, add more water. 

I had this for breakfast every single day for a week, I did lose a bit of weight, and I also had brighter, healthier looking skin. 

Some of you may not like the taste of banana, so instead of drinking it, google “How Do Bananas help the Skin?”. You will find a zillion links with ideas on how to make face masks, hair masks, spot creams etc. Find something that works for you, and stick to it, for at least a month and I promise you will see a difference in your skin. You may as well give it a shot right? 

If you enjoyed this post please let me know, or if you have any ideas of your own you want me to share on here by all means leave me a comment. I would love to know if any of you try this recipe and what your thoughts are! 

See you soon,