The Beauty Chef line of high-end get-glowing wellness powders and liquid boosters is gaining popularity at rapid speed—and for a good reason: each supplement is packed with alkalizing, cleansing, vitamin-rich goodness while the packaging is more green beauty spa than mall vitamin store. The brains behind Beauty Chef is Carla Oates, a natural wellness expert whose been studying, writing about, and teaching organic beauty and health for the past 15 years.
Oates was inspired to learn more about the connection between what we eat and the health of our skin when she was suffering from eczema as a teen. Eliminating certain food and integrating others taught her that diet is paramount, she explained in an interview for JSHealth, “I am a big believer that ‘beauty begins in the belly’ – that gut health is paramount for healthy, radiant skin and overall wellbeing.” Moreover, Oates contends that supplements are only part of it (though her wellness boosters are nothing to sneeze at!). Below are some of her favorite foods for beauty, wellness, and full-body happiness.
“My favorite beauty foods include antioxidant-rich, anti-inflammatory wonders,” she told The Chalkboard Mag. These include “dark green leafy veggies, berries, and pomegranate, which are also packed with vitamin C to support collagen production, help protect the skin from UV stress and free radical damage, plus provide a good dose of fiber for cleansing the bowels and skin.”
Try Vegan Kale, Pomegranate, and Avocado Salad
Don’t forget to add a bit of fun flavor to your dishes, either! “Spices are super skin foods too since they are anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial and rich in skin-protective antioxidants. Inflammation breaks down collagen and causes all sorts of skin problems including dryness, pimples, and loss of skin tone, so these foods can work wonders.”
Support your natural stores of collagen with this collagen-boosting veggie plate.
For gorgeous, age-resistant skin, stock up on your beta-carotene. “I love my carotenoid-rich veggies: carrots, sweet potato, leafy greens, seaweeds etc. Beta-carotene or pro-vitamin A helps rejuvenate the skin and promote cell turnover, which is helpful for helping improve dry flaky skin. Avocado is bursting with skin-boosting carotenoids and also contains incredibly rejuvenating and moisturizing good fats, which help make the carotenoids more available to the skin to use, as they are oil soluble.”
For a delicious avocado and carrot combo, try this Detoxifying Nori Salad.
Oates also swears by cruciferous veggies—so kudos to all of you broccoli enthusiasts: “Cruciferous vegetables are super rich in sulfur compounds that help detoxify the skin and keep it lovely, clear and radiant.” Kale, cauliflower, bok choy, and cabbage count, too!
Make yourself this Chickpea & Broccoli Buddha Bowl.
Water with a splash of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar in the morning will help to balance and stimulate digestion and to clarify the skin and eyes. It goes without saying that drinking lots of clean water is key to keeping the skin hydrated and cleansed. Other great liquids are green tea (rich in skin-boosting antioxidants) and dandelion tea (a great skin cleanser).
Oates recommends loading up on your minerals, too. “Minerals are super important for skin health. For example, silica found in oats, buckwheat, chickpeas, and cucumber can promote skin elasticity; zinc found in pepitas is an anti-inflammatory helpful in repairing and building the skin, is great for wound healing and is particularly helpful if you are prone to acne or oily skin. Zinc also offers some UV protection.”
Quinoa Salad with Peaches & Pepitas
As Oates told JSHealth, fermented veggies are a pinch hitter in the inner-outer health game: “One thing that really stood out, too, was the difference in people’s skin when they ate my lacto-fermented vegetables,” she explained. “People were addicted to my fermented veggies and kefir coconut water – hence why The Beauty Chef started with my lacto-fermented inner beauty superfood powder, Glow.” (Note: lacto fermentation involves only water, veggies, and salt; it does not involve anything having to do with dairy.)
In addition to containing probiotics, Beauty Chef Glow contains maqui berries, dunaliella salina, and queen garnet plum to help combat fine lines and inflammation while aiding in collagen building.
Also check out Carla Oates’s cookbook, The Beauty Chef: Delicious Food For Radiant Skin, Gut Health and Wellbeing
What beauty foods are staples in your house?
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Photo: The Beauty Chef via Instagram, Lauren Kirchmaier, Peaceful Dumpling, Mary Hood Luttrell
