Healthy skin from the inside out

 

Posted on April 16, 2014 by Laura

Do you struggle with your skin?

Whether its acne, drying, or premature aging, your skin health is a reflection of your inner health and what you eat really makes a difference.

 

Here are a few foods you can include to help improve the health and appearance of your skin:

1. Include plenty of oily fish such as salmon.
The omega 3 fats help to reduce inflammation, hydrate, and plump up skin cells promoting a clearer, smoother and more radiant appearance.

2. Eat plenty of foods rich in zinc such as almonds, brazil nuts, pecans, pine nuts, oysters and meat.
Low levels of zinc can be a contributing factor in acne and slow wound healing.

3. Eat a rainbow of fruit and vegetables every day to get anti-aging antioxidants and vitamins.
Vitamin C helps the body to produce collagen, and antioxidants fight the free radicals that cause premature aging.

4. Foods high in beta-carotene will help to prevent those unsightly red bumps on the backs of your arms.
Include sweet potato, carrots, mangoes, peaches and spinach.

5. Dehydration can cause dull, wrinkled skin and also reduces the body’s ability to detoxify.
Ensure you
drink plenty of pure water each day to promote clear, youthful skin.

6. Tomato, watermelon and grapefruit are high in a substance called Lycopene.
Lycopene has been shown to help protect the skin from UV damage as well as giving it a smoother appearance.

In general, if you aim for a diet full of fresh fruit and vegetables, oily fish, pure water and reduce processed, packaged, sugary foods you will be well on your way to improving your skin health.

 

Gluten-Free Chicken Schnitzel

 

This is another recipe that I developed for my detox clients.

I love to eat food that is healthy but doesn’t feel like it! Comfort food is the best!

It gives me the greatest pleasure to sit down with friends and family to a meal that feels indulgent and naughty but is actually full of hidden veggies, healthy and guilt free!

My Gluten Free Chicken Schnitzel is one of those meals that tastes too good to be healthy.

I’d go so far as to say that it might just rival the traditional schnitzel. I don’t follow a 100% gluten free diet, but I do try to minimise my gluten intake and I believe that even non-coeliacs should try to be aware of how much gluten they are consuming. I think we eat too much gluten and that is why so many of us are suddenly finding ourselves intolerant.

Recipes like this help us to reduce our gluten intake while still enjoying delicious food.

So here it is, my Gluten Free Chicken Schnitzel

Ingredients

  •   2 chicken breasts
  •   1 egg, beaten
  •   1/2 cup macadamia meal (made by processing whole macadamias)
  •   ¼ pumpkin, chopped
  •   Rocket, cucumber, red onion, capsicum for side salad

Method

1.       Place pumpkin on oven tray and roast for 20-30 minutes until soft (approx 180 degrees).

2.       Spread the macadamia meal on a shallow bowl or plate

3.       Dip the chicken in the egg and then roll in the nut meal

4.       Place the schnitzel on a tray lined with baking paper and bake for 7-10 minutes each side until cooked through

5.       Chop up salad ingredients and arrange on plate

Serve and enjoy!