Superfoods For Beauty
If you are looking into improving your skin, hair, nails, and teeth the natural way, the first thing you should examine is what you are eating. It is possible that foods you are eating or not eating are affecting your beauty.
Superfoods are high on the list of foods you should be adding to your diet. They are usually healthy, with most of them being low in fat or containing only healthy fats. Many superfoods are not only good for general health and wellness, but ideal for improving your beauty.
The superfoods on this list are all good for natural beauty boosting purposes, from giving you soft and silky hair, to improving your complexion and smoothing out your skin, strengthening your nails, and giving you strong, healthy teeth.
You can add these foods to your diet one at a time, or get them all at once to be on the road to a nutritious diet and the best skin and hair you have ever had.
Here are the top 12 superfoods for beauty.
Lemons
The first superfood that is amazing for skin and beauty in general is lemon. The great thing about this is that there are many ways to use lemons in your food or drinks, not only helping to improve your beauty, but providing a lot of other health benefits as well.
Lemons have long since been known as being ideal for detoxing your body. Many people that do an actual cleanse or detox, will make a drink with water, maple syrup, lemons, and sometimes various herbs or spices. So it makes sense that lemons would be high up on the list of superfoods. When you are detoxing your body with this citrus fruit, it helps to cleanse your liver and digestive system. This in turn can help to cleanse and revitalize your skin at the same time.
Try drinking a tall glass of water with lemon slices in it, putting lemon on your salads instead of a heavy dressing, or adding lemon to your morning smoothies or other beverages. There are many ways to incorporate it into your day.
Blueberries
There is a lot of fruit on the top superfoods lists for various purposes, especially berries. However, one berry that you will see more often is blueberries. These are delicious, sweet berries that just about everyone loves. That is what makes them great; they are super nutritious, but also fun to eat! Blueberries are considered a superfood because they are packed full of nutrients, from antioxidants, for various vitamins and minerals.
The antioxidants and the vitamins, like vitamin C, A, and E, can all help to restore your skin cells, making your skin look more youthful. Blueberries will also help if your skin has been sun-damaged and to brighten up your skin and leave you with silky smooth hair as well.
Another excellent thing about blueberries is that they are super easy to add to your diet. This superfood can be topped on anything from salads to oatmeal or yogurt, eaten on its own as a snack, or added to your favorite desserts.
Wild Salmon
Fish is an important part of your overall health, but can also help with improving your skin and hair for natural beauty. However, omega-3s are not found in all forms of fish, which is why only certain ones are considered superfoods. Typically, the wild-caught cold water fish is best for you in terms of superfoods with omega-3 fatty acids, which are helpful to moisturizing your skin. This includes wild salmon, among others like mackerel or sardines.
In addition to the omega-3 fatty acids, wild salmon also has other nutrients, including vitamin D and selenium, which protect your skin from sun damage and can help keep your teeth strong. Salmon is a low-fat, high-protein food, so it fits with just about any diet, including if you are a pescatarian who can still eat fish even if you don’t eat other forms of meat.
Some good ways to enjoy salmon include grilled on the side of rice and veggies, cooked and put in your salad, or even raw if you enjoy sushi.
Sweet Potatoes
Now moving onto vegetables, let’s talk about how you should be eating more sweet potatoes! These are one of the best vegetables and superfoods for beauty, as they contain a lot of different nutrients. Not only do sweet potatoes have a high amount of beta carotene, which helps to even out your complexion, they also contain vitamin C for antioxidants and vitamin A to help repair damaged cell tissue in your skin. They also naturally have biotin, which many people take for stronger nails and to stimulate hair growth.
Sweet potatoes are lower in carbs than other types of potatoes, so even while on a low-carb diet, you can enjoy them and have your favorite potato dish. You can eat them baked, boiled, grilled, or in just about any other meal. A popular trend right now is having sweet potato toast to replace the bread in your diet and add more nutrients at the same time.
Pineapple
Why not try some tropical fruit? If you enjoy food on the sweet side, you don’t have to feel left out when you are on a special diet. Pineapple is an excellent alternative, and just so happens to be a powerful superfood for beauty and general health.
Pineapple is often recommended as a detox fruit, because it helps to get rid of toxins in your body. These toxins could be affecting your skin and hair, so it is important to get them out of your body. Pineapple is also great at reducing inflammation, which might also be affecting your skin. The nutrients in pineapple further help to produce natural collagen in your skin to tighten your skin and provide excellent anti-aging benefits.
One of the best ways to enjoy pineapple is just by having it fresh after cutting open the pineapple. It is a low-fat fruit so it’s easy to enjoy even when you’re on a diet and trying to lose weight. You can add pineapple to your cottage cheese as a snack, or even top your salad or pizza with it for a fun, tropical meal. Grilled pineapple also tastes amazing, and it goes great with chicken and fish.
Beets
While beets may not sound like the best vegetable, give them a try. They are actually very tasty, especially when you know the best foods to prepare them with. If it helps, beets are also an excellent superfood for beauty, providing antioxidants that can firm up your skin and help you look more youthful.
Beets are a superfood because of all the nutrients they contain, including vitamin A, magnesium, potassium, and folate. These nutrients help with anti-aging, stimulate better cell production, and can leave your hair looking its best.
The bright pinkish-purple color of beets makes them perfect to add to juice or smoothies in the morning and make them fun to drink. Even if you don’t like the taste of beets, it will be covered up by any fruits you mix with it. Apples are the perfect fruit to add with beets in juice or smoothies.
Oysters
Another type of seafood that is considered a superfood for beauty is oysters. Oysters contain a high amount of zinc, which are effective at helping to repair your skin cells and actually promote new skin cell growth that will help to fight the signs of aging. Zinc can also keep your nails strong and healthy, and provide nutrients for your hair as well.
Some of the other nutrients found in oysters include omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin C, protein, iron, and calcium. All of these are important not just for your beauty and skin, but for general health and wellbeing. Try different oyster recipes, whether you make a pasta dish or eat them on your favorite salad.
Walnuts
There are a lot of different types of nuts that are good for health and beauty, from almonds to cashews, but one of the best is the walnut. Walnuts are superfoods thanks to all the nutrients, vitamins, and minerals they contain. They provide a good dose of vitamin E, which as you know is wonderful for skin and hair. In fact, vitamin E oil is often recommended for removing stretch marks and wrinkles.
Walnuts also contain a large amount of omega-3 fatty acids, so if you don’t like fish or you are on a vegan diet, you can still enjoy walnuts and get these important nutrients. Walnuts help to give you bright eyes, smooth skin, and improve the health of your hair as well. They are also good for providing essential nutrients to your bones.
Here are some different ways to add more walnuts to your diet:
- Use them to top salads for extra crunch
- Put them in a food processor to make walnut butter
- Top your pasta or rice dishes at lunch or dinner
- Have a handful of walnuts with cheese for a low-carb snack
- Mix in walnuts with baked treats like brownies or cookies
Dates
Believe it or not, dates are actually a fruit. It might not seem like it, but these are a sweet and delicious fruit. It is another fruit, alongside figs, that are highly underappreciated and not enjoyed nearly as much as they deserve. A good type of date to go for is the medjool date, which is low in fat, high in fiber, and super sweet.
Dates help to cleanse your body from toxins, which could be affecting the health of your skin and hair. They have a lot of other nutrients to make them a superfood, from copper that help you to absorb more iron for better collagen production, to providing an alternative to sugar in baked dishes.
You will notice that many low-carb baked dishes or ones for people who are cutting back on sugar will use dates instead. You can enjoy them this way, eat a handful of them, or add them to just about any meal right on the side.
Kiwi
Another fruit on the list of superfoods for beauty is the kiwi. This is another tropical fruit, that will taste great with those pineapple slices mentioned before. On the outside, kiwi look like small, brown and fuzzy fruits. On the inside, they are vibrant green and juicy.
Kiwi is a superfood thanks to the high amount of antioxidants, which protect your body from illness and disease. These same antioxidants also improve your natural beauty by boosting the health of your skin, hair, and nails. They are also good for improving the health of your teeth and bones, and reducing fine lines and wrinkles. Kiwi are also a good source of vitamin C, providing even more support for your skin, hair, and teeth.
An easy way to eat kiwi is by cutting it in half, then scooping out the kiwi fruit with a spoon. You can also add kiwi to pancakes for a tropical flair, top frozen yogurt or regular yogurt to add some sweetness, or make a dessert like kiwi pie.
Dark Chocolate
A lot of the superfoods for beauty are fruits and vegetables, but don’t forget about your favorite foods. Some of them are probably also considered superfoods, including dark chocolate. This is an excellent way to enjoy your decadent treat without feeling guilty about it.
Dark chocolate is an excellent source of antioxidants, which as you know help to hydrate your skin, make you look more youthful, and remove toxins from your body. Dark chocolate doesn’t cause acne, but can actually improve the appearance of your skin. Just make sure it is dark chocolate and not milk chocolate. Look for at least 60% cacao in your chocolate and it will be of good quality.
Quinoa
The final superfood to consider adding to your diet for beauty purposes is a grain called quinoa. This is a healthy grain that is very nutritious and is one of the best foods for naturally healthy and shiny hair. The nutrients found in quinoa can actually strengthen your hair strands and help prevent split ends and breakage. When you have less breakage, it also helps with shine and to reduce frizziness.
Quinoa is a good source of protein, so it is perfect if you are trying to reduce carbs and want to replace regular rice with this grain. The protein is also going to provide more nutrients to your hair. There is vitamin E in quinoa as well, providing a natural oil that helps keep your scalp and hair roots healthy, while also improving your skin at the same time. Other nutrients found in quinoa are vitamins B6, B12, niacin, and biotin.
There is a nutty flavor to quinoa, so it is good as a side dish replacing rice or pasta, or when added to your favorite salad. There are many healthy meals you can make by using quinoa.
Try to find ways to combine superfoods for beauty to get the maximum benefit. This is going to help you add as many as you can to your regular diet without feeling stressed or overwhelmed by your choices.
For example, you can try some of these combinations:
Add pineapple, kiwi, and dates to your frozen yogurt.
Have quinoa with sweet potatoes and walnuts.
Enjoy a dessert of kiwi with dark chocolate.
Make a pitcher of fruit-infused water using lemon, kiwi, and pineapple.
There are many different ways to use multiple superfoods in a single drink or dish, you just need to get a little creative!