Glow From the Inside Out: Deliciously Nutritious Tips

The excitingly educational and deliciously nutritious, Jessi Haggerty, RD authored this blog post about simple ways to keep your skin healthy and glowing year round.  She is a Boston based Registered Dietician and Personal Trainer with a decade of experience in the health and wellness industry.  She uses her expertise in weight loss, gastrointestinal disorders, functional movement, yoga, and culinary arts to offer a 360-degree, all around, completely integrated wellness experience.  She tops it all off with a little bit of fun, and whole lot of fabulous to give you one of the most unique, gratifying, and sustainable solutions to long-lasting health around.  Her 10 tips below for prolonging that youthful appearance also aid in mental, physical, and spiritual health to boot! Check them out…

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You know that saying true beauty comes from within? It’s true… literally.

Raise your hand if you’ve been tricked one too many times to buy this-really-great-wrinkle-cream-that-your-friend-susan-uses or some vibrating machine that swears to exfoliate YEARS from your face?

Is your hand up? Mine is. Don’t be ashamed. We’ve all been there. Sucked into some shiny new object that promises us weight loss, beautiful skin, more money, or a worry-free life. But the truth is beauty does come from within – but I’m not talking about your soul. I’m talking about your diet.

See, when our body takes in nutrients, our skin is the last organ to reap the benefits. Read: only a well-rounded nutrient dense diet paired with high quality nutritional supplements is going to change your skin, NOT a magic pill or that-green-juice-you-had-that-one-time.

So let’s get into the juicy stuff. What types of nutrient dense foods am I talking about?

1. Fruits and Vegetables – this may be an obvious one. Fruits and vegetables are packed with fluid, antioxidants, and fiber. But they also contain phytonutrients – powerful disease-fighting nutrients that can be only found in plants.

2. Water – think about what happens to a plant when you forget to water it. It droops and wrinkles, right? Well your skin pretty much works the same way! Drink plenty of water (until you urinate clearly) to keep skin cells full and radiant.

3. Omega – 3 Fatty Acids – Yes – fat is GOOD. It is the major building block for your skin cells so start adding some high quality fats like flax, hemp, chia, walnuts, and fatty fish to your diet.

4. Probiotics -If your suffer from acne, or even the occasional stress pimple, you want to start taking care of it from the inside. Its a clear sign of a bacterial imbalance, so load up on the good stuff. Try eating fermented foods like sauerkraut or kombucha, or take a daily probiotic supplement.

5. Fiber – Fiber helps your digestive syst – ok, it helps you poop. AKA it helps eliminate toxic waste from your diet. Aim for 25-35 grams per day from whole food sources.

6. Vitamin C – Vitamin C, along with the other antioxidants found in berries, greens, and omega-3 fatty acids are your number one defense against sun damage as it fights free radicals. Try getting it from whole food sources versus a dietary supplement for best absorption. 

7. Coconut – Coconut has natural anti microbial and anti fungal properties. Try coconut oil for cooking and baking or use it as a topical moisturizer for an extra boost.

8. Sleep – I know I don’t need to tell you about this one! But there is no cream or lotion strong enough to get rid of dark under-eye circles. Aim for 7-8 hours every night.  

9. Meditation – Sometimes when I’m thinking or worrying, I realize that my face is all squinted and wrinkled. Figure out your most stressful moments of the day, pause, and take 10 deep breaths. This helps hit the ‘reset’ button on your brain and send some extra oxygen to your muscles.

10. Sugar – Eating processed sugar essentially leads to increased wrinkles and overall decreased skin integrity. Find pleasure in the natural sweetness of fruits and try limiting intake of processed sugar.

Yes, this list has A LOT of information in it. To start, just pick one thing from the list and start there. Once you feel like you’ve mastered it, pick another one. Before you know it you’ll be a glowing rock star!

Check out more tips and recipes on my website: www.JessiHaggerty.com

First Image courtesy of Praisaeng at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Second Image courtesy of Ambro at FreeDigitalPhotos.net