We all want flawless skin, right? Unfortunately, it’s not that simple, our skin is complicated and more than one thing can affect it both positively and negatively. One of the most important parts to guiding you to flawless skin is to include healthy superfoods into your daily diet. These foods help the body stay balanced, hydrated and give you a handful of vitamins.
BLUEBERRIES
Native American’s have been gathering blueberries for centuries and using them for soups, flavoring food and incorporating them in medicine. It wasn’t until the late 1800’s that Elizabeth White wrote to the USDA asking if she could grow blueberries on the families cranberry farm in New Jersey. She wanted to experiment with different wild bushes to cultivate the perfect blueberry and create the bush that would produce the most blueberries. This lead to cross-pollinating different bushes and leading to a world that produces a billion blueberries a year.
Blueberries are packed full of vitamin C and magnesium, which are both vital to clear skin. Vitamin C helps support a healthy immune system and speeds up our healing process. Topically, vitamin C helps brighten skin tone and is anti aging. Magnesium can help the digestive system and has shown evidence of improving skin texture. These are only a few benefits that are packed into this delicious fruit. Our favorite way to incorporate blueberries is by adding their goodness to our morning smoothie. Here is our recommendation:
Berry Smoothie
6 oz. of frozen organic strawberries
3 oz. of frozen organic blueberries
Handful of organic spinach
1 tablespoon of organic or raw honey
8 oz of organic coconut milk ( you may need more depending on how much spinach you added. It’s better to add less milk and add more as you blend).
Skincare Option
Blueberry juice is added to one of our favorite Sorella Apothecary products we incorporate into our facials. The Blueberry Milk Moisturizer, $82 “Ease the appearance of fine lines and fatigue with powerful antioxidants. Aloe, hyaluronic acid and vitamin C repair the skin leaving it revitalized while fresh blueberries work as a natural astringent and tighten the skin.”
AVOCADOS
Avocado’s are not only a millennial trend, they have been consumed by humans for thousands of years. It’s a superfood that dates back to 7,000 BC and archaeologist in Peru have found domesticated seeds buried with Inca mummies. Pretty cool, right? Believe it or not, avocados are berries which explains why they’re so good for our health and skin.
Avocado oil contains high amounts of antioxidants and is rich in vitamin E. This makes it deeply high hydrating and an excellent ingredient to holistic skincare. It helps boosts collagen and has sun protective properties.
Avocado’s are 75% unsaturated fat which is considered a healthy fat and the average medium sized avocado contains about 20 grams of fat. This makes it the perfect component to a smoothie.
Here’s an easy recipe from the Minimalist Baker.
Creamy Avocado Banana Green Smoothie
1 large frozen banana
1/4 - 1/2 medium ripe avocado (more avocado = creamier, thicker smoothie)
1 scoop plain or vanilla protein powder
1 large handful greens of choice
3/4 - 1 cup unsweetened almond milk or alternative non dairy option.
Skincare Option
To incorporate avocado oil into your skincare routine try the Sorella Apothecary, Avocado Lip Hydrator, $20. “Perfect your pout with plumping avocado oils and anti-aging polypeptides. A reduction in fine lines plus all-day hydration means your lips stay soft, voluminous and everyday glamorous.”
LEMONS
The magic of this fruit lies in its ability to be multi purposeful. It’s been used for hundreds of years as medicine, tea, skincare and to add flavor to food. It’s unknown exactly who cultivated the lemon as it’s a hybrid of the citron and mandarin. The lemon tree produces fruit year round and 1 tree can produce 600 pounds of lemons per year.
Lemons can help alkalize the blood, cells, organs and tissues. This helps the body stay energized and it’s recommended to drink warm water with lemon in the morning. This wakes up all the organs and gets the blood flowing which is great for the skin because more circulation and healthy blood flow equals glowing skin. Lemon’s can reduce inflammation and can detoxify the body. If you’re suffering from acne or rosacea, it’s important to detoxify the liver and reduce internal inflammation. Any inflammation inside the body will be reflected on the outside.
Try this simple detox water from from the blog, Joyful Healthy Eats.
Lemon Blueberry Water
3 to 4 slices of lemons
10 fresh blueberries
8 oz of water
Skincare Option
To add lemons to your skincare, try the skin brightening product from Sorella Apothecary, Lemon Lightening Serum, $66. “Watch sunspots, hyperpigmentation, redness and inflammation fade thanks to this serum’s lemon and licorice root extracts. Natural hydroquinone alternatives leave you with smooth, calm and bright skin.”
Written by Adrienne Ruppe