This radiance-giving, gently detoxifying menu brings key skin health foods into play for a day’s worth of meals, and a few homemade beauty recipes, to simplify your skin care routine.
The skin, our body’s largest organ and the one we’re likely most familiar with, is exposed to the elements on a daily basis and is changing over the course of a lifetime.
Expensive lotions, serums, and the like are mostly unnecessary (don’t skip the daily sunscreen though!), as the effect our diets and lifestyle have on our exterior, over time, likely makes far more of a difference in terms of preserving, protecting, detoxifying, and even enhancing skin.
Top skin ingredients that have these positive effects—including healthy fats and veggies such as avocado, berries, oats, flaxseed, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, kale, beans, almonds, and olive oil—are featured prominently throughout this menu, taking the guesswork out of eating for manageable, amazing skin.
Skin concerns such as acne may respond positively to a low-glycemic diet, while a diet to impede aging skin should include ample amounts of flavour boosters such as cinnamon, garlic, and ginger. For overall skin health, boosting the nutrients found in abundance in these recipes, combined with a reduction in processed foods and ingredients, makes it simple to care for your largest organ.
Choose colourful produce, lean protein, whole grains, and healthy fats to do your skin and body good. In health, there’s no quick fix, skin included. Be patient and have fun exploring the world of detoxifying, boosting, and radiance-boosting recipes. And, of course, don’t forget to drink sufficient amounts of water.
In addition to the recipes that will appear on your plate, a few nontoxic, real-food skin care recipes will take your skin care detox routine from the kitchen to your bathroom vanity.
Recipes
Fruit and Flax Breakfast Crumble
Detox Chickpea Tagine
Raw Broccoli, Cauliflower, and Blueberry Caviar
Avocado Green Goddess Chicken Grain Bowls
Almond Rice Pudding with Stewed Rhubarb
Detox your skin care routine
Here are some secrets to healthy skin that may be hiding in your kitchen.
One-ingredient coffee hand scrub
Massage brewed and cooled coffee grinds into your hands. Rinse hands with water.
Almond or oat flour and honey face exfoliator
Moisten small amount of flour with honey until a paste forms, and apply to face in a circular motion. Rinse with water.
Coconut lip scrub
Mash small amount of coconut oil with coconut sugar until a paste forms, and massage onto lips. Rinse face with water.
Yogurt-avocado face mask
Mash 1/2 avocado with 1/4 cup (60 mL) plain live yogurt and 1 Tbsp (15 mL) honey and apply to face. Allow mask to moisturize for 10 to 15 minutes and gently wipe off with clean cloth. Rinse face with water.
Basil facial toner
Add a handful of basil leaves to large measuring cup and pour in 1 cup (250 mL) boiling water, mashing with fork to extract the oils. Mix in a splash of witch hazel and strain into jar. Cool well and store for up to 1 week in refrigerator. Apply to face with a cotton pad after cleansing and before moisturizing.