Have you ever stopped to think about how truly awesome food is?
Seriously?
And not just for the obvious reason – like because it makes your belly happy. 🙂
Today I specifically wanted to focus on how certain foods can literally transform the way we look. Want blemish-free skin that looks soft, supple and youthful? Want a full head of lush and healthy growing hair? Well ladies, it’s all a matter of what you throw in your grocery cart and what you put on your dinner plate! Pretty awesome, huh?!
Now let’s kick things off with our first rockstar beauty nutrient – protein!
1. Protein
Why we love it
Protein is what I like to call the big kahuna of beauty, and the reason why is because our hair and skin are both made up of over 90% protein. Simply put, protein alone is the #1 building block for hair and skin. So if glowing skin and healthy hair are your goals, make protein a good bulk of your diet.
Foods that have it: meat, seafood, yogurt, eggs, cheese, milk
Get Dr. Phoenyx’s Beauty&Body Protein for Healthy Hair & Fit Body!
2. Omega-3 Fatty Acids
Why we love it
Most Americans don’t get enough omega-3 in their diet, which means most Americans aren’t getting enough of this beauty nutrient. And the reason why we love omega omega-3 fatty acids, aka omega-3’s is simple – because they’re used to build the cells in our skin, and it’s also estimated that three percent of our hair shaft is made of omega-3’s.
Foods that have it: Salmon, edamame, walnuts, grass-fed beef
3. Vitamin A
Why we love it
Cruise any drugstore beauty aisle and you’ll notice that countless skincare products contain vitamin A (aka “retinol”), and the reason why is because vitamin A is a potent anti-ager that can help speed up shedding of dull, damaged skin, which then allows newer, healthier, and more glowing skin to come to the surface.
Foods that have it: Carrots, pumpkin, sweet potato, kale, butternut squash
4. Vitamin C
Why we love it
Vitamin C is another rockstar beauty nutrient, and with this nutrient what you’re going to get is healthy, plus more radiant looking skin due to the fact that vitamin C helps brighten skin complexion, while also helping our body produce collagen– which is the actual protein that makes up over 90% of our skin.
Foods that have it: Citrus fruits, yellow bell peppers, papaya, kale, strawberries
Fun Fit Fact: 8 strawberries contain more vitamin C than a medium sized orange!
5. Vitamin E
Why we love it
In case you haven’t heard, free radicals are these nasty, invisible-to-the-naked-eye compounds in the environment that can damage our body and speed up the aging process. Now fortunately there is an “antidote” to free radicals, and that antidote is antioxidants – which is precisely what vitamin E is. Bottom line, get a healthy dose of vitamin E (and other antioxidants) in your diet, and you’ll be able to fight off free radicals and maintain the health of your hair and skin.
Foods that have it: Spinach, nuts, seeds, sunflower oil
6. Iron
Why we love it
Iron is a key nutrient used in the production of red blood cells (RBC’s), and the reason why RBC’s are so important for your hair is because RBC’s are the tiny little “nutrient shuttles” running around in our bloodstream that are responsible for bringing the key nutrients to our scalp and hair follicles where our hair is made.
Foods that have it: Kidney beans, oysters, sesame seeds, lentils, spinach
7. Biotin
Why we love it:
Many people don’t know this, but biotin is actually a B-vitamin that can help balance blood sugar – and biotin’s other (more commonly known) claim to fame is that it can help strengthen hair and prevent hair shedding, and you can find biotin in these tasty foods: salmon, peanuts, swiss chard, eggs, cauliflower, avocado and raspberries! Plus, you can also get a daily dose of biotin from my delicious healthy hair growth nutritional supplement, Beauty&Body Protein. Yum!
Alright ladies, so that concludes our list of 7 beauty nutrients for glowing skin and healthy hair – hope you enjoyed reading and now feel free to raid your fridge!
What are your favorite foods for healthy hair and skin? Let me know in the comments!
Peace, Love & Healthy Living! – Doc
Hello: I have quite a few of the food items you mentioned. Several I have daily in a smoothie are: spinach, strawberries and sweet potatoes. I have seen a tremendous change in my hair due to following some of the hair regimens you initiate along with some I adhere to also!
Thank you for all of your well used advice!
Becky
Hi there! Thanks for sharing, and I’m happy to read that my hair advice has helped you 🙂