Being truly committed to your skincare and hair health goals means having a willingness to transform your diet. That’s a big statement. Think about it–if you want great skin and hair, you need to change the way you eat. 

Let that sink in and then pat yourself on the back. Changing your diet to incorporate more foods that are great for your skin and hair but that also give you the nutrients your body craves, has a lot of awesome side effects in addition to helping you hit those beauty goals.

♦ Weight loss

♦ Better thinking skills

♦ Less inflammation throughout your body

♦ Better digestion

♦ Sleep improves

♦ Immune system strengthens

♦ You’re happier

Foods for skin and hair health

Before we start thinking big picture, let us dive into the specific foods you want to try to eat more of and why you want to eat them.

Dark chocolate

Let’s start with dessert. To be clear, dark chocolate isn’t the same as milk chocolate, so you’re going to have to adapt to the taste or find a good recipe (see below) that makes it not so bitter tasting. 

The good news is that if you learn to love dark chocolate, so will your skin. It’s full of antioxidants that are great for your entire body. There are also phytochemicals in cocoa that give you really remarkable results, as outlined in this study. 

Fatty fish

Think salmon, mackerel, and herring for your omega-3 fatty acids. There are so many ways that omega-3 fatty acids are great for your skin health that these fish (or at least one of them) need to be a weekly menu staple. Some benefits include:

♦ Maintains skin thickness

♦ Keeps skin moisturized and supple

♦ Reduces inflammation, which in turn decreases redness and acne

♦ Provides protection from UV rays

♦ Fights inflammatory and autoimmune conditions of the skin

♦ Protein gives skin strength and integrity

♦ Vitamin E battles free radical damage

♦ Zinc in fish supports the production of new skin cells

Seeds and nuts

Upping your daily intake of seeds and nuts, by even just a handful, comes with a lot of health benefits. To focus on skin health, look to incorporate more walnuts, almonds, cashews, pistachios, and Brazil nuts. These nuts are packed with omega-3s, selenium, antioxidants, zinc, vitamin E, protein, and more. 

If you would prefer to stick with one seed for skin health, then the sunflower seed is an easy choice. They have vitamin E for repairing damaged DNA, copper to give your skin the right pigment, magnesium for detoxing, zinc for skin health, amino acids for skin repair, and fatty acids for suppleness, and more.

Bright colored fruits and veggies

So many good ones here: avocados, sweet potatoes, red and yellow bell peppers, broccoli, tomatoes, berries, oranges, papaya, strawberries–need we say more. Let’s just wrap this all up in the category of fresh, brightly colored fruits and veggies. It’s important to know that each one is loaded with healthy nutrients that are great for your skin and hair, as well as your overall health.

Healthy recipes

Now, let’s put it all together with a couple of recipes to inspire your inner health and beauty.

Pesto Salmon with tomatoes

With nuts in the pesto, brightly colored tomatoes, and omega-3 packed salmon, this recipe has just about everything you want.

Ingredients

4-6 skinless salmon fillets

3 tablespoons olive oil

¾ cup prepared pesto

½ cup parmesan cheese

3 plum tomatoes, sliced

Ground pepper, to taste

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.

2. Spray the baking pan and line up the salmon fillets. Drizzle with olive oil and pepper to taste. Spread on pesto sauce, sprinkle with parm and cover with slices of tomato.

3. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the salmon flakes easily with a fork.

Dark chocolate almond bars

As promised, here is a quick and easy dark chocolate recipe that throws in some healthy almonds as well. Feel free to swap almonds for other nuts or seeds or throw in a medley of your favorite dried fruits for a twist.

Ingredients

1 cup cocoa butter

1/3 cup maple syrup

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup roasted almonds

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

1. Melt the cocoa butter in a double boiler. When it’s completely melted, remove it from the heat and whisk in the maple syrup until thoroughly incorporated. Now add the cocoa powder and the vanilla, and keep whisking to burn off some calories and to mix thoroughly.

2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour the chocolate mixture in. Top with your nuts and a sprinkle of sea salt, and let it harden in the refrigerator for about an hour. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container, or begin snacking on your new favorite healthy treat.

Superfoods in one easy drink

Another wonderful recipe is this delicious and nutritious elixir specifically formulated to give you the nutrients you need to get your day going. Formulated with immunity-boosting Vitamin C, protective antioxidant ginger, rejuvenating collagen, and gut-healing, skin-smoothing prebiotics, Foundation Collagen Elixir is the beauty boost your whole body needs. 

Final thoughts

Incorporating nutritious food into your daily life is one of the best goals you can set for yourself. Even if you’re really aiming for cosmetic aspirations, eating a healthy and well-balanced diet is going to give you those fab skin and hair results you want while also fueling your entire system.

It’s no surprise that fresh and brightly colored fruits and veggies are a hit for your hair and skin, they’re great for every part of you. What may surprise you is that dark chocolate, seeds, nuts, and fatty fish are also key to looking your best. 

The best part about these ingredients is they actually work wonderfully together in a mix and match way. Try the recipes suggested or start incorporating these ingredients into your favorite smoothie recipes along with a scoop of Foundation Collagen Elixir. Take the challenge to change your nutrition, and watch the health benefits come rolling your way.