Best recipe for 'perfect' skin: Eat your way to a better, brighter complexion with meal plans that leave you 'radiant' and 'rejuvenated'
You can eat your way to brighter, better skin with nutritionist-approved meals
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A nutritious diet is often associated with maintaining a healthy weight, slimming down or improving a person's general health, however, eating well also has skin benefits.
According to registered nutritional therapists, it's possible to eat your way to brighter skin, banishing dullness for good.
As part of the ageing process, you'll find that your skin may start to lose its vibrancy. The experts at sk:n described dull skin - or "lacklustre skin" - as "tired-looking, dry skin which has lost its natural glow".
"Pigmentation and wrinkles caused by sun damage can have this effect, causing the skin to lose its elasticity and fullness. Dehydrated skin can also look dull, as can dark circles, thread veins and age spots."
A poor diet can also lead to tired-looking skin over time. Environmental factors like the sun, a change in weather, pollution and water quality can wreck havoc too.
Omega-3 has far-reaching skin benefits including maintaining homeostasis, improving barrier function, inhibiting inflammation, and promoting skin healing
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GB News spoke to two registered nutritional therapists about how to cultivate the perfect meal plan for brighter skin and overall skin improvement, whether it's an unhealthy diet, the environment, or the hands of time that have made it suffer.
While there are some things we cannot control, the food we put into our bodies is entirely up to us and can work wonders in helping us achieve our skin goals.
Steph Baker is a registered nutritional therapist who has an integrated and personalised approach to health, believing that what you eat is just as important as how you live.
She told GB News the ideal breakfast, lunch and dinner to tuck into for a vibrant, glowing complexion.
Breakfast
For brighter skin, Steph recommended whipping up an antioxidant yoghurt bowl.
Ingredients
80g full-fat Greek yoghurt
30g/2 tbsp almond butter
80g berries of your choice
25g cacao nibs
Method
- Add the Greek yoghurt to a bowl and top with the rest of the ingredients.
This skin-boosting breakfast is not only great for your complexion, it's perfect for busy mornings - you can whip it up in minutes.
Steph said: "This dish is easy to make first thing in the morning when you’re ready to get going with the day, however, it is packed with vitamin C-rich antioxidants and healthy fats which help to reduce inflammation to give skin a healthy bounce."
The experts at Nakin Skincare agree that berries are excellent for the skin. They explained that "the powerful polyphenol antioxidants in berries help to mop up skin ageing free radicals, caused by factors such as pollution and stress". Not only this, the natural vitamin C in berries "helps to support our skin collagen levels to keep it plump and strong".
Berries also have an anti-inflammatory effect that "helps to calm and balance skin conditions".
Lunch
A salmon and quinoa salad makes for the perfect skin-brightening lunch.
Ingredients
30g rocket
One salmon fillet
80g quinoa (dry weight)
A wedge of lemon
A pinch of salt & pepper
8g/1 tsp cajun seasoning
8g/1 tsp smoked paprika
One red pepper, sliced
Method
- Add paprika, red pepper slices, a squeeze of lemon, salt, pepper and cajun seasoning to the salmon fillet, then wrap up in parchment paper and bake in the oven at 180°C for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook the quinoa as per packet instructions, boiling the quinoa in stock to add a depth of flavour to your grains.
- Plate up the quinoa, add the rocket and top with salmon and red pepper slices.
Steph said: "This is not your typical salad. This salad is filling, bursting with nutrition, and rich in omega-3 abundant protein, promoting glowing skin and healthy hair and nails.
"The addition of rocket boosts digestion which helps the gut to better absorb the nutrients in this dish - and a healthy gut leads to healthy skin."
A review published in Marine Drugs found that fish oil and its components, including omega-3, have far-reaching skin benefits including maintaining homeostasis, improving barrier function, inhibiting inflammation (particularly from UV light) and promoting skin healing.
Dinner
For an evening meal that guarantees better, brighter skin, the nutritionist recommended serving up steak and avocado with butternut squash chips.
Ingredients (serves two)
One avocado, sliced
Two 250g grass-fed steak fillets
One large butternut squash
14g/1 tbsp butter
Two garlic cloves, crushed
Three sprigs of rosemary, chopped
Method
- Use a potato peeler to remove the skin of the squash. Cut in half and scoop out the inside. Cut the squash into 1cm thick chunks and coat with olive oil and rosemary before placing it in the centre of the oven at 190°C for 25 minutes.
- Allow the steak to sit at room temperature for 30-60 minutes for a juicier bite. Pat dry both sides of the steak and season well with salt and pepper before adding to a hot pan. Add butter and garlic and once melted, tilt the pan to allow the hot butter and garlic to collect.
- Use a spoon to baste the steak. Cook the steak to your desired finish and allow the steak to rest for five minutes before serving. Plate up and enjoy.
The expert said: "The vitamin A, E and zinc content of grass-fed beef makes it a dietary go-to for anyone trying to tackle inflammatory skin conditions. Butternut squash in this recipe also adds a further boost of skin-loving vitamin A which is the skin nutrient of all nutrients, promoting healthy skin turnover to tackle both inflammation and anti-ageing - a skin all-rounder."
Britons have been advised that vitamin A has several important functions, one being that it keeps the skin healthy, as per the NHS.
Aside from grass-fed beef, good sources of vitamin A include cheese, eggs, oily fish, fortified low-fat spreads, milk and yoghurt, and liver and liver products such as liver pâté.
The NHS warned: "However, this is a particularly rich source of vitamin A, so you may be at risk of having too much vitamin A if you have it more than once a week. If you're pregnant you should avoid eating liver or liver products.
Britons can also increase their vitamin A intake by consuming foods rich in beta-carotene, as this is turned into vitamin A in the body. Sources of beta-carotene include yellow and green leafy vegetables such as spinach, carrots and red peppers, and yellow fruits such as mango, papaya and apricots.
Snack
If you're feeling peckish in between meals, Steph said you can't go wrong with two hard-boiled eggs or cucumber and hummus.
The expert explained: "Keep blood sugar levels balanced with either of these snacks. Balancing blood sugar is key to glowing skin as it helps to control sebum production and promote healthy skin turnover."
Dessert
For pudding, the nutritionist told Britons to opt for a delicious dark chocolate mousse.
Ingredients
100g coconut yoghurt
15g/2 tbsp cocoa powder
15g/2 tbsp desiccated coconut
6g/1 tbsp honey
Steph said: "This dessert is so easy to make with just four ingredients, contains natural sugars and is packed with antioxidant-rich dark chocolate….a truly guilt-free, skin-loving dessert."
Endurance sports nutrition coach Alanna Kate Derrick also provided a meal plan for those looking to improve their skin and regain their glow.
She told GB News: "Radiant from the inside out starts on our plates. As a nutrition coach who believes in nourishing the body and mind, I'll help you discover the foods that help to unlock your natural luminosity.
"I’ve crafted skin-nourishing recipes that outshine any spa. The right ingredients rejuvenate complexions better than costly creams, delivering a lit-from-within glow. My top food guidelines? Hydrate first, then pick produce powerhouses plus healthy fats for antioxidant and collagen support. Mix in anti-inflammatory spices that accelerate cellular turnover. Voila, complexion perfection.
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'The vitamin A, E and zinc content of grass-fed beef makes it a dietary go-to for anyone trying to tackle inflammatory skin conditions'
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Breakfast
Alanna told skin care enthusiasts to whip up a grapefruit and avocado smoothie in the mornings.
To make the smoothie, blitz ruby grapefruit, avocado, Greek yogurt, chia seeds and ice.
According to the expert, this concoction is a "frothy hydration burst from vitamin C, silky softening potassium, and redness-reducing lycopene".
Lunch
For lunch, go for a walnut and lentil salad with lemon vinaigrette over spinach.
The nutritionist explained that this meal is bursting with "exfoliating vitamin A plus plumping phytonutrients".
Dinner
For better, brighter skin, Alanna advised Britons to cook up almond-crusted salmon with sweet potato mash and quick-pickled cucumbers.
She said: "Skin-feeding omega-3s in the salmon join forces with beta-carotene-packed sweet potatoes and fibre-rich cucumbers to help balance hormonal influences on acne and skin sensitivity."
Snacks
The expert recommended carrot sticks with paprika hummus for a "dose of antioxidants and skin-loving nutrients".
Dessert
According to the nutrition guru, a particular tasty treat will help you reap major skin benefits. She recommended tucking into a dark chocolate pudding with coconut milk and raspberries.
The benefits of the pudding are wide-reaching. The chocolate dessert does not only satisfy sweet cravings, it also delivers "incredibly anti-ageing" compounds called catechins.
A study published in the National Library of Medicine found that catechins have many benefits including preventing or reducing skin damage. They also have proven antioxidant effects.
The study said: "Catechins provide several health advantages by scavenging free radicals and retarding extracellular matrix degradation induced by ultraviolet (UV) radiation and pollution. Catechins also directly affect the skin by activating collagen synthesis."
High concentrations of catechin can be found in broad beans, black grapes, apricots and strawberries too.
While skin ageing is inevitable, according to the nutrition experts it is possible to turn back the clock and eat your way to a brighter, healthier, glowing complexion.
The right diet can also do wonders for a person's hair. An expert told GB News the ultimate meal plan for enviable locks.
Better, brighter skin meal plan
Breakfast
- Antioxidant yoghurt bowl
- Grapefruit and avocado smoothie
Lunch
- Salmon and quinoa salad
- Walnut and lentil salad with lemon vinaigrette over spinach
Dinner
- Steak and avocado with butternut squash chips
- Almond-crusted salmon with sweet potato mash and quick-pickled cucumbers
Snack
- Two hard-boiled eggs
- Carrot sticks with paprika hummus
Dessert
- Dark chocolate mousse
- Dark chocolate pudding with coconut milk and raspberries
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