Beauty editor turned health coach and author of Eat Pretty, Jolene Hart, is walking us through the seasonal foods that will help us stay glowing right into spring. Lucky for us, we’re already craving each of these foods – avocado, grapefruit, brussels, beets, ginger – loving this list! Read below as Jolene walks us through their benefits and jams most of these ingredients into a bowl we’re ready to whip up ASAP…
Savor the stillness of the winter season, with its cozy, long nights and its opportunities for reflection, dreaming and goal-setting. Set the intention to nourish and deepen your beauty during the winter months by embracing nature’s dedicated time of rest, while filling up on the winter beauty foods that do so much to make you glow. Slow down more often, carve out extra self-care time, let your body recharge and eat for winter beauty.
During the winter months, our most common beauty concerns surround the health of our skin, our weight during and after the holidays and our overall wellness and immune strength. Whether your winter climate is frigid or temperate, the dry indoor and outdoor air, steamy baths and showers and frequent hand washing make for parched winter skin. Increasing the healthy fats in your diet during the winter provides fortification and nourishment to cell membranes, helping them to better retain moisture. Those fats also offer easily-burned energy that supports the hormonal balance and blood sugar stability that further beautify your skin. Opt for avocados, raw nuts and seeds, wild salmon and cold-pressed and unrefined oils like coconut, hemp and olive.
If you’re working toward reaching or maintaining your healthiest weight this season, make an effort to include daily servings of foods rich in probiotic benefits, like kimchi and raw sauerkraut, as well as antioxidant-rich spices, and fiber-rich seeds, berries, Brussels sprouts, beans, and lentils. Limit sugars that send you on a blood-sugar rollercoaster, making it harder to lose weight and fend off cravings, and creating inflammation that contributes to wrinkles, blemishes, and skin redness. For overall beauty, wellness and immunity this winter, fill up on traditional cleansing, anti-inflammatory foods like ginger, garlic and turmeric root, as well as immune-supporting vitamin D-rich foods like mushrooms and sardines.
The beautifying winter beauty bowl swaps warm, garlicky greens (amazing for skin smoothness and radiance) in place of grains and includes some of the season’s best beauty foods, like beets, avocado and Brussels sprouts.
5 Winter Beauty Foods to Eat Right Now
Avocado
Eat it now for skin-nourishing fats and energy. Vitamin E-rich avocados strengthen skin cells, support liver detoxification and reduce redness and inflammation in the skin while providing a source of instant fuel.
Beets
Eat them now for stamina and a boost of the powerful antioxidant glutathione. Phytochemicals in beets rev up the body’s production of anti-aging glutathione, which supports mitochondrial health and protects the length of telomeres, an important market of biological aging.
Brussels Sprouts
Eat them now for detoxification and hormone balance. Vitamin C-packed Brussels sprouts contain phytochemicals that detox excess estrogens from the body and reduce redness and damage caused by UV exposure.
Ginger
Eat it now for immune-boosting and inflammation-reducing properties. Warming ginger root is a powerfully anti-inflammatory food that aids in digestion, reduces aging inflammation in the body and soothes cold weather aches and pains.
Grapefruit
Eat it now for collagen building, metabolism, and blood flow. Flavonoids in grapefruit support the health and function of blood vessels and blood flow to scalp, skin, and nails. Grapefruit also supports liver detox and metabolism.
For the full list of winter beauty foods, check out the Glow Through the Winter chapter of Eat Pretty: Nutrition for Beauty Inside and Out.
The Winter Beauty Bowl
Serves 4
Ingredients:
2 to 3 large beets, roasted, peeled and chopped
1 tsp coconut oil
5 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 large head of organic kale, stemmed and chopped
3 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp whole grain mustard
sea salt and ground black pepper
1 avocado, peeled and chopped
4 to 5 Brussels sprouts, finely shredded
¼ cup shelled hemp seeds
Directions:
In a large sauté pan, warm coconut oil and add 2/3 of the minced garlic. Cook on low heat until garlic softens. Raise heat to medium and add chopped kale and a few tablespoons of water. Cover and cook about 4 minutes. Sprinkle with salt and cook, partially covered, about 5 minutes more, until just tender.
In a small bowl, whisk together remaining garlic, olive oil, vinegar, mustard, and sea salt and pepper to taste.
Divide kale into 4 bowls and top each bowl with an equal portion of beets, avocado, and shredded Brussels sprout. Spoon the dressing over each bowl and top with hemp seeds.
