This is the time of year when we crawl out of the holiday season dying for a serious “refresh!” I don’t know about you, but I tend to let a lot of my beauty rituals go during the festive season because I’m so darn busy taking care of everyone else. Yoga classes, dry skin brushing, and facials tend to take a back seat. And I don’t even bother to get a pedicure because my toes are unlikely to see the light of day. But I also hit January with a nagging urge to spruce everything up a bit, and as a nutritionist, the first place I go to is food.
I know that there are certain foods, vitamins, and minerals that can make a big difference as far as your skin, hair, and nails are concerned. So, let’s all make a big effort to get as many of these gorgeous nutrients into our diet on a daily basis.
Nutrients for Gorgeous Skin
Ground flaxseed every day: Studies have shown that eating flaxseed can improve the skin’s barrier function, and lessen skin sensitivity. This means that if you have any kind of inflammation such as rosacea or eczema, ingesting flax could significantly help improve your symptoms. But the fact that it can improve the skin’s barrier function is a big deal. This means that the acid mantle of your skin (that protective layer) will improve, and thus your skin will less likely be prone to premature aging. Try to eat 1-2 tbsp daily.
Specific fruits and veggies: In particular, a high intake of vegetables, especially legumes and olive oil are protective against skin wrinkling. I recommend eating olives over olive oil as they contain fiber. Prunes, apples, goji berries, avocado, chia seeds, lentils, cranberries and green tea may also counteract the effects of aging on the skin.
Nutrients For Gorgeous Hair
To help support healthy, skin, hair and nails, I recommend taking biotin. And one of the easiest ways to take this hair and nail-loving supplement is by way of a delicious gummy. Yep, Natrol Hair, Skin & Nails Gummieswill help you to enjoy beautiful hair, skin, and nails with great tasting, raspberry flavored gummies. Natrol Gummies are 90% organic, made with organic sweeteners, and are non-GMO, gelatin-free and vegetarian. Just two gummies deliver a whopping 5,000 mcg of biotin. Biotin is particularly important if you are experiencing thinning and/or brittle hair. Biotin can not only help with healthy hair growth, but it can also help with the proteins that support your nails and skin too.
Foods Containing Biotin
Make sure you eat the following biotin-richfoods: Almonds, nuts, and legumes. Nuts and nut-based butters, such as peanut butter,are high in nutrients, fiber, protein, biotin and Vitamin E. Specifically, almonds are beneficial for a healthy scalp and hair. Legumes such as black-eyed peas and kidney beans, edamame, and organic tofu are packed with vitamins and minerals including biotin. Very important you consume these on a vegan diet.
Whole grains – One of the reasons why I try to eat a bunch of whole grains is that they are such a healthy source of biotin. Include oats, barley, millet, organic whole wheat, and bulgar into your diet as much as possible.
Beauty Sleep
And finally, despite what you ingest, your skin will not look its best if you are tired. There is no lotion, potion, or supplement that can cover up exhaustion. When you’re not getting enough rest, your body cannot heal and regenerate. So put yourself to bed an hour or so earlier in 2019. And if you really have a hard time sleeping, take a look at my Tips For Getting A Good Night’s Sleep video. One of the tips I mention is to take Natrol Melatonin Gummies: They help you to fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer with a great tasting, strawberry flavor. Natrol Melatonin Gummies are made with organic sweeteners and are non-GMO, gelatin-free and vegetarian. They come in 5mg or 10mg. I would try the 5mg first.
Thank you to Natrol for partnering on this sponsored post, all opinions are my own.
