The Skin care smoothie…

Shakes and smoothies are a great way to lose (or gain) weight, to boost your sports performance or simply as a healthy meal.

However did you know that blending the right ingredients into your smoothie can also help your skin – helping achieve a healthy glowing skin.

The ‘secret’ to a great skin care smoothie is to add the right ingredients – some great ‘ingredients’ to add are shown below (our pinterest page on the right has 12 recipe ideas..)

Our top 10 ingredients :

• Avocado
• Pineapple
• Blueberry
• Chia Seeds
• Strawberries
• Gojo Berries
• Spinach
• Flaxseed
• Pomegranate
• Celery

So why these ingredients ?

and why blend them into a skin care smoothie ?

The simple reason is that when you chew your food you will only take in 15 to 20 % of the nutrients in the ingredients below.

This is because plant cells are surrounded by a cell wall that only once broken releases the nutrients inside. Because of this, most of the valuable nutrients never enter our bloodstream. When we blend our fruit and veg into a smoothie we can absorb a whopping 95% of the nutrients.

As a results you will not only notice clearer skin but also increase energy level and better digestion.

Taking the top 10 ingredients in turn :

1. Avocado

Avocados are a great source of antioxidant carotenoids like alpha carotene, beta carotene, beta cryptoxanthin, zeaxanthin and lutein.

Boosting your caretonoids in your diet will help improve your skin’s tone and general appearance. In addition the ‘free radical quenching compounds’ will help protect your skin from damage that leads to fine lines and wrinkles.

In addition (like some of the other ingredients below) avocado is a good source of vitamin C for a healthy skin. (Your body doesn’t store vitamin C and you need to ‘top up’ every day)

One of the key reasons avocado is great in a skin care smoothie is because of the vitamin E content. Vitamin E is another skin antioxidant, but since it is fat soluble it is used by the body in a different way. Vitamin E assists in preventing free radical damage from oxidizing fats in your skin cells that lead to aging skin. Research studies have also demonstrated that vitamin E can reduce the effects of UVA and UVB radiation from sun exposure on skin.

2. Blueberries

Are one of the ‘superfoods’ and great for your skin. By neutralizing free radicals the ingredients in blueberries give your skin a younger and softer feel.

Yes acne is usually attributes to hormonal changes many of the vitamins in blueberries (especially vitamin A) can neutralize oil levels in your skin – making it healthier.

3. Chia Seeds

Did you know chia seeds contain more omega 3 fats than salmon ? Omega 3 fats combat wrinkles, keep skin supple, smooth and soft.

In addition vitamin E is one of the best skin benefits of chia seeds. Vitamin E is a powerful antioxidant that combats inflammation and wrinkles. It keeps your skin supple, smooth, and soft. Chia is rich in Vitamin E and it is easily absorbed by the body.

4. Strawberries

Strawberries are also great for your skin as they have more anti-aging vitamin C per serving than oranges or grapefruit. People who eat foods rich in vitamin C have fewer wrinkles and less age-related dry skin than those who don’t.

5. Gojo Berries

Daily intake of Goji berries gives you a perfect glowing skin. The reason is that Goji berry are also rich in Vitamin E which is very essential for a soft glowing skin

6. Spinach

Spinach delivers a triple dose of wrinkle-fighting antioxidants: vitamin C, vitamin E, and beta-carotene. All three work in concert to protect your skin from the sun’s UV rays so it stays vibrant and healthy.

7. Flaxseed

The main ingredient in flaxseed to focus on is the omega 3 fatty acid,

The Omega 3 in flaxseed promotes healing of Eczema, Psoriasis, Dry skin, Acne, and other skin conditions. The Lignans are anti-inflammatory and help the body heal the skin inflammations.

8. Pomegranate

A diet high in pomegranate juice can help to slow down the process of ageing by reducing wrinkles and fine lines caused by constant exposure to sun. It also helps to sustain the regeneration of the skin cells and prevents hyper pigmentation and occurrence of dark spots.

9. Pineapple

Is another great source of vitamin C. As well as having strong antioxidant properties, vitamin C is needed for the creation of elastin and collagen, which bind your skin cells together and maintain their firmness and structure.

10. Celery

Being an excellent source of vitamins A, C and E, celery is a great ingredient to add into your skin care shakes.

Especially vitamin A delays signs of ageing whereas vitamin E keeps your skin moisturized and hydrated from within.

In addition celery is also a good source of skin friendly minerals like magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, selenium and potassium which keep your skin youthful and glowing.
And the omega 6 fatty acids in celery help in maintaining the elasticity and luminosity of skin.

How to make a skin care smoothie..

There are smoothies and there are smoothies.

When you buy ‘ready made’ smoothies they are often sugar-filled, over pasturised and pretty useless in terms of nutrition and for your skin.

However if you make your own they will be freshly made bundles of slurpy goodness filled with super-foods, nutrients, minerals and vitamins. Making the smoothies from our pinterest page will help you make great shakes – or the easy way is to start with one of our great shakes and then simply add one (or more) of the ingredients above.

More information

What is the best fruit for a shake ?