“A girl should be two things: classy and fabulous.”
― Coco Chanel
As a little girl I remember playing dress-up, putting on my fanciest attire, painting on my red lipstick, blue eye shadow, and bright pink blush, and dancing around my room singing Madonna’s “Like a Virgin.” Being just five years old, I obviously didn’t know what I was singing about, but nonetheless, I felt classy and fabulous. This standard for women’s beauty starts young, and we carry it into our adult life and beyond. We can dress up in our finest evening gown, wear those Prada pumps, slather on lotions and perfumes, paint our faces, and curl our hair, but how do we really get that J. Lo glow? The answer, my friends, is on the inside.
Beauty begins and ends with the diet. When we fill our bodies with nutrient dense, natural foods that nourish our cells, we can begin to see changes in our skin and hair over time. Here are my top 5 recommended foods for healthy skin & hair.
- Avocado – Loaded with healthy fats and phytonutrients, avocados are nature’s skin and hair moisturizer. In addition to eating them often, treat yourself to an avocado facial or hair mask.
- Carrots – A most abundant source of beta-carotene, one cup of cooked carrots provides more than 100% of the RDA of vitamin A, a nutrient essential for healthy hair and skin.
- Egg yolks – Egg yolks contain zinc and iron, which help keep hair shiny. They also contain vitamins A and D, and are a source of complete protein, all of which are important for skin and hair health.
- Spinach – Nutrient dense in vitamins A and C, as well as beta-carotene, spinach is a perfect skin and hair tonic.
- Sweet potatoes – The combination of vitamins A, C, and E in sweet potatoes make this food a great beauty food, contributing to a healthy complexion and vibrant hair.
Not only are these some of my favorite healthy foods, but they make getting ready for a night out on the town a whole lot easier!
Contributor: Andrea Mclaughlin – Hair Designer/Health Advocate