How To Get Glowing Skin From The Inside Out: Foods, Habits, And A Few Fun Experiments

Beauty Thought Leader: Elise Marquam-Jahns

Picture yourself getting up in the morning and glancing in the mirror. What’s the first thing you notice? If you’re like me, you’ll most likely notice a deeper or new wrinkle on the forehead or under the eye. If there’s one thing most of us can agree on, it’s that what we see in the mirror now, is quite a bit different than what we saw when we looked in the mirror several decades ago.  

But thankfully the skincare and makeup industry—especially in the last few years—has created many truly wonderful products that do make a huge difference in how we look. And some of the products that make the biggest difference are ones that help our skin go from dull to glowing. And I’ve certainly shared a boatload of my favorite products with you on this channel over the last few years.

Some of them include Tatcha’s The Rice Polish Gentle Foaming Exfoliating Powder, skincare serums with Vitamin C+E+Ferulic Acid such as the one from Timeless, Merit’s Great Skin Instant Glow Serum and Moisturizer, Kear Weis’ The Beautiful Primer, the multitude of products unleashed by the launch of Charlotte Tilbury’s Flawless Filter, drugstore and high end stick and cream highlighters, Tatcha’s Luminous Dewy Skin Mist and NIRA’s Pro+ Laser Tool. 

Powerful Secret:

But there’s even a far more powerful secret to glowing skin that no one talks about. And that secret is not what we put on our skin, it’s about getting that glow from the inside out. We can truly eat our skincare. And today we’ll focus on some quick and easy ways that we can improve our skin from the inside out.  

And by the way, there’s a great deal of research to prove that what we eat does make a difference for our skin. For instance, one research study found that drinking green tea for 12 weeks not only reduces skin redness, but also improves skin elasticity.  

I think we all know that the biggest villain for our health—and our skin–is inflammation. Inflammation produces free radicals that wreak havoc on collagen and elastin which eventually causes our skin to lose its glow. And the primary weapons of this inflammation villain are sugar, processed foods, dairy and alcohol.  

But today we’re going to focus on our skin heroes: those foods we can easily add to breakfast, lunch or dinner—or have as a snack– that can truly make a difference. In fact, Dr. William Li, who’s a Havard educated doctor, researcher and best-selling author of the book Eat To Beat Disease, calls our kitchen the “gold mine of anti-aging superstars.” 

Medical Treatments:

Dr. Li’s research work has contributed to over 40 medical treatments that impact the care of more than 70 diseases and he’s also the President and Medical Director of the Angiogenesis Foundation. His TED talk “Can We Eat to Starve Cancer?” has received over 11 million views.  

And on a personal note, for six years I had the distinct honor and pleasure of hosting a health and wellness podcast called “Learning Well” for Normandale Community College in a suburb of Minneapolis. And the best part was that I got to find, research and interview the guests.

One of my last guests on the podcast was Dr. Li. Due to an emergency with a patient, he had to cancel our first scheduled conversation. And considering his commitments and national visibility, he could have easily chosen to forego rescheduling since our podcast certainly did not reach a huge audience. But he went out of his way to find a timeslot that would work and he shared some amazing information with our audience in a wonderfully down-to-earth fashion.  

His YouTube video titled “Reverse Skin Aging Now: Unlock Youthful Glow with Natural Remedies” goes into far more detail about the science behind the recommendation for these foods as well as other valuable habits that can help us fight inflammation.  

Powerhouse Fruits:

One of the most enjoyable ways we can eat our skincare is by adding powerhouse fruits that most of us already love which promote healthy skin from within. They can easily be added to any meal—or enjoyed as a snack. Dark colored fruits like blueberries, blackberries, strawberries or raspberries are filled with antioxidants that help reduce oxidation which can cause aging of the skin. They neutralize free radicals and protect collagen and just 1 cup a day can make a difference.

I love adding them to my morning oatmeal along with a second powerhouse food for our skin that’s rich in Vitamin E which is almonds, walnuts and seeds like flaxseeds and chia seeds. I use a coffee grinder to grind up a tablespoon of both flaxseeds and chia seeds and add it to my oatmeal along with a handful of walnuts.

The healthy fats and omega-3s of these foods reduce inflammation and maintain skin moisture and elasticity. And of course they can also be easily added to salads.  

How To Get Glowing Skin From The Inside Out – Powerhouse Foods:

The third group of powerhouse foods for our skin are leafy green vegetables like kale, spinach and swiss chard which are packed with Vitamin C which provides an antioxidant rich shield from UV damage and boosts collagen production. Other vegetables such as peas, cauliflower, broccoli and mushrooms help slow skin aging by stabilizing melanogenesis which is a process skin undergoes to produce pigment and protect itself.  

I love putting together a lunch salad that includes kale, red cabbage, broccoli, pea pods, spinach, sunflower and pumpkin seeds along with some sliced apple. Adding carrot ribbons is a way to increase beta carotene which is a form of Vitamin A that promotes skin-boosting properties.

Although I don’t usually add carrot ribbons to my salads, I regularly pair carrots which I dip in hummus as a dessert snack after dinner. Hummus is a lovely creamy dip made from chickpeas, tahini—which is sesame seed paste—olive oil, lemon juice and often garlic. It’s a great source of fiber and protein as well as iron, folate and magnesium.

Tahini provides healthy fats and in order for our body to properly absorb Vitamin A, it has to be paired with a fat. The olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fats and antioxidants, the lemon juice adds flavor and Vitamin C and garlic provide antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory benefits.  

And here are a few other interesting skin improving options that I plan to try which I also want to share with you. Drinking green tea daily for 12 weeks has been shown to improve the skin’s elasticity and reduce redness. And one other way to use it is to let it cool and use it as a face mist.  

DIY Facemask:

Another fun experiment I plan to try is to create a do it yourself face mask twice a week that’s made of 1 Tablespoon of honey and 1 teaspoon of turmeric. Apparently this combination of products has been known to reduce redness, boost collagen production and repair UV damage.  

A third interesting option is to apply an aloe vera gel since it’s a hydration powerhouse and also repairs collagen.  

And last but not least is to consider another secret weapon for the skin and that’s exercise. Just 20 minutes of brisk walking boosts blood flow which results in more oxygen and nutrients being delivered to skin cells. It also boosts collagen production.  

Just starting with one change—such as adding berries as a snack once a day or adding walnuts and flaxseed to a salad can be a great start.

I’d love to hear in the comment section below what you do from the inside out to help your skin or something that especially appeals to you that you’d like to try. I’ll be adding green tea to my grocery list along with honey and turmeric so I can give that face mask a try.   

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