How to Feel Great Part 4: Eating for Your Complexion

Our skin is a wonderfully multifaceted thing; it is a primary detoxification organ, it holds our body together, and it also forms a fundamental part of our personality. Which is why being plagued by skin issues can have such a negative impact on our health and wellbeing.

When looking to address skin health through our diets our first point is to understand why our systems are choosing to use our skin as our metabolic waste outflow, as primarily we should excrete those things through our digestive tract (in faeces) and through our kidneys (as urine). My fundamental point will always be adequate hydration. Having 1.5-2 litres of pure water per day as a basic starting point will help to flush things through your system properly, and appropriate hydration is also key for many other body functions too. So, fill a bottle or jug and get sipping!

The next step is to then try to support waste removal generally and my favourites for this are bitter and fermented foods. Anything that makes you salivate will trigger the rest of your digestive process to occur more effectively & what we are targeting here is your liver function. Options like raw cacao nibs, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, fresh herbs, beetroot, watercress, rocket, endive and spices are all delicious inclusions into our diets, and making them more regular features can then have that secondary therapeutic action. Blitz the herbs into fresh pestos, make beetroot and walnut hummus, and use endive leaves as little boats for your favourite fillings.

Fermented foods will contribute to the bitter side of things too, but they have another specific role here and that is to do with their naturally probiotic power. Our gut bacteria control a lot of what goes on in our colon & improving their numbers/diversity will always positively impact our outward appearance (as well as our inner functioning). I would just caution that some people can find dairy to be a negative trigger for skin issues so start with sauerkraut, kimchi, fresh miso paste and water/coconut kefir, then adding dairy based yoghurt/kefir in as an addendum if you want to later.

-

At Detox Kitchen we deliver fresh, nourishing meals to your door to help you feel your best. Choose between our Meal Plans for a full-body detox (London-only) or 3-Day Reset (available nationwide), or Fridge Fills to have quick healthy meals on hand.

Words: London based Nutritional Therapist Phoebe Liebling. More information on her clinical services can be found on her website, and her Instagram feed as @_naturalnourishment.