– by Tracy Neely
Healthy skin starts with clean blood and requires strong and steady blood flow. Your blood circulation brings your skin cells nourishment, and clears away waste products that your skin cells are constantly generating.
Eating mostly fruits and vegetables is essential to experiencing strong and steady blood flow. The water, vitamins, minerals, and phytonutrients found in these highly nutritious foods all promote optimal blood circulation to your skin and throughout your body.
I know we’re all told to eat dark green leafy vegetables to have optimal health, and that is absolutely true, but here is something that I think is shocking, Americans on average eat over 200 pounds of meat per year, while the average person eats only 20 pounds of leafy greens per year. It is well-known that an over consumption of meat intake can lead to increased cholesterol due to the high saturated fat content.
Here’s why I believe that leafy greens are vital to healthy skin. Leafy greens are in a class all their own when it comes to the water content and the nutrient density profile. Dark green leafy vegetables are calorie for calorie, perhaps the most concentrated source of nutrition of any food. They are a rich source of minerals (including iron, calcium, potassium, and magnesium) and vitamins, including vitamins A, C, E, K and many of the B vitamins and a small source of Omega-3 fatty acids. They also provide a variety of phytonutrients including beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, which protect our cells from damage and our eyes from age-related problems, among many other effects.
Their high fiber content helps the body eliminate toxins and possible carcinogens, and the phytochemical quercetin has anticancer and antioxidant properties. Elimination is key to clear healthy skin. Beautiful, healthy skin is supported by eating different types of leafy green vegetables. Vitamin A minimizes the production of sebum, helping to limit acne. This nutrient also strengthens the skin’s protective tissue and helps to flush out toxins. Vitamin E also protects skin cells from free radical damage.
A great way to get in a few servings of leafy greens per day is by drinking a green smoothie. Below is a recipe that I like to drink during this time of year. This smoothie will nourish your skin with vitamins, minerals and powerful antioxidants.
Cherry Green Smoothie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 handful red kale (use whichever variety of kale you can find)
- 1 cup cherries (remove pit)
- 1 banana
- 1 cup water
Blend to a smooth consistency
Enjoy!
Tracy
*** Tracy Neely is the founder and owner of Nourish & Flourish Healthy Living, a holistic nutrition and wellness consulting practice located in Orlando Florida. Tracy has a passion for nutrition and skin care and wants to support women who want to get in the best shape of their lives and feel beautiful at any age. Tracy is a mother of a wonderful little boy and a wife to an amazing man and enjoys doing yoga, juicing and creating green smoothie recipes, reading books and going for walks with her family.
For more in formation about greens and a hand-holding program to help you get your green on, try our 21-Day Full Support Green Smoothie Detox.