Swimming Suit: Seven easy food swaps for radiant, gorgeous skin

Hi everyone!

Get Ultra Beautiful by eating a healthy diet, plenty of beauty
detox food and occasional indulgences. Here are seven easy
food swaps to fit into your day and lifestyle

Today I’m going to talk about seven really easy food swaps that you can do to help your skin to become glowing, flawless and young-looking. You don't need always need to do a massive overhaul of your diet to get results - just switch some of your everyday choices. A lot of the foods that we eat every day are not great for your skin and your body – they contain what I call the ‘Major Agers’ which cause inflammation in the body’s cells, ageing you faster and making your skin spotty, wrinkled and dull – and they also encourage your body to hang onto fat.

Luckily, there’s a huge amount we can do to boost your skin’s health and your overall beauty. Here are some easy-peasy swaps to change your food baddies to food goodies. Buh-bye dullness, hello peachiness!

Step away from the lollipops!
Sweets do not feature in a beauty diet, sorry..

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1. What do we all love in the morning? Coffee!

Unfortunately, drinking too much raises two hormones called cortisol and insulin, leading to inflammation. Coffee also stops DHEA being produced, which is a chemical in the body responsible for nourishing and regenerating your skin.

SWAP IT FOR: Green tea is ideal – it contains polyphenols and antioxidants, several chemicals that promote anti-ageing and skin radiance, and can even help with weight loss. The brand is really important – I find Twinings really bitter, but like Pukka and Clipper, so try a couple of brands before you find one that you like. Other alternatives are black tea which is actually full of antioxidants and important minerals like manganese and fluoride, and of course hot water with a squeeze of lemon is fantastic!

Green tea and even black tea is really good

for your skin

No, not green tea kitkat..

2. Dairy products like milk and yoghurt

Diary has been shown to cause acne, which might be because it contains hormones fed to cows, hormones and toxins. Lots of people will find that their skin becomes less spotty when they stop eating and drinking dairy. What about organic milk and yoghurt? Well I’d say try and minimize dairy as much as you can, personally because it makes me much more likely to get colds and sore throat. Cows’ dairy is mucus-producing so I prefer to limit it to a dash in tea, and switch to alternatives for the rest.

There are loads of dairy-free milks - just find one that you like!

SWAP IT FOR: Luckily there are a load of dairy alts, probably because more and more people are realizing that they can improve their health by switching! For milk, there’s oat, almond, coconut, rice and soya, and for yoghurt there is a similar range. There are some yummy cream cheeses without dairy, too.

Make this homemade chocolate hazelnut milk - it is amazing! Thanks, Alejandra from the brilliant blog Always Order Dessert!

3. Salads are the cornerstone of any healthy diet. They can contain a whole rainbow of beauty foods! One ingredient that you might be missing out on is a good leaf: Iceberg lettuce is often the main salad base involved, but it doesn’t contain a lot of nutrition.

SWAP IT FOR: Spinach is a brilliant leaf, and a true beauty superfood! This delicious plant is packed with antioxidant powerhouses which protect skin cells from free radical damage (the nasty guys that give you wrinkles). Spinach also strengthens your skin tissue, and contains beta-carotene, which when eaten regularly gives you that all over glow. Spinach is also high in anti-inflammatory properties, and the green goodness inside is going to help flush out any toxins that might have been building up over time. Is that enough? Well add to that list omega 3, potassium, vitamin C (which builds collagen), folic acid and vitamin E. Phew!

Looks weird, but spinach and fruit is amazing for your skin.
Be sure to add fat such as olive oil, to make sure you
absorb the beta carotene - a.k.a. nature's tanning lotion!

4. Lunchtime, dinnertime and breakfasts often all include some form of wheat. Without paying much attention, you could eat it five times a day (it's easy, believe me). Sandwiches and pasta might be quick meal solves, but, your face and body won’t thank you. The gluten in wheat is very difficult for your body to digest, and can cause spots, dullness and weight gain, and make you feel sluggish and lethargic.

SWAP IT FOR: Gluten free bread, rice, oatcakes, rice cakes, quinoa (a brilliant superfood grain!) and potatoes of all varieties. Never peel them though. I swear by sushi in the daytime and jacket potatoes in the evening. Easy!

5. Diet soda is a refreshing drink and you kinda think that you can drink as much as you like, since it has almost no calories. Ditch it! Apart from making you crave sweet foods, and being linked to weight gain, the artificial sweeteners are another Major Ager which cause puffiness in your face and unevenness in skin tone.

SWAP IT FOR: Soda water with lemon, plain water, or my favourite that I call ‘fruit water’ – put slices of any fruit in a jug or glass of water and the flavours naturally infuse the drink with a delicious, refreshing taste! Nature’s own vitamin water…

Slice fruit and add to iced water. Allow to
infuse for a few minutes, then enjoy!

6. Meat is very common in the Western diet, but we really don’t need it all that much at all. High animal protein diets are very acidic, which means that cells have to work harder to function properly, zapping your energy and your skin’s natural beauty. Personally, I grew cheekbones and a jawline when I stopped eating meat, but if you don’t want to give it up completely, trying limiting it to twice a week.

SWAP IT FOR: You can eat all the fish you want – it is very skin-friendly and contains loads of essential fatty acids and protein, which form the building blocks of skin, hair and nails. Beans, lentils, amarinth and quinoa (that supergrain again) can be used in loads of recipes instead of meat, as well as tofu (which actually has more protein, gram for gram, than steak, as well as a whole host of health benefits). Try a bean chilli, Portobello mushroom burger (gluten free bun, obv), or tofu skewers. I use Quorn meatballs and ‘chicken’ pieces for fajitas quite a lot, and my husband literally never notices the difference. Mwah ha ha…