by

MCKEL HILL, MS, RD, LDN

Skin, hair, and nail food! Many factors impact our skin heath, including lifestyle choices, hormonal balance, stress management, and of course what we put in our bodies. All of the foods listed below are incredibly healthy for your overall health, but particularly to let your beautiful self shine through. This is a grouping of my favorite nutrient dense foods for a particular “beauty” area on the body including “skin food”, foods for hair, nails, and digestion!

Hair is mostly made up of proteins (around 97%!). For us to have beautiful locks, it’s important to consume a wide range of B vitamins, minerals (including zinc and iron), and protein in our diet. Also, keeping our scalps and bodies hydrated will ensure our hair grows strong, healthy, and shiny! Here are several of my favorite foods for healthy hair:

HAIR |

• Walnuts // rich source of omega-3’s, protein, and vitamin E oils to keep your hair strong, shiny, and growing.

• Chia seeds // rich source of omega-3’s, protein, minerals, and vitamins to keep your locks nourished, hydrated, and promote healthy digestion.

• Nutritional yeast // incredibly rich in B vitamins and protein. B vitamins (especially biotin) are important for the health of our hair, skin, and nails.

• Pumpkin & Sesame seeds // high in zinc, which is incredibly important in our skin integrity, collagen production, and hair growth. Pumpkin and sesame seeds also contain minerals and B vitamins (including biotin), which help promote healthy and strong hair. Pumpkin seeds are great sources of iron, protein, calcium, and magnesium, which play a role in healthy blood flow to our body and our hair follicles!

• Brazil nuts // high in selenium, which is overall great for the immune system, general health and metabolism. Selenium Is also especially important with your thyroid hormones, which plays a direct impact on metabolism and “beauty” health.

Similarly to the nutrients found in foods that keep our hair strong and healthy, will also help keep our nails strong and growing as well. A couple additional foods that have nutrients great for nail strength and growth include some of my favorites:

BEAUTY FOODS LIST

by

MCKEL HILL, MS, RD, LDN

NAILS | • Quinoa, millet, oats, buckwheat // all great sources of fiber, protein, and

carbohydrates in the form of calories/energy to keep our overall bodies healthy and metabolism functioning well. These gluten free grains also contain a wide variety of minerals including iron and zinc, protein, and silica, which are important for our nails, connective tissue, and collagen production.

• Spirulina // a blue-green algae high in plant-protein, chlorophyll, vitamins, and minerals perfect for overall health but also nail health (especially with the amount of protein and iron found in spirulina).

Why does digestion matter when we talk about skin and overall “skin foods”? Digestion is incredibly important, if we’re not breaking down, assimilating, and utilizing all of these amazing nutrients we consume, then our bodies nor our skin will be fed properly! Making sure that we have a healthy digestive tract is key, which eliminates and keeps toxic by-products from food and everyday life out of our organs and skin cells. “Skin food” also helps support our livers properly function to eliminate and metabolize these everyday toxins. DIGESTION |

• Pineapple // pineapple contains a natural occurring enzyme called bromelain, which helps breakdown proteins and other foods in our digestive system. Keeping our digestion moving smoothly is optimal for improving our skin

• Kim chi // or other fermented vegetables are great ways to increase the amount of natural occurring probiotics! Probiotics are extremely important in the balance of “good” and “bad” bacteria in our guts, which help us, stay regular and decrease bloating and gas.

• Raw apple cider Vinegar // is a natural way to help your body breakdown food, it’s naturally fermented vinegar containing beneficial bacteria that helps our digestive system have a balance between natural yeast and bacteria’s.

• Garlic & onions // both contain sulfur and antioxidants which can help stimulate the digestive system. Garlic has also been used for centuries as a natural anti-microbial and anti-bacteria “food”. Both stimulate the secretion of digestive juices, which help our bodies digest food much easier.

• Cruciferous vegetables // including cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, etc.; all contain calcium, zinc, magnesium, vitamin C, vitamin A, and sulfur containing compounds. Cruciferous vegetables also contain loads of fiber, which help our digestion and elimination. The antioxidants in these veggies (isothiocyanates) help our bodies natural detoxification systems.

by

MCKEL HILL, MS, RD, LDN

• Papaya // just like pineapple, papaya contains an enzyme called papain and bromelain, both of which help digest protein and give our digestive system a boost in enzymes.

• Celery // is loaded with natural electrolytes such as potassium, sodium, and a bit of magnesium. Keeping water balance in our bodies and in our digestive system helps aid in quick and effortless eliminations. Celery is also a rich source of insoluble fiber, which helps our bodies flush out unwanted “toxins”.

• Asparagus // not only is asparagus a great source of fiber to keep our digestion moving, but it’s also a natural diuretic which may keep us from holding water in our midsection or even around our eyes (puffy eyes).

• Lemon // lemons is great to add to any dish or simply add to water for a boost in vitamin C. Vitamin C and other antioxidants are very supportive to the liver which will help further your bodies natural detoxification on a daily basis. Try adding lemon to warm water to start your day and your digestion/elimination.

• Cilantro and parsley // both of these herbs are powerful “cleansers” to help rid the body of excess fluid and toxins. Cilantro is actually used as a heavy metal detoxifier. I often recommend those who consume seafood and especially tuna (which often have higher mercury levels) consume cilantro the same day or around the time of seafood.

Foods that make our skin glow, soft, supple, and youthful are what I like to call, “skin foods”. These skin foods are loaded with antioxidants to protect the skin from cell damage and aging free radical damage. These nutrient dense foods are loaded with healthy fats to keep the skin cell membranes supple and lubricated, antioxidants, minerals, and protein to help promote healthy blood flow, cell function, and aid in digestion! Here are some of my favorite “skin foods” to incorporate on a daily basis: SKIN |

• Acai berry // loaded with vitamins C, E, healthy fats, and antioxidants to keep the skin moisturized, glowing, and protected from the inside out.

• Almonds // rich source of vitamin E, healthy fats, and protein all of which keep our cell membranes of the skin smooth and supple.

• Avocado // my favorite skin food of all time! Rich in vitamin E, fiber, B vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants all of which keep your skin glowing, soft, and youthful.

by

MCKEL HILL, MS, RD, LDN

• Beets // beets are loaded with fiber, vitamins A, C, Folate, calcium, iron, and magnesium all of which help our digestion run smoothly. The red pigment in beets called betacyanin may help support liver function, which ultimately aids in blood flow and oxygenation to our lovely skin cells.

• Blueberries // contains heaps of antioxidants including vitamins C, A, E, and minerals zinc, selenium, and B vitamins. Blueberries have one of the highest antioxidant scores of all foods which helps fight aging free radicals.

• Coconut // rich in saturated fats (medium chain triglycerides), vitamin E, minerals, and fiber (depending on meat or oil)- all of which help keep the skin moisturized and supple. Coconut oil can also be used as a natural skin moisturizer and protect the skin from dullness (I also love coconut oil for a hair mask!).

• Cucumbers // ever wonder why they use cucumbers in beauty spas? Cucumbers are naturally “cooling” on the skin and are loaded with water, which hydrates our skin cells from the inside out. They also contain vitamin C and antioxidants, which help keep our skin protected.

• Dark leafy greens // rich in vitamin K and vitamin A, which help our cells reproduce healthy skin cells and moisture retention in the skin. Dark leafy greens also contain iron, which is important with healthy blood flow and oxygenation to our skin cells.

• Figs // figs are fantastic sources of fiber, which beauty is rooted in! If we have a proper functioning digestive system our nutrients we consume will be absorbed best especially the potassium, iron, calcium, and vitamins found in figs.

• Flax seed // rich source of omega-3 fatty acids, which are great for lubricating our cells and keeping moisture in our skin and hair. Also contain minerals such as zinc, manganese, and iron, which are important in skin integrity.

• Hemp seeds // loaded with protein, minerals, and healthy fats! Protein is incredibly important in keeping our skin healthy, soft, glowing, free from blemishes. The collagen in our skin cells requires protein!

• Red bell peppers // loaded with vitamin C (far more than an orange), which is important with collagen production. Also helps absorb the mineral iron, which is also important in giving your skin a radiant glow.

• Sweet potatoes // loaded with vitamin A and beta-carotene, which has been shown to help give the skin a natural glow but also provide a wide range of antioxidants which protect the skin from free radical damage.

by

MCKEL HILL, MS, RD, LDN

OTHER TIPS |

• Stay well hydrated by drinking plenty of water throughout the day. • Start your morning with a Stripped Green Smoothie for a nutrient dense drink

loaded with antioxidants, B vitamins, fiber, protein, minerals such as zinc, selenium, and it tastes delicious!

• Eat the rainbow! Try to consume a variety of these foods in your diet on a daily basis- it doesn’t have to be all at once.

• Practice healthy digestive processes such as giving yourself enough time to use the restroom, supporting digestion with sleep, rest, stress management, and chewing your food thoroughly!

• Use natural skin care products or ones that aren’t irritating on the skin. • Protect skin from sun exposure by using SPF in the sunny months of the year or

wear a cute hat (my favorite!). • Try using coconut oil as a hair mask or a skin moisturizer. • Practice healthy hormonal balance, which is so important for our skin. • Beware of food sensitivities or intolerances. • Go to a sauna or practice dry brushing often!

If you have any further questions or if you have any food sensitivities, hormonal imbalances, please contact me for a one-on-one session to make a specific game plan about the foods your should or shouldn’t be consuming for your beauty health! services@nutritionstripped.com Come visit my blog Nutrition Stripped for more tip sheets, guides, nourishing plant-based and gluten free recipes; and for my one-on-one nutrition services. [nutritionstripped.com, #nutritionstripped]. All rights reserved © 2013 Nutrition Stripped. Please do not repost or share my recipes/content as your own or onto any other website without direct permission from McKel. These handouts are intended for individuals who have purchased the material through Nutrition Stripped only. Please visit Nutrition Stripped for copyright information