Keeping Your Winter Glow With Natalie's Go-To Superfoods

Let’s get it straight: the foods you eat have a direct effect on your skin. Whatever your complexion concerns might be, from dryness and flaking (try water-dense, high-fat snacks) to oiliness and acne (take a break from high glycemic index foods), your diet can have a positive or negative impact depending on how closely you monitor it.

Luckily, we have a veritable treasure trove of knowledge at KPS in the form of our Board Certified Esthetician - and CEO - Natalie Novak. We recently asked her to discuss her go-to foods to ensure a healthy winter glow, and she did not disappoint! 

Eat Like An Esthetician

Salmon

The star of Natalie's glow-food-regime is wild-caught, omega-3-rich salmon, which helps to improve & protect your skin in multiple ways. "Salmon is rich in astaxanthin, which is responsible for it’s signature color and just-so-happens to be a potent antioxidant," she said. As it turns out, astaxanthin offers such impressive antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects that it's been crowned "King of the Carotenoids." Natalie also reminded us to include the skin in our meal prep. Salmon skin is packed with collagen, which helps keep your skin firm and youthful. In fact, an animal study showed that by adding fish-skin-derived collagen peptides to meals, both skin elasticity and sebum production were improved.

Roasted Vegetables

Natalie suggests broccoli and asparagus: "Broccoli is a tasty source of vitamin C, while asparagus is a prebiotic," she said. Prebiotics are massively important in maintaining skin health. Because your skin is very much connected to your gut (thank you, gut-skin axis), foods that fortify the gut will also improve overall skin health. Our take? Sauté a pan full of garlic and onion (also prebiotics!), add either or both vegetables, and enjoy your glow-promoting meal.

Olive Oil

To add some omega 3’s, Natalie suggests you drizzle olive oil over your veggies. "Extra-virgin olive oil is a staple in maintaining radiance," she says. Pro tip: olive oil is also incredibly moisturizing when you apply it topically as well. 

Dark Chocolate

After meals, Natalie endulges in antioxidant-rich dark chocolate, which is packed with polyphenols. These neutralize free radicals and fight oxidative stress. For best results, ensure you’re buying organic, raw dark chocolate, as this should guarantee that the beans have been fermented, another important step for ensuring gut (and skin) health. 

Final Thoughts

As you surely know, there are TONS of skin-healthy foods to add to your grocery list. But the next time you’re looking to enhance your dietary routine, refer back to this esthetician’s dinner menu. While it will not transform your skin overnight (radiance requires more than salmon and veggies, sadly), adding skin-loving nutrients to more meals is a necessary part of your overall skincare regime.