4 Summer Recipes For Radiant Skin

Although we all like to have tanned skin, skin does not forget: it has memory and what you do today will be reflected on your face tomorrow.

In this article you will find a selection of the best foods to take care of the skin, rich in essential fatty acids, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that protect the skin from the sun and help keep it healthy. You will also find four summer recipes made with many of these ingredients :

• Chocolate and avocado ice cream
• Muhammara with almonds
• Baked carrot and chickpea salad
• Green smoothie for glowing skin

These foods and recipes will suit you well, because to take care of your skin in summer, it is best to take precautions. To have glowing and well-hydrated skin, it is important to get enough sleep, hydrate well inside, protect the skin before the sun and use quality oils and creams after sunbathing, such as aloe vera or rosehip oil, coconut or jojoba. But above all it is important to nourish yourself well, because beautiful skin comes from within.

15 foods for the skin

The ideal is to eat a balanced diet, based on unprocessed natural foods of all colors and low in sugars and refined flours, because sugar destroys collagen and can cause wrinkles in the skin and premature signs of aging.

There are some foods that especially nourish the skin and it is advisable to include them daily in our diet. Here is the list of the best foods to keep skin hydrated, healthy and radiant:

• Avocados: Avocados are rich in good fats and help the skin to firm and hydrate. They also contain vitamins C and E, necessary to fight free radicals, and biotin, which is necessary to brighten the skin. Include a half of avocado on toast every day in your breakfast, your smoothies or salads.
• Nuts: They are an ideal snack rich in vitamin E, zinc and selenium in addition to omega 3 fatty acids, a necessary cocktail for skin nutrition. Carry a container with walnuts in your bag in case you need to snack between meals.
• Sunflower seeds: Although sunflower seeds are sold in candy stores, it is actually a very good snack for your health in general and especially for your skin. Due to its content of vitamin E, selenium, zinc, folic acid, calcium and magnesium and its oil, which improves hydration and forms a protective barrier on the skin, it is ideal. Add pipes to your salads and veggie burgers or make a spread by mashing the soaked pipes together with seasonings chosen to take to the beach.
• Carrot: Carrots are rich in beta-carotene, which improves the health of the skin by protecting it from free radicals and sunburns and preventing the appearance of wrinkles. To assimilate the beta carotene better, it is advisable to consume cooked carrots and accompanied by good quality fats.

• Watermelon: Due to its water content, it helps hydrate the skin and improves the appearance of puffiness and bags under the garlic. Take half a cold watermelon to the beach to cool off.
• Soy: Soy contains antioxidants called isoflavones that have a good reputation for helping women through menopause. But these substances also have beneficial effects on the skin. Isoflavones act on the structure of the skin and improve its hydration and elasticity, which can prevent the appearance of wrinkles and prevent sagging skin and blemishes. We can include in our diet, a couple of times a week, foods such as tofu, tempeh or miso. Other foods that provide isoflavones are pistachios, peanuts, chickpeas, beans, lentils, and flax.
• Dark chocolate: Cocoa is one of the foods richest in antioxidants that improve skin circulation and protect it. So have your guilt-free couple of ounces of dark chocolate.
• Green tea: Green tea can protect the skin against oxidative stress, which is responsible for skin aging and the appearance of wrinkles.
• Blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and other berries: They are rich in antioxidants and help protect the body against free radicals that are harmful to the skin, cause inflammation and attack collagen.

• Tomatoes: Tomatoes are rich in lycopene, a carotenoid pigment, which is responsible for their red color. It is one of the most powerful antioxidants and has many health benefits. Helps prevent and eliminate skin blemishes and improves acne, atopic skin and psoriasis.
• Kale: These green leaves are rich in beta-carotene, minerals and vitamins that help rejuvenate the face.
• Chia: Chia seeds are a source of omega 3 and other nutrients that help increase collagen production and hydrate the skin and prevent the appearance of wrinkles, acne and other blemishes.
• Almonds: They are rich in vitamin E and help the body prevent the signs of aging and help treat blemishes on the skin. It also protects the skin against pollution, stress and UVB rays.
• Coconut: The healthy fats in this fruit help keep the skin hydrated and improve scars. Due to their antibacterial effects, they can also improve acne.
• Red and yellow bell peppers: They are a good source of beta-carotene, which the body can convert into vitamin A, an important vitamin for the skin.

With these good foods for the skin I have prepared four very summery recipes, easy to prepare and great for days at the beach or walks in the fresh air. They are recipes to take care of the skin, helping to keep it hydrated, to give it luminosity and to prevent wrinkles and blemishes.

Avocado and chocolate ice cream

Preparation: 5 minutes – Freezing: 4 hours

An ice cream that really nourishes you and is good for you? If possible. This ice cream has a very creamy texture thanks to the avocado but it tastes like traditional chocolate ice cream.

Ingredients (2 servings):

• 1 ripe avocado
• 4 tablespoons canned coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon of almond butter
• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 1-2 tablespoons maple syrup, coconut sugar, or other sweetener
• a pinch of salt
• A pinch of vanilla

preparation:

1. In a glass blender or with the help of a hand mixer, blend all the ingredients. If necessary, add a couple more tablespoons of coconut milk.
2. Taste the flavor and add more cocoa or sweetener.
3. Pour into a container and freeze for at least 4 hours.
4. Remove from the freezer about 5 minutes before serving.

Muhammara with almonds

Preparation: 10 minutes – Cooking: 40 minutes

The muhammara is a pate made with nuts and red peppers coming from Syria. It is delicious as an aperitif, in buddha bowls, to accompany grilled tofu or tempeh or with some flax crackers, avocado slices and a couple of green leaves for a snack.

The traditional version is made with breadcrumbs. In this recipe we have replaced it with almond flour to obtain a more nutritious and beneficial paté for the skin.

Ingredients:

• 2 red peppers
• 50 g of peeled walnuts
• 2 tablespoons of almond flour
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
• a pinch of stevia
• half a teaspoon of cumin
• cayenne
• Salt

preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 220 degrees.
2. Place the peppers on a tray and bake for 30 minutes, until they are soft and the skin begins to turn black. Let cool, remove the seeds and peel.
3. Let cool in the oven to 160 degrees and toast the walnuts for 10 minutes. You can also toast them in a skillet.
4. In a blender, blend the walnuts, almond flour and the rest of the ingredients except the peppers. Add the peppers and mash again until you get a paste. It does not have to be completely smooth. A little texture is fine.
5. Taste the flavor, salt and pepper and store in the fridge.

The muhammara will keep in the fridge for about 3 days.

Baked carrot and chickpea salad

Preparation: 20 minutes – Cooking: 30 minutes

A complete and nutritious salad that tastes good both hot and cold. It is ideal to prepare for several days and to take to the beach.

Ingredients (4 servings):

• 800 g carrots
• 400 g of cooked chickpeas
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 4 handfuls of lamb’s lettuce
• 1 avocado
• 4 tablespoons of sunflower seeds
• 2 teaspoons of cumin
• 2 teaspoons coriander
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• a pinch of chili
• a pinch of cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt

Sauce:

• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 200 g of Greek type yogurt
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1 clove garlic
• juice of half a lemon
• black pepper
• Salt

preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
2. Wash the carrots well and cut them into diagonal slices.
3. Drain the chickpeas well.
4. In a bowl, mix the crushed garlic cloves with the olive oil, salt, cumin and coriander. Add the carrots and chickpeas and mix well.
5. Pour onto a baking sheet and bake 30 minutes until the carrots are tender and the chickpeas are crisp. In the last 5 minutes, add the sunflower seeds.
6. Make the sauce. In a bowl mix the yogurt with tahini and the rest of the ingredients. Check the taste.
7. Wash the lamb’s lettuce well, peel the avocado and cut into pieces. Divide the lamb’s lettuce among four plates and serve with the avocado, the baked carrot and chickpeas, and the sauce.

Green smoothie for glowing skin

Preparation: 5 minutes

Collagen has become fashionable in recent years for its benefits for the skin: it improves hydration, reduces wrinkles and prevents premature aging. This shake contains foods that naturally help the body produce collagen and, in addition, it is very hydrating thanks to the coconut water and the vegetables and fruits themselves.

Ingredients (1 shake):

• 200 ml of coconut water
• 1 green apple with the skin
• 3 slices of pineapple
• 1 cup spinach or kale
• 1 teaspoon of matcha tea
• 1 tablespoon cashew or cashew cream
• juice of half a lemon
• a couple ice cubes

preparation:

1. Prepare the fruit and vegetables. Cut the skin off the pineapple. Core the apple and cut the rest into pieces. Wash the green leaves well.
2. In a blender, blend all the ingredients until you get a smooth shake. Add more water according to the desired consistency.
3. Serve in the moment.

The remains can be frozen to make refreshing popsicles.