I never really thought about eating for beauty before I met Connie from the Beauty Nerd. We have all heard the old adage that “we are what we eat”, but do we really think about that when we grab that deep-fried onion ring smothered in mayo or a piece of that creamy cheesecake? Do we realize that not only do those choices affect our health, but our appearance too?

As you may already know, Connie and I started a series called Beauty Eats a few months ago. It’s all about eating skin-friendly ingredients, but in interesting and delicious ways. Want to know more about how it all began? Read on for the Beauty Eats story and our top 5 recipes!

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I started thinking about eating for beauty several years ago.  Due to the growing interest in overall health and wellness and incorporating these concepts into beauty, various beauty companies have launched supplements, smoothies and even gummie bears, all advocating this new concept of ‘beauty from within’.

As a beauty enthusiast, I tried many of them and I have yet to find one that tastes good enough for me to consume repeatedly and long-term.

But one day, I had an epiphany.  I thought, why are we trying to torture ourselves with overly processed dietary solutions, when we can achieve something much more delicious with real foods?  From that day on, it was my mission to search for smarter ingredient choices that are skin-friendly and incorporate them into recipes that you would want to eat.

The only problem was that I’m not a great cook and have zero creativity in the kitchen.  As fate would have it, I met Divya, who is truly a creative cuisine guru.  She has the foresight to be able to picture how ingredients would taste and work together.  Every time I propose skin-friendly ingredients, she whips up mouthwatering recipes in an instant.  When I found out she was starting a food blog, I proposed that we start doing collaborated posts featuring beauty foods.  Beauty Eats was born and quickly became our regular weekly Wednesday posts.  We love this marriage between beauty and food and we hope that you are enjoying it just as much as we do!

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Connie firmly believes that beauty comes from within first and if we take care of what’s inside, it will be reflected on the outside. I absolutely agree with her and I’m so glad (and thankful!) that she’s been able to convince me to change the way I eat. I’ve definitely taken a step in the right direction thanks to her. I’ve been eating more skin-friendly veggies and other anti-oxidant rich foods since I met her and I have to admit, my skin definitely looks better! Whenever I have a “junk food” blip, my skin takes a toll and it shows. No more unhealthy food habits!

We all know that making healthy food choices is important, but if your food tastes like “health food” it’s hard to actually eat it on a daily basis. Beauty Eats is about making skin-friendly ingredients come together to make dishes that you’ll want to eat and won’t feel like you’re being deprived.

“This series is a step towards making healthy eating for your skin a lifestyle.”

We’ve handpicked a few of the top recipes from this series to give you a flavour of what Beauty Eats is about. Here goes:

1. Whole wheat penne with herbed chicken and butternut squash sauce

This is one of my favourite recipes since it’s a great way to add a number of anti-oxidant rich ingredients to your diet all at once. It’s made with butternut squash, red pepper and tomatoes with a number of dried herbs. Butternut squash makes an unusual base for a pasta sauce and makes this pasta dish somewhat “special” in my opinion. It has a rich flavour without the extra calories. Best of all, this dish tastes even better the next day. Leftover heaven!

2. Watermelon and grape granita

Granitas are a good way to get some respite from the summer heat, but can be the perfect palate cleanser in the winter. There’s no need to shy away from frozen goodness just because it’s cold outside. This recipe is sweet and fresh and the cherry on the cake is that it has NO ADDED SUGAR! It’s rich in resveratrol (from the grapes) and has plenty of other phytonutrients.

3. Tomato and asparagus frittata

Looking for a quick brunch that isn’t loaded with sodium or animal fat? Try this veggie frittata that’s not only healthy but also easy to make on a lazy Sunday morning. Since the tomatoes are cooked, it increases the amount of skin-friendly lycopene. I’d say yes to that..

4. Coconut “sangria”

We all know that alcohol doesn’t exactly work any wonders for our skin, but that doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy a virgin cocktail. This “sangria” is made with coconut water instead of wine and I’ll have to admit, I didn’t miss the alcohol at all. Fresh, light and fruity – sounds like the perfect drink to me.

5. Salmon with roasted red pepper and dill sauce

I had to put a salmon dish in the top 5 list! After all, salmon is one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids and we all know what wonders those do for your skin. This dish pairs rich salmon with a tangy red pepper sauce and some whole wheat couscous. Delish!

We wanted to take this opportunity and reach out to our lovely readers. Do you enjoy the Beauty Eats series? What do you like? What do you want to see more of? Have any suggestions to make this series even better? Or do you have a recipe that would be the perfect beauty “dish”? All comments and suggestions are welcome. We would REALLY LOVE to hear from you! Click HERE to comment.