Seasonal Fruits and Veggies for Vibrant, Healthy Skin During the Chilly Season

Temperatures are dropping, the wind is becoming bitter, and your skin is also drying out; oh no! Skin is the largest organ in the body, meaning it needs the most care. Why not provide that care with all-natural remedies? While we cannot control the weather outside, we are able to control what we put in and onto our bodies.

Surprisingly, there are many fruits and vegetables in season that are highly accessible, can help fight off that dry Winter skin, and revitalize you to make your skin glow again like it’s summertime! Now there are many highly appealing fruits and vegetables that are in season during the winter.

However, let’s focus on the 4 best fruits and veggies for the skin, that you can start taking advantage of immediately!

The 4 we will be focusing on are: sweet potatoes, pomegranates, prickly pear, and the ever-important superfood kale.

Sweet Potatoes

Let’s kick things off with the vitamin-packed sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are a perfect natural source for beta carotenes, and anthocyanin. Beta carotenes are compounds that have been proven to reduce the risk of diseases such as cancer, macular degeneration, and cataracts. While anthocyanin is a compound that similarly helps the pigmentation of the skin, and also provides an anti-inflammatory effect on the skin.

One simple use for sweet potatoes is to treat oily skin. This is a remedy that can be done effectively in your own home. Here is a simple step-by-step instructional on how to use sweet potatoes to your skin’s advantage!

Step 1. Boil sweet potatoes

Step 2. Let the potatoes cool, and make them into a mash

Step 3. Add a tablespoon of honey into the mash, and spread the mashed potatoes on your face.

Step 4. Let your all-natural facemask sit between 15-25 minutes on your skin, and then wash off with warm water.

Step 5. If you need some extra potency to fight that oily skin, add a couple teaspoons of lemon juice to the mash before putting it onto your face, as the acidity of the lemon juice will help to extract the oil from your pores.

But wait! Don’t dump out that water you used to boil the sweet potatoes just yet! You can actually use the water from the boiled potato water as a natural skin toner. Cool the water back down first, and then it can be used on your face to tighten skin, and also flush out your pores.

Now sweet potatoes were just one of our 5 to use this winter season. Let’s dive into exactly what the pomegranate can do for you and your skin in the cold months!

Pomegranates

Pomegranates can help to firm up your skin, and bring back that glow that you miss from your Summer tan. Internally, pomegranates contain high amounts of antioxidants, which can fight off free radicals that damage your skin and functions of your cells. Pomegranates also help to fight skin cancer with their high amounts of the same all important anthocyanins that we found in sweet potatoes, and also hydrolysable tannins. Hydrolysable tannins have been proven to have anti-tumor producing effects on cells. So, by using pomegranates you will be protecting yourself from the inside-out!  

So you may be saying to yourself, “how do I implement all of these benefits in this one fruit?”. Well it is actually a surprisingly simple answer. All you need to do is drink an 8-12-ounce glass of pomegranate juice daily to receive these wonderful benefits. By doing so, you will also meet 40% of your daily vitamin C requirements just in that one glass! Now if you want to shake things up a bit with your pomegranate juice, you can put it into a smoothie or shake. Here is a simple recipe that requires minimal ingredients for a healthy, skin-revitalizing smoothie:

Ingredients: 1 cup of mixed berries

                     8 ounces of pomegranate juice

                     1 whole banana

                     2 cups of water

For protein, you can also add 1 tbsp of Veíse Collagen, 1 cup of Greek yogurt,  or natural cottage cheese!

Mix all ingredients in a blender, and enjoy!

Mmmm This is too Good to be True!

Kale

Most have us have probably heard at this point that the superfood kale has a boundless list of benefits for our bodies, and maybe this super-veggie is getting tuned out at this point because it has gotten so much publicity. But we should not ignore this veggie as it can help improve our skin tremendously! On a very basic level, just one cup of chopped fresh kale has more than 100 percent of your daily vitamin A and vitamin C values. You may be thinking, “Okay vitamins are great, but how is that going to help my skin? How can a leaf help me at all?”. Well the vitamin C content in kale actually can directly affect your skin. Vitamin C can help retain hydration, which makes your lips fuller, and protects the skin from cracking in the dry, cold season of Winter. You may not have known that a diet that is lacking sufficient amounts of vitamin A can lead to dry, flaky skin. This is because vitamin A is a crucial to repairing the tissues that lie just under your skin. So needless to say the vitamin A this veggie provides can help protect your skin from the bitter winds, and moisture-free air of the winter.

Using kale to your advantage is extremely easy! As it is a versatile vegetable that is very low-calorie. You can make a quick, and healthy snack out of kale to make sure you take in all of those beneficial vitamins. The recipe follows as listed below:

Step 1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees

Step 2. Line a non-insulated baking sheet with parchment paper

Step 3. Pluck the kale leaves off of the stem

Step 4. Wash the leaves taken from the stem

Step 5. Give a light drizzle of all natural, extra-virgin olive oil

Step 6. Use some sea salt, or cracked black pepper as another topping

Step 7. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until slightly browned on the edges

Step 5. Sit back and enjoy your fresh, natural, and healthy kale snack!!

Now you’re the Trendy One!

Maybe you’ve heard about the delicious kale chips that are all the rage these days. Well you just made some of your own so chow down! If you are vegan or paleo, this may just become your afternoon go-to snack from now on, and if you are feeling generous, make a platter of them for your next get together with friends and impress them all with your knowledge of healthy snacks!

Prickly Pear 

We have now reached our fourth and final beneficial fruit for the skin! This fruit is one many of you may not have even heard of, let alone knowing all of the tasty benefits it packs inside! The prickly pear may sound unappealing by its namesake, but once you get a mouthful of it and its health-filled benefits, you’ll want to rename it to something much more cozy than prickly. Some general benefits from the prickly pear are the properties of: anti-aging, anti-inflammation, and heals any scratches or blemishes on your skin. How does it do this? Simple. Through the abundance of vitamins such as E and K. These vitamins prevent the formation of wrinkles, help to reduce inflammation from bug bites, or blemishes, and also boost the healing process of your skin through its abundance of antioxidants. The oils from prickly pear are extracted, and can be purified to be used as a topical face serum that revitalizes and rejuvenates the skin, leaving you feeling glowing and refreshed. Besides the oil application, you can use the juices from a prickly pear in your favorite smoothies or shakes for an added vitamin boost. Provided is a simple way to add prickly pear juice to make a perfect, all-natural, non-alcoholic drink.

Step 1. Take 6 ounces fresh-squeezed lemonade, sweetened with a natural sweetener

Step 2. Juice 3 prickly pears by peeling them, cutting off the end, and putting them through a juicer

Step 3. Combine the juices in a blender or shaker, and mix vigorously for 1 minute

Step 4. Pour into your desired glass, and enjoy!

Our journey to a healthier, brighter, and more vibrant skin is already over! Time flies when you’re having fun. But don’t let this article ending get you too down, because you can follow our website closely, and wait for the next article on ways to improve your quality of life through your skin in the near future! So, keep a watchful eye for now, we’ll be back soon with even more to help your health in an all-natural way. 

xoxo 

Veíse