5 Healthy Summer Snacks for Great Skin
Avocado toast isn’t just a popular summer brunch item to enjoy with your mimosa! It’s an incredibly healthy snack that’s great for your skin!
Summer is the time of year when we spend a lot of time outside, enjoying outdoor activities and barbecues with friends.
With all that time spent in the sun, it’s not just important to protect your skin on the outside with sunscreen and protective clothing. We also need to protect it from sun damage and premature aging from the inside out with antioxidant-rich fresh foods. This helps us make our skin less susceptible to damage from environmental stressors like UV rays or cold air conditioning. Luckily, nature gives us an abundant variety of fresh, beauty-nutritious foods that make easy and delicious summer snacks!
5 Healthy Summer Snacks for Great Skin
Whether you’re serving them at a fun gathering, or enjoying them on the go, here are our favorites!
Avocado Toast
Avocado is full of protein, healthy fats, and vitamin E, and other nutrients that promote skin hydration, clarity, and elasticity from within.
To make a great avocado toast – toast your favorite gluten-free or multi-grain bread on the grill, and then top it with sliced or mashed avocado, a squeeze of lemon, sea salt, and pepper.
Barry’s Avocado Toast Recipe
Barry loves to add Everything Bagel Seasoning to his avocado toast made from Ezekiel Bread by Food For Life. He adds on a little tomato and cottage cheese for a colorful healthy summer snack with great healthy fat and some good protein.
2. Veggie Chips
Kale and sweet potato chips aren’t just trendy–they’re also crispy, crunchy, salty, and just as addicting as potato chips but incredibly skin healthy and easy to make. For kale chips, we recommend lacinato (or “dinosaur) kale instead of the curly kale for chips. Remove the stems and tear up the greens into bite size bits. “Massage” them with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. Roast on a parchment-covered baking sheet at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes (you want them crispy, but not falling apart). For sweet potato chips, slice them horizontally, super thin with the skins on (the skins contain fiber and other skin-healthy nutrients too!)–a mandolin can help. Lay them out on a parchment lined baking sheet. Drizzle them with olive oil, sea salt, and pepper. Bake them for 20 minutes at 400 degrees (preheated), flipping them over once halfway through.
3. Hummus with Cucumbers, Carrots, and Celery Sticks
Hummus is a delicious dip (that can also be used as a spread) made from chickpeas which provide skin-healthy protein and healthy fats. We love serving hummus with fresh, colorful raw veggies for extra nutrients. Carrots have many nutrients that benefit the skin such as beta carotene, the most powerful precursor to Vitamin A which is an absolute must for healthy, clear, smooth skin. They also contain B vitamins, and Vitamin C. Cucumbers are extremely cooling and hydrating, which makes them summer essentials. They are also high in Vitamin K, carotenoid antioxidants, and a special category of antioxidants called lignans. They are also mineral-rich. Celery is also cooling and hydrating, as well as rich with fiber, carotenoid antioxidants, and minerals.
4. Berries
Berries are the perfect on-the-go summer snack. Berries have been shown to enhance the health of our skin cells and even reduce the effects of aging on it. They also help boost collagen production which helps keep your face looking plump and youthful-looking.
Studies have found that blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and raspberries all contain antioxidants that fight off free radicals which cause wrinkles over time.
5. Frozen fruit ice pops. Everyone loves an ice pop on a hot day, and making your own with fresh, naturally sweet fruit is a great way to enjoy ice pops without the added sugar and dyes. All you do is puree your favorite fruits, pour them into ice pop molds (we recommend silicone over plastic), freeze, and enjoy! Some of our favorite beauty nutritious fruits to add (besides berries) include red or black grapes, enzyme-rich pineapple, and electrolyte-rich watermelon.
There are lots of healthy summer snacks out there to help you stay skin-healthy this season. We’ve covered all the bases with tips and tricks for how to eat your way to glowing, hydrated skin from the inside out. Whether it’s delicious grill bites like our avocado toast, or antioxidant packed frozen fruit ice pops, these summer snacks will keep your skin and body cool, refreshed, and glowing all summer long!
Did we miss one of your favorite healthy summer snacks? Let us know in the comments!
Talk To Your Doctor First
Learning about nutrition for healthy skin is a very positive action step to take. However, before making any changes to your diet or adding supplements to your regimen, you should always consult your physician. If you want to incorporate nutritional recommendations in your practice, be sure you understand the laws within your state regarding licensure and scope of practice.
Looking For Seasonal Skin Care Suggestions?
Yes, nutrition for healthy skin begins with what you eat, be sure to give your skin the best skin care products it needs on a seasonal basis. The Lipgloss + Aftershave Seasonal Skin Care Guides are a great place to get a recap of every seasons must haves!
Guest Blogger – Rachael Pontillo
Rachael Pontillo is a holistic skincare innovator, author, and educator. She is the bestselling author of the book Love Your Skin, Love Yourself, The Nutritional Aesthetics Practitioner® Foundational Curriculum textbook, and co-author of The Sauce Code. She’s a functional nutrition practitioner, AADP and IAHC Board Certified International Health Coach, licensed aesthetician; and natural skincare formulator and educator.
She’s the president and co-founder of the Nutritional Aesthetics® Alliance, and creator of its Certified Nutritional Aesthetics Practitioner® Training Program. She is also the creator of the popular skincare and healthy lifestyle blog, Holistically Haute™, as well as the much-loved online course, Create Your Skincare®, and its exclusive Skin Sequencing® Method. Rachael also holds additional certifications in metaphysical science, detoxification, cosmetic chemistry, acupressure, Reiki, Medical Qi Gong, Chinese Facial Diagnosis, and Ayurveda. She’s an avid herbalist, skincare ingredient connoisseur, and lifelong learner.