Easy and affordable foods to add for healthy skin!

For so many years, the standard advice from doctors was that diet didn’t impact the skin. In recent years, more derms and doctors have acknowledged that food can play a role in how well our skin heals and how glowing and healthy it appears.

Did you know that extra protein is encouraged for wound healing? Or that studies have shown eating an avocado a day can increase skin elasticity and hydration? Our skin is built from the inside out and there are easy and affordable ways to use food to improve it!

I used to be the person who shopped for groceries without paying attention to sales. Now that shopping for food is an adventure in trying to keep the total below $300 for our family of five, I’m much more conscious of trying to watch the costs.

You can spend a great deal of money on supplements like collagen and vitamins, but you can do so much just by adding some affordable foods to your shopping cart.

A Day of Healthy Skin Foods:

Here’s what an easy and not too pricey day of healthy skin meals looks like and why I include certain foods!

Breakfast:

Fruit & Veggie smoothie

• spinach & frozen blueberries for antioxidants *frozen fruit is much cheaper than fresh and includes all the same benefits!

• Greek yogurt for protein

• hemp hearts for omegas and protein *I buy from Bulk Barn

• splash of kefir for extra probiotics *kefir usually includes strains that have been linked to better skin

• banana for potassium

You can also add other skin foods like avocado 🥑 (buy frozen chunks if your avocados never stay at the perfect ripeness), chia seeds, flaxseeds, spirulina (you can buy all these at Bulk Barn in small quantities!)

Lunch :

Protein is expensive. There are very few easy ways to eat healthy proteins without spending a lot of money. Canned fish is one of the exceptions! I like to buy the boneless, skinless wild salmon (Raincoast or Gold Seal have good options) and to add them to salad with some other filling toppings like nuts and cheese.

My parents often share a can of wild salmon, paired with a baked potato, salad and cooked vegetable for dinner and it’s become one of my speedy suppers too!

• wild salmon has so many skin benefits including the omega 3 fatty acids and the antioxidant astaxanthin.

• greens for antioxidants

• olive oil based dressing for healthy fats.

Dinner:

Lean ground turkey is another fairly reasonably priced protein that tastes similar to ground beef, especially in a pasta sauce or chili.

• Lean turkey is rich in high quality protein, zinc, iron, and B vitamins

• tomato paste helps to protect skin from sun damage (one dermatologist even takes a tube on sunny holidays!)

• cinnamon and cocoa powder are also rich in antioxidants and cocoa has been linked to better skin hydration and UV protection.

Snack:

My kids eat nearly everything if I throw chocolate chips into the mix: oatmeal, muffins, and even nuts.

• almonds have been linked to better skin elasticity and fewer signs of aging

• pumpkin seeds are rich in zinc and iron

You could also swap in walnuts (for omegas) and add dried fruit like apricots (for iron) or goji berries (for antioxidants).

Best tips for saving money on healthy food:

Buy frozen fruits and veggies
Discover “superfoods” like hemp hearts, spirulina, spices, and goji berries in small quantities at Bulk Barn (use the coupons and/or bring your own containers to save on Sundays!)
Eat less meat and choose protein sources like Greek yogurt, legumes, turkey, and canned fish.
Buy large bags of sweet potatoes, apples, and carrots on sale
In the spring/summer, grow your own greens like arugula and kale
Discover store brands. One of my favourite chocolate bars is the Food Basics store brand (seriously, Food Basics is my FAVE place to save money!!)

Barre with Justine