Eating healthy need not be a chore, especially when you know the best places to go to pick up something delicious and nutritious. In today’s post we’re excited to give you the low down on some of our favourite skin-foods along with five of London’s CONTENT approved skin-loving lunches to pick up when you’re on the go or to keep in mind for your next leisurely lunch with friends.
Wild Food Cafe: We love the Organic Ayurvedic Super Salad served on a bed of organic lamb lettuce and wild rocket topped with amaranth, courghetti spaghetti, hijiki seaweed, sliced artichoke hearts, avocado, cucumber, red pepper and topped off with a coriander, rocket and parsley pesto, mango salsa, activated savoury seeds and marinated shitake mushrooms.
The Detox Kitchen: Stop by one of our favourite cafes for an ever changing selection of salads, juices, smoothies and more. We love to pick and mix a selection of salads and add on a juice, followed by a pot of green tea to get us through the afternoon.
Nama: Try out their raw & dehydrated pizza. With both varieties available featuring a courgette and walnut base – the ‘Italian’ is topped with pomodoro, pepper, nut and seed ‘cheeses’, caramelised onions, marinated mushrooms, olives and sun-dried tomatoes whilst the ‘Green’ is generously garnished with kale mix, avocado cream and caper berries.
Mildreds: Don’t go past their Organic Energising Detox Salad with beetroot, carrots, fennel, sprouting beans, sultanas, coriander and toasted seeds with apple, orange, lime, ginger dressing and topped with your choice of goats cheese or organic marinated tofu.
Daylesford Organic: Go for the griddled mackerel fillet with pickled cucumber & radish, lemon, herb & chia seed dressing serve alongside the raw chopped crunchy summer vegetables with avocado oil & cider vinegar dressing.
Ottolenghi: We love the char-grilled salmon garnished with a red pepper, olive, caper, mint, and lemon salsa or for a vegan skin-loving option go for the black rice salad with coconut, edamame, lime, chilli, coriander, basil and mint.
What we look for in our Lunches
Veggie Power
- Dark leafy greens: Nothing quite beats dark leafy greens when it comes to providing our bodies with skin-loving nutrients. High in vitamins A and C and E – leafy greens are particularly effective at countering every-day exposure to environmental toxins, UV rays and pollution. The high levels of Vitamin C contribute to the bodies collagen producing function that keeps skin looking youthful and supple whilst the potent levels of beta-carotene contained within contribute to the growth and repair of the body’s tissues and may also protect the skin against sun damage.
- Seaweed: Whilst not a land derived leafy green, this sea vegetable is also particularly beneficial in improving the skins appearance. Full of iodine and vitamins B1, B2, B6 and B12 – as well as containing anti-inflammatory properties, the abundance of B vitamins that seaweed contains may also work to counteract stress which we all know can take its toll on our skins appearance.
- Mushrooms: A potent anti-inflammatory that may assist in preventing flare ups of acne, rosacea, and eczema – mushrooms are rich in vitamin D, selenium and antioxidants that can assist in the appearance of wrinkles and discoloration caused by environmental damage
Good Grains
- Black rice: Rich in antioxidants, black rice is a potent source of skin-loving antioxidants and Vitamin E. The outermost layer (also known as the ‘bran hull’) contains one of the highest levels of anthocyanin antioxidants found in food.
- Amaranth: A rich source of Vitamin E and C – the vitamins responsible for skin regeneration. This 8000 year old ancient grain additionally consists of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that not only benefit the skin but work wonders for the hair too!
Power of Protein
- Eggs: Featuring key nutrients choline and lutein, eggs are a particularly beneficial addition to a skin-food diet. Choline helps the body maintain proper levels of B vitamins which are required in order for the skin to produce energy and manufacture collagen and elastin – the proteins that keep skin looking and feeling firm and smooth, whilst lutein helps preserve the skins elasticity and prevent free radical damage to skin cells.
- Oily Fish: Containing abundances of selenium, magnesium, vitamins B12, B6, B3 and Omega 3 fatty acids, for the prettiest of skin aim to consume a variety of sustainable and organic oily fish at least 3 times per week. The omega 3s that oily varieties contain have been shown to not only promote gorgeous skin but also may assist in reducing depression, balancing hormones, counteracting inflammation and lowering blood pressure and cholesterol.
Healthy Fats
- Avocado: An amazing source of the antioxidant variety known as carotenoids, this wholesome package of skin-nourishing goodness sweep up free radical causing compounds, offering protection from environmental damage that significantly contributes to the visible signs of ageing. Rich in skin healing Vitamin E, Avocado is also one of the best natural skin moisturisers for skin thanks to the monounsaturated fatty acids contained within.
- Nuts & Seeds: Consisting of plant-based protein and healthy fats vital for skin renewal, nuts and seeds should make up a generous part of any green beauties skin-food regime. Acting as a natural moisturiser, the essential fatty acids of nuts and seeds keep skin hydrated and nourished from the inside out. Packaged with a healthy dose of vitamin E, nuts encourage skin regeneration and protect it from free radical damage.
Have a favourite lunch place? Tell us yours!
Image credit: Nama Foods
