Still having muesli out of a packet? Pfft. Do your skin a major favour and pimp up that bowl with serious anti-aging ingredients to plump skin from the inside and bring out your natural glow. While still tasting a-mazing.
A few key things to remember:
- The base should be natural or bircher muesli. No toasted muesli unless you actually make it yourself because almost all toasted muesli is made with some kind of bad-for-you-oil (vegetable, canola, sunflower, grapeseed - they sound good but are super unhealthy)
- Go easy on the dried fruit. A little is fine.
What's in the bowl?
- Oats or a mix of grains for a base. I buy the Honest to Goodness Organic 5 grain mix which has rolled oats, triticale, rolled spelt, rolled quinoa, rolled barley instead of just using oats, so that I get more nutrition packed into every spoonful.
- 1 tbsp of chia seeds
- 1 tbsp of sunflower seeds/pumpkin seeds
- 1 tbsp of hemp seeds
- 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
- 1.5 tbsp of toasted coconut flakes
- Blueberries/strawberries/cut apple/peaches/whatever seasonal fruit you like
- Drench in a liquid of your choice. I do coconut water - don't cringe, it's actually super delicious. Some kind of nut mylk would be great too.
Here's what all those ingredients are doing for your skin.
Oats
Oats are nutrient dense, with skin-boosting minerals like zinc, magnesium, vitamins B1 and B5, copper and iron which all work in unison to support the skin's natural defences.
Quinoa
A superfood for the skin, quinoa has powerful antioxidant vitamin E and has so much vitamin B it may help protect against pigmentation, plus is high in niacinamide (vitamin B3) and the most anti-aging of all vitamins, A.
Tritcale
It's got all the goodness of those minerals in oats, plus it helps boost circulation and increases cell production which is super beneficial for the whole body including the skin.
Spelt
Rich in minerals like phosphorous, zinc, magnesium and iron and vitamin B3. Zinc is particularly important because it helps heal skin from inflammation and works as an antioxidant. It also helps prevent acne.
Barley
Has a load of selenium in it, which is great for skin elasticity and also has a bunch of B vitamins in it to help with hair growth.
Chia seeds
Rich in Omega-3s and anti-oxidants, chia seeds help to plump skin from the inside, reduce inflammation and dryness and increase circulation.
Sunflower seeds
These are full of vitamin E (one tablespoon provides 90% of your RDI) which is incredibly anti-inflammatory, helping reduce skin conditions like eczema, acne and psoriasis. Plus minerals like selenium, magnesium and copper.
Pumpkin seeds
Contain caretenoids plus vitamins A and C to build collagen and they have lots of fatty acids which our skin needs to stave off dryness.
Cinnamon
It totally satisfies your sweet tooth, plus It's anti-microbial and anti-fungal meaning it will fight off bacteria and skin infections, keeping skin healthy.
Coconut flakes
These add an excellent crunch and taste to muesli and a high content of monolaurin and lauric acid help kill bacteria and fungi.
Blueberries
The ultimate fruit, I use these whenever I can get them because they pack the perfect flavour punch but also their high antioxidant levels protect against free radicals from damaging skin and they also have zinc and iron plus they help to balance hormones so if you break out at that time of the month, up your blueberry intake!
All this spells d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s by the way. Just get the balance right.
After breakfast, smooth our natural body + hair oil on skin, it's a multi-use oil so you can even use it on dry bits on your face for a dry spot treatment. You will feel and smell incredible.