Welcome to Beauty Is Wellness, a new column about the link between nutrition, lifestyle and beauty based on my health coaching practice of the same name. I’m thrilled to share information about my favorite beauty foods, original recipes for beautiful skin, hair and nails and nutritional tips for beautifying from the inside out. If you have specific questions about the beauty and nutrition connection that you’d like to have answered in this column, contact me at jolene@beautyiswellness.com.
Beauty Is Wellness: Aromatherapy Beauty Foods
The story is familiar: you kick coffee (or cut way back) in an effort to get off the caffeine rollercoaster, reduce adrenal fatigue and boost the quality of your beauty sleep. Things are going okay until you pass Starbucks and get a whiff of dark roast. THAT. SMELL. Like a fuel injection for your brain, it snaps your mind awake and puts pep in your step. It’s a Monday morning miracle-worker.
You must have coffee!
Hold it. You don’t need to be a slave to coffee because it gives you an aromatherapy wake-up call. Plenty of other powerful, beautifying ingredients create a sensory kick when their aroma hits your nostrils. Take warming cinnamon. Bold rosemary. Bright peppermint. The savory smell of sautéing garlic and onions. These scents activate an energizing signal in your mind and, as a bonus, give an antioxidant boost to your skin.
On sleepy mornings, there is one aromatherapy beauty food that beats them all: citrus. Whether you opt for lemon, orange, grapefruit or clementine, you can’t peel a citrus fruit without feeling a little refreshed. The high vitamin C content in citrus is essential for healthy collagen, and their bioflavonoids promote healthy blood vessels, which carry beauty nutrition to your scalp and skin. Why not use their mood-lifting essential oils to wake up your mind as well?
For an eye-opening beauty breakfast that rivals any cup of joe, try my Ginger Grapefruit Chia Seed Pudding. This energizing breakfast combines the wake-up power of ginger and fresh grapefruit to rev you up for the day ahead. It will also fill you with anti-inflammatory omega-3s. Grapefruit oil is used in aromatherapy treatments to combat fatigue, hangover and headaches. The scent of grapefruit is energizing and uplifting, and it promotes happiness, confidence and stress relief. Can your coffee do that?
Ginger Grapefruit Chia Pudding
It’s best to throw together your pudding ingredients the night before to achieve a thick pudding texture. Then peel and cut your grapefruit sections and add them to the pudding in the morning, when you need a citrus aromatherapy boost.
Single Serving:
1/2 organic grapefruit
2 tbsp chia seeds
1/8 tsp maca
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
unsweetened coconut flakes
In a small bowl, combine chia seeds, maca, ginger and almond milk. Let pudding thicken at least 15 minutes in the refrigerator (though overnight is best). Peel grapefruit and cut each section into bite-sized chunks. Toss grapefruit chunks with thickened pudding and serve with a sprinkle of coconut flakes.
For more beauty nutrition news and recipes, check out beautyiswellness.com.
Text, recipes and images ©2013 Jolene Hart. All rights reserved.
BIO:
Jolene Hart, CHC, AADP is a Philadelphia-based writer and founder of Beauty Is Wellness, a natural beauty and health coaching practice. She teaches women to use nutrition and lifestyle choices to look and feel their best from the inside out.