Today's blog post features a guest recipe from fellow Nutritional Therapy Practitioner and real foodie, Jean Choi of What Great Grandma Ate. 

Hello, Rebelle Nutrition readers! It’s so nice to meet you all, and I couldn’t be more excited to talk about my favorite topics: skin care and nutrition.

A long, long time ago, back when I had zero interest in how the food we eat affects our health, I was going through various issues that I chose to ignore, like bloating, indigestion, and cramps, as well as dry skin and acne. Little did I know that the processed junk, bread, alcohol, and sugar I was eating were the cause to all those problems! It didn’t help that I was using standard drug store makeup and skincare products that contained toxins and hormone disruptors, creating even more inflammation in my body.

Fast forward to now, and with all my digestive and skin issues gone, I finally realize how much the food we eat impacts both our inner and outer health. I learned that gluten, dairy, and sugar were causing the discomfort I was feeling and the frustrating pimples that would pop up all the time on my face and back.

Our skin health reflects our inner health, and the quicker we realize this and take appropriate steps to nourish our bodies with healthy, whole foods; the faster our skin will respond and improve. By switching to quality meats, vegetables, and non-toxic skin care products, I started seeing drastic improvements in my health and skin.

Today, to give a snippet of what I like to eat for my skin health, I want to share with you a simple and delicious recipe that I like to call Love-Your-Skin Salad, because it contains all the ingredients to nourish you from inside out. Healthy food doesn’t have to be boring and this salad is proof of that! Let’s break down the amazing nutrient-dense ingredients and the benefits they provide for our skin:

Sweet potato. Chock full of vitamin C, sweet potatoes stimulate the production of collagen which help reduce wrinkles.

Chicken. Chicken contains a high amount selenium, which acts like an antioxidant in the body to protect against skin damage from the sun and environmental toxins.

Ghee, avocado oil, avocado, and extra virgin olive oil. We need healthy and nutritious fats like these in our diet to keep our skin moisturized and supple. It’s best to avoid hydrogenated and trans fats, which will further damage our health and skin, but healthy fats like these help to bring down the inflammation in our body. I think of them as a way to “eat your moisturizer!”

Kale. Dark leafy greens like kale are rich in vitamin C to reduce wrinkles, vitamin A to promote healthy cell growth, including in our skin, and vitamin K to improve skin tone!

Pumpkin seeds. Pumpkin seeds are extremely high in zinc, which plays an important role in protecting cell membranes, maintaining collagen, and promoting skin renewal!

Pomegranate seeds. A great source of vitamin C, pomegranate seeds help strengthen the skin and keep it looking youthful.

Garlic. Garlic is high in allicin, which is antifungal and antiaging. It also has skin smoothing benefits and increases antioxidant levels in the body!

Lemon juice. Another food packed with vitamin C and antioxidants! Lemon juice is also amazing for detoxification and improving circulation. I incorporate it in my water everyday!

Hope you enjoy this nourishing Love-Your-Skin salad. 

Ingredients:

½ sweet potato, cubed

4-5 oz boneless chicken breast or thigh

1 tbsp + 2 tsp ghee or avocado oil

2 cups chopped kale leaves, stems removed

1 garlic clove, minced

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

2 tbsps raw pumpkin seeds

¼ avocado, sliced thinly

2 tbsp pomegranate seeds

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Juice of ¼ lemon

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Coat and massage the sweet potato cubes with 1 tsp of ghee or avocado oil.

Generously sprinkle the sweet potato and the chicken with salt and pepper. Place both on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake for 25 minutes, flipping them halfway through. Cut the chicken into thin slices once finished.

While the sweet potato and the chicken are baking, heat 1 tbsp of ghee or avocado oil in a skillet over medium heat.

Add kale, garlic, and balsamic vinegar, and saute until the kale leaves are dark green and soft.

Remove from skillet and transfer to a serving plate.

Heat 1 tsp of ghee or avocado oil in the same skillet. Add pumpkin seeds and cook for 5 minutes while stirring constantly, until puffed and golden.

Add toasted pumpkin seeds, sweet potato cubes, and chicken on top of the kale.

Top with avocado slices and pomegranate seeds, and drizzle everything with olive oil and lemon juice.

Serve warm.

Want more skin tips? 

Jean Choi is a Nutritional Therapy Practitioner, sugar detox coach, and the Owner and Founder of What Great Grandma Ate. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her fiancé and 2 dogs. As a former sugar addict who found true health by switching to real, whole foods, she is a strong believer that the food you love should love you back! She loves cooking, photography, and traveling, and her biggest passion is to help others discover that healthy home cooking can be fun and easy. Follow her recipes and adventures on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.