Dousing skin with a radiant sheen is a desire of all women, especially brides-to-be. And there isn’t one formula that helps achieve the same, it’s a culmination of many tried-and-tested formulas. Think 8 hours of sleep, eating foods that give a lit-from-within skin, using products that hydrate, and an important one of all, mindfulness and meditation.
It’s a given: beauty, in terms of clear, glowing skin is more of an inside affair. Not just your diet or the foods you eat, but also your mind and the thoughts you think. While healthy, local foods can help with the former, mindfulness and meditation are the reinforcements for the latter.[1] And a combination of both, termed mindful eating, is like the ultimate tool to achieve the skin of your dreams.
“Mindfulness is all about being aware of the present moment, focus on your breath, and experience and letting go of any emotions and senses as they surface,” says Delhi-based clinical dietician, mindful eating advocate, and our expert for this blog, Mansi Arya. “Being mindful while eating, and in general life, makes you pick healthy, nutritious foods that promote better skin and cut the crap – sugar, processed foods, and aerated drinks,” she adds. Here are 5 steps she recommends to incorporate mindful eating into your bridal routine.
5 Tips For Mindful Eating
#1 Engage The Senses:
When was the last time you appreciated the food on your table and truly savored its taste? Often, we just eat in a hurry or as a result of an emotion. Mindfulness calls for savoring the taste, aroma, and texture of your meal. This voids mindless eating and serves as a vital step to consume more foods that your body loves and craves.
#2 Eat Without Distractions:
Mindful eating requires eliminating internal and external distractions during your meals. Keep down your phone and switch off the screens when you’re eating. In doing so, we change the food consumption pattern to what fits our body, not what’s prescribed by social media body images.
#3 Don’t Let Emotions Drive Your Food Choices:
This will be hard, but necessary. We often find comfort in food to deal with negative emotions in our life. And that’s okay, to a certain level. But often we surpass that healthy level and indulge in mindless eating again and again. Best way to break this cycle? Address that emotion before reaching out for food. Write it down, feel it, talk about it to a friend, and healthily let it go.
#4 Listen To Your Body:
It takes 20-minutes for our brain to receive a signal from our stomach that we’re full. And, not so surprisingly, much of our overeating happens during this time frame. Practicing mindfulness while eating makes us more aware of how much food our body needs, helping us to stop eating without waiting for the extra 20 minutes.
#5 Chew Thoroughly:
This step is like a driver of all that’s mentioned above. When you chew thoroughly, you’re able to savor the flavors, listen to your mind and give your body time to experience the satiety of the food. As a thumb rule, chew every bite 20 to 40 times before taking in the next one.
P.S. To read more on how mindfulness can improve the dermatological quality of life, see these sources:
- What A Month Of Meditation Did For My Skin
- Mindfulness Lead To Healthy, Younger Looking Skin
- It’s Written All Over Your Face
Best Indian Foods For Glowing Skin
Vocal for local: a statement that should hold true for food on your table as much as it does for the clothes in your wardrobe. Local foods benefit your health, are fresher, economical, supports the environment, farmers…and the list goes on. Next time, savor your jamun, falsa, and ber as much you savor the exotic blueberries, goji berries, and avocados. On that note, we asked Mansi to recommend the best Indian, locally available foods to consume for glowing skin, and her recommendations are listed below:
Kidney Bean Salad:
A kidney bean salad made with delectable Indian spices is an amazing dish for brides-to-be. “Kidney beans are one of the richest sources of plant protein and contains a number of nutrients like iron, folate, manganese, copper, magnesium, etc. Its rich iron content activates the B-vitamins and boosts blood flow to impart radiance to the skin from within.” shares Mansi.
A kidney bean salad makes for a great lunch or brunch option. “You can also pack it and eat during your shopping spree,” she adds. Moreover, rajma’s unique combination of protein and fiber may aid in weight loss. Mansi routinely recommends it to her clients who are on a shedding diet and wants to tone their body.
Coconut Water:
While you probably already love the refreshing coconut water, they’re also a beauty food, as they are loaded with cytokinins, a well-known anti-aging agent. Coconut water also hydrates your skin from the inside. Further, it’s infused with other skin-loving vitamins and minerals like potassium and magnesium which work to combat lackluster complexions.
Mansi recommends adding coconut water to your daily diet plan, either alone or in your smoothies. For anyone used to drinking beverages high in sugar and caffeine, coconut water is a nice alternative. Aside from glowing skin, the drink is anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory – so works to decrease the incidence of acne as well.
Kahwa | Kashmiri Tea
Image Via The Whisk Affair
India is blessed with plenty of cuisines and each one has something exceptional to offer. As for the valley of Kashmir, it’s their nourishing and appetizing tea, Kahwa. Made with seven glow-booster ingredients, namely green tea, cinnamon, cardamom, dried rose petals, cloves, saffron, and almonds, it’s THE beverage to include in your bridal diet.
Mansi further points out that, “a kahwa tea is not only good for dry and pale skin but also is a stress-buster and immune-builder. Therefore, I advise my clients to include it in their diet, especially during winters.” She adds though that it’s best to consume it in moderation during summers, as the ingredients produce heat in the body. Last but not the least, Kahwa also helps in burning fat; that’s why people in Kashmir consume it after meals.
Related: Yoga Poses To Put You In A Better Mood
Gourd Raita
Ayurveda emphasizes judging the quality of food by its after-effects and not while you’re eating it. So, a gourd tastes bland but would make you feel light, energized, and full after. And when a portion of food makes you feel good inside, it will show up on the outside too. Moreover, bottle gourds packs quite a punch.
“The vegetable is high in water content so it moisturizes the skin. When you have it with curd, you promote gut health and as a result, the body’s ability to absorb vitamins and minerals,” says Arya. Prolonged poor gut health leads to pigmented skin, so gourd raita tackles the most common skin problems at one go. What’s more, it’s quite easy to make. Just add boiled lauki to seasoned raita, that’s it.
Beetroot Chapati
“Blood purification is the key to clear skin,” says Mansi “and beets’ nitrate content helps with the same.” It also ensures proper oxygen flow throughout the body and stimulates red blood cell production, supporting glowing skin from within. The other combination of minerals stimulates cell repair and production, protecting skin from acne scars, tanned skin, and premature wrinkles.
While it’s generally recommended to have freshly squeezed beet juice in the morning, Mansi has yet another desi beet recipe for us. “Add the root vegetable puree to your roti dough and combine with a green vegetable for a further health boost,” she advises. Lunch plans for tomorrow, and after, looks sorted for me.
Tomato Soup:
Adding these lycopene-rich bright veggies into your diet can actually combat dull complexion. Lycopene is a known antioxidant that helps prevent skin photodamage, lightens scars and tan, and fosters collagen production in the skin.[2] Besides lycopene, tomatoes also contain Vitamin A, C, beta-carotene, and iron, all nutrients that aid succulent, elastic, and lit skin from within.
Along with munching on it raw, Mansi also advises indulging in warm tomato soup from time to time. “Boil 3 to 4 tomatoes, blend and sieve them, add some salt and black pepper, reheat till you see bubbles and that’s it. I also add a piece of beet while boiling for added benefit,” she says, “and it tastes incredible.”
Also See: Foods To Start Eating If You Want To Fire Up Your Metabolism
Seasonal Fruits
Not groundbreaking advice to have fruits for glowing skin, but it deserves a mention on every list that advocates the same. Brides-to-be, make fruits, seasonal fruits, in particular, a part of your everyday diet. Fruits are rich in antioxidants, Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and other minerals that work to neutralize cell tissue-damaging free radicals that cause the dreaded dulling effect on facial skin.
Within this general recommendation, Mansi endorses (and we stand) consumption of seasonal fruits in particular. Why? Seasonal fruits contain all the nutrients we need in that particular season. She also points don’t fall for superfoods in the fruit category. “All fruits are skin-nourishing and help with the growth and repair of skin. As the big day nears, consume a variety of fruits on a daily basis,” she adds.
[1] https://bdng.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/DN-153-32-35-Mindfulness.pdf
