1-Month Bridal Diet For Glowing Skin
By Kayley George, RDN, LD
Everyone’s been through it. Your skin is looking great for a few days and then you wake up the day of an important event and…. what is that on your face!? A blemish?
Yeah, you know the feeling. If you want that beautiful glow for your big day, keep reading to find out how to use a 1-month bridal diet for glowing skin.
What Does Glowing Skin Mean?
We all feel more confident when our skin is clear and healthy. You walk a little taller, you speak a little more assertively.
On the flip side, you know how a few blemishes can make you shy away from the outside. Just like health isn’t the absence of disease, glowing skin isn’t the absence of blemishes.
It’s much more than that. Truly glowing skin is a healthy, soft, even complexion that you feel confident about.
Can I Get Glowing Skin by Changing my Pre-Bridal Diet?
Food is your body’s fuel and skin is your body’s biggest organ, so it would make sense that they affect each other. The condition of your skin is an outward reflection of your overall diet and health.
Some acne is caused by external skin regimens, such as harsh makeup or toxic products, but most of the time it’s a result of what you choose to put in your body. You may be familiar with one of the most prominent proteins in your body, collagen.
This protein is a major player with your skin, nails, and hair. The foods you consume affect the production of this protein, not to mention other vitamins and minerals that directly affect the health of your skin.
Here’s the unavoidable reality: Bad eating means bad skin.
Why Do Brides Want Glowing Skin?
Our society deems glowing skin as small pores and smooth complexion. But, glowing skin is defined differently for each person.
Glowing skin is the skin that makes you feel most comfortable and confident. There is an added layer of pressure to have flawless skin for your wedding day, but don’t let that add undue stress to your plate.
If you’ve been neglecting your skincare regimen, now might be a good time to make some changes. But don’t feel pressured to purchase expensive facials or products for the sake of one day.
If you want to splurge a little for your skin, buy some wild caught seafood fresh produce from the farmer’s market. Plus, you’re already paying for beautiful wedding-day makeup that will have enough coverage for any last-minute blemishes!
How Long Does It Take To Get Glowing Skin?
Just like anything in life, it takes time to see the fruit of your labor. Your skin is no different.
Although there are plenty of products that claim to work miracles overnight (think of those pimple patches), there’s no quick fix to healthy skin when you approach it from the inside out. As a rule of thumb, you should expect about a 1-month timeframe before you see noticeable, lasting changes to your complexion.
The facial skin cells regenerate every 27 days so it’s best to tackle your skin regimen earlier rather than later.
Foods That Will Give You Glowing Skin in 1-Month
You are probably wondering what foods you should be eating on a bridal diet for glowing skin. Here are the top six superfoods to consume for radiant skin in order to target healthy hair, skin, and nails.
Omega-3 Fatty Acids
This includes chia seeds, fish, nuts, vegetable oils, and spinach. These foods can reduce inflammation in the body as well as keep your skin from drying up.
Eating omega-3 fatty acids will ensure that your skin is moisturized and smooth. In addition to benefiting your skin, omega-3s have an endless amount of benefits like promoting brain function, improving bone and joint health, and helping with depression and anxiety.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is a fat-soluble essential vitamin for resilient, youthful skin. Thanks to its fat-soluble properties, vitamin E is absorbed directly into the skin which allows it to quickly start healing acne and other scars.
Vitamin E rich foods include nuts, avocados, sunflower seeds, broccoli, and eggs. These superfoods will help protect your cell membranes from UV damage or other toxins.
Because of its versatile defense mechanisms, vitamin E is commonly found in many skincare serums and other anti-aging products. For adequate consumption, you should aim to consume around 15mg per day, either from whole food or supplement sources.
It’s important to note that UV lights and sun exposure will reduce your vitamin E levels, along with age, so make sure you keep your intake up.
Proteins
Getting enough protein is essential, period. Protein is one of our 3 major macronutrients, accompanied by carbs and fat.
An overall rule is that 20-30% of your calories should come from whole protein sources. You can tackle your protein goal with sources like fish (around 21g), chicken (around 29g), legumes (around 8g), eggs (around 12g), or nuts and seeds (around 15g).
Protein repairs your tissue, while also encouraging the formation of new tissue so that your skin is healthy and refreshed.
Hydration
Water is the miracle cure-all when it comes to anything health-related. Imagine your body being a car and water being your oil.
In order to keep your car functioning, you need oil. Water will flush out your system of any toxins and unwanted bloating.
Hitting your water goals will balance your pH levels, and your skin will show off the results. Drinking at least half of your weight in ounces every day will leave your skin glowing and your body functioning like a well-oiled machine.
Antioxidants
Antioxidant-rich food is an essential part of your diet, especially for your skin. Teas, dark chocolate, herbs, and spices are all great antioxidants to boost your glow.
Antioxidants reduce the free radical production in your body. In simpler terms, they protect your skin from damage, plus reduce wrinkles and pigmentation.
Collagen
Collagen is having a huge moment right now, mostly because people are realizing the wonders it works for your skin and body. Acting as a major building block for your connective tissue, it helps strengthen your skin and protect against fine lines and wrinkles.
Consuming collagen has also been shown to improve the hydration and elasticity of the skin. Collagen is most popular in a protein-powder form that can be mixed into drinks or other liquid-based dishes.
Note that there is no vegan collagen available since it’s derived from animal gelatin. If you’re on a plant-based diet, don’t fear!
Vegetarians and vegans can still boost collagen production in their bodies by eating vitamin C and copper-rich foods, like bell peppers, citrus fruits, and dark chocolate.
What Foods Should I Avoid to Achieve a Bridal Diet For Glowing Skin?
It’s important to understand the concept of inputs and outputs when it comes to a skincare diet. In other words, you want to think about both foods to avoid and foods to incorporate.
It’s easy to get stuck on one side of the equation rather than tackling both sides of the formula. Here are the three general categories of trigger foods that will leave your skin looking less than desirable come wedding day.
Greasy Foods
Greasy foods tend to leave the complexion a little rough. The oils in your food can affect certain hormone production that causes oily build-up in your glands, which in turn produces more acne on your skin.
Greasy food on your plate translates to greasy oils on your face.
Sugars & Sweeteners
Sweeteners also have an effect on the health of your skin. Things like sugar and syrup can up the production of acne-causing hormones in your body.
Despite causing a breakout or two, sweeteners will leave you feeling bloated and overall just fatigued. Healthy blood sugar balance is key for healthy skin and a healthy metabolism.
Limit refined sugars and grains that feed the bad bacteria in your gut and send you into a sugar coma. High blood sugar also blocks the absorption of key nutrients for your skin’s building blocks like vitamin E and vitamin A.
Dairy Foods
Dairy products are one of the most well-known acne-causing foods, but we don't have any research to suggest why. Studies have demonstrated that dairy raises your insulin levels, which in turn promotes acne.
These studies suggest that dairy-free diets tend to leave the skin clearer, with a healthier glow.
Bridal Diet Chart & Meal Plan For Glowing Skin in 1 Month
If you’re ready to take action, here are some of my three favorite recipes for clearer skin that you can incorporate into a bridal meal plan for glowing skin.
Beauty Food Salad from McKel Hill
Ingredients:
2 cups spinach
½ to 1 cup cooked quinoa
2 tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds
¼ cup hemp seeds
½ cup to 1 cup blueberries
Juice of two lemons
½ medium avocado
1 tablespoon raw apple cider vinegar
1 to 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
Directions:
In a large mixing bowl, combine the well-rinsed spinach with the cooked quinoa, pumpkin seeds, hemp seeds, and blueberries.
The next two recipes are from Dr. Perricone’s anti-inflammatory recipes.
Curried Butternut Squash and Coconut Bisque
Ingredients:
½ cup toasted coconut for garnish
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium organic yellow onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon allspice
4 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
2 ½ cups organic vegetable or chicken broth
1 cup coconut milk
Zest of 1 lime
Sea salt and pepper
½ cup chopped cilantro, for garnish
Directions:
Heat a skillet over medium-high heat, and toast the coconut lightly. Remove from pan, and set aside.
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions and garlic, and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes.
Stir in the curry powder and spices, and cook for another minute. Add the butternut squash and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 25 minutes, or until the squash is tender, stirring occasionally.
Work in batches to puree the soup in a blender until smooth. Return the soup to the pot. Stir in coconut milk and lime zest. Add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with coconut and cilantro.
Salmon Burgers on Baby Greens
Ingredients:
1 14.75-ounce can of wild Alaskan salmon
3 scallions, minced
1 tablespoon finely grated, peeled, fresh ginger
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cups baby greens
Directions:
Drain the salmon, and stir together with the scallions and ginger in a large glass or ceramic bowl.
Beat together the egg white and soy sauce in a small bowl. Stir into the salmon mixture. Form the mix into 4 ½-inch-thick patties.
Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the patties and cook, carefully turning once halfway through, until golden brown and cooked through. It should take approximately 6 to 7 minutes.
Arrange ½ cup of greens on each plate. Place the burgers on the greens, and serve immediately.
Need more bridal diet for glowing skin ideas? We have all sorts of freebies for brides, but for glowing skin you should grab the 1-week clean eating diet chart and plan and you can also check out our other FREE meal prep guides and bridal weight loss guides too.
Wedding Day Diet & Other Tips for Glowing Skin
On top of consuming these essential nutrients, don’t forget to cleanse your skin regularly and exfoliate when needed. Take advantage of serums with plenty of vitamin C in them - one of the secret ingredients to brightening your skin.
Mixing a good skincare routine with some of these superfoods is a natural way to get that wedding day glow. After you finish your evening skincare routine, go get some quality sleep and your skin will thank you for it.
The idea of “beauty sleep” isn’t just a colloquial saying. One study found that people who slept 7-9 hours a night had skin that was more moisturized and that was more resilient after being exposed to ultraviolet light compared to those who slept five hours or less.
Sleep deprivation also causes a decrease in blood flow to the skin surrounding your face, leaving the skin dry and flaky. Just remember your body is hard at work to rejuvenate skin cells while you sleep!
Finally, finding ways to minimize stress will work wonders for your skin. We all know that chronic decades of stress can lead to wrinkles and signs of aging across your whole body.
With the chaos of your upcoming wedding day, that stress can feel inescapable. You may think you have a long to-do list, but your body is sounding off alarms from the stress.
On a physiological level, that fight-or-flight stress response can trigger an inflammatory reaction in your skin. When this happens, you’re more prone to dry skin and breakouts in the short-term.
In the long-term, high levels of our stress hormone, cortisol, will decrease collagen production leading to more wrinkles and sagging skin. So do your skin a favor and go relax.
By eating a bridal diet for glowing skin for at least 1 month, you will be radiant and confident on your wedding day!
Your skin just needs 1-month to refresh before you walk down the aisle. You’ve got this!
By removing dietary triggers, adding in some skincare superfoods, and taking time for some relaxation, you will be radiant and glowing on your wedding day. Book a FREE discovery call with Kayley today if you want added help planning for your big day!
Published on May 11, 2020 at 9:16 am