The new best friends of beauty don’t come from a tube (or a pill, or an infomercial, or the, er, “special doctor”). The beauty boost you’ve been looking for comes straight from the kitchen! A radiant exterior starts with a well-nourished body, and while there are many foods that offer beautifying benefits, nutrient-dense superfoods are ideal for getting that long-term glow. Add these 5 extraordinary foods to your diet for the healthiest (and most delicious!) beauty upgrade ever:

Hemp Seeds
Among their many benefits, hemp seeds are an exceptionally rich source of essential fatty acids (EFAs). EFAs serve as a crucial element in the development of new cells by helping to compose the cell membrane itself. Because the cells that compose our body’s exterior have an especially high turnover rate, eating foods with quality EFAs influences an increase in renewed and vibrant skin, hair, nails, etc. Hemp seeds also supply a good source of Vitamin E, the famous beauty nutrient known for its natural moisturizing and anti-aging qualities.
Try them in: Hemp Hummus

Wheatgrass Juice or Powder
Being a potent natural source of chlorophyll (the green “blood” of plants), wheatgrass is profoundly alkaline. This quality means wheatgrass assists in increasing circulation, promotes detoxification of impurities, neutralizes acids and toxins, and at the same time replenishes cells with essential minerals. While all this beneficial activity builds a clean body internally, these perks also translate to vibrant, lustrous skin and bright, clear eyes.
Try it in: Green Energy Bars

Berries
Nutrient-dense berries such as strawberries, blackberries, goji berries, or acai berries share a common benefit: concentrated antioxidants. Antioxidants help fight free radicals in the body, thus providing defense against cellular oxidation (disease and aging). Consistent consumption of high antioxidant foods can delay signs of aging by keeping the body’s cell structure strong on both the inside and out. Eating these “superberries” can be especially helpful in preventing the acceleration of skin damage (like wrinkles!), as well as delaying (even reversing, according to some reports) graying hair.
Try them in: Indigo Granita Dessert

Camu Camu
As the world’s highest known source of Vitamin C, camu berries are a standout superfood in a beautifying diet. Vitamin C plays a crucial role in beauty because in addition to contributing to tissue growth, this nutrient is also essential for the formation of collagen – a protein responsible for giving skin its elastic quality (among many other things!). Plus, being an antioxidant in and of itself, Vitamin C is another premium tool in the anti-aging arsenal. Consuming vitamin C in a natural, whole food form like camu (as opposed to a synthetic vitamin pill) ensures this helpful nutrient is digested and assimilated by the body to the fullest extent.
Try it in: Camu Berry Lemonade, from Superfood Cuisine: Cooking With Nature’s Most Amazing Foods

Coconut Oil
Granted, coconut oil may not be a superfood per se, but its incredible benefits earn it a paramount position in the natural beauty regimen. When enjoyed as a food, coconut oil makes a nutritious cooking oil full of energy-giving medium chain fatty acids that are easily (and deliciously) used in place of harmful fats. Used externally, coconut oil serves as nature’s premier moisturizing lotion – an ideal remedy for dry or wrinkled skin. Rubbed on the body or face, the smooth oil is easily absorbed, softens the skin, and provides an instant radiance.
Try it in: Heavenly Baked Delecata Squash

These foods can be sourced at natural food stores, through various web-based retailers, or through my online shop.

Green Mango Dessert Smoothie

Is it a smoothie or is it a dessert? The Vega Sport Protein Powder with its 20 grams of protein, high quality ingredients, and a smooth viscosity pretty much rocks in this recipe, but another vanilla hemp or rice protein will work too. You can increase protein powder to two servings and add a little extra water for a more traditional smoothie result and less of a dessert.

2 heaping cups frozen mango chunks
1/2 cup hemp milk
1/2 cup water
1 scoop vanilla flavored Vega Sport Protein Powder
touch of white stevia, to taste (optional)
2 Tbsp shredded coconut (optional)

Blend mangos, hemp milk, water, and protein powder together in a blender until completely smooth. If desired, boost sweetness with a touch of stevia, to taste, and blend again. Serve in a bowl and top with shredded coconut. Serves 2.

Healthy benefits: High protein, low sugar, gluten-free, fiber, chlorophyll

But the rainy season really puts a (pardon the pun) damper on the usual breakfast plan. With the air so damp and chilly, cold foods seem completely inhospitable. Counter-top ripened bananas are a maybe, and hot tea of course is nice, but I crave the heavier, denser, sweetly satisfying foods. I want something prepared that I don’t have to think about: grab-and-go style. I want . . . a breakfast bar.

Good-choice breakfast bars have a combination of instant energy-providing simple sugars, complex carbohydrates for more lasting energy, and a bit of healthy fat to further smooth over the morning hungries. They are also potentially the perfect canvas for a beautiful collection of natural ingredients. Of course, many store-bought breakfast bars are laden with refined white sugar, refined grains, and probably a little more white sugar to, I don’t know, be on the safe side I guess. That’s why I like to make my own. I make a big batch, cut and wrap them up, and then I’ve got my go-to breakfast all week. One hour spent for a whole week’s worth of easy goodness.

Try a batch of these crave-worthy soft squares — my Lemon Coconut Breakfast Bars — and tell me your morning doesn’t get going just a little bit better.

Lemon Coconut Breakfast Bars

Not too sweet, these one-layer moist lemon bars are an excellent grab-and-go energy snack at any time of the day.

Ingredients:
1½ Tbsp chia seeds
3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 cup oat flour
½ tsp baking powder
pinch sea salt
¾ cup + 2 Tbsp shredded dried coconut, divided
2 Tbsp lemon zest
2 Tbsp coconut oil, melted
2 Tbsp applesauce
¼ cup maple syrup or agave nectar
½ cup packed soft medjool or honey dates, pitted (about 8-9)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Grease a 8×8” baking pan.

In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice and chia seeds. Set aside for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl mix together the oat flour, baking powder, salt, and ¾ cup coconut flakes. Sprinkle in the lemon zest and mix again until distributed.

In a separate bowl, combine the coconut oil, apple sauce, and agave nectar. Mix in the soaked chia seeds. Chop the pitted medjool dates finely, and mix in with the other wet ingredients.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry, and stir until blended. Spread the mixture into the prepared baking pan, and use a spatula to flatten out the surface. Sprinkle remaining 2 Tbsp coconut on top, patting them down lightly into the mixture.
Bake for 25-28 minutes, until edges begin to turn golden brown. Cut while warm into squares. Makes 16 2”x2” squares.

The downside to my juice party is it’s easy to load up on the sugar, albeit natural. Watering down my beverages certainly helps, but to further balance some of these sugars, I’ve been adding some extra fiber and healthy omega fats to my juice concoctions in the form of chia seeds.

What they are: Chia’s a tiny seed — just slightly larger than a poppy seed — indigenous to South America. On the health food scene, chia may be relatively new in its “superfood” status. Yet these seeds have actually been revered by Mayan, Incan and Aztec cultures for thousands of years. Chia, the Mayan word for “strength,” was originally enjoyed as a staple food source right alongside corn, beans and amaranth in ancient cultures.

Why they rock: Chia seeds are considered a superfood primarily because of two nutritional properties. The first property is their extraordinary amount of fiber — just one tablespoon contains a whopping 6 grams of fiber, or 25% of the suggested RDA! Chia’s second attribute is an excellent healthy essential fatty acid (EFA) content, which is superior to the nutrition in flax because it includes antioxidants — making the fat more stable. Chia seeds are indeed among the best sources of plant-based omega 3 fatty acids – containing around 8 times more omega 3 than salmon, when comparing gram for gram. Bonus: Also tucked into this tiny super seed package is digestable protein, calcium, iron, and many other minerals.

Why they’re . . . strange: So superman may be able to fly, but leave a chia seed in liquid and in under 30 minutes it will soak up NINE times it’s weight in water. The result is a complete transformation in consistency. Each seed goes from small and crunchy, to forming a fantastic flavorless jelly-like membrane around itself that adds a delectably fun texture to foods and drinks.

How to use: Though raw chia seeds’ neutral taste makes them easy to toss into just about anything for a quick nutritional boost, most people find that making a quick chia gel is an especially rewarding way to enjoy this food. The gel base can then be turned into a simple pudding by adding soy or nutmilk, dried fruit, and a bit of sweetener. Or use a spoonful of chia gel as a nutritionally enhanced egg replacement in baking.

Where to buy: Natural food stores are hip to the chia hotness. Or you can always hook up a bag online – I like Navitas Naturals.

Favorite recipe: In Mexico, there’s a fantastic traditional drink known as “chia fresca” which uses soaked chia seeds alongside water, lemon or citrus juice, and a touch of sweetener. With all the fun little crunchy/jelly chia guys floating around, it reminds me a bit of Thai iced tea with tapioca balls in theory. To experience the true definition of delicious hydrating refreshment, try my variation of this Mexican classic: Coconut Lime Chia Fresca.