Now that we're in the middle of summer, how's your skin doing?

With higher temperatures and humidity levels, it's important that we take care of ourselves, especially our skin so that we can maintain that healthy summer glow -- both during summer and beyond! 

Getting a healthy glow can be achieved quite easily through what you eat and what you put on your skin.

While there are a variety of antioxidant-rich foods that you can include in your diet, there are also a number of foods that you can slather on your skin.

It’s like literally feeding your skin! 

Without further ado, here are five delicious foods that will invigorate your skin by:

• boosting circulation
• encouraging the shedding of dead skin cells
• promoting incredibly fresh and radiant looking skin

1) Coffee

It’s time to start saving your used coffee grounds! Why? Because coffee makes a great skin exfoliant and all around skincare ingredient.

Rich in caffeine and tannins, coffee helps to improve circulation and reduce puffiness. This is achieved because caffeine can restrict blood vessels which leads to less swelling and less inflammation.

The area under and around your eyes, which are more prone to puffiness, can certainly benefit. When applied to these areas, coffee can help to improve the appearance of puffiness. 

I’m not a coffee drinker, but I sure love feeding my skin with it!

2) Cacao 

Similar to coffee, cacao is rich in antioxidants including flavonoids and catechins, both of which have healthy aging benefits. 

Cacao can be found in raw powder form which is made by cold pressing un-roasted cacao beans. I always recommend using raw cacao because it retains many beneficial enzymes and nutrients. This is in contrast to cocoa powder which has undergone additional processing and is either heated or baked at a high temperature.

Cacao, especially in its raw form, helps to improve circulation, overall complexion, and can help reduce redness and address blemishes. 

I love using raw cacao powder as one of the main ingredients in a luscious chocolate banana facial mask.  It’s seriously the most decadent facial treat! 

3) Matcha

We’ve officially boarded the antioxidant rich train! Matcha green tea is super rich in antioxidants and chlorophyll. The main benefit of chlorophyll? It’s an extremely powerful detoxifying agent that offers much needed protection against chemicals and free radicals.

In fact, drinking matcha green tea regularly may offer sun protection because it helps to boost your body’s internal SPF. And like cacao, matcha is also rich in catechins, a type of antioxidant which slows cell aging and improves the strength of the cell membranes. Matcha contains epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) - a catechin that’s been well-researched in cancer studies.

Mix matcha green tea powder with a variety of other foods including raw honey to for a skin brightening facial treat. 

4) Yogurt

Full fat, plain organic yogurt is one of the most gentle, nourishing, and  effective exfoliants in the natural beauty world.  In fact, it's earned a reputation for being an effective skincare product because of its ability to help your skin shed its unwanted dead cells on a chemical level.

Full fat yogurt contains lactic acid, which helps to break apart the bonds of dead skin cells, literally dissolving them away after yogurt is applied. For skin that's extremely sensitive, dry or even environmentally damaged, full fat yogurt makes a great option as a chemical exfoliant to help your skin shed its unwanted cells.

I love to mix full fat organic plain yogurt with a variety of powdered herb and foods, depending on what my skin needs that day. My favorites include cacao powder, matcha green tea powder for boosting blood flow and skin brightening, or powdered chamomile for soothing redness and bringing down inflammation.

5) Papaya

We’ve got another antioxidant rich food for your face here! Papaya, especially young green papaya, is incredibly healing to the skin and can even help to lighten age spots or hyperpigmentation.

Papaya contains papain, an enzyme that helps to break apart protein of dead skin cells, thereby dissolving them. So it makes an amazing chemical exfoliant, especially when combined with full fat yogurt! This delicious tropical fruit will be sure to leave your skin looking and feeling brighter and more invigorated.

So there you have it.

Five delicious, beautifying foods you can feed you skin with.

They benefit most skin types, especially when they’re combined with other nourishing natural ingredients. Talk about having fun in the kitchen! 

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