The Art of Eating for Beauty

I’m sure you have at some point in your life heard the saying: “you are what you eat.” If you truly take that statement to heart you realize that with every meal you have the opportunity to reinvent yourself; the nourishment you choose can either fuel your body or leave you feeling and looking like you’re running on empty. When considering optimal health, we have to think about food for the mind, body, and spirit. We all want to feel beautiful or appreciated for the uniqueness that we are but beauty is much deeper than a pretty face. True beauty could be considered the fullest most energetic expression of one’s soul. Below are some simple ways you can step into your true beauty and fill yourself up with spiritual and physical nourishment. -XoXo Raw Girl 

Eat Whole, Unprocessed Foods. If you are what you eat do you want to look like a stale bag of salt encrusted potato chips? Or would you prefer to radiate the energy from a fresh bowl of organic leafy greens? Sounds like an easy choice, but sometimes our taste buds get the better of us. Nowadays it is more important than ever to know that what you are eating is actually food, because the majority of packaged and to-go meals out there are full of chemicals, preservatives, harmful additives, or even hormones. Consuming these toxins does not only diminishes your outward appearance, it also has a direct effect on your emotional stability and joie de vivre.

Get Your Beauty Vitamins In. Food is one of the most powerful tools we have at our disposal to alter our physical body, increase our magnetism, and boost our overall sexy factor. As David Wolfe so eloquently sums up in his book “Eating for Beauty,” there are a number of nutrients that are essential for maintaining and cultivating an attractive appearance including vitamin A, C, E, silicon, sulfur, and zinc. In addition to these you’ll want to make sure you get enough magnesium, manganese, iron, and B vitamins which are all essential for the proper functioning of metabolic pathways that convert our food into energy.

Embrace Silence. Meditation, in whatever form you choose to practice, is the ultimate food for the soul. Not only is meditation a stress reliever, it can actually boost your mental performance. Research conducted at the University of California, Santa Barbara found that college students trained in mindfulness performed better on verbal reasoning sections on the GRE and also had improvements in retention of material. The outcome of the study suggests that mindfulness improves overall cognitive function. In addition meditation helps to balance out emotions and moodiness, and has been shown in numerous studies to reduce the risk of depression.

Do Yoga. Not only is yoga is healing modality that can help release bodily toxins, improve flexibility, boost your immune system, and improve blood circulation, it is another incredible way to give your soul the food it needs. On your mat as your learn to focus, breathe, and move through challenges without letting your mental chatter get in your way, you slowly but surely free yourself up to be the fiercest most beautiful version of you, outside in the real world.

Pursue Your Purpose. When someone contracts a serious illness or chronic disease, they expect their doctor to prescribe medication, and if their lucky some lifestyle changes. Often times in addition to those recommendations, the best prescription is to simply find what you love and do it daily. It is far too common to find ourselves living a life that is not our own and neglecting our true passions and calling. To be the best, healthiest version of you, find what it is that makes your heart sing and do it NOW. Not next week, ten years from now, when you have more money etc. When you love what you do and are walking in your purpose you will be happy, and a good dose of happy is an essential ingredient for optimal health.

Want to get your vegan glow on just in time for spring? The 7 Days of Raw challenge begins on March 1st! Like the Facebook Page for details and updates.