These foods will help you lose weight, get glowing skin and feel seriously good every day!

From exercise that promotes glowing skin and a mood-boosting endorphin rush as well as layering on your sunscreen daily, there are daily choices and actions we can take to keep ourselves looking and feeling good for longer. One of these is what we eat every day. Read on for some amazing foods and ingredients that you can incorporate into your diet for a feel good boost daily, plus seriously amazing, positive long term effects. 

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Dark green veggies

Broccoli, kale (yep, kailan can count) and spinach are all examples of chlorophyll-rich greens that are amazing for you. To keep their nutritious benefits intact, steaming is the best and healthiest way to eat them. They have a vast variety of vitamins and minerals to keep you feeling good, my hairdresser told me that broccoli in particular is amazing (along with avocado) for keeping your hair as thick and healthy as possible, a great tip if you find Singapore’s harsh water causes your hair to fall out a lot!

Coconut everything

Yes, coconut oil is one of life’s greatest elixirs, as we’ve elucidated here and here. One of its greatest benefits is that it speeds up the metabolism, which means it will help you to burn those calories more efficiently, even when you’re not working out! For this reason, it’s great to get it in early in the morning, one or two tablespoons a day is great. We love mixing ours in with our morning soy matcha latte or coffee, it gives everything a creamy texture and a nutty sweetness, what’s not to love? 

Added bonuses include it acting as a natural sunscreen when you apply a thin layer to your skin, and also being antimicrobial to help fight viruses, bacteria and skin issues such as eczema. One of my favourite brands is Nakula, sold at Cold Storage outlets nationwide.

Raw cacao

When you’re craving something sweet, cocoa is the go-to, often found in a less pure form in milk chocolate. Whilst I love my creamy chocolate as much as anyone, I agree with the Aztec’s who regarded cacao in its purest form as a sacred food. It is magnesium-rich, which is why you often have chocolate cravings before or during your period when your iron and magnesium levels have dropped, and contains a multitude of vitamins from B to zinc that your body needs for healthy development. Reach for cacao nibs when you next get that familiar craving, the antioxidants present will help stave off fine lines and wrinkles, so now chocolate (in its purer forms) can really be considered good for you! Try Redmart or Lazada for affordable brands that deliver to Singapore. 

Avocados

Another beloved beautifying diet staple, it’s used in everything from DIY face masks to yummy smoothies. I personally love mine on wholegrain toast for a low GI snack that will cause less peaks and troughs in your energy levels throughout the day, which in turn means you’ll be less inclined to reach for that chocolate bar that you have in your desk stash. The mono-unsaturated fat present in avocados will naturally lower your body’s cholesterol levels to  and the good fats increase mental focus. As if all that wasn’t enough, the antioxidants they contain will reverse the signs of aging!

Chia seeds

The superfood of all superfoods, chia seeds are the dynamic multi-taskers that can be added to pretty much anything to help you get a daily dose of protein, fibre, antioxidants and Omega 3s. All this means they help you to burn fat faster, keep you fuller and more energetic for longer and keep your skin looking glowing and beautiful. I love making a chia seed pudding for a delicious breakfast or dessert! Soak the chia seeds for 15 minutes (or overnight for an on-the-go brekkie) in soy or almond milk, then mix in oats, a tablespoon of honey, two tablespoons of coconut oil and chopped bananas and blueberries sprinkled on top. It makes for a power meal to start every day right!

See here for more superfoods that you can easily incorporate into your diet!