Expert Advice: Essential Pantry Items For Glowing Skin

Behind every healthy glow is an even healthier gut.

The message is loud, wholesome, and clear: eating well and feeding your body nutritious foods sustains good skin. Once you’re using the right products, increasing your intake of “good food” is the final frontier (if it wasn’t your very first act).

To find out exactly what “good food” means exactly, we asked Australia’s favourite to share which two pantry basics are essential to make skin great again, or you know, better than it already is.

FILTERED WATER & CUCUMBER

“To get the perfect model skin the number one nutrient is water, filtered water, lots of it. Have it between 3 and 4 litres a day. The second best nutrient is cucumber. Cucumberfights fluid retention, hydrates and brightens the skin. Combine that with spirulina and the glow is created.”

– Ricardo Riskalla, Sydney-Based Celebrity Trainer.

APPLE CIDER VINEGAR & TAHINI

“I love to add apple cider vinegar to my water and sip it throughout the day. Not only does it alkalise the body, support good gut bacteria and aid in digestion, it’s also super cleansing. The JS Health team and I are also obsessed with tahini! It goes with everything, sweet and savoury and is so delish. Tahini is loaded with vitamins and minerals like zinc, iron & magnesium plus Essential Fatty Acids that help fight oxygenation and free-radicals. Tahini helps keep skin clear and hair & nails strong.”

– Jess Sepel, Founder of JS Health Program.

FERMENTED FOODS & VEGGIES

Probiotic foods like sauerkraut for example, are rich in nutrients and probiotics to feed your skin from within as well as help balance gut health. Cabbage, kale, broccoli and other cruciferous veggies are super rich in sulphur compounds that help detoxify the skin so it is lovely and clear and radiant. They are also bursting with beauty-giving nutrients.”

– Carla Oates, Naturopath and founder of The Beauty Chef.

SALMON & AVOCADO

“Fatty fish are a rich source of Omega-3 fatty acids, Zinc and Vitamin E, which reduce inflammation in the body and are necessary for maintaining healthy skin. Our favourite type of fatty fish is Wild Salmon, which we like to eat at least a few times per week. Salmon is also one of our favourite sources of high quality protein, which is important to us as women who lift weights, as it helps develop, maintain and repair muscle, as well as keeps our skin looking and feeling healthy.

Avocados are also excellent as they are high in healthy fats and a good source of Vitamin E and C, which are all important for keeping our skin healthy, moisturised and springy. We like to have half an avocado every couple of days, including avocado oil for some cooking. As if we need another excuse to have avo on toast, but they are also a good source of fibre, which helps keep our gut healthy.”

– Diana Johnson and Felicia Oreb, Co-Founders of Base Body Babes.