"Eat Pretty" by Jolene Hart is one of those books that you pick up from the shelf and immediately want to call your own. It’s lovely on the outside and the best part is that it’s an actual wealth of knowledge. After reading this book, I was so happy to know that this type of education and information is out there for anyone to have. It reminded me a little bit of why I started this blog and how passionate I am about helping other people, help themselves.
I decided to share with you my favourite parts and to elaborate on the already amazing tips that Jolene outlines in “Eat Pretty”. And dudes, don’t shy away as if this post may be only directed towards girls. Even though it is marketed for beauty, it’s so much more than that. If I saw a man buying this book, I would enthusiastically applaud him (inwardly, of course) because of how in depth she goes with not just beauty tips, but overall lifestyle habits. Just because it’s for “beauty” doesn’t mean she’s telling you that beets are the best vegetable to use for homemade blush, labelled “Going Beet Red”.
“Once I freed my own diet from processed snacks, diet sodas and inflammation causing foods and replaced them with fresh, living beauty foods, the longstanding burden was lifted from by body and skin.”
Jolene describes the food that causes sluggish digestion, inflammation, increase your body’s toxic load, speed up the aging process and negatively affect your health. They’re the foods that make you feel exhausted, moody, and consequently leave you craving even more of the same that stress your beauty and body.
These are foods that you are aware of, to a certain extent. We’re all aware that sugar, alcohol, fried, processed and pesticide sprayed foods are not healthy to our bodies. What you may not be aware of is that foods like dairy, gluten, conventional meats (ones that are either full of hormones, antibiotics of any other “un-pretty” ingredients), caffeine and overcooked foods are also all underneath this umbrella. They can all cause free radical damage (which is how disease can set in and where aging starts), oxidative stress (goes hand in hand with the free radical damage), inflammation, unhealthy acidity (meat, diary, sugar and caffeine are all acidic foods) and many other down falls. But I know what you’re thinking.
Here’s another blog post that is ranting about all the negative aspects of the food in our society and she’s not going to tell me what to do about it. Along with some helpful quotes from this book and my own knowledge as a holistic nutritionist, I want to tell you the foods that are going to fuel your body for the fight against toxins and disease and equip you for a healthy, energetic body living in our world today.
First things first. Don’t feel guilty. We are all exposed to these types of food and until we have the knowledge of what they are doing to our bodies, we are blissfully unaware of until we feel the symptoms, like bloating, gas, acne, speed up aging, brittle hair and even dull skin. So don’t feel bad. We’ve all been there. It’s about being aware, and that’s what I’m trying to do. Raise awareness about the food that we are exposed to.
One of my favourite quotes from this book is the generalization of what “eating pretty” really means.
“What is pretty food anyway? Far too many of us have the impression that any food that keeps us slim and beautiful is also tasteless and devoid of pleasure. But the foods and recipes that nourish your beauty from the inside aren’t bitter pills to swallow - they’re pleasure and pampering. I want you to savour them! The foods that keep you feeling great and firing in skinny jeans aren’t made with low-fat, sugar-free, or zero calorie processed ingredients. Those ingredients are devoid of pleasure - for your taste buds and your beauty.”
Along with her wisdom, I also believe the key is that we are so prone to thinking that nutrition is based around these unrealistic ideas and unattainable goals that are built up in our minds. We are fearful to change the way we eat because it seems to be too much effort or that we don’t have enough time on our hands. On top of that, eating healthy often means more expense when we are at the check-out. Which, of course, comes down to priority and realistic thinking when making your grocery list. But I promise you, eating to meet your bodies needs is not as hard as it is made out to be. This is something, that with time, and in the next few blog posts, hope to narrow in on and show you tips that I use on a day-to-day basis.
“Eat Pretty” has an entire section of the book with four chapters dedicated to eating for each season. Especially living in Canada, where we live in the extremities of each season, compared to a place like Arizona, these chapters are so helpful. You find the foods that are crucial for your bodies state of changes and which foods help to nourish your deficiencies and overloads.
There are lists, encouragements, tips and suggestions that I am incredibly tempted to fully write out for you, but you’ll get bored of the longevity of this post, and then you probably won’t buy it for yourself. So I thought I would give you a few of the foods she mentions that are crucial for the winter months and why they are beneficial!
Avocado -> “Avocado’s are rich in Vitamin E, a powerful antioxidant vitamin that keeps skin cells strong and hydrated, and B vitamins like niacin, which assists in detox, DNA repair, and reduces redness and inflammation in skin. There is also 2g of protein in half an avocado.”
Banana -> "Bananas are known for their potassium content, which keeps beautifying nutrition and oxygen circulating, and their ability to provide fast energy makes them a great snack for athletes. (If you’re exercising or doing a lot of outdoor sports, this is a great suggestion for you!) They’re easily digested and soothing to the lining of your stomach, and they feed good bacteria in your gut." (We always need foods that feed our good bacteria, we don’t have enough of them!)
Beets ->"Betalains, the phytochemical in beets, increase the body’s production of glutathione, the beautifying nutrient that detoxifies, stimulates liver cell function (we want this always, our livers are so overburdened in the world we live in!) and protects our mitochondria (cell health!). Beets give the lymphatic system a natural boost in the winter and contain lots of detox-friendly pectin and fibre!"
Grapefruit -> "The flavonoids in grapefruit offer anti-inflammatory benefits and improve blood vessel function, encouraging healthy blood flow to your skin, scalp and nails. Grapefruit is a powerfully cleansing food that helps with liver detoxification and is thought to boost metabolism and aid in weight loss."
Kale -> "It’s no secret that kale is good for you, but would you believe that eating it regularly could do more for your skin than your expensive night cream? Just one cup delivers over 200% of your daily vitamin A and 130% of vitamin C. Kale doesn’t skimp on beauty minerals, from calcium (calcium from kale is more easily absorbed than calcium from milk) to potassium and iron. Kale supports detoxification in the liver (see, again), important for clear skin and contains phytochemicals to protect the eyes from aging."
Turnip -> "Its biggest beauty benefits from from sulforaphane, an amazing untagging compound that can stop stress related inflammation from reaching chronic status in the body. A recent study showed that sulforaphane could fight leukemia and is already known to reduce redness and damage caused by UV exposure. They are full of fibre that helps with satiation, detox, and they’re naturally high in vitamin C" (helps with immunity and fighting off those nasty colds).
Walnuts -> "Raw walnuts are full of beautifying fat, protein, and minerals that guard our skin and hair against harsh, dry winter weather. Just 30g of walnuts has more antioxidants that the average person consumes in a day. They help boost out circulation of beauty nutrients by producing nitric oxide for healthy blood flow to the skin and providing iron for oxygenated blood." (Because I am anemic and need to constantly be supplementing with iron, walnuts are such a good snack choice for me)
Woah, I know that was a lot, but time well spent reading, I hope? Knowing what each food is doing for my body always helps me to be more inclined to eat them, thus leading me to a healthier and happier state of digestion and lifestyle. I hope you enjoyed my babbling and if you are looking for a link to buy the book, Chapters does here.
Yours truly,
The Holistic Darling
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