Superfood Skin Smoothie

This smoothie is THE bomb for skincare, looking after your skin inside out! it is after all the largest organ we have and often the least thought about in terms of what we eat. Thanks to some current trends people are becoming more savvy about ingredients and this includes food and how it actually affects us, what it really does.

Matcha Madness
Half a pint of nut milk (almond, coconut, hazelnut etc)
Handful of fresh baby spinach
1 green ish banana
1 sachet of Matcha powder
A quarter of a teaspoon of turmeric (work your way up to one or more if you can stomach it)
1 tablespoon of high grade manuka honey
A quarter of a teaspoon or Moringa powder (work your way up to a tablespoon)
1 heaped tablespoon of pre-soaked chia seeds (soak in water for a minute to stop them thickening your smoothie)

Why?
Spinach - Low in fat and even lower in cholesterol, spinach is high in niacin and zinc, as well as protein, fiber, vitamins A, C, E and K, thiamin, vitamin B6, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, copper, and manganese.
Rich in vitamins and minerals, it is also concentrated in health-promoting phytonutrients such as carotenoids (beta-carotene, lutein, and zeaxanthin) and flavonoids to provide you with powerful antioxidant protection.

Anti-Aging Benefits
Your skin naturally loses its elasticity and thins as you get older. Free radicals are molecules produced when you digest food and through environmental toxins, such as air pollution. They destroy your cells and accelerate the aging process of your skin. The vitamin A in spinach has antioxidant activity. It keeps your skin cells healthy and repairs wounds. One cup of spinach contains 943 micrograms of this nutrient, which is more than the recommended daily value for adults.

Skin Repair
Vitamin C is another antioxidant in spinach that works to repair skin cells and keep your skin looking beautiful. You need vitamin C to make collagen, a protein used to manufacture new skin cells. Without adequate vitamin C, you will experience dry, scaly skin. One cup of spinach contains 18 milligrams of vitamin C, or 20 and 24 percent of the RDA for men and women respectively.

Rosy Glow
Spinach is an excellent source of iron. Iron is an essential part of hemoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen throughout your body. Without adequate iron, you can’t transport oxygen as efficiently, which can leave you with pale-looking skin. Your body doesn’t absorb the iron in spinach as well as it absorbs the iron in animal products. You can, however, add lemon or lime juice to your spinach or enjoy it with a glass of orange juice. The vitamin C in these foods promotes iron absorption. One cup of spinach contains 6 grams of iron, which is 33 percent of the RDA for women 50 and younger and 75 percent for all men.

Under-Eye Circles
Dark circles under your eyes are caused by lack of sleep, genes, nasal congestion, alcohol and aging. Vitamin K is naturally found in spinach. This nutrient is needed for blood clotting and to strengthen blood vessel walls, which helps diminish dark circles. It also keeps your skin clear, reduces skin inflammation and enhances blood circulation. The adequate intake of vitamin K for men is 120 micrograms and for women 90 micrograms. One cup of spinach gives you almost 900 micrograms of this nutrient.

Hydration
One cup of spinach contains 164 grams of water, or 5 ounces. Your skin comprises cells that rely on water to stay healthy. Without enough water, your skin will become dry, taut and flaky. It’s also more likely to wrinkle.

Almond Milk
Almond Milk as an Antioxidant
Almond milk is an excellent source of vitamin E, a known antioxidant. Antioxidants protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals alter cell genetic code, resulting to mutated proteins. When mutation happens, cancer may develop.

Sun exposure and exposure to environmental and man-made pollutants are harmful to the skin; vitamin E acts as a shield by protecting the skin from these harsh elements. Daily skin application of vitamin E-enriched almond milk lotions and creams before sun exposure helps minimize skin damage.
Vitamin E also has natural healing properties. Almond milk can effectively treat sunburn and other minor burns.

Almond Milk has Anti-Aging Qualities
Free radicals often cause irreversible damage to the skin; it contributes to collagen and elastin depletion. Collagen and elastin are important substances that give the skin its elasticity and firmness. The collagen and elastin supply of the skin are depleted after prolonged exposure to free radicals. As you get older, your body is unable to replenish the depleted supply; this is the primary cause of wrinkles, fine lines and other skin blemishes.
Vitamin E, present in almond milk, protects the skin from the harmful effects of free radicals; this makes the skin healthy and younger-looking.
Almond milk, in the form of topical solutions, is an excellent treatment for dry, flaky skin. Well-moisturized skin prevents premature aging.
Almond Milk Hydrates the Skin
One of the common skin problems--that leads to other problems--is dry skin. Vitamin B2, also known as riboflavin is found in abundance in almond milk. It helps the tissues of the skin, hair and nails to use oxygen. Riboflavin also assists in synthesizing tryptophan--an amino acid--and producing niacin in the process. Niacin, also referred to as vitamin B3, aids in circulation. The skin benefits greatly from proper circulation. Niacin also helps in hydrating the skin by trapping moisture in the cells.

Almond Milk's Role in Oil Regulation
Some common skin problems, such as acne, blackheads and whiteheads, are caused by dirt and oil trapped in the pores of the skin. Almond milk contains essential fatty acids. They are important in controlling the amount of oil secreted by the sebaceous glands.

Bananas
eat only one banana a day. Bananas have the phytochemcial fructoOligosaccharides, which feeds the good bacterial in your colon. By feeding the good bacteria, you prevent the bad bacteria from overtaking the colon and producing toxic acids that get to the skin and create acne.

Matcha Powder
Antioxidants
The formidable antioxidant content of matcha like polyphenols and catechins battle and control the harmful effects of UV radiation and free radicals, helping greatly in protecting the skin from sun, wind and all extremes in weather conditions. Also protecting against inflammation in the body, these antioxidants also help eliminate acne and other types of skin eruptions and roughness. The strong presence of the EGCG antioxidant in matcha slows cell degeneration to impede the aging process, promoting smooth, tight skin that retains moisture and natural, smooth color tones.

Chlorophyll
Throughout the last three to four weeks of their growing time, right before harvest, matcha (camellia sinensis) leaves are keep covered for protection from the sun. This results in greater chlorophyll production which is responsible for the vivid green color of high caliber matcha. It also makes matcha a strong detoxifying agent for the bodies of users, cleansing the body’s entire system of toxins and hazardous chemicals or other impurities, leaving the skin glowing and radiantly clean.

Natural Antibiotics
Various natural or organic substances found in matcha have powerful antibiotic action for the body’s great benefit. These ingredients include catechins, Vitamins A and C, calcium, protein, iron and potassium. As these cleansing agents clean the internal system, they purify and smooth the skin, too, eliminating any blemishes or rashes. A healthy immune system also promotes clear, well-hydrated and youthful skin with good elasticity and resilience.

Turmeric
Reduce inflammation
This is turmeric’s shining quality – it’s incredibly anti inflammatory. Acne is inflammation, so we definitely want this!

Detoxify your liver!
Your liver is your body’s insurance policy, and keeping it tip top will help to keep your body stay healthy.

Fight free radicals
Free radicals disrupt and damage the sebum and cells in your skin, so we want them gone.
Sooth the digestive tract. Many acne problems start with poor digestion, so relieving digestive discomfort is a major plus.

Moringa Powder
100 grams of dry Moringa leaves contain 17 times more of calcium than milk and 25 times more iron than spinach. Their beta-carotene content is 10 times more than carrots. They are rich in minerals like potassium, iron and zinc and in Vitamin C and B-complex vitamins.

Moringa Powder has been heralded by Vogue magazine as "redefining beauty from within."
It is packed with skin-loving vitamins including:
Vitamin A: 32.5% of NRV
Vitamin E: 16.9% of NRV
Vitamin A is essential for healthy, radiant skin and Vitamin E protects cells from oxidative stress helping fight the signs of ageing.

Moringa has one of the highest antioxidant contents of any food. With an ORAC value of 157,000³, it has 6x the antioxidants of goji berries and comparable levels to the antioxidant powerhouse matcha.
Antioxidants are essential for protecting, repairing and preventing cell damage, helping support the ageing process of the skin in the long-term. They counteract oxidative stress and the effects of free radicals. Free radicals are unstable molecules that damage collagen causing skin dryness, fine lines, wrinkles and premature ageing.

Chia Seeds
PROTEIN
The protein in chia seeds may not seem high, but it is extremely powerful. The protein in chia seeds helps maintain collagen in the skin. Collagen is made of amino acids from protein, so getting good sources of collagen into your diet is important for great skin, hair and nails.

Chia contains more magnesium than almost all other plant foods except cacao, making it one of the best sources you can consume. It has so many healthy benefits, and in terms of your skin, it’s important for a few reasons. First, magnesium helps regulate your blood sugar, this helps keep your hormones healthy. Secondly, magnesium ensures your nervous system works properly, which keeps anxiety at bay, also helping to prevent uneven hormone levels that can lead to bad skin. Thirdly, magnesium helps increase your energy, which helps keep your blood flowing, helping to ensure your skin looks radiant, not pale and lifeless.
Chia is rich in zinc, just to name one of the many minerals it is abundant in. Zinc is an important mineral that is thought of as a miracle anti-aging mineral. It helps fight acne too, as a major bonus. Zinc helps keep your skin looking taut and supple, while also combating inflammation.

OMEGA 3 FATS
Omega 3 fats are found in chia seeds, just like fish, but chia actually contains more omega 3 fats than salmon! Omega 3 fats combat acne, wrinkles, help promote smooth skin and also even keep your hair, nails and metabolism in good shape too! Omega 3 fats are also great for depression and your hormones. Keeping your hormones healthy is so important for your skin.

So THAT is why you need Matcha!


Skincare Secrets
Disclaimer:
This content is copied from a variety of websites. It's the best info I could find gathered together purely to demonstrate the goodness of the smoothie I make daily.


www.livestrong.com
www.fitday.com
www.theindianspot.com
www.aduna.com