We all want Brad Pitt’s marble abs and Chris Hemsworth’s ‘thorsome’ triceps. And – with the correct workout routine – both those things are possible. What is a little trickier, however, is acquiring someone like Jeff Goldblum or Gianluca Vacchi’s ability to look forever (and sophisticatedly) youthful.
While there are various (excellent) face moisturisers out there, there’s only so much the lotions and potions can do. Enter: a healthy diet. Now, of course, eating a balanced diet is bandied around as the solution to all of life’s problems.
But did you know it could also benefit you more superficially? More specifically, and as nutrition coach (and author of Genius Foods) Max Lugavere recently revealed on Instagram, eating certain (and now, with the advent of ‘superfood powders,’ out of fashion), food combinations like drumsticks and kale, mixed salad and boiled eggs or broccoli and mustard powder could boost your complexion, your hair, your nails, your eyes and even your brain.
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“By eating kale (which contains 120% or your daily recommended intake of vitamin C in just a cup),” Max writes, “With that drumstick (which is a rich source of the building blocks for collagen), you maximize the synthesis of collagen in your own body for healthier joints and skin.”
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“By consuming eggs,” he then adds, “Or any other fat source with a bowl of dark leafy greens, you maximize the absorption of fat-soluble compounds in those greens, such as the carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin.” This is important because the absorption of these compounds is negligible without a fat source.
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Finally, Max tells us that raw broccoli, “Is a powerful source of glucosinolates which combine with an enzyme called myrosinase to create sulforaphane, a powerful gene modulator.” Why does this matter?
“Unfortunately, upon heating, the enzyme which is normally found in broccoli is lost. However, you can easily add enzyme back to your cooked broccoli by sprinkling on some mustard powder, which provides myrosinase and increases the bioavailability of sulforaphane more than 4-fold compared to eating cooked broccoli alone.”
The takeaway? Getting your diet down pat (and eating these foods) could help you maintain your head-turning looks without lifting a single weight (skillet pan not included).