Can Salad Help Improve Your Skin?

The connection between what enters our body and how we feel, how we look, and how productive we are in our day-to-day life is no mystery.  When we eat badly, we feel exactly that way. Wish it weren’t true, but we never quite feel like we should after we’ve had the fried foods at lunch and the cookies that someone brought in at work.  And once we get into the sugar or salt fix, it’s all downhill from there.

Easier said than done, of course.  If that isn’t the golden rule, it certainly should be. But prioritizing the organization around food preparation is duly important.

The connection between food and acne:  best to avoid sugary foods; dairy foods higher in fat content is better; eat lots of colorful produce; avoid white flours and starches.

The connection between food and wrinkles is known too, and your shopping list should include the following items: tomatoes, berries, green tea, nuts, avocados, and honey.

And the connection between food and pale skin:  try to include salmon, yogurt, pumpkin, and swiss cheese.

So we decided to create an amazing and nutritious, protein-rich salad that would be a perfect combination of the ingredients that we should all include in our diets for healthier and brighter skin. The foods we included are fortified with vitamins and minerals, and we promise you you’ll feel satisfied and super healthy after finishing this meal.

Quinoa, Salmon and Pumpkin Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup of quinoa
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1.5 cups of water
  • 3 ounces of salmon
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup of fresh pumpkin
  • ½ small head of romaine lettuce
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 tomato
  • 1 red pepper
  • ¼ cup purple onion
  • 1 cup of berries (whatever is in season)

Method:

  1. Boil 1 ½ cups of water with ½ tsp salt, and add quinoa.  Stir and simmer for 20 minutes.  Remove from heat.
  2. Prepare the salmon in a casserole dish. In a small bowl, mix freshly squeezed lemon juice, salt, and olive oil and brush it on the salmon. Bake at 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes.
  3. Take fresh pumpkin and chop into small pieces. Roast it in the oven in a separate roasting pan with olive oil and salt.  Remove from the oven after approximately 25 minutes or when fully cooked.
  4. In the meantime, prepare your salad in a large bowl by washing all the vegetables first and then chopping the lettuce, avocado, tomato, pepper, and onion.
  5. Add ¼ cup of cooked quinoa on top of the salad and then flake the salmon and add to the salad along with the roasted pumpkin.
  6. Add 1 cup berries to the top of your salad, whatever is in season.

You’ll notice that there is no salad dressing.  Because once you mix up all the flavors from the different items, the salad will be flavorful and just right.  You can always add some salt and pepper if you need.

And we promise you that you will not be reaching for that candy bar that is masquerading as a granola bar with chocolate chips and many calories.  This salad is super filling and satisfying.

Salad with protein and a grain is the way to go, in our opinion.

Enjoy!