Since the circulatory system carrying nutrients from the digestive system actually runs through the skin, skin needs to be nourished from the inside of the body. Dry, flaky irritated skin prone to eczema and dermatitis can benefit immensely from healthy oils and super foods.
Smoothies are a great way to get a lot of good things for the skin in one delicious meal. My homemade Skin Quenching Superfood Smoothie recipe contains loads of Omega-3 EFAs (fish oil, avocado, flax/chia seeds, hemp/flax oil), gut-healing liquid probiotics, and skin-healing almond protein.
It also contains medium chain fatty acids (Caprylic and Lauric) in the form of coconut oil that reduce inflammation internally as well as spirulina, which contains gamma-linolenic acid (GLA). According to Dr. Andrew Weil's blog, GLA has “specific nourishing effects on skin, hair, and nails that are not duplicated by omega-3 fatty acids,” so for skin conditions like eczema he recommends supplementing the diet with GLA (found in spirulina and flax).
Blueberries and spirulina are considered two of the best superfood sources of flavonoids, which are an amazing variety of phytonutrient with anti-inflammatory properties that irritated skin can benefit from.
Beware, a regular blender isn’t going to be strong or sharp-bladed enough to make this smoothie or to make your own almond milk, so I highly recommend investing in a Vitamix (or in Europe a Pousse Pousse) machine, a nut milk straining bag, a funnel, and a glass jar (preferably with a wide mouth to make it easier to clean and self-sealing rubber ring under the lid to store and serve nut milk).
Recipe: Pour 3/4 cup of almond milk into the Vitamix, making sure that the blade is covered by the liquid. Add the following ingredients in order (a Vitamix machine requires that liquid, then soft, then hard ingredients are added successively to maintain the integrity of the blade and motor).
1 teaspoon raw honey
1 tablespoon liquid concentrated (dairy-free) probiotics
1 tablespoon fish oil (use hemp or flax oil if taking fish oil in supplement form)
1 teaspoon coconut oil
1 teaspoon maca powder
1 tablespoon either ground flax seed or chia seed
1 teaspoon raw cacao powder (optional for chocolate lovers)
1 scoop NON-whey, NON-soy protein powder, such as Garden of Life Raw Organic Protein Powder. Whey and soy can be irritants to eczema, so be sure to find a brand with a mix of sprouted proteins like Garden of Life Raw Protein or a protein powder made from hemp (Manitoba Harvest is good) or brown rice (Sunwarrior, Growing Naturals, and Nutribiotic).
1 teaspoon of either spirulina or Barlean’s Greens
1/3 peeled and seeded avocado
1 ripe banana
1 cup organically farmed frozen blueberries, wild blueberries, (mix in some raspberries, or peaches for variety)
Start the Vitamix on 1 and then gradually turn up to the highest setting for about 1 minute.
Continue adding up to another 3/4 cup of frozen fruit until the desired thickness is achieved or add more almond milk to make it thinner.
Be sure to use a spatula to get to the last drop!
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