Beauty from within: the best superfoods for a gorgeous you
Familiar with the adage "You are what you eat"? With these superfoods, get that beautiful glow that radiates from within. Uncover beauty secrets – from Laneige's collagen drinks to teas from Hockhua Tonic.
One of the simplest yet most often overlooked ways of looking after ourselves is watching what we eat. Beauty comes from within, and nothing exemplifies this better than noticing how what we consume makes us feel and look better.
Not sure where to start? We recommend the best superfoods that nature has to offer. Not only are they delightfully tasty, they also come with a myriad of health benefits so you can have your cake and eat it too. And once you know our beauty secrets, go be bold and beautiful!
1. Collagen
Did you know that collagen is the most abundant type of protein found in our bodies? Yet due to ageing and other lifestyle factors such as stress, the body’s natural production of collagen slows down, resulting in skin that loses its elasticity and radiance. That's why it's important to restore and maintain your body's collagen levels, and one easy and effective way is to simply consume collagen.
Benefits:
Some visible benefits include an improvement in skin elasticity and hair health, increased nail strength, reduction of wrinkles and cellulite, prevention of early signs of ageing and protection against UV damage. Collagen also has positive effects on other parts of the body. It strengthens bones, promotes muscle growth and recovery, improves joints and connective tissue, and aids in gut health. With these many benefits just from a single protein, take advantage of the many collagen products in the market to maximise the potential of this gem!
Get your fix:
Do it the delicious way and try Tsukada Nojo at Plaza Singapura and Westgate. Their specialty is the famous Bijin Nabe, or Collagen Soup Beauty Pot – people form snaking queues just to get a taste of this. Simmered for over eight hours, the golden, flavourful broth consists of the nutritious Golden Collagen Chicken Stock, excellent for revitalising the skin. Served with chicken, seafood and assorted vegetables, this healthy hot pot is the ultimate beauty treat.
To get your daily dose of collagen, check out LANEIGE’s Youth Collagen Drink. It's loaded with ingredients beneficial to the skin, such as Fish Collagen Peptide, a key source of collagen, Pomegranate Extract, which is rich in vitamins and minerals for nourished and revitalised skin, and Red Orange Extract which contains strong antioxidants. In addition to containing GABA which promotes deep sleep, this drink also hydrates and improves skin texture so you can attain clearer, more supple and moisturised skin.
2. Tea
Tea is enjoyed by people all around the world, with over 3000 mind-boggling varieties available. While people might appreciate it purely for its taste, tea has proven to be a mighty superfood with many medicinal properties backed by research. It also has no calories so you can savour it without a worry!
Benefits:
It’s impossible to ignore the many benefits of tea. Tea is associated with improving the brain’s cognitive functions and memory, soothing the digestive system, managing weight, fighting infections and boosting immunity. Moreover, tea lowers blood pressure, the risks of strokes and heart attacks, and may even prevent cancer. Drinking tea also helps relieve frustration, anxiety, insomnia and calms you down when you are feeling stressed. If you need a little caffeine for a burst of energy without crashing out later, having some tea is also the solution. From our minds to our bodies, it seems that tea has allowed us to maximise its potential for our wellbeing.
Get your fix:
teapasar located within NomadX at Plaza Singapura features a range of local and international tea brands, as well as exclusive and rare tea imported directly from farms.
It also offers a unique service that allows you to uncover your perfect blend of tea with its ProfilePrint methodology, which identifies the distinct taste profile of each tea available in-store. It takes less than 3 minutes to determine your taste preferences with options you can choose, such as your favourite tea base and your preferred level of sweetness.
Your customised taste profile is then matched to teapasar’s database of teas using big data analytics and machine learning algorithm to find the closest matches which will be recommended to you, so you can confidently select your teas and even discover other blends that you may enjoy.
For more teas that are beneficial to your body, visit Hockhua Tonic – they've got a pretty wide range of oriental herbal teas.
There you can find:
- Chrysanthemum tea, known to ease stress and anxiety, improve the skin by protecting it against oxidative damage, boost the immune system, and relieve inflammation
- Ginseng tea which possesses anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, on top of the ability to tackle obesity by suppressing your appetite, improve brain function and strengthen the immune system
- Pure Luo Han Guo tea, known for being anti-inflammatory and which also contains antioxidants to promote longevity and support the body's immunity
3. Chia seeds
You might wonder how these tiny and seemingly insignificant seeds can play a part in supporting your health. Actually, the humble chia seed is a mighty superfood that is considered one of the most nutritious foods on earth! High in fibre, protein, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and other vitamins and minerals, they're easy to prepare and can be included in a variety of recipes.
Benefits:
Antioxidants found in chia seeds fight free radical damage to protect and optimise skin health. Loaded with fibre, chia seeds also promote digestive health by regulating your digestive system, along with helping to curb hunger and suppress appetite which results in weight loss.
Other benefits include increased energy levels, improved heart health, stronger bones and balanced blood sugar levels that help fight against diabetes. Chia seeds could also be potentially cancer-fighting.
Get your fix:
Health food and supplement store GNC Live Well stocks both black and white varieties of gluten-free chia seeds. It also offers powdered microfine chia seeds in original and peanut butter flavours so blending them into your smoothie, protein shake or coffee is a piece of cake.
And how about incorporating chia seeds into your daily diet? Sprinkle them on your food or add them to your regular breakfast cereals, sandwiches, salads, soups or yogurt. Alternatively, mix them into water for a thick gel and blend into yummy wholesome smoothies. You can even add a nutrient boost to your bread and muffin recipes with them.
4. Ginger
Ginger is one of the lesser-known superfoods that offer more benefits than people usually realise. Although it's commonly considered a spice used in cooking, the root from the ginger plant has remarkable qualities that make it worthy of its superfood title. Used as a form of alternative medicine, ginger contains two compounds called gingerol and 6-gingerol, which are responsible for its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. It can be consumed fresh, dried, powdered, or as an oil or juice.
Benefits:
For such an unpretentious ingredient, ginger brings about an unbelievable host of benefits. Besides helping to relieve nausea, muscle aches and menstrual pain, ginger is also able to fight infections such as the cold and flu. In addition, ginger aids in digestion and helps your body better metabolise your food. This root is also known to help with bigger health issues such as osteoporosis and improving brain function. There's evidence to suggest ginger might be able to lower cholesterol levels, improve various heart disease risk factors, prevent and reverse diabetes by lowering blood sugar, and even potentially prevent cancer.
Get your fix:
Do you lead a less active lifestyle? Love indulging in food but hate the calories? Do you often feel bloated? If your answer is ‘Yes’ to any of these questions, FANCL’s Dynamic Fat Burner may be what you need for a complete fat burning and detox solution.
This health drink is formulated with effective ingredients that speed up the effects of fat burning, actively isolates fat and gets rid of bloating. Garcinia Cambogia Extract and Ginger Extract support the fat burning mechanism and accelerate metabolism, while Melilotus Extract helps shape the body by eliminating bloating and water retention.
All you need is a bottle before your meal or exercise to help you burn fat and shape up.
With these superfoods readily available all around you, it's really never been easier to care for your body and provide the support it needs for a healthier, more radiant and more confident you.
Discover more ways to improve your health and wellness.