I have a confession, I am obsessed with cookbooks. I love pondering the shelves of Waterstones deliberating my next purchase. This little beauty, Eat Beautiful by Wendy Rowe, had me at the front cover. It's the perfect coffee table book and let's face it who doesn't wants great skin with a healthy glow? In the words of Rowe, 'Beauty is as much about good health as the way you look'. The book is refreshingly honest and insightful focusing on how to nourish your skin from the inside out.
About Wendy - Wendy Rowe is a world-renowned beauty and make up expert, adored by endless A list celebs that credit Wendy for their flawless glow including Sienna Miller, Victoria Beckham, Kate Hudson, Cameron Diaz, Olivia Palermo, Gisele Bündchen, Suki Waterhouse, Cara Delevingne........(the list is literally endless). With over 20 years experience as an international make up artist and artistic consultant for Burberry make up, it is suffice Wendy know's what she is talking about.
If your looking for inspiration to think about the food you eat and what it can do for your skin this is the book for you. It has lots of beauty tips and recipes that can be implemented into your daily routine. Although, life is a balancing act and its impossible to be perfect in how we live and eat 100% of the time, Eat Beautiful is all about listening to your body because 'the way to achieve that healthy glow is really very simple - just laugh, exercise and feed the skin'.
The book revolves around the seasons, although we're lucky enough to have access pretty much to any food at any time of the year, Eat Beautiful focuses on eating foods in season and locally produced to reap maximum health benefits. The beauty chapter is very insightful giving Wendy's advice on various topics including mindfulness, intermittent fasting, digestion and alcohol. Oh yes alcohol, surely a skin expert would have a zero alcohol policy? Nope! Wendy's advice - have at least three 'days off', stick to a glass or two in one sitting and avoid beer, wine & alcopop's (highest sugar content causing the dreaded bloat).
The recipes are grouped into the seasons and breaks down the vitamins and nutrients the ingredients provide from cucumbers, ‘the internal cleanser’, to limes, ‘the natural astringent’ and carrots, ‘the immunity booster’. Now we are officially in SPRING (hello lighter evenings!), Wendy's top tips include avoiding rich foods like red meat & dairy (skin-friendly alternative is almond milk), switching to lighter proteins (salmon, prawns), leafy greens and a tsp of Manuka honey to keep allergies at bay (anything to avoid hay fever).
After scanning the book, I decided to cook dinner for friends from the 'Spring' chapter to see if the recipes tasted as good as they looked. The Pomegranate Spring Salad is delicious and easy to prepare. The pomegranates add a sweetness to the quinoa dish and are described by Rowe as 'the elixir of youth'. Packed with vitamin C, pomegranate's boost skin elasticity and stimulate collagen-producing cells, recommended to help repair damaged and inflamed skin. Whilst the quinoa is beneficial for its high protein content and source of amino acids, speeding up metabolism and helping heal wounds and repair skin cells.
The Sticky Chilli Beef recipe, I substituted for 'spring' friendly salmon. The marinade is bursting with flavour and so simple to make with chilli, ginger, garlic, shallots, honey, fresh coriander, lime and lemongrass. Salmon is described by Rowe as the 'Omega-3 hit' due to its high content of omega-3 fatty acids that plump the skin and boost collagen production for youthful skin. Vitamins B6 & B15 are proven to increase hair growth and health whilst the rich source of selenium protects and repair skin damage.
Any meal would not be complete without a dose of greens, so I opted for the Sautéed Spinach, cooked with coconut, garlic, chilli flakes and sea salt. Described as 'The Free Radical Fighter', health benefits of spinach include high iron content and antioxidants to repair reduce inflammation, boost collagen production and repair skin cells.
Not only are all the recipes highly nutritious, they taste absolutely delicious. Wendy makes healthy eating fun. I could not resist trying the Almond Chocolate milkshake the next morning, which tasted indulgent yet totally guilt free. Made with raw cacao powder and sweetened with a tsp of honey, all the ingredients are totally natural and will not aggravate the skin. Rowe praises almond milk as dairy alternative for its high in energy-giving protein, fatty acids and calcium content. The fibre content helps you feel full and feed the skin as you drink it. I can imagine this would be great for kids also and avoids a sugar rush!
The date energy bites are also the perfect on the go snack or protein packed breakfast for a quick energy hit if your in a rush....
Eat Beautiful really is one of those cookbook's that you just want to work your way through cooking the whole book. It is perfect to dip in and out for beauty tips or recipes for a healthy night in or dinner part, or to follow seasonally giving you the insider's guide to achieving beautiful skin all year round.
L.P. x
