Learn how to ‘Eat Pretty’ with Jolene Hart!
As you may well know, I’m a huge advocate of eating for beauty inside out, which is exactly why I was thrilled to discover ‘Eat Pretty’… aka any health conscious beauty addict’s bible! Author Jolene Hart is in fact a former beauty editor for a well known lifestyle magazine, who struggled to clear her skin, despite open access to countless beauty products, treatments and procedures. It wasn’t until Jolene started exploring the direct connection between beauty, nutrition and lifestyle that she learned to restore balance to her body— and beauty, and there Eat Pretty was born.
1. Describe the moment you decided it was time to Eat Pretty and why…
I wish there had been one single moment, but for me it was more like a slow realisation that I had looked everywhere else for answers to my persistent skin issues, and my diet was the last holdout. A few years into my career as a beauty writer, I felt as if I had been down every avenue of conventional skin treatment: prescription topicals, antibiotics, facials, over-the-counter acne remedies of every shape and size, to no avail. I just felt that if, while working in the beauty industry with privileged access to products and experts, I couldn’t find a way to resolve my skin issues, how could any other woman? I was taught growing up that food is medicine, and I knew there was more to the beauty equation than what we talked about in magazines. It wasn’t as simple as washing with the right cleanser, or using an acne treatment, because if it had been, my skin would have been flawless! I really could not find any information that was readily available about the link between diet and skin, so I started experimenting and looking to fields of study like Integrative Medicine and Ayurveda to find potential links. That was my Eat Pretty starting point!
2. Which are your favourite Eat Pretty foods to pop in your shopping basket during Spring?
The arrival of spring coincides with the harvest of so many fresh, naturally detoxifying foods. After a long winter of eating warm, cooked and often heavy foods that challenge our digestive fire, our bodies are ready for delicate, cleansing greens like spinach, rocket and dandelion, as well as liver-supporting asparagus and artichokes. I also love that collagen-building strawberries are in season toward the end of spring, so I load up on those!
3. If you could narrow down to 5 ‘Eat Pretty golden rules’ what would they be and why?
Food is your friend. Every bite you take is a chance to feed your body the best possible fuel with which to defend, repair, detox and energise your beauty. Women tend to spend precious time and energy avoiding food or agonising over food choices, but learning how to fuel your beauty and eat pretty means you can use food to your great advantage!
For beauty, fresh is always best.
When you opt for whole, unprocessed foods that are in season or recently picked or prepared, you get loads more beauty nutrition for every bite. You also avoid all of the empty calories, sugar and additives found in processed foods that promote inflammation and its resulting blemishes, wrinkles, redness and sensitivity.
You are what you eat.
You remake your body and beauty, molecule by molecule, with the foods you eat. Start eating for beauty today.
You know your body best.
When it comes to your diet, it’s essential to learn to listen to your body. Only you can identify what foods are the best for your body and beauty.
Eating for beauty causes a ripple effect.
Your diet also influences your hormone balance, digestive health, emotional wellbeing, sleep habits, pH balance, and so many other aspects of your health that strongly influence your lifelong beauty!
4. When it comes to skincare, are you an advocate of using plant based products?
Absolutely! I love plant-based beauty and have been testing, researching and sharing plant-based products exclusively for about six years now. Before I was a health coach, I was a beauty editor, and my interest in natural and organic products helped open my eyes to the importance of feeding my body well, both from the inside and outside!
5. What is your favourite recipe to call on when your skin needs a boost?
When my skin really needs a boost, I go straight to the foods that consistently make my skin glow: abundant fresh greens and fermented, probiotic foods like kimchi and sauerkraut. Rather than cooking an elaborate dish, I’ll blend up a green smoothie with some of my go-to skin foods: avocado, lemons, greens, ginger, spirulina, hemp seeds, cucumber, or whatever veggies I have on hand, and sip that to hydrate, reduce inflammation, and take in a beauty nutrient boost that revives my complexion.
Feel inspired to learn more? Make sure you join us on Monday 13th April at 7pm for our live Twitter chat – everyone that takes part will also have the chance to win their very own beauty inside out bundle! Click here to follow us and make sure you save the date!
If you want to read more about beauty inside out, click here to discover Jolene’s interview with me!
Cover Image Credit: Arjan Benning
