Age Better with These Recipes for Beauty
You don’t have to look like Margot Robbie (who plays Barbie in the movie, in case you’ve been living in a cave) to be beautiful. We’ve all seen certain women (and men) who may not have movie star features, but their shiny hair, glowing skin, and all-over projection of health and energy makes them extremely attractive.
By eating right, most anyone can achieve or retain good looks while boosting their health. According to Ginger Hultin, the FoodTrients nutritionist and dietitian, eating a healthy diet can play a role in long-term beauty in the following ways:
- Skin elasticity and color ● Hair and skin quality and growth ● Providing the energy to be active and maintain good muscle mass ● Supporting general energy and vitality
There are four macro-nutrients that contribute to overall health, which in turn keep a person looking and feeling great for their age: Carbohydrates from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains that give your cells fast energy; fats from polyunsaturated sources such as nuts, fish, chia and flax seeds, and monounsaturated fatty acids found in avocados, olive oil, and nuts (again) that feed your brain and nerves, while keeping your skin supple; and finally, protein, best acquired from sources such as fish, poultry, and lean meats to build muscle, connective tissue, and support immunity.
Which Foods Are Best for Aging Beautifully?
The following ‘superfoods’ are your path to staying beautiful and vibrant as you age:
Choose these food categories to get access to the complex carbohydrates, protein, and healthy fat as well as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that can support your beauty.
- Vitamin A foods: carrots, tomatoes, red peppers, melon, fish, eggs ● Vitamin C foods: sweet potatoes, red peppers, citrus fruits, strawberries, tomatoes ● Vitamin E foods: almonds, peanut butter, pumpkin, wheat germ oil, sunflower seeds ● Biotin foods: nuts, egg yolks, oats ● Selenium foods: Brazil nuts, seafood, broccoli, soybeans
These ‘superfoods’ are the ingredients for aging well, as well as creating delicious, irresistible dishes.
Radish Salad
Radishes belong to the same family of vegetables as kale and cabbage and offer some of the same disease-preventing benefits. The eggs in this bright, tangy salad provide protein and the carrots vitamin A and the tomatoes vitamins A and C. The recipe is from my first cookbook, The Age Gracefully Cookbook.
SERVES 2-4
Ingredients
2 daikon radishes or 1 bunch red radishes, stems removed 1 cup seasoned rice vinegar 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil 1 tsp. minced garlic 1 tsp. sea salt 1/4 tsp. white pepper 2 chopped hard-boiled eggs 6-8 sliced grape tomatoes
2 medium carrots, scrubbed and sliced into coins
Procedure
1. Slice the radishes very thinly using a food processor or mandoline slicer. 2. To make the dressing, mix together the rice vinegar, olive oil, garlic, salt, and pepper. Let stand and allow the flavors to blend for up to 1 hour. 3. Toss the radishes with dressing. 4. To assemble, arrange the sliced radishes on salad plates. Top with the chopped eggs, carrots and tomato slices, evenly divided.
Roasted Gochujang Salmon
Korean food is having a moment. That’s because of a significant Korean-American population here in the U.S. as well as high-profile Korean-American chefs like David Chang and Roy Choi. Additionally, the American palate has expanded to appreciate highly flavored foods from other cultures.
Gochujang is a Chile paste made of fermented soybeans, dried chilies, garlic, and other seasonings. It’s a staple in Korean and Chinese cuisines and readily found (in jars) in most supermarkets. You can also substitute harissa or miso.
This quick, easy recipe yields flavorful, flaky fish with minimal effort, perfect for a weeknight supper. It’s even tasty served at room temperature in a sandwich on crusty French bread. Use wild-caught salmon when possible. It’s an excellent source of high-quality protein and Omega 3 fatty acids.
Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
4 (6-ounce) boneless, skin-on or skinless salmon fillets
3 garlic cloves, grated
2 Tbs. gochujang
1 tablespoon doenjang or dark miso (fermented soybean
paste)
1/4 tsp. ground ginger
1½ tsp. light brown sugar
Procedure
1. Heat the oven to 400 degrees.
2. Rinse salmon fillets, then pat them dry with paper towels. Place the fillets evenly apart on a foil-lined sheet pan. In a small bowl, whisk together garlic, gochujang, doenjang, ground ginger, sugar, and 2 teaspoons water. Rub the mixture all over the salmon. (If using skin-on fish, place it skin-side down.)
3. Roast until the flesh is firm and cooked through, but the middle is still tender, 12-to-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let the salmon rest 5 minutes before serving.
4. Serve with brown rice and steamed broccoli or sauteed Asian greens such as baby bok choy.
Another delicious Korean-inspired recipe is from my Age Beautifully cookbook.
Stir-Fried Korean Glass Noodles
Korean glass noodles are made from sweet potato starch. Gluten-free and low-calorie, they have a springy texture and a neutral flavor. In Korean BBQ restaurants, this dish is known as Jap Chae or sometimes Chap Chae. In this recipe, I jazz them up with marinated meat, stir-fry vegetables, eggs, and a sesame sauce. Traditionally, these noodles are served with a scrambled egg on top. You can use chicken or tofu instead of beef.
What are the age-fighting benefits? Sweet potatoes are full of carotenoids, antioxidants that produce vitamin A in your body. Vitamin A supports the immune system and keeps eyes healthy. Shiitake mushrooms contain selenium, an antioxidant mineral that also strengthens immune response. Mushrooms and beef both contain protein for building muscles.
SERVES 4
Ingredients
1 cup Korean sweet potato glass noodles
Noodle Seasonings 1 tsp. toasted sesame seeds ¼ cup low-sodium soy or tamari sauce ¼ cup water
2 Tbs. raw or turbinado sugar 1 Tbs. sesame oil
Salt or salt substitute and
freshly ground black pepper to taste
Meat 1 cup thinly sliced beef tenderloin 1 Tbs. raw or turbinado sugar 2 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce or tamari sauce
¼ tsp. black pepper 1 Tbs. sesame oil
Vegetables ¼ cup julienned white onion 2 Tbs. sesame oil 2 tsp. chopped garlic 1 tsp. peeled and chopped ginger ½ cup julienned shiitake mushrooms ½ cup julienned carrots ½ cup firmly packed whole baby spinach leaves, without stems ¼ cup julienned green onion Salt or salt substitute and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Egg topping 1 tsp. olive oil 1 egg (organic, free-range, or Omega-3-enriched), beaten Salt or salt substitute and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Procedure:
1. Make the noodles: Cook according to package directions and drain; place in a serving bowl, and sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds. Boil the noodle seasoning ingredients in a saucepan for 5 minutes. Pour over the noodles, toss, and set aside.
2. Make the meat: Combine the meat and its seasoning ingredients in a bowl and let sit for 10–15 minutes. Stir-fry in a wok or skillet over medium heat for 5–7 minutes or until well done. Set aside.
3. Make the vegetables: Stir-fry the white onions, garlic, and ginger in the oil over medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the shiitake mushrooms and cook another 1–2 minutes. Add the carrots and cook another 1–2 minutes or until the mushrooms are cooked through and the carrots are crisp-tender. Remove from the heat. Stir in the spinach leaves and green onions and allow them to wilt. Set aside in a bowl.
4. Make the topping: In a nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the beaten egg and season with salt and pepper. Cook through, omelet-style, for 2–3 minutes without folding or turning. Turn onto a cutting board and slice into strips. Set aside in a bowl.
5. To serve, combine all of the ingredients in a large serving dish or serve each component separately and let your guests create their own bowls of goodness.
As long as we’re on the subject of beauty, this dessert from my most recent cookbook, Anti-Aging Dishes from Around the World, is as stunning to look at as it is filled with ingredients that enhance your looks and well-being.
Strawberry Almond Cake
This almond cake recipe works well with gluten-free flour. I prefer the taste and texture of Cup4Cup flour. I also use monk fruit sweetener, which works beautifully as a sugar substitute. I recommend buying a brand that has been blended with erythritol so that you can replace it 1:1 with white sugar, like Lakanto, which makes both a classic variety and a Golden variety that substitutes for brown sugar. It’s available on Amazon, in Walmart, or in health-food stores. This cake is delicious even without the whipped-cream topping.
Benefits: Monk fruit sweetener is made from the juice of the monk fruit, which is high in antioxidants. It tastes about 100 times sweeter than traditional sugar but contains no calories or carbohydrates at all. It won’t increase your blood sugar, so it’s appropriate for diabetics. Almonds have plenty of fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, and vitamin E. Strawberries contain a good amount of vitamin C and anthocyanins, which may help inhibit the growth of cancer cells and improve capillary function in the brain, eyes, and skin.
Serves 8
Ingredients 3 eggs 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract (or seeds from 1 vanilla bean) ¼ cup honey ¾ cup vanilla or plain yogurt 1/3 cup monk fruit sweetener (I use Lakanto Golden) or brown sugar 3 Tbs. butter, melted and cooled 1 cup almond flour 1 cup coconut flour (or another cup of almond flour, if preferred) ½ cup all-purpose, gluten-free flour (I prefer Cup4Cup) 1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg 1 tsp. baking soda ½ tsp. baking powder ¾ tsp. salt
Whipped Cream Topping (optional) 1 cup heavy cream 1 Tbs. Lakanto Monkfruit Sweetener (or sugar), plus additional to taste ½ Tbs. pure vanilla extract ½ cup mascarpone cheese Sea salt to taste
Garnish 2 cups sliced strawberries ¼ cup toasted sliced almonds
Procedure
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Grease a 9-inch round pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and then whisk in the vanilla extract, honey, yogurt, sweetener or sugar, and butter.
4. In another bowl, sift together the flours, nutmeg, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Slowly mix the dry ingredients into the bowl with the wet ingredients.
5. Pour the batter into the cake pan and bake for 22-25 minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
6. Set aside and cool completely. Then invert the pan onto a cooling rack.
7. Make the whipped-cream topping, if using: With a handheld electric or stand mixer, whip the heavy cream until it begins to thicken. Add the sugar and vanilla extract and continue to beat until fluffy. When nearly done, add the mascarpone and a pinch of salt and beat in until mixed. Add more sugar to taste.
8. Top the cake with the whipped cream (if using), leaving a 1-inch border uncovered.
9. Garnish with the strawberries and almonds and serve.
Gluten-Free if using gluten-free flour Sugar-Free if using monkfruit sweetener
Learn more about FoodTrients’ nine benefits with these additional articles from our nutritionist Ginger Hultin:
Anti-Inflammatory
Anti-Inflammatory Foods: The Top 10
Antioxidants
Antioxidants Help Slow Down Premature Aging
Beauty
Beauty Is So Much More Than Skin Deep
Detox
Which Foods Are Best To Help You Detox?
Disease Prevention
Meet the Best Foods for Disease Prevention
Recipes for DISEASE PREVENTION
Gut health
Good Gut Health Helps Prevent Diseases – FoodTrients
Immunity Booster
How To Support Your Immune System Naturally
Mind
How To Feed Your Brain and Keep Sharp
Strength
