Top Ten Foods To use on Your Body

I love food.

Which is pretty obvious I know.

But I don't only love eating food, I also love slathering it on various parts of my body to make them smooth, soft, heal and smell nice. There are so many benefits to doing this.

You have most of these items in your kitchen, so it's very accessible. It's also much much more affordable than those thousand dollar high-end products that are so full of chemicals and are mostly plant-derived anyways. So hey, just make 'em fresh in your kitchen instead and get amaazing results!

1. Coconut Oil:

Pretty much everyone has heard of the trendy coconut oil. It has amazing properties that help dry or irritated skin regain vitality and gets rid of itchiness. I love using it on my hair daily, on sunburns or rashes.

2. Fresh Aloe

This one is truly a lifesaver. When I get a bit too much sun, this in combination with coconut oil relieves the pain and tenderness overnight. It's also a great thing to add to your daily regiment for both face and body, leaving skin super soft.

3. Bananas

Bananas are an amazing hair mask, just mash one up very well, or give it a good whirl in the blender, and spread it out in your hair evenly. Leave it in for 10 minutes and rinse well. It cleanses and refreshes your hair while adding shine and softness.

4. Avocado

This powerhouse is great in a multitude of ways. Spread it through your hair for one of the deepest treatments, or as a facial mask.

5. Papaya

This fruit is great to tighten up skin, just mash it up and leave it on until dry. Rinse off with cold water and feel your skin getting tighter and vibrant.

6. Lemons

A great addition to the previous three treatments, lemons are also a great astringent used to clean your face of impurities. Start using it diluted with water first, using it pure can cause reactions to sensitive skins.

7. Oats

Combining oats with lemon, coconut oil or avocado and sugar gives you a great exfolliant that is gentle enough for both face and body. Use it once a week to gently but effectively cleanse your pores.

8. Mango

One of my favorite fruits, mango is a great toner and rejuvenator. Alternate it's use with papaya and have forever young looking skin.

9. Strawberries

The high levels of antioxidants in berries or any dark red fruits help protect your skin from the daily damage it is subjected to.


10. Watermelon

While eating the fruit is amazingly hydrating, if you need an extra boost in moisture, rub some on your face as you feast. It will help lock in moisture and keep your face fresh and flake free.

Yellow Thai Curry

Thai food has always been on my list of favorites, but for a few reasons, it isn't in my habitual repertoire of go-to recipes or restaurants. The primary reason being that plenty of restaurants use fish sauce in, well, everything and some places won't or can't make their dishes without it. So finding a good, authentic and fish-sauce-free restaurant can be tricky. Nevertheless it is no excuse not to enjoy the delicious flavours that Thai food has to offer. Turns out that there is a veg-friendly Thai place right around the corner, and it was so amazing that I just had to recreate it at home.

I had tried to make Thai food at home years ago, but could never quite get the hang of it. Turns out the recipe I was basing mine on wasn't quite right, although the dish was tasty, it really didn't capture the essence of Thai food. What's a cook without a few failures under her belt?

Is this one authentic? Probably not. I chose to vary the ingredients from the dish I had at the restaurant with what I had on hand. Nonetheless, it was delicious. I could tell by the dead silence that accompanied it's consumption that I wasn't the only one enjoying the contents of my plate. I also tailored it to my dietary guidelines: that being I wanted it to be low-fat, low sodium, oil-free and plant strong. It already being a gluten-free friendly recipe I didn't have to change much.

You might have noticed that I haven't given specific measurements for the spices. This is for two reasons: I rarely measure them myself and I believe that they should be added to taste. They can always be adjusted and so I suggest starting small and gradually increasing them until just right if needed. After a few tries it almost becomes second nature and makes cooking that much more intuitive.

Thai Yellow Curry

This is a large recipe, feeding 2 very hungry people with leftovers. I'm sure it feeds a family of five, so half the recipe if you don't have a family or have a very healthy appetite.

Ingredients:
- 1/2 large Sweet Onion.
- 2 large Portabella Mushroom Cap, diced.
- Several large handfulls Baby Spinach.
- 1 large tomato, diced.

- 2 cans low-fat coconut milk.

- Turmeric.
- Cumin.
- Ground Coriander.
- Fresh Ginger, minced.
- Sriracha Hot sauce or Fresh thai chili.
- White Pepper (can substitute Black Pepper).
- Salt.

1. Heat a large deep pan over med-high heat, once the pan is hot, splash with water and add onion. Cook until starting to soften.
2. Add spices with a little more water, let cook for about a minute.
3. Now add the coconut milk, I added the full cans but you can choose to buy the fuller fat versions and use one full can and just the top off the other for a richer dish.
4. Let this cook down for about 5-10 minutes, then add in all the veggies. Let cook until sauce has reached it's desired thickness.
5. Serve over steamed jasmine rice.