I eat my skincare. And I’m not alone.
LA’s fascination with beauty and its obsession with health have finally come together in bespoke diets that improve your appearance as well as your waistline.
That’s why even though I use creams, serums, masks and light treatments, some of my favorite skincare rituals involve a kettle and a chopping board.
There are eggs, sardines, red meat and Greek yogurt for protein, which is necessary to keep skin tissues strong and supple.
There are kiwis and pomegranates for vitamin C, which helps the body make collagen. There are carrots and cucumbers for nature’s retinol, to keep the eyes bright and skin hydrated. And there are pumpkin seeds for zinc to reduce sun damage.
These are ordinary foods with a place in my beauty routine — and on my plate.
Throughout LA, people are discovering that beauty and nutrition are practically inseparable.
And foodies suddenly have a new world to explore — a crossover of tastes and appetites.
There’s room for experimentation.
My own mornings often begin with drinking hot water infused with turmeric and saffron. With my Iranian background and love for India, saffron has had meaning for me long before I learned what antioxidants were.
My daily indulgence: I freeze hibiscus tea into ruby-colored cubes and add soaked basil seeds to butterfly pea tea with rose water.
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My “skincare elixir,” inspired by Chinese Eight Treasures Tea (Ba Bao Cha), combines peach gum, jujube dates, licorice root, longans, goji berries, snow ear mushroom and lotus seeds, and sometimes rock sugar. I enjoy it without pretending sweet soup is a clinical treatment.
Sounds complicated? It can be. But I like the results in the mirror. Food nourishes the body, skin included.
A meal must satisfy us without excess — while also helping to sculpt us and leave us looking rested. And so eating well becomes another way to look good.
Of course, there are some controversial new fads with the trend.
Consider “proteinmaxxing,” which makes lunch sound like a competitive event. Gone are the leafy greens of low-calorie diets. We’re all about being seen eating meat, or fish — or eggs, if necessary.
Living this way is not for the timid. Unless you confine yourself to your own kitchen, you’re going to be scrutinized for your egg-white omelettes. And believe me, in Beverly Hills, someone is always watching.
But food should leave room for pleasure, too.
That is why I value familiar cultural tastes, and try to balance my skin-focused diet with some occasional treats. The spicy grills of Persian Westwood and the exotic Chinese kitchens of the San Gabriel Valley offer a richer food vocabulary than simply “clean” and “guilty.”
LA is one of the only cities where you can strike that balance.
Having lived in NYC, DC, Dubai, China, Sweden and Los Angeles, I’ve found LA’s dining-out options by far the healthiest in America (even if Europe is healthier overall).
Between farmers markets and the abundance of health-food stores, LA offers plenty of places to shop for your skincare in the produce aisle. And that is a blessing.
But abundant choice is not the same as equal access. USC researchers found that roughly a quarter of LA County residents experienced nutrition insecurity in 2022, meaning they had difficulty accessing healthy food that meets their preferences.
So while some Angelenos are perfecting their diets, others struggle to find the right food — whether for beauty or nutrition.
A city this fluent in wellness should care at least as much about who can afford dinner as about what everyone at the next table is eating.
For some, restrictive diets aren’t a matter of choice. They are an economic reality.
For those of us who have choices, the pressure to eat perfectly can become harmful. Orthorexia describes an obsession with supposedly healthy eating that damages well-being. The pursuit of health can become so restrictive that it undermines the very thing it promises to protect.
Choosing a salad is not a disorder. The concern is what happens when food rules begin running a person’s life.
That’s why we have to model healthy appetites as well as responsible food selection, especially for young girls, the population most prone to eating disorders.
We have to remind them that eating, ultimately, is about fun.
When lemon turns my butterfly pea tea purple, my daughter wants to watch Mommy do the magic again. Nobody is counting anything. Nobody needs fixing.
I want her to inherit that pleasure and curiosity about food and its delights.
LA gives us extraordinary opportunities to eat well. And the next time someone in Beverly Hills asks what I’m doing for my skin, I may invite them over for lunch.
Some beauty secrets are better shared across a table.
Adelle Nazarian is a journalist, entrepreneur and commentator covering politics, culture and technology.
The post LA’s obsession with skincare and food are coming together appeared first on New York Post.
