Daily Mail journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission – learn more
I start every morning with porridge to stabilise my blood sugar and give me energy. I don’t tolerate dairy and gluten very well anymore, so I have gluten-free oats with almond milk. I add chia seeds to boost fibre, pea protein powder to up the protein content, pumpkin seeds, which are full of zinc to support skin repair (they’re great for acne-prone skin too) and berries for polyphenols. These are powerful plant antioxidants that neutralise free radicals, protect collagen and calm inflammation. Then I add almond butter and maybe a dash of maple syrup for yumminess.
I like fermented foods, as they diversify the gut microbiome, which has a direct line to skin health via the gut-skin axis. A balanced microbiome means less systemic inflammation – and that shows up in calmer, clearer skin. So I try to eat them at every meal – if I can stomach it, I’ll have kimchi at breakfast!
A typical lunch is miso salmon, sweet potato and salad. Salmon is rich in Omega-3, which supports a healthy skin barrier and is great for calming inflammation. The salad will start with a leafy green base, like spinach, then I add a protein in the form of chickpeas, which are great for the gut microbiome.
I’ll add half an avocado, which is full of good fats and contains Vitamin A, C and E, which are powerful antioxidants that help to protect skin’s collagen. Sweet potato is full of beta carotene, which is like internal retinol, great for skin cell turnover, pore clarity and giving skin a glow.
Green tea after any meal helps to calm oxidative stress and keep your skin’s mitochondria healthy. These are the energy generators inside every skin cell and they power collagen synthesis, barrier repair and cell renewal. Mitochondrial function declines with age, so protecting them matters.
Dermatologist Dr Sam Bunting recommends eating fermented foods for the gut’s microbiome, which reduces inflammation and helps improve skin
I always have a Brazil nut a day for the selenium because it’s quite hard to get selenium from any other source. It’s an essential component of our skin’s antioxidant systems to help protect cell membranes from UV damage.
I eat a lot of kiwi fruit. I really like the taste of them, and they’re full of vitamin C, which helps maintain the skin’s collagen stores and keep our dermis thick and healthy. They also contain fibre, which is good for the gut and a little bit of melatonin, so having one in the evening helps your body get ready for sleep.
And my snack of choice is usually a bit of parmesan – yes, its high in fat but its also high in protein and unami flavour so it satisfies speedily and the snacking doesn’t get out of hand!
I used to compete in sprint hurdling as a teenager, so I’ve always enjoyed high intensity sports.
Nowadays, I weight train twice a week with Alex Beard and, if I can squeeze it in, take a spin class to electronic dance music in the morning.
SKINCARE AND SUPPLEMENTS
I don’t take collagen supplements – I don’t buy into them, given that I consume a diet high in first class protein already. But I do take Vitamin D as it’s an important hormone for bone health, and longevity.
Broad spectrum sunscreen with UVA filters has been a non-negotiable all year round since my mid-20s. I’m not worried about sunburn in February, of course, but I do care about the steady incremental damage from UVA that drives oxidative stress and ultimately fine lines, wrinkles and, perhaps most insidiously, sagging.
We can’t really repair sagging skin, as the body doesn’t make much functional, healthy elastin after your 20s – sunscreen and topical antioxidants are the most powerful tools in your arsenal for maintaining it. I use Flawless Vitamin C NAD+ Serum on my face, neck and hands every morning.
I like in-office microneedling as a treatment. It activates a built-in intelligence that your skin already has – it knows how to repair and regenerate itself, plus there’s relatively little downtime.
*As told to Antonia Lenon
