The Wedding Nutritionist

View Original

Bridal Diet Plan For Glowing Skin

Alongside planning your flowers, dress, hair and make-up you need to include “Get glowing skin” on your wedding to-do list. All eyes will be on you as you walk down the aisle and you will want to be looking your best. We all know the difference a bit of attention on our skin makes so follow these simple steps to ensure that you’re looking your best on your big day.

Hint: You don’t want to eat nothing but junk food in the days before your big day, and end up irritating your skin. You want to have healthy skin on your wedding day, with a natural glow. Every bride’s wish is that her skin glows on her big day, so let’s make sure that happens.

I’m going to share with you a meal plan to fit your wedding diet that includes vitamins, fruits and vegetables, healthy fats, green vegetables, foods that will help your digestive system, and everything else you should be eating on your wedding diet to have a natural glow, and have the prettiest most flawless skin and hair ever.

First up, here’s a simple meal plan for seven days. This is specifically designed to get the nutrients known to improve skin health into your diet. Then there are a few extra tips and tricks to ensure you’re glowing on your big day. Obviously the earlier you start, the better the results!

Bridal Diet Plan For Glowing Skin

Day 1, Day 2, Day 3

Breakfast 8am — Avocado Toast

237 calories

Ingredients

  • 1 Bread, slice, whole wheat

  • ½ Avocado, small

  • 1 Salt, dash

  • 1 Pepper, dash

Directions

  • Toast bread

  • Slice avocado, add to bread. Season with salt & pepper or everything bagel seasoning if you have it!

  • Gluten-free? Use gluten-free bread.

Lunch 12:30pm — Chicken & Feta Lettuce-Less Salad

403 calories

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Tomatoes, grape

  • 1 Cucumber, small

  • ¼ Onion, red

  • 5 oz Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw

  • 2 Tbsp Vinaigrette, less than 50 calories per 2 Tbsp

  • ¼ cup Cheese, crumbled, feta

  • 1 Oregano, dash

  • 1 Salt, dash

Directions

  • Cube chicken, halve tomatoes, dice onion, and chop the cucumber.

  • Spray a pan with an oil spray. Cook chicken for ~10 minutes, until cooked through. 

  • Combine ingredients.

  • No chicken? Use tofu or tuna. No dairy? Use oil.

Snack — Banana and Yogurt

225 calories

Ingredients

  • 1 Banana

  • 1 Yogurt, plain, whole milk, single-serving container

Directions

  • Want a flavored yogurt? Just choose one with <15 gm added sugar. Non-dairy yogurts are fine here if you prefer.

  • No dairy? Use a dairy-free yogurt

Dinner 7:30pm — Chicken and Zucchini Stir Fry

329 calories

Ingredients

  • ½ Zucchini, medium

  • ½ Bell pepper, yellow

  • ½ Onion, yellow

  • 5 oz Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw

  • 2 Tbsp Hoisin sauce

  • 1 tsp Red pepper flakes, dash

  • 1 Tbsp Garlic, minced

Directions

  • Cut chicken into bite-size pieces

  • Spray a pan with an oil spray, add in garlic

  • Cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring frequently

  • Add in veggies (chopped) and red pepper flakes. Cook for ~5 more minutes

  • Add in sauce at the end

  • No hoisin sauce? Use 2 Tbsp peanut sauce or 2 tsp oil instead. If using oil, also add a dash of salt.

Day 4, Day 5

Breakfast 8am — Fried Egg and Cheese

132 calories

Ingredients

  • 1 Egg, large

  • 2 Tbsp Cheese, shredded, cheddar (Tbsp units)

  • 1 Basil, dash

  • 1 Oregano, dash

Directions

  • Spray a pan with an oil spray. Crack in the egg, then flip when cooked most of the way through. Top with cheese and seasonings.

  • No dairy? Use a dairy-free cheese or avocado on the side

Lunch 12:30pm — Asian Chicken Bowl

343 calories

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Mixed greens

  • 1 Tbsp Cilantro

  • ½ cup Mandarin oranges, canned

  • ⅛ cup Cashews

  • ½ cup Cabbage, shredded

  • ½ cup Carrots, shredded or julienned

  • 1 Tbsp Peanut sauce

  • 3 oz Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw

Directions

  • Spray pan with an oil spray.

  • Slice chicken. Cook chicken on medium heat for 6-7 minutes, flipping slices over midway through. Use an instant-read thermometer to make sure chicken gets to 165 degrees internally. 

  • Chop up cilantro

  • Combine all ingredients into a salad

  • No chicken? Use beef, tofu, or soybeans.

  • Peanut sauce: I like the Whole Food’s 365 brand, or Trader Joe’s peanut vinaigrette (in their frozen section). But any peanut sauce you find is fine. If you prefer to make your own, here’s a recipe: minimalistbaker.com/5-ingredient-peanut-sauce/

Snack — BT Wraps

296 calories

Ingredients

  • 4 oz Deli slices, turkey

  • 4 Uncured bacon, slices

Directions

  • Fry bacon on stovetop, in a microwave, or in the oven, whatever’s easiest for you!

  • Wrap turkey slices around bacon & spear with a toothpick to hold together.

Dinner 7:30 PM — Summer Corn Salad

452 calories

Ingredients

  • ½ Avocado, small

  • 1 cup Tomatoes, grape

  • 1 Cucumber, small

  • ⅓ cup Cheese, Parmesan, shaved (cups)

  • 1 cup Corn, kernels

  • 2 Tbsp Vinaigrette, less than 50 calories per 2 Tbsp

  • 1 Basil, dash

  • 1 Salt, dash               

Directions

  • Halve tomatoes, cut the cucumber into small pieces, cube avocado

  • Mix all ingredients together

  • No dairy? Use a dairy-free cheese or additional avocado

Day 6, Day 7

Breakfast 8am — French Toast with Fried Egg

257 calories

Ingredients

  • 1 Bread, slice

  • 2 Egg, large

  • ¼ tsp Vanilla

  • ⅓ Tbsp Milk, 2% (Tbsp)

  • 1 Cinnamon, dash

Directions

  • Combine one egg, vanilla, milk, and cinnamon in a bowl.

  • Whisk with a fork until smooth.

  • Spray a pan with an oil spray and put on medium heat.

  • Soak both sides of bread in mixture and place in pan. Top with rest of mixture if not all soaked up.

  • Cook ~3 minutes each side, until mixture has been soaked up.

  • While toast is cooking, spray a second pan with an oil spray. Crack in the egg, then flip when cooked most of the way through. Let cook for another 30-60 seconds, then remove from heat and place on top of the bread.

  • Note: 1/3 Tbsp = 1 tsp. No dairy? Use any other kind of milk, or go without milk.

Lunch 12:30pm — Guac, Tuna & Apple Salad

303 calories

Ingredients

  • 1 Apple, small

  • 1 Tbsp Scallions

  • ¼ cup Guacamole

  • 1 Tuna, canned (1 can) 

  • 1 Salt, dash

  • 1 Pepper, dash

  • 1 Salt, dash

Directions

  • Dice apple and cut scallions into small pieces.

  • Mix all ingredients.

Snack — Jerky

120 calories

Ingredients

  • 2 oz Turkey jerky

Directions

  • Notes: No animal protein? Try Epic brand’s Salmon Jerky. No jerky at all? Have 2 hard-boiled eggs, 2 string cheeses or 1 yogurt instead

Dinner 7.30pm — Buffalo Cauliflower Bites with Chicken

375 calories

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Cauliflower florets

  • 5 oz Chicken breast, boneless, skinless, raw

  • 4 tsp Buffalo sauce

  • ⅓ cup Cheese, Parmesan, grated (cups)

Directions

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees 

  • Spray baking sheet with an oil spray 

  • Bake cauliflower and chicken for 30 minutes (flip the chicken over and stir cauliflower at 15 minutes)

  • Mix cauliflower and chicken with buffalo sauce and cheese in a bowl, then transfer back to a baking sheet

  • Bake for an additional 5 minutes 

  • No dairy? Use a dairy-free cheese. No chicken? Use tofu. No cauliflower? Use broccoli.

Tips For Glowing Skin On Wedding Day

Obviously the earlier you start, the better the results!

Hydration

One of the best tips to take care of your skin is to make sure you stay hydrated by drinking eight glasses of water a day. One really easy way to track this is to get a large, clear water bottle and fill it in the morning. You’ll be able to see how much you’ve had. You’ll be surprised at how big of a difference the visual reminder makes.

Exercise

Exercise is so good for you on so many levels! The obvious benefit is weight loss but exercise also increases blood flow. You want your blood moving around and bringing freshness to your skin. Lack of exercise can make the skin look dull but a simple walk a day can have the opposite effect.

Green Tea

Green tea is a great way to increase not only your hydration but it is also packed full of antioxidants. Consume a cup or two of these super food every day if you can and you will help to flush out toxins in the body and definitely end up with glowing skin!

Dark Chocolate

Believe it or not, research suggests that eating dark chocolate can keep your skin looking glowing and healthy. Dark chocolate has skin-boosting properties, vitamins, and minerals that help reduce dark spots, pigmentation and improves the skin moisture and collagen content to help your skin look fresh and radiant.

Healthy Fats

You want to make sure you’re getting healthy fats in. Make sure you’re including foods like avocado and salmon to consume you recommended daily intake of fatty acids.

Probiotics

Don’t forget that no matter what you’re eating, you need to make sure you have the right bacteria in your gut to ensure you can digest your food properly. A good probiotic can help make sure your gut flora are thriving. You can get probiotics in supplement form or try eating fermented foods like kimchi, kombucha or kefir.

Anti Inflammatory Foods

If you want to have flawless skin, it’s a good idea to avoid foods and environmental factors that cause inflammation and free radicals in the body. Eating some inflammatory foods can translate into skin issues like redness, puffiness, dark spots like hyperpigmentation, and even acne.

Some inflammatory foods include processed meats, processed cheeses, sweets, snacks, fried foods, and sugary beverages. You’ll want to avoid foods that contain high fructose corn syrup as much as possible. They put stress on your digestive system and cause breakouts, dark circles, sun sensitivity, and more. 

Alcohol can cause inflammation in the body, and dries out your skin so you’ll want to keep your alcohol consumption down to a minimum leading up to your big day for flawless skin. To help reduce the inflammation and free radicals, consume anti inflammatory foods like berries, fatty fish, broccoli, avocado, and more.

Sunscreen

Protecting your skin from the harsh sun is a must. Some sun damage is noticeable instantly. Some will come back to haunt you later in life if you’re not careful. Wearing a wide-brim hat and daily sunscreen is a great way to protect your skin for the years ahead. Try to find a moisturizer with sunscreen in to keep your routine simple and make sure you don’t forget it.

When you stay hydrated, exercise, eat anti inflammatory foods, and limit your exposure to environmental toxins, you allow yourself to flush out toxins in your body to present glowy and flawless skin leading up to your big day.

Read Next

See this gallery in the original post