Eat Better. Look Better.

Contents

1. PART 1 — HOW SKIN AGESThe four mechanisms that age skin from the inside — collagen breakdown, glycation, inflammation and oxidative stress — plus the gut–skin axis, each explained so you can act on it with food.
2. Collagen — the scaffolding of skinWhat collagen is built from (glycine, proline, hydroxyproline), why vitamin C and zinc are non-negotiable cofactors, and the four things that break it down: UV, glycation, inflammation, smoking and alcohol.
3. Glycation & AGEsHow glucose spikes cross-link collagen into irreversible AGEs, what that looks like on the face, and five anti-glycation eating rules that slow the process.
4. Inflammation & oxidative stressInflammaging and free radicals in skin: which cytokines degrade collagen, which foods raise inflammation and which lower it, and the five key dietary antioxidants for skin.
5. The gut–skin axisThe leaky-gut-to-leaky-skin mechanism, the role of short-chain fatty acids, and four practical steps: fermented foods daily, 30+ plants a week, prebiotics, and protecting the gut barrier.
6. PART 2 — PLATE METHOD FOR SKINThe Better Plate method turned toward skin: how the plate is built, the order you eat in, and the five daily habits that make it hold.
7. The plate method for skinThe plate by zones — ½ vegetables and fruit, ¼ quality protein, ¼ whole grains and legumes, plus fats and hydration — with what each zone does for skin, and the one daily ritual of eating a food from every colour.
8. Food order & daily habitsThe food order in three steps — fibre first, protein and fat second, carbohydrates last — and why the same plate behaves differently when the order changes.
9. Skin-supporting habitsFive numbered habits: water before caffeine, colour on every plate, fat with every meal, protein at breakfast, and 7–8 hours of sleep.
10. PART 3 — TWELVE SUPERFOODSTwelve foods, one page each: how the food works on skin, the specific dose or frequency, and a preparation tip.
11. Fatty fish · Berries · Avocado · TomatoesFatty fish as the barrier builder (EPA, DHA, astaxanthin), berries as the collagen catalyst, avocado as the fat that plumps, and tomatoes as edible sun protection.
12. Cruciferous · Pumpkin seeds · Green teaSulforaphane and the detox switch, zinc as the skin's repair enzyme, and green tea's EGCG as an AGE blocker — with the matcha advantage and the rule to brew at 70–80°C, never boiling.
13. Bone broth · Leafy greens · Olive oilBone broth as a direct source of glycine and proline, dark leafy greens as the luminosity layer (carotenoids and folate), and extra virgin olive oil for its squalene and polyphenols.
14. Fermented foods · Dark chocolateFermented foods as the most direct lever on the gut–skin axis, and dark chocolate from 70% cocoa — the flavanols that genuinely do something for skin.
15. PART 4 — AGE-FREE EATINGA part of its own on why the way you cook matters for skin almost as much as what you cook.
16. Glycation & AGE-free eatingThe two sources of AGEs — those formed inside the body from blood sugar spikes and the dietary ones that come from cooking — what drives each, and which of the two weighs more.
17. AGE-free cooking methodsA table of six cooking methods ranked by AGE level — from steaming and boiling to deep frying — each with its own skin verdict, plus the rule of marinating in acid before high heat.
18. AGE-free daily rulesThe anti-AGE protocol in seven numbered rules: glucose control, cutting liquid sugars, marinade before high heat, vinegar or lemon with carbohydrates, a walk after meals, moist cooking methods, and green tea with food.
19. PART 5 — SUPPLEMENTSOnly the five supplements with the strongest human clinical data, each with a plainly stated evidence grade and the position that food comes first, always.
20. Supplements — the evidence (1)Collagen peptides, astaxanthin and vitamin C — the evidence grade, the mechanism and the recommended dose for each.
21. Supplements — the evidence (2)Zinc and omega-3 (EPA + DHA), the forms that absorb best — plus the minimal effective stack of two, and the honest warning that supplements do not rescue a poor diet.
22. PART 6 — 3-DAY SKIN RESETThree written-out days that pull the whole guide into one practical protocol, with menus, targets for each day and a shopping list.
23. Day 1 — reset menuThe foundation day, from the glass of water on waking to the evening tea — a salmon and egg bowl, a roasted tomato and sardine salad, miso-glazed salmon, plus four targets for the day.
24. Day 2 — reset menuThe deepening day, focused on the gut and on phytonutrient variety: a kefir smoothie bowl, a rainbow bowl with kimchi, slow-cooked chicken — and the walk after dinner.
25. Day 3 — reset menuThe consolidating day: collagen oats, avocado and mackerel toast, baked salmon with roasted tomatoes and greens — and the 80/20 rule you leave the reset with.
26. Shopping list & reset rulesA ready shopping list in five categories — protein, fats, fermented, vegetables, fruit and other — plus what to leave out for the three days and four rules that have nothing to do with food.