The Beauty Chef
Carla Oates, founder of The Beauty Chef, believes that beauty and health come from the inside out.
Words: Hande Renshaw | Photography: Courtesy of The Beauty Chef
‘At The Beauty Chef, we often describe our gut as being like a garden – so when the soil is healthy and well-balanced nutritionally, plants are able to thrive and flourish,’ says Carla Oates. Photo: Courtesy of The Beauty Chef.
‘It makes sense then that if your gut is feeling irritated, inflamed or a little out of balance, your skin can be one of the first places where symptoms manifest.’ Photo: Courtesy of The Beauty Chef.
Carla Oates, founder of The Beauty Chef, believes that beauty is an inside-out process. Simply put – what we eat has a profound impact on the way we look and feel.
‘I suffered from eczema and allergies as a child, and when my daughter experienced similar health issues I became even more fascinated by the intimate link between what we eat and the state of our health,’ says Carla.
And so began her journey and passion; following the effects certain foods have on our bodies, starting with eliminating certain ingredients and introducing fermented foods into her family’s diet.
‘It’s this passion for nutrition and fermented foods that has inspired the philosophy at the centre of my brand, The Beauty Chef.’
For Carla, our guts are like a garden, when the soil is healthy and well-balanced nutritionally, plants are able to thrive and flourish.
‘In terms of our gut, this analogy rings true when our gut is in balance – with the ideal numbers and diversity of beneficial microbes – we experience optimal health and wellbeing, and glowing skin!
Below we share one of Carla’s favourite breakfast recipes - GLOW bircher muesli to get you glowing during lockdown!
‘For most of us, until symptoms manifest, we don’t give our gut health as much TLC as we should.’ Photo: Courtesy of The Beauty Chef.
‘I’ve always favoured simplicity when it comes to skincare, choosing products that are free of synthetic chemicals where possible.’ Photo: Courtesy of The Beauty Chef.
“It makes sense that if your gut is feeling irritated, inflamed or a little out of balance, your skin can be one of the first places where symptoms manifest.”
GLOW BIRCHER MUESLI
A grain-free take on the breakfast classic, this nourishing bowl is well worth a little prep the evening before! Seeds, nuts and coconut yoghurt offer a gut-healing combination of healthy fats, fibre and probiotics, while the rich, crunchy topping will satisfy a sweet craving. Best of all, it’s powered by the 18 Certified Organic wholefoods and probiotics in our bio-fermented beauty powder, GLOW Inner Beauty Essential.
Prep time – 10 minutes, soaking time – overnight
Serves 1
INGREDIENTS
¼ cup (20g) coconut flakes
2 tablespoons hemp seeds
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds
2 teaspoons chia seeds
1 teaspoon ground linseed
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
pinch of sea salt
1/3 cup (80ml) almond, coconut or macadamia milk, plus a dash
1/3 cup (80g) unsweetened coconut yoghurt
1 teaspoon GLOW Inner Beauty Essential
½ small-medium green apple, thinly cut into batons or slices
Fresh berries, such as raspberry, blueberry or sliced strawberry, to serve
SWEET DUKKAH
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped pecans
2 teaspoons coarsely chopped pumpkin seeds
1 teaspoon dried rose petals (optional)
1 teaspoon cacao nibs
1 teaspoon sesame seeds
METHOD
Place the coconut flakes, hemp seeds, sunflower seeds, chia seeds, ground linseed, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Add the nut milk and stir to combine. Cover and refrigerate overnight.
To prepare the sweet dukkah, place all the ingredients in a small airtight container and shake to combine. Set aside until required.
To serve, add a dash more nut milk to the soaked bircher muesli, to loosen it up a little. Spoon the bircher into a serving bowl.
Blend the yoghurt and GLOW together in a small bowl and spoon onto the bircher. Top with apple and fresh berries and sprinkle with sweet dukkah.