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What are heating foods?

Certain foods can heat your skin, causing it to appear reddened and sensitised. These foods are called ‘vasodilators’ and they heat your skin by increasing the blood flow through your fine capillary system. If you suffer from rosacea or flushed cheeks or nose, you will be particularly sensitive to heating foods.

Common heating foods: coffee, alcohol, caffeine (energy drinks, etc), chocolate, peanuts, cashews, nut butters containing peanuts or cashews, spicy foods, chilli, paprika, wasabi, hot curries, oranges (including orange juice), strawberries and very hot or cold foods.

Skin-Friendly Alternatives:

Coffee: Coffee decaffeinated by water method, chai tea (avoid chai syrups), herbal teas (without orange peel) and dandelion, macha, beetroot, mermaid or turmeric lattes.

Alcohol: Kombucha, lemon lime & bitters, soda water spritzers or sparkling water with a slice of lemon.

Chocolate: Medjool dates, figs, date and carob balls or treats from the Bestow recipe books (don’t have too much coconut oil though).

Peanuts and cashews:  Raw, unsalted nuts such as almonds or brazil nuts.

Nut butters containing peanuts or cashews: Tahini or almond butter.

Spicy foods, chilli and paprika: Fresh herbs and less ‘spicy’ spices such as ginger, cloves, nutmeg, mace, cardamom, cinnamon, cumin, caraway, coriander and mustard seeds.

Oranges or strawberries: Any other fresh fruit in season

Orange juice: Apple juice, dark grape juice and lemon juice – all best diluted in water.

The Bestow Recipe Books

The Bestow way of eating avoids all congesting foods and uses skin-friendly, whole-foods instead. The range of five Bestow Recipe Books follow skin-friendly principles. Instead of focussing on what you can’t eat, you can enjoy what you can eat – including healthy treats! The recipes are tasty, nourishing and easy to prepare. Bestow Within I contains an education section on heating and congesting foods and provides a list of skin-friendly whole-food alternatives and lots of recipes to show you how to use them.