We talk to Dale Pinnock, author of The Clear Skin Cookbook, about how you can eat yourself beautiful and his own journey to beautifully, clear skin…
I met Dale (also known as the medicinal chef) in his clinic at London’s Nutri Centre just opposite Regent’s Park. Having just written and released his Clear Skin Cookbook, Dale has created a bit of a stir in the UK. His skill is tailoring food, and recipes, to suit you and your specific health problems and he has become the go to guy for all things medicinal in the kitchen, in other words he is the Trinny and Susannah of the nutrition world. He is also one of the nicest guys I have ever met. Approachable, kind and honest he is there to help, and help he does. I was there to discuss his latest venture, The Clear Skin Cookbook, and one of the things I found most interesting was his skin story that opens the book. Dale first experienced spots when he was just 10 years old and by the time he had reached 15 years old he was all consumed with thoughts of self-loathing due to his acne. After visiting a series of doctors and specialists, which didn’t amount to much, he was then given a book on nutrition by one of his mum’s friends. He read the book in a weekend and completely overhauled his entire diet – he cut out red meat, dairy and introduced fruit, veg, and whole grains supplementing it all with zinc, omega 3 and B vitamins. The changes were remarkable and eventually his acne completely disappeared not even leaving a slight mark, leaving Dale with the glowing, healthy skin he has today (he doesn’t even have wrinkles!) Here are just some of the lessons we learnt from him and his cookbook, and we have even included a recipe to boot!
The Top Four Acne-Fighting Foods
Pumpkin Seeds – for their source of zinc and fatty acid
Prawns – rich in zinc and selenium
Red Bell Peppers – for their anti-inflammatory properties
Sweet Potatoes – as they support the immune system
Vital Vitamins
Dale says that B Vitamins are some of the most important with regards to skin health. No other group of vitamins support the skin in such a diverse range of ways as the B Vitamins do.
Skin Boosting Recipe for Tomato and Fennel Soup:
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large red onion, finely chopped,
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 small fennel bulb, finely chopped
1 teaspoon crushed fennel seed
2 x 400g/14oz cans of chopped tomatoes
3 tablespoons
orange juice vegetable stock (organic is best)
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
freshly ground black pepper
Method: 1. Add the olive oil, onion, garlic, and fennel, along with a generous pinch of sea salt to a saucepan, and sauté until the onion and fennel have softened. 2. Add the fennel seed, tomatoes and orange juice. Then add enough stock just to cover. 3. Simmer for ten minutes then blend into a soup.