Nutritionist-turned-celeb spa owner shares dietary tips for an A-list glow

Health

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By Alexandra Klausner

The secret to looking like a celebrity could be in your refrigerator. 

Marius Morariu, a holistic nutritionist and the co-founder of Manhattan’s celebrity-loved Tracie Martyn, a spa known for prepping stars for the Met Gala and the Oscars with their signature facials and natural skincare line, is offering his tips on how to shine from the inside out. 

“I have a passion for helping people get their glow,” Morariu told The Post.

Morariu said that the healthiest diet for the skin is one that addresses “Inflammageing,” which is inflammation that accelerates aging. Widespread inflammation in the body can also exacerbate skin conditions like acne.

“Inflammation is a big problem and it does come from our lifestyle…and you can definitely affect it positively by eating anti-inflammatory foods,” he explained. 

Omega-3 fatty acids

Omega-3 acids are known for their ability to fight inflammation in the body.

“Powerful omega-3 fatty acids not only benefit your skin but also benefit your brain. A lot of people are scared of fat but it is very important and very good for you,” Morariu said.

“Omega-3 fatty acids like EPA and DHA are found in deep sea fish,” he explained. If people are vegetarian or don’t like seafood he said that they can also get omega-3 from a supplement made from algae.

Morariu said certain seed oils like flax seed oil and black currant oil are also high in omega-3 but that people should be wary of other seed oils.

“A lot of these seed oils like canola oil are higher in omeg-6 fatty acids. If you eat too many of those, you end up creating inflammatory cytokines and that will create inflammation, which then can lead to aging,” he explained.

He added our diets tend to have a lot of omega-6 because “they sneak into foods”. Eating more omega 3-rich foods can counteract inflammation caused by omega-6, he explained.

Fermented food

Morariu said that healthy skin begins with a healthy gut.

“There’s a very powerful thing called the gut-skin axis,” he explained. “What we eat informs our microbiome, and our microbiome informs our mental health and our hormones…but it also informs our skin.”

Healthy bacteria in the gut strengthens the immune system, lowers inflammation, and has a positive impact on the body’s largest organ, he explained.

“One very direct way of impacting your microbiome is by eating fermented food,” he suggested. He said some people choose to incorporate things like sauerkraut, kombucha and kimchi into their diet to strengthen their microbiome.

However, he warned that people with certain conditions like small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO) should stay away from fermented foods. “You don’t want to overload yourself with probiotics,” he said.

He said that “wellness warriors” may want to invest in a gut microbiome test or an allergy test before adopting a new diet. “They can revolutionize their health including their skin health with this knowledge. It’s worthwhile to them to go a little deeper and maybe find a holistic nutritionist or functional medicine doctor,” he suggested.

Berries, green tea and foods high in antioxidants

A diet high in antioxidants and plant compounds called polyphenols has various benefits for your skin and your overall health.

“Antioxidants are super powerful and they block free radical damage,” he explained. “A lot of them are anti-inflammatory but there’s also a secondary benefit from a lot of these antioxidants because they’re metabolized in the gut by your good microbiomes,” he said.

He said that the gut takes antioxidants and polyphenols found in things like berries and green tea, and “transforms them into anti-inflammatory agents,” he said. “Berries are an absolute superfood,” he explained.

“They also have very low glycemic index, which means that they don’t pour a lot of sugar into your blood and don’t create what a lot of the issues are in our Western diet,” he added. He said some polyphenols are antioxidant and “energy-producing” which helps both the body and the skin.

Vegetables and fruit — but beware

“Look for colored antioxidant-rich food like vegetables and fruit,” he suggested. It’s long been suggested people should “eat the rainbow” for health, but there is no one-size-fits-all diet.

Vegetables are high in antioxidants, including green leafy vegetables like kale or cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, but Morariu said people may want to check their thyroid levels before incorporating too many of these vegetables into their diet.

“If you eat too many cruciferous vegetables and you’re low on your thyroid, which, by the way, can wreak havoc on your skin… you want to you want to monitor those,” he explained.

Fiber and hydration

“You have to have enough fiber, but also enough water so that things can move through you very nicely because this whole detox and elimination is just as important as what you’re taking in so that you don’t have certain toxins that are being created in your body because your transit time is too long” he explained.

These toxins “will also affect your skin,” he warned.

Foods and drinks to avoid

Sugar and dairy can contribute to a microbiome imbalance that increases sebum production in the skin which can lead to acne, he explained. He said that something called insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) is also to blame for sebum production.

“Dairy and sugar raise IGF-1 so if you are someone who has struggled with breakouts and you want to try something first before you get on the medication…why not give it a chance and change your diet.”

Things like pasta, potatoes and rice can also be detrimental for the skin because they are “high glycemic index carbohydrates.”

“Apart from the inflammation with the [omega-6] oils, it’s also the high glycemic index carbohydrates… a lot of the problems with inflammation come from that, and then your skin also suffers incredibly.”

Alcohol can also present some problems for the skin.

Sulfites in alcohol can make the skin look puffy but he said if you are going to drink something, you may as well reach for a “high-quality red wine,” which has polyphenols. “It’s the French paradox, right? People have a lot of fun in France, yet they’re looking really good and it could be coming from the wine,” he joked.

He said people will also want to avoid liquors with lots of additives and sugars and if they do reach for the hard liquor, they should opt for tequila which has less sugar.

Processed foods are another big no-no, he warned.

He said certain processed foods can negatively impact your gut barrier and lead to something called leaky gut syndrome. Leaky gut syndrome, which is a proposed diagnosis and not currently a recognized medical condition, says that some people may have an intestinal wall that allows more nutrients and water to pass through — or leak — into the bloodstream. The body then recognizes those things as foreign objects and starts fighting them, leading to more inflammation in the body.