Guest Post: Beauty Foods By Graydon Moffat
By Graydon Moffat
Long before I started making skincare I was a chef. I worked in pastry for a few years (super yummy but not healthy) and then after a bit of a health crisis and a major awakening, I started a much healthier (and still super delicious) macrobiotic, vegan and sometimes raw food ‘home delivery’ business while I was living in Santa Monica, in LA.
Those were crazy days of getting up super early to practice yoga and staying up late cooking. I didn’t even have a computer or email address back then so I had to go to Kinko’s every day to write out my recipes and organize my delivery schedule on a spreadsheet. And of course this was way before social media so I had to make posters and put them up in local health food stores to promote my little business.
I loved what I did back then which was way before I ever thought I’d start making skincare products. I took such pleasure in helping my customers heal. Some of them had colitis, food allergies and fertility issues. I did my best to customize my menus depending on my client’s ailments and most of them really did get better but one of the things that nearly all of my customers noticed was that their skin started to improve. I can’t say it was just because of my cooking but I’d like to think it helped a bit.
Here’s one of my nutrient-packed super nourishing recipes that you might like too! It’s a salty, tangy and slightly sweet sauce full of nourishing healthy fats which are great for skin health and will make you feel satisfied and full especially if you’re a veg. You can enjoy it on just about anything from salad, steamed greens, roast vegetables, brown rice, soba noodles, legumes and/or tempeh (even meat, if you’re a carnivore). Just make a larger batch if you have more than yourself to feed!
1 tbs pumpkin seed oil – high in zinc, good for healing
1 tbs camelina oil – a very healthy fat, rich in omegas and anti-inflammatory [1]
1 tbs full fat plain yogurt – for a ‘creamy’ probiotic boost [2]
1 tbs maple syrup or honey – energizing, mineral rich [3]
1 tsp sesame seeds – an excellent source of calcium [4]
1 tsp miso (fermented soybean) paste – super enzyme rich
½ juiced lemon – pH friendly, for digestion and to boost your vitamin C [5]
½ (peeled, minced) garlic clove – immune support
½ tsp of minced ginger – for digestion, immune support and circulation
A pinch or two of celtic salt – to help remineralize your body [6]
Cayenne pepper to taste – for circulation
Whisk all of the above in a measuring cup. Or blend briefly in your blender or food processor. For maximum nutrition, it’s best to enjoy right away but you can also store it in a mason jar for day or two!
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[1] If you don’t have camelina on hand, you can substitute with olive oil.
[2] Use plain coconut yogurt if you’re vegan.
[3] For a natural antibiotic boost use Manuka honey.
[4] To maximize your absorption of calcium in your sesame seeds, make sure you grind them. And use black sesame over white sesame.
[5] Use apple cider vinegar if you don’t have fresh lemon.
[6] For a boost of iodine, you can replace the celtic salt with kelp or dulse granules.
About Graydon Moffat:
I am an ingredient anthropologist, raw food advocate, yoga enthusiast and healthy skin educator. I am the founder of GRAYDON [clinical luxury], a natural skincare line developed in 2012 and based in Riverdale, Toronto. Each raw material used in my formulas play a specific and important role in ‘feeding’ your skin. In creating this line of skincare, the focus of my work was to leverage the transformative power of pure plant based ingredients to create products that are as effective and luxurious as any mainstream luxury brand. Many of the products in my line were inspired by recipes I created in my own kitchen. Staying connected to my Canadian roots is of great importance to me. I am a strong believer of supporting small growers around Canada and source local and domestic ingredients whenever possible. I do not use any use fillers, petrochemicals, toxic chemicals, phthalates, artificial fragrances or colours.
Many years later after loads of study, various degrees and eventually partnering with experts to find the right environment to manufacture, I am proud to offer a line of outstanding products that don’t sacrifice purity for efficacy. We’re all about plant powered skincare and Pure +Simple is the authority on clean beauty in Toronto, not to mention they give the best facials! We couldn’t have asked for a better fit.
Learn more about Graydon here.
