My Favourite Skin Food: Beautifying Turmeric & Bone Broth Mussels

Anyone who knows me well knows that mussels and frites (the homemade, baked, sweet potato variety – obviously) are absolute staples in my diet. There’s nothing better than tucking into a hot bowel of garlicky mussels accompanied by a glass of one of my favourite biodynamic wines.

While I’ve always loved mussels, I’ve only recently come to learn that my favourite food also happens to be wonderful for the health of my skin. Mussels contain a hefty dose of beautifying vitamins and minerals, including B12 vitamins, vitamin C, amino acids, iron, potassium and selenium. They are also an excellent source of zinc – a commonly deficient nutrient that is one of the most important minerals for overall skin health. While zinc isn’t typically the first nutrient that comes to mind when you think ‘beautiful skin’, it’s critical to the function of over 100 enzymatic processes in the body. Skin cells are particularly dependent on this mineral since the outer layer of your skin uses six times more zinc than the lower layers. Zinc supplementation has even been shown to decrease the formation of damaging free radicals to prevent wrinkles and maintain adequate collagen levels in the skin. It’s also my favourite mineral to prescribe to my patients with acne, since zinc regulates oil production in your skin to prevent acne formation and clogged pores. A single serving of these cooked mussels contains your recommended daily requirement of 8mg zinc and also includes anti-inflammatory turmeric and skin-boosting bone broth for added beauty benefits.

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Turmeric Bone Broth Mussels

This recipe contains your recommended daily requirement of 8mg zinc and also includes anti-inflammatory turmeric and skin-boosting bone broth for added beauty benefits. 

 

Ingredients

• 4 lbs live mussels 
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups bone broth (sub store-bought stock) 
• 2 shallots, finely chopped
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tbs ghee or coconut oil 
• 1 tbs turmeric powder 

Instructions

Rinse and scrub mussels under cold water.Heat the oil/ghee, shallots, tumermic and garlic over medium heat in a large stockpot until lightly browned. Add mussels and broth, stir well and simmer for 10 minutes - or until all mussels are open (discard any mussels that do not open as they may have already been dead prior to cooking). Divide mussels and broth among four bowls and serve immediately.