The Best and Worst Foods to Eat on Your Wedding Day

I know so many brides to be at the moment that it seems to be all I talk about with friends and clients alike. Here are some nutritional tips for the lovely brides-to-be on their big days that will keep you looking and feeling your very best:

Best Meal for All-Day Energy: Oatmeal

An important part of feeling your best on your wedding day is to eat the right food you're not on an emotional roller coaster. The goal is to fuel your body with food that lets blood-sugar levels rise slowly, stay even for a long period of time, and go down slowly. A great way to do this is to kick off your big day with a bowl of oatmeal. It contains soluble fiber to slow the absorption of glucose from food in your stomach, which keeps your blood-sugar levels steady.

Worst Foods for Sweat Spicy Foods and Caffeine

Having the jitters can activate your central nervous system to trigger sweat, but you should also limit spices and caffeine if you want to stay dry. Spicy foods and caffeine can activate neurotransmitters, called acetylcholine. Anything that stimulates these neurotransmitters can sometimes affect the glands that produce sweat and cause you to sweat more than normal.

Best Food to Ease Water Retention: Salad

Waking up with puffy eyes can make you look less than photogenic and swollen feet can keep you off the dance floor. You can trick your body into letting go of excess liquid my noshing on natural diuretics. For a triple dose, try tossing half a slice of cucumber with 1/4 cup parsley and 1tbsp lemon juice. 

Worst Food to Banish Bloat: Diet Soda

Carbonated drinks, such as sodas an seltzers, contain carbon dioxide that makes your stomach expand so you look and feel bloated. Instead of reaching for a fizzy drink, try sipping on water flavored with cucumber slices. The H2O keeps you hydrated, cucumbers are a natural diuretic to ward off water retention where you don't want it. 

Best Food for Glowing Skin: Chia Seeds

These little black seeds are the highest natural source of omega-3s, and when your cells are nourished, your skin glows. Omega-3 fatty acids benefit your skin because they help strengthen cell membranes' barriers to allow water and nutrients in and keep toxins out. Mix chia seeds in your oatmeal or a natural fruit shake, or sprinkle them on your salad on your big day. 

Photos: Self.com