Sweet Tofu Waffles with Fruit & Granola
Think tofu is only for savory meals? Think again.One block of tofu can become everything from crispy tacos...
When we first came across the research, we had the same reaction you might have:
Wait... scientists actually studied this?
As it turns out, they did.
Over the past decade, researchers have found that consistently eating more colorful fruits and vegetables can create measurable changes in skin coloration in as little as four to six weeks. Not because these foods are a beauty product or a magic solution, but because of naturally occurring plant compounds called carotenoids.
That doesn't mean eating carrots will erase wrinkles or transform your appearance overnight. It doesn't mean everyone will see the same results. But it does remind us of something we've believed for a long time: the food we eat has a remarkable ability to influence our health, sometimes in ways we don't expect.
That research inspired a simple question.
What would happen if, for one month, we intentionally ate more colorful whole foods and paid attention to how we felt?
That question became the Plant Strong Glow Challenge.
Because to us, "glow" has never been just about skin.
It's the glow that comes from filling your plate with colorful foods. The confidence that comes from building healthier habits. The satisfaction of cooking more at home. The energy that comes from taking better care of yourself, one small choice at a time.
Eat more color. Build stronger habits. Feel more Plant Strong.
That's what this challenge is all about.
Sign up for the Plant Strong Glow Challenge to receive your free 31-Day Challenge Tracker, email support throughout the month, and a code for 20% off eligible Plant Strong products HERE.
What Are Carotenoids?
Carotenoids are plant pigments responsible for many of the red, orange, yellow, and green colors in fruits and vegetables. Beta-carotene, lycopene, lutein, and zeaxanthin are all carotenoids.
After we eat carotenoid-rich foods, these compounds circulate in the blood and can accumulate in the skin. Researchers can detect subtle changes with a spectrophotometer, an instrument designed to measure color more precisely than a mirror or phone camera can.
What Did the Research Find?
A Six-Week Study of Fruit and Vegetable Intake
In a 2012 study, researchers followed participants for six weeks and tracked their fruit and vegetable intake alongside changes in skin coloration. People who reported eating more fruits and vegetables showed measurable increases in red and yellow skin tones—a pattern consistent with carotenoid accumulation.
The researchers also explored whether other people might perceive these shifts. Using digitally altered facial photographs, they estimated that the color change associated with roughly 2.9 additional daily servings was just perceptible as a healthier-looking appearance. A change associated with roughly 3.3 additional servings was rated as “more attractive.”
Those numbers need context. Participants were not assigned exactly three extra servings and then proven to look healthier. The figures were statistical estimates connecting self-reported diet, measured skin color, and responses to digitally altered photographs. They are an intriguing signal—not a formula and not a guaranteed result.
A Randomized Six-Week Trial
A 2015 study tested the idea more directly. Researchers randomly assigned 81 young adults to drink either a carotenoid-rich fruit smoothie or mineral water every day for six weeks.
The smoothie group developed measurable changes in facial skin coloration. Some changes appeared by week four and were more pronounced by week six. Because participants were randomly assigned, the study provides stronger evidence that carotenoid intake itself caused the observed changes rather than simply being associated with them.
Like every study, it had limits. The participants were young university students from one ethnic population, and the intervention involved one specific smoothie. The results do not tell us exactly what every person, age group, skin tone, or varied whole-food diet will experience.
Measurable Does Not Always Mean Noticeable
A change can be real and measurable without being dramatic, or even obvious to you.
Skin appearance is shaped by many factors, including genetics, baseline diet, sun exposure, smoking, stress, illness, sleep, hydration, and carotenoid intake. The evidence supports small, measurable changes in pigmentation. It does not support sweeping promises about wrinkles, acne, flawless skin, or “radiance.”
Two different questions are worth separating:
Can eating more carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables change skin coloration? The evidence suggests it can.
Will that change be noticeable, or make everyone look healthier? That is far less certain.
How the 31-Day Glow Challenge Works
The challenge is built around three simple daily pillars. There is one daily minimum. The rest is yours to choose.
Pillar 1: Eat the Rainbow
Eat at least three servings of colorful fruits and vegetables every day. Mix oranges, reds, greens, yellows, purples, and everything in between however works for you.
This is the science-backed core of the challenge and the one daily non-negotiable.
Pillar 2: Make One Plant Strong Choice
Choose at least one each day:
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Skip added sugar.
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Skip added oil.
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Cook one meal at home.
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Swap a packaged snack for whole fruit.
Pillar 3: Notice How You Feel
Choose at least one each day:
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Move your body.
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Take a no-phone walk.
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Journal what you notice.
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Go to bed earlier.
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Drink water before coffee.
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Stretch before checking your phone.
These choices are not included because research proves that each one changes your skin. They are included because they support a healthier rhythm and help you pay attention to how you feel.
What You’ll Get When You Join
Sign up for the free Plant Strong Glow Challenge and we’ll give you everything you need to stay on track throughout the month:
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A printable, fillable 31-Day Challenge Tracker
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Email support, encouragement, and practical ideas throughout the challenge
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A challenge-exclusive code for 20% off eligible Plant Strong products
It’s free to join, and your Challenge Kit will be delivered directly to your inbox.
Why Three Servings a Day?
The research points to consistency mattering more than any single serving. One carrot will not do much. The pattern appears after weeks of regularly eating carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables.
Three colorful servings a day is a clear, doable floor—not a ceiling, a prescription, or a magic number. It is a practical target inspired by the research and a simple way to make produce a daily habit instead of an occasional afterthought.
That might look like berries or citrus with breakfast, leafy greens and peppers at lunch, and roasted sweet potatoes or broccoli at dinner. It might be a colorful bowl with several vegetables in it. The combination can change from day to day. That is part of the fun.
What Should You Expect?
Expect to eat more color. Expect to experiment with plant-powered recipes and routines. Expect to discover which habits fit naturally into your life and which ones take more planning.
You might notice a shift in your energy, digestion, mood, sleep, or confidence in the kitchen. You might notice a visible change in your skin. You might notice neither in 31 days. Every one of those outcomes is valid.
This challenge is not about inspecting your face every morning, chasing a perfect selfie, or comparing your experience with someone else’s. It is about getting curious about what happens when colorful plants move from the edge of your plate to the center of it.
Curiosity Over Promises
Nutrition science rarely fits neatly into a headline. One study does not prove everything. A measurable effect is not automatically a meaningful one. Averages across a study group cannot predict your individual experience.
That is the spirit of the Plant Strong Glow Challenge: curiosity over promises.
For 31 days, eat more color. Keep it simple. Pay attention.
Notice which foods you genuinely enjoy. Notice how your meals shift. Notice your energy, mood, digestion, sleep, and confidence in the kitchen. If something unexpected shows up along the way, that is part of the experiment, too.
No perfection required. Just real food, real curiosity, and 31 days to find out what happens when you eat the rainbow on purpose.
References
Whitehead RD Jr., Re D., Xiao D., Ozakinci G., Perrett DI. You Are What You Eat: Within-Subject Increases in Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Confer Beneficial Skin-Color Changes. PLOS ONE. 2012.
Tan KW., Graf BA., Mitra SR., Stephen ID. Daily Consumption of a Fruit and Vegetable Smoothie Alters Facial Skin Color. PLOS ONE. 2015.
Appleton KM., McGrath AJ., McKinley MC., et al. The Value of Facial Attractiveness for Encouraging Fruit and Vegetable Consumption: Analyses from a Randomized Controlled Trial. BMC Public Health. 2018.
Goldman D., Nagra N. Narrative Review of Diet and Visible Appearance Cues. Recent Progress in Nutrition. 2026.
