The former Loose Women star, 55, opened up about the ‘simple’ but ‘nourishing’ item in a social media post
Saira Khan has highlighted the potential benefits of a surprising food she enjoys roasting until ‘golden and caramelised’. The 55-year-old former Loose Women star asserted that such items are game-changing for glowing skin and are very affordable to buy.
“Hasselback butternut squash—simple, nourishing, and ridiculously good,” she said in an Instagram post this week. “Thank you to @cotswoldtravellingkitchen for the recipe and inspiration!
“Started with a butternut squash, sliced it Hasselback-style (thin cuts, but not all the way through), brushed it with olive oil, sprinkled some seasoning, and roasted it until golden and caramelised.
“The result? Soft, buttery squash with crispy edges—the perfect balance of texture and flavour. But here’s the best part: cheap, easy, and packed with goodness. Butternut squash is loaded with vitamin A for glowing skin…”
Crucially, Saira isn’t alone in her thoughts. Specialists at the Cleveland Clinic also assert that vitamin C and beta-carotene, two other nutrients in squash, are especially beneficial for skin health. Some research even suggests that higher vitamin C intake may be linked to a lower likelihood of wrinkles.
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Butternut squash isn’t the only variant with possible benefits either. Winter, buttercup, and even spaghetti squash are among several types, all with different qualities.
Registered dietitian Amber Sommer previously told Cleveland Clinic: “Nutritionally, butternut and acorn squash are arguably the overall [most valuable players], but it’s by the slimmest, most subjective of margins. However, don’t worry about choosing the healthiest squash.
“Instead, choose the ones that taste best to you and try to eat a variety to get the most benefit from eating squash.” Saira’s insights come shortly after her life completely changed during a two-week fitness and yoga holiday.
The TV star said it allowed her to recharge and kickstart significant lifestyle changes, while nourishing herself with the ‘right foods’. “For the last two years, stress slowly crept into my life, settling deep within my body in ways I didn’t even recognise at first,” Saira wrote in a previous Instagram post.
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“I exercised. I ate what I thought was healthy. But I was also in denial—denial about the refined sugar I was consuming, about the way I was stuck in the exhausting cycle of exercising just to eat.
“I blamed fat when in reality, what my body was screaming for me to see was inflammation. No amount of meditation, walks, or attempts at relaxation seemed to break through the invisible wall keeping me from truly healing.
“My body bloated despite my efforts, weighed down by the stress and the silent choices I wasn’t fully admitting to myself. Then, these last two weeks at @juicemasterretreats changed everything.”
Saira eliminated refined sugar, meat, and caffeine as part of her overhaul. Rather than focusing on losing weight, she aimed to ‘reset’ and alleviate the stress that had troubled her for so long.
She continued: “And now, I see it. I feel it. I am here, and I got exactly what I came for—peace, healing, and the clarity that comes when you finally listen to what your body is trying to tell you.
“Thank you @jasonvale for creating magic and always being so kind and generous to me.”