Food and Your Skin: You are What You Eat
Want truly fabulous skin? Glowing, vibrant, and, yes, younger-looking skin? Make sure you’re putting foods for healthy skin on your plate.
Everything we eat becomes a part of not only our inner being, but the outer fabric of our body as well. The healthier the foods that we consume, the better our skin will look. The reverse is true as well; the less attention we pay to what goes in our mouth, the more problems we may see cropping up with our skin.
What Are Foods for Healthy Skin?
Most experts say eating a balanced diet is the best way to get your share of good food for healthy skin. Still, there are certain foods that are well worth including in our diet because they’re more likely than others to give a boost of glowing good health to our complexion.
Essential Fatty Acids
Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) come in two classes, Omega-3 and Omega-6. It is the Omega-3’s that have the most affect on skin and hair condition. Our body cannot make EFA’s, so they have to come from our food. Nuts, seeds and their oils are good sources of EFA’s, as are oily fish, such as sardines, tuna and salmon. A quick way to increase our intake is to use sesame, rapeseed, walnut, or flax oils in the kitchen.
At the same time, we should reduce our intake of saturated and processed fats because these can cancel out the beneficial effects of EFA’s.
Antioxidants
Not only can they protect us from minor infections, but antioxidant nutrients (which include vitamins A, C and E, some of the B complex vitamins, the minerals selenium, manganese and zinc, and certain enzymes) can also help prevent more serious, degenerative diseases’ such as cancer and heart disease.
Antioxidants play a major role in destroying free radicals – electrochemically unbalanced molecules that are continually generated within our bodies by chemicals, too much sun, and stress.
The main victim of free radical damage in skin is collagen, which keeps skin looking plump and elastic. Uncooked, highly colored fresh fruit and vegetables are the best places to find high levels of antioxidants.
Choose from: berries (strawberries, raspberries, and blackcurrants), black grapes, Brazil nuts, broccoli, carrots, cherries, chestnuts, hazelnuts, kale, raisins, papaya, peas, peppers, prunes, spinach, sweet potatoes, and tomatoes.
Vitamin A
Involved in forming new skin cells, vitamin A helps keep skin supple and is vital for healthy eyes and hair. Dry, flaky skin can indicate a deficiency.
Best sources: Whole milk, butter, and low fat yogurt– which also has acidophilus, a live bacteria that helps with digestion and thus improves the condition of the skin. – As well as liver, oily fish and eggs. It can also be manufactured by the body from beta-carotene.
Beta-carotene
This is the plant form of vitamin A (our favorite).
Best sources: Dark green vegetables (spinach, broccoli, watercress) and orange fruit and vegetables (apricots, mangoes, sweet potatoes, pumpkin and tomatoes).
Vitamin E
An antioxidant, it has a powerful action against free radical damage. Vitamin E also helps the skin retain moisture. Premature wrinkles, pale skin, acne, easy bruising, and slow wound healing may indicate a deficiency.
Best sources: Vegetable oils — The right oils for healthy skin are those labeled cold pressed, expeller processed, or extra virgin — nuts and seeds, nut butters, wheat germ, whole grains, avocados and sweet potatoes.
Selenium
Works with vitamin E to support the immune system, so can help fight infection.
Best sources: Cereals, Brazil nuts, molasses, beans, whole grains and wheat germs, meat, seafood, cheese, eggs, and mushrooms.
Vitamin B Complex
B vitamins help to release energy from food for skin metabolism and have a role in keeping skin moist and smooth.
Best sources: Whole grains, wheat germs, nut butters, cereals, bananas, milk, oily fish, poultry, red meat, and eggs.
Zinc
Vital to the immune system and the manufacture of collagen, zinc also speeds up healing. Lack of zinc can lead to stretch marks and stubborn blemishes. A dull complexion, white spots on fingernails, and dandruff are signs of deficiency.
Best sources: Nuts, whole grains, mushrooms, brewer’s yeast, seafood, red meat, turkey, cheese, and eggs.
Vitamin C
A potent antioxidant, vitamin C is essential for the production of collagen. Smoking, stress and sun exposure can drain vitamin C from the skin, leaving it vulnerable to damage. Best sources: Peppers, potatoes, peas, kiwi fruit, berries and tomatoes.
Lycopene
Not only is it associated with sun protection, but also reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, and osteoporosis. Best sources: Tomato, guava, watermelon, and red papaya all contain lycopene.
Green Tea
This beneficial drink deserves a section on its own because of its health properties. The polyphenols in green tea have anti-inflammatory properties, and help protect the cell membrane. Studies show that green tea may even help prevent or reduce the risk of skin cancer
Water
While experts disagree on the exact amount we should drink each day, no one disputes the role good hydration plays in keeping skin looking healthy, and even young. In addition to keeping cells hydrated, water helps cells move nutrients in and toxins out, which automatically leaves skin looking better. When we’re properly hydrated, we also sweat more efficiently, and doing so helps keep skin clean and clear as well.
Also, Stay Away from These foods:
White flour, white sugar, and white rice
They are simple carbohydrates that increase insulin production, which increases inflammation of the skin and, at the very least, can lead to breakouts; at the worst, they can lead to diabetes and wrinkles.
Alcohol
It dries the skin, whether used topically or mixed into a drink, so use sparingly!
In conclusion, we should all remember that our natural, radiant glow is something that we create daily through the choices that we make. Most importantly, elegance, grace, and beauty arise naturally from good health.
So, here’s to good health!
