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Skin care

Best Food for Healthy Skin

Last Updated on 26/04/2024 by Liz @ HealthTenfold

‘You are what you eat’ is a popular saying that holds a lot of truth. Your skin is the largest organ in your body and it tells a story of how healthy you eat. It’s important then, that you eat food for healthy skin so that you fix yourself from the inside out. Healthy skin doesn’t just glow but it also ages much slower and who doesn’t want to look younger? This article will enlighten you on what having healthy skin entails and what foods you need to eat in order to achieve it.

What Does Healthy Skin Look Like?

When the TV or print media run skincare products commercials, they often show a model with impossibly flawless skin and that is touted as how healthy skin should look like. In truth, those models don’t even look like that in real life! Just because your skin has a slight flaw like redness or discoloration doesn’t mean you don’t have healthy skin. There are several factors that indicate you have healthy skin even though you’ve been made to think otherwise. They include:

  • It’s hydrated- If you drink plenty of water, then your skin should give off a shine when exposed to natural light. 
  • You don’t feel unusual sensations on your skin- If you don’t feel anything like dryness or tightness on your skin, it’s a sign that your skin is doing fine.
  • Skin color- If your skin is the relatively the same color all over, it’s healthy.
  • Your skin texture is smooth- When your skin feels smooth, it’s healthy. However, it’s not supposed to be glass smooth because you have skin pores.
  • Your skin is elastic- If you pull your skin and it quickly springs back, this means you have healthy skin.

Food for Healthy Skin

Including certain foods in your diet will help you develop healthy skin. These foods are such as:

Fish
Fish such as mackerel, salmon, and herring are rich in omega-3 fatty acids which has several benefits on your skin. The fatty cells are building blocks that can be used to make healthy skin cells. These fatty acids keep your skin moisturized, supple, and thick by creating a barrier to maintain the skin’s moisture. Therefore, eating fish will prevent you from having dry skin.

Fish is also rich in antioxidants and vitamin E so it protects you from inflammation and free radicals that damage the skin.

Fish also contains zinc which fights inflammation, boosts the production of new cells, and improves overall skin health. 

Walnuts
Among most nuts, walnuts have some of the highest levels of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. When any of these fatty acids is more than the other, it causes potential health problems such as in brain development. Walnuts contain a good balance of the two fatty acids. These fatty acids boost collagen production which improves your skin’s elasticity so it’ll have you looking youthful for a long time.  

Walnuts are also good sources of zinc so they help protect you against inflammation, promote wound healing, and create a barrier against harmful organisms. 

Avocados
They contain a high amount of healthy fats which are great for your skin. These healthy fats are responsible for keeping your skin moisturized and elastic. 

Avocados also have compounds that shield you from harmful UV rays that cause wrinkles, age spots, and other signs of aging. 

Avocados are also rich in vitamin E, an antioxidant that can protect you from skin cell damage by free radicals. It also has vitamin C which improves collagen production and is also an antioxidant.

Broccoli
Broccoli is one very wholesome and healthy vegetable. It contains vitamins A, C, K, and zinc which are all beneficial to your skin. Vitamin K is especially helpful in healing bruises and getting rid of dark circles under your eyes. It also has other compounds like lutein which is an antioxidant and sulforaphane which can protect you against some types of skin cancers and harmful UV light. 

Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a great source of vitamin C and carotenoids such as lutein, beta carotene, and lycopene. Carotenoids are very helpful in protecting you against UV light because they contain pigments. Use tomatoes with foods rich in fat like cheese to increase your ability to absorb carotenoids.

Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is not just delectable; the cocoa in it is nutritious as well! It contains a high concentration of antioxidants that protect your skin from sun damage by free radicals. The antioxidants also make your skin firm, reduce wrinkles, keep it hydrated, and improve its blood flow so it never lacks nutrients to keep it healthy.

Make sure you buy chocolate that has at least 70% cacao which means it has little sugar. Too much sugar is bad for your skin.

Green Tea 
Green tea has polyphenols that have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects. Therefore, it is very good at treating acne, fading out scars and blemishes, eliminating roughness, detoxifying, and keeping your skin firm and supple. Just like other foods with antioxidants, green tea also protects your skin from sun damage. Green tea also has vitamin K so it can help reduce the appearance of dark circles on your eyes. Place the tea bag under your eyes for 15 minutes and the circles will fade away.

Remember not to take green tea with milk because it reduces its antioxidizing properties.

Peppers
Red and yellow bell peppers are rich in carotenoids, especially beta carotene which is good at protecting your skin against UV rays, and getting rid of fine lines and crow’s feet around your eyes. 

They also contain vitamin C so they help in increasing collagen production which in turn keeps your skin firm. 

Sunflower Seeds and Oil
Sunflower seeds are rich in vitamin E which is an antioxidant so it provides a shield against sun damage. 

Sunflower oil, on the other hand, has linoleic acid which is a wonderful support for your skin cell membranes. It also reduces inflammation of skin cells which is a contributor to aging skin. 

Red Grapes
Red grapes have a compound known as resveratrol which is beneficial to your skin. It slows down the production of skin-damaging free radicals. This makes it great for reducing the signs of aging and sun damage. 

As much as red wine contains resveratrol, it is alcoholic so drinking it in excess will affect your health negatively. It is highly recommended that you eat red grapes and berries instead.

Soy
Soy has compounds called isoflavones that block or mimic estrogen in the body. This makes them very beneficial in improving the health of the skin of middle-aged women who have reached menopause. Isoflavones improve skin elasticity, reduce wrinkles, reduce dryness, increase collagen production, and help the skin remain smooth. They also protect your skin from UV radiation and reduce the risk of some types of skin cancer.

Eggs
Eggs are rich in proteins that have amino acids. Amino acids are the building blocks for collagen production. This means that eggs and other protein sources like meat help in keeping your skin firm and strong. 
However, you shouldn’t take too much protein at a go. Your body can only properly process 20-25 grams of protein from one meal. 

Green Leafy Vegetables
Green leafy vegetables like kales are good sources of vitamin A which helps in a healthy turnover of skin cells and is an antioxidant. A healthy turnover of skin helps in getting rid of scars, bruises, blackheads, spider veins, and stretch marks. 

Kidney Beans
Kidney beans contain lots of protein and zinc which are very good for your skin. Proteins help in the production of collagen while zinc fights acne and boosts the skin’s ability to heal. 

Your skin is one of the first things people notice about you so you have to look your best. This means going out of your way to eat food for healthy skin to boost its appearance. It will also save you a lot of money that you would have otherwise used to treat skin problems! 

Read more:
“Skincare 101: The Best Methods to keep your skin young and glowing”

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