There are so many commonly available foods that feed your skin. No need to search out exotic foods. Reap the benefits provided by fresh foods and achieve a glowingly healthy and supple complexion. Take advantage of seasonal produce for the best buys and the freshest fruit and veggies.
Drinking water is one of the best things you can do to keep your skin in shape. It keeps your skin moist — and that makes fine lines and wrinkles less noticeable. It also helps your cells take in nutrients and get rid of toxins. And it helps with blood flow, keeping your skin glowing. Just how much water? Divide your weight in half. The result is the number of ounces of water needed daily.
Selenium protects your skin from cells that gather free radicals. Free radicals cause signs of aging like wrinkles and dry skin, and tissue damage. Selenium may also help prevent skin cancer.Selenium is found in Brazil nuts, button mushrooms, shrimp, lamb, and fish like snapper, cod, halibut, tuna, and salmon. Foods like cooked beef, light turkey, oysters, sardines, crab, and whole-wheat pasta also have selenium.
Antioxidants are important to slowing and preventing free-radical damage.They are found in all kinds of foods, especially colorful fruits and vegetables like berries, tomatoes, apricots, beets, squash, spinach, sweet potatoes, tangerines, peppers, and beans.
Your body makes a key antioxidant called Coenzyme Q10. But as you get older, you make less of it. It’s involved in making energy and helping your cells work. You can find CoQ10 in fish like salmon and tuna, poultry, organ meats like liver, and whole grains. If you use a skin product that has CoQ10, it may help soften wrinkles and other signs of aging.
Nobody wants dry, flaky skin. So grab an orange, carrot, or slice of cantaloupe. They’re loaded with vitamin A. You can also find it in leafy greens, eggs, and low-fat dairy foods. Vitamin A is also found in leafy greens, eggs, and low-fat dairy foods. When you use a skin product with vitamin A, your wrinkles and brown spots may look better. Those products, called retinoids, are common prescription treatments for acne and other skin conditions.
The sun can be tough on your skin. Vitamin C can help protect you. It also helps undo sun damage to collagen and elastin, which firm up your skin. Get vitamin C from red bell peppers, citrus fruits, papayas, kiwis, broccoli, greens, and Brussels sprouts. But nothing defeats sun damage like a good sun screen containing zinc oxide and/or titanium dioxide. Sun screen should be reapplied every two hours during sun exposure.
Another antioxidant that may help save your skin from sun damage and inflammation is vitamin E. Get it from vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, olives, spinach, asparagus, and leafy greens. Try a topical that contains Vitamin E to soften the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.
Your skin is the largest organ of your body and it needs protection on the inside and the outside. Omega-3s and omega-6s are good fats that help make up your skin’s natural oil barrier, keeping away dryness and blemishes. Essential fatty acids like these help leave your skin smoother and younger-looking. You can get them from olive and canola oils, flax seeds, walnuts, and cold-water fish like salmon, sardines, and mackerel.
Some oils provide your skin with more than just essential fatty acids. Good-quality ones like extra-virgin olive oil and cold- or expeller-pressed oil are more simply processed than many other kinds. They may have more nutrients that are good for your skin. These oils may also help lube up your skin and keep it looking and feeling healthy.
Green tea may be the closest thing to a magic potion that you can find for your skin. It helps stop inflammation, helps slow DNA damage, and can even help prevent the sun from burning your skin. You can find green tea in lots of cosmetics, but why not go straight to the source: Drink it!
Feeding your skin from the inside as well as following a home program of cleansing, exfoliating and hydrating will provide the healthy glow you seek.
