Eating For Healthy Skin.

 

Having healthy skin is more than using the right products, refusing to smoke, or chasing after every treatment promising you the best skin.  We often forget that healthy skin begins with good diet so we are always looking for that one thing that will keep our skin glowing and looking fantastic.  Eating well is always one of the tips listed for having good skin but what do they mean by eating right?

One of the foods recommended is fatty fish such as salmon, mackerel, or herring because they are a rich source of Omega-3 fatty acids. If you are vegan or vegetarian, look at eating flaxseed, or chia seeds.  Omega - 3 fatty acids help keep the skin thick, moisturized, and supple so if you don't eat enough foods with Omega - 3, you'll end up with dry skin. In addition, Omega - 3 reduces skin inflammation which reduces acne and redness.  In addition, it can even make your skin less susceptible to UV rays which damage the skin.

Then there are avocados which contain healthy fats. These fats also contribute to keeping your skin supple and moisturized. In addition, there are a couple of studies out there that have found eating avocados might help protect your skin against UV rays.  Furthermore, both fatty fish and avocados contain Vitamin E which also protects the skin from oxidative damage.

Another source of fatty acids are walnuts and they have more Omega - 3 and Omega - 6 fatty acids than most other nuts.  Walnuts also contain zinc which is needed by the skin so it functions better as a barrier. It also has small amounts of vitamin E and contains 4 to 5 grams of proteins per ounce of nuts.  On the other hand, sunflower seeds are an excellent source of Vitamin E, Selenium, zinc and 5.5 grams of protein per ounce.  

Throw in sweet potatoes because they contain provitamin A which the body easily converts to vitamin A in the body. Sweet potatoes are chock full of beta-carotene so that the beta-carotene provides 6 times the amount of vitamin A needed by the body. The carotenes can help your skin by acting as a natural sun block so your skin is better protected.  Another food high in carotene are red and yellow peppers.  In addition to being a high source of provitamin A, they also contain vitamin C which reduces risk of wrinkled and dry skin.

Pull out the broccoli because it is a great source of Lutein which acts like carotene, protects your skin from oxidative damage, contain zinc, vitamin A, and vitamin C, and contains Sulforaphane.  Sulforaphane is a substance that helps protect the skin against sun damage by neutralizing harmful free radicals and helps cut down on the number of cells killed by UV light.  Don't forget the tomatoes which are high in Vitamin C, have beta carotene, lutein, and lycopene, all of which can help protect your skin and prevent wrinkling. It is best to pair tomatoes with foods such as cheese or olive oil to increase the carotenoids better. 

Don't forget to finish off a meal with chocolate, grapes,  tea, or coffee because these four  have lots of polyphenols which are powerful antioxidants.   So eat lots of good nutritious foods