The Healthy Skin Diet: Top 12 Foods for Glowing Skin
Do you eat a healthy skin diet? If you struggle with acne, a dull complexion, or wrinkles, one of the best choices you can make is to eat more foods that are good for your skin. Put good things into your body and it will reflect on the outside as well!
Work to incorporate these superfoods into your meals and snacks, and you’ll have yourself a healthy skin diet:
#1 Dark Chocolate
Why not mention the best one first? Yep, chocolate can be good for your skin—but make sure it’s dark chocolate, and no more than about an ounce a day (since it does still contain sugar). Dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants and flavanols that help improve circulation and keep your skin hydrated.
#2 Walnuts
If you’re going to eat nuts, choose walnuts. They are full of the omega-3 fatty acid alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA, which is great for your complexion. And don’t forget to include your daily dose of omega-3s from fish oil. Mimi’s Omegas gives you a triple strength dose (without the burps of the fishy aftertaste).
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#3 Kale
When you eat leafy greens like kale, you’re giving your skin all sorts of amazing benefits—including protection from sun damage and increased skin elasticity. And since greens are higher in water content than other foods, they are great for hydrating the skin too.
#4 Oatmeal
Not only is oatmeal a great option for breakfast each morning (and overnight oats make a quick and easy grab-n-go meal), it’s also a healthy skin booster. Oats contain chemicals that can prevent skin cell damage. They also contain fiber that keeps you satisfied until lunch and prevents crazy blood sugar spikes that aren’t good for your skin. Put down that morning donut and make oatmeal instead!
#5 Bell Peppers
Colorful bell peppers add beautiful colors to your meals. They also help fight wrinkles and crow’s feet (according to a study in the British Journal of Nutrition)! Bell peppers are packed with antioxidants, which are warriors against free radicals that wreak havoc on skin and promote aging.
#6 Carrots
Did you know eating certain foods can actually change the color of your skin? That’s carrots for you. A UK study from 2011 showed people who ate larger amounts of carrots and other fruit and vegetables that contain carotenoids had a more yellow skin tone. The yellow hue gives off a more glowing and healthy-looking complexion.
#7 Pumpkin
Pumpkins aren’t just for jack-o-lanterns. Cook up some pumpkin (about a half cup) to give yourself a healthy dose of beta-carotene, which is converted to vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is used for growing skin cells in the body, so it’s essential for skin that is softer and more free of wrinkles.
#8 Sunflower Seeds
About two tablespoons of sunflowers seeds will give you a healthy dose of vitamin E, which is often found to be deficient in people with severe acne. Vitamin E is also effective in helping the body better fight inflammation that can contribute to skin aging and acne.
#9 Beans
Beans are low on the glycemic index and also rich in biotin. That means that avoid rapid increases in blood sugar—which can help contribute to acne—and also help promote younger- and healthier-looking skin. People deficient in biotin may have dry skin, so get your daily serving (at least 1/2 cup of cooked beans) to make sure your complexion stays hydrated.
#10 Soy
Worried about wrinkles? Have some soy. A 2007 Japanese study in the “Journal of Nutritional Science and Vitaminology” led to the conclusion that eating 40 mg of soy aglycones, a form of soy isoflavone, each day for 12 weeks gave 26 of the female volunteers (between the ages of late 30s to early 40s) better skin, including the decrease of wrinkles and fine lines. Aglycone can also help prevent the breakdown of collagen that causes lines and sagging.
To get these benefits, you can eat three ounces of tempeh, six ounces of tofu, or one ounce of dry roasted soybeans each day.
#11 Green Tea
So far we’ve talked about foods that you chew, but green tea is a great healthy skin drink. Green tea can assist in reducing inflammation, boosting the immune system, and helping your skin make less sebum (reducing the chance of acne and breakouts). So switch out your coffee for green tea to help your skin glow.
#12 Water
I saved this one for last, but it’s really the most important. Staying hydrated is crucial for your skin and overall health. Several skin structures that support collagen need water to work properly. It also helps plump up your skin, reducing the appearance of pores and wrinkles. So make sure you drink plenty of water throughout the day and eat plenty of fruits and vegetables since they contain high amounts of water.
What you put into your body can have a large impact on how it looks on the outside. If you feed your body foods that contain the vitamins and minerals it needs, you have a better chance of keeping your skin healthy and achieving a glowing complexion. And don’t forget to supplement your healthy skin diet with a high quality organic fulvic acid supplement to ensure you’re getting all the nutrition you need.
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