Food for Healthy Skin

Diet and health are intertwined. Eat well to feel good, fend off ailments and, among others things, to look young. Skin is your largest organ. Treat it well, and reap the rewards.
This isn’t rocket science. Nutritionists have long advocated the benefits of healthy diet to raise life expectancy and boost quality of life. Add healthy skin to that list. Few factors make you look younger than what goes in your mouth. Choose the right foods, and you’ll have young skin.
The foods listed here are multi-taskers. Not only will they make your skin glow, they’ll keep your weight down, ailments away and maybe keep a few marbles upstairs. Remember that there’s no substitute for a healthy, balanced diet. But this is a skin care article, on food for healthy skin, and with that in mind, these foods are all-stars.
Low-fat dairy – For vitamin A and the benefits it brings to your dermal layers, it’s hard to beat low-fat dairy, particularly for those with diabetes or thyroid conditions, who can’t convert beta-carotene. Vitamin A is essential to healthy skin, and low-fat products, including skim milk and low-fat yogurt, may also assist in digestion health. If it’s good for digestion, you’ll see it in your skin.
Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and plums – We’ve been hearing the benefits of antioxidants for years, for their ability to fight free radicals and slow the aging process. There are plenty of antioxidant-rich foods, but these guys are the champs. Blueberries, blackberries, strawberries and plums burst with antioxidants, more so than any other food. Eat those berries, and have healthy skin.
Salmon, walnuts, flax seed – High in essential fatty acids omega-3 and 6, salmon, walnuts and flax seed strengthen the cell membrane, accept nutrients and keep out harmful toxins. A strong cellular membrane retains water and promotes taut, healthy skin.
Healthy oils – Not all fats are bad. Healthy oils, including olive oil and canola oil may raise calories, but they also lower cholesterol levels and deliver essential fatty acids to skin cells. Look for oil products with the words “cold-pressed”, “expeller-processed” or “extra-virgin”, as they’ve got the most nutrients.
Whole-wheat bread, muffins, cereals, turkey, tuna, brazil nuts – At first glance, these foods don’t look like they have much in common, other than being healthy. But look closer. They all have selenium in abundance, which is vital to skin health and may even reverse sun damage. Anti-aging at its best.
Green tea – With enough health benefits to fill a dictionary, drinking green tea is just a good idea, period. But you should also drink green tea for what it does for your skin; it’s an anti-inflammatory that protects the cell membrane, and might even lower risk of skin cancer.
On a related note, lie down and put used green tea bags over your eyes to get rid of dark circle and eye bags. Green tea contains polyphenols, which tighten skin, and some believe, reduce under-eye circles.
Water – What good is a healthy food list without the most abundant and essential nutrient in the human body? No water, no life. Pretty simple. Water hydrates the skin, transports nutrients and excretes harmful toxins from the cell. Your skin will thank you if you drink eight glasses a day.
No question about it, what goes in your mouth shows in the skin you wear. A balanced diet helps, but consuming these foods can fill in nutritional gaps often missed in today’s fast-paced lifestyle. So eat right, with skin-friendly, happy foods. Healthy skin will follow, and you might even get asked for ID at the wine store.