Nourish Your Skin From the Inside Out
We spend a lot of time reading labels, researching green beauty products, and being conscious consumers regarding our skincare routine. But what we put into our bodies is just as important as what we put on our bodies.
Beautiful and healthy skin really starts with our diet because what we consume is digested and broken down into minerals, vitamins and amino acids the body uses to build healthy skin.
What we choose to ingest will eventually show up on our skin whether it manifests in breakouts and fine lines or a bright and clear complexion. A varied and balanced diet rich in antioxidants and vitamins will feed your skin the crucial nutrients it needs to keep it soft, resilient and glowing.
Here are 6 tips on what to eat and drink for healthy, glowing skin.
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Drink 6-8 Glasses of Water a Day: Don’t underestimate this one. Staying hydrated is one of the easiest and possibly most effective habits for clearer and brighter skin. Your skin needs moisture to stay flexible and elastic, so holding water hostage is not a good idea. Keeping your body properly hydrated will help reduce puffiness, flush out toxins from the skin, and protect against breakouts and benefits. If you find it difficult to drink 6-8 glasses a day, mix in a herbal tea or reach for a fruit or vegetable high in water content like watermelon or cucumber.
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Go for the Good Fat: Omega-3 and omega-6 fats are essential fatty acids they can’t be made in the body and must be obtained through diet. Foods rich in Omega-3 and 6 fats protect your skin from sun damage and encourage the body to produce anti-inflammatory compounds which help skin conditions like acne. Consuming fatty-acids are vital for keeping your skin healthy and preventing premature aging. Get them from whole foods such as fatty fish, walnuts or chia seeds two times per week.
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Get Vitamin C from Citrus Fruits: Vitamin C is a key ingredient in many antiaging skin care products and for good reason. It’s a skincare powerhouse! Vitamin C is full of antioxidants which help defend the skin from oxidative stress and free radicals. It also encourages collagen production to keep skin looking plump and healthy and helps ward off signs of aging! Eating citrus fruit like oranges is the most obvious way to increase your Vitamin C intake, but other great sources include broccoli, spinach, and strawberries.
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Hyaluronic Acid: This compound occurs naturally in the body and its job is to encourage skin cell renewal. As we get older, the production of hyaluronic acid decreases, resulting in drier skin and loss of firmness. While some choose to inject hyaluronic acid as a temporary dermal filler, there are a number of foods that you can add to your diet that can be just as impactful. Try adding bone broth, soy-based products and leafy greens to increase hyaluronic-acid production and rehydrate your skin.
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Stock up on antioxidants: We’ve all heard the magic of an antioxidant-rich diet. Mainly, antioxidants help combat damage caused by stress, pollution and other toxins and chemicals our body is exposed to on an everyday basis. These free radicals we come into contact with speed up the aging process, and the first place it shows is our skin. Antioxidants are readily available in healthy, whole foods and many of them double as anti-inflammatories. Add these fresh fruits and vegetables to your grocery list to keep skin looking smooth and supple: blueberries, kale, sweet potato, tomatoes and avocados.
- Collagen: Collagen is the bodies structural protein that supports your skin, ligaments and bones. Out skin’s elasticity, strength and ability to regenerate cells rely on a healthy amount of collagen production. Like most things in life, the system naturally declines as you get older, which leaves the skin vulnerable to fine lines and wrinkles. To help boost your body’s collagen production, increase your intake of Vitamin C (kale, broccoli, red peppers), Vitamin A (dark leafy greens, carrots, sweet potatoes), Zinc (meat and fish) and Sulphur (eggs, leeks, garlic). And stay away from too much sugar and refined carbohydrates which can cause inflammation and damage collagen.
What do you eat for healthy, glowing skin? Share the foods you swear by in the comments!