How What You Eat Influences Your Skin.
Our modern world throws a variety of challenges at our skin that just did not exist to bother past generations. From air pollution to chemicals in our food, it’s a battle just to get back on even ground. Thankfully, nature offers helpful nutrients in a wide variety of foods and the good news is – they taste great! Not only does taking care of your skin start with what you put in your mouth, what you eat can actually repair damage done by time, sun, or previous poor diet choices.
Great Selections to Add to Your Diet:
Pumpkin
Orange means healthy. Being orange is a common trait of all veggies containing carotenoids. The body turns them into vitamin A, which helps prevent skin cancer.
Chocolate
Oh, the benefits keep coming! The cocoa flavanols in dark chocolate are great for your skin!
Peppers
The anti-inflammatory properties of peppers can fight acne and outbreaks of psoriasis.
Walnuts, hazelnuts, almonds
High in healthy oils, walnuts and Brazil nuts are also loaded with selenium, which can help combat acne.
Oatmeal
In addition to providing fiber and nutrients when eaten, oatmeal has a wide range of uses as a treatment
Olive Oil
The ancient secrets of its healing power aren’t really secrets – they are antioxidants and lubricants. Adding it to your diet helps and so does applying it topically. Olive oil can soothe dry lips better than lip balm and ease dry skin.
Berries
Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries are all great for your skin, providing important vitamins. Strawberries are higher in vitamin C than oranges and grapefruits. Vitamin C helps fight wrinkles and dry skin. A weekly berry mask fights free radicals and soothes skin.
Asparagus
Vitamin K, as well as anti-inflammatory compounds and glutathione, an especially helpful antioxidant are found in these tasty spears.
Green Tea
We’ve all heard of the good benefits that come from drinking green tea, but what about as a treatment for sagging skin around the eyes? Apply cool bags to the eyes and let the benefits soak in. When drinking, a squirt of lemon helps your body absorb nutrients.
Avocado
High in vitamin E that helps prevent sun damage, avocados are another dual – purpose food that can also be used as a topical treatment.
Popcorn
It’s one of the healthiest snacks, as long as you go light on the butter and salt. With more polythenols (the best antioxidants) than fruits and vegetables. The biggest concentration is in the hulls, so eat them too!
If your skin seems to be reacting or irritated, don’t just consider external factors. Poor diet choices can increase skin sensitivity, while selecting the right foods can greatly reduce or eliminate signs of irritation such as seasonal blotchy skin, itching, and general irritation. We’ve heard fats are bad, right? Well, the natural fats found in olive oil, nuts, seeds, and avocado have beneficial oils and fats that are high in antioxidants like natural vitamin E. Foods high in selenium like walnuts and Brazil nuts help ease dry skin and blotching.
When we take a look at the foods that can help us deal with the irritants that attack our skin on a daily basis, it’s easy to see the benefits. Not only are they helpful – they taste great! Delicious berries, tasty avocado, crunchy nuts, and fresh fruits help nourish and calm skin while making our meals fun to eat!
