You are what you eat, as the adage goes. And when you eat healthy, you stay healthy, look healthy and feel healthy – both on the inside as well as the outside! Skin, the body's largest organ, has several crucial functions. It acts as a protective barrier, helps regulate your body temperature, and plays a vital role in maintaining fluid balance. The health, quality and appearance of your skin can be influenced by various factors such as genetics, age, hormone levels, underlying medical conditions (eg diabetes), and your lifestyle and dietary choices.
Achieving healthy and radiant skin begins with nourishing it from the inside out. As much as skincare and the application of topical nourishment is becoming increasingly popular, it isn’t change much if you don’t eat right. Your diet plays a pivotal role in how your skin looks and feels. Skin cells are constantly being shed and replaced, making it essential to provide a consistent supply of nutrients to support this turnover. A balanced diet and proper skin care can help maintain soft, supple, and blemish-free skin.
While wrinkles and age spots are a natural part of ageing, factors like excessive sun exposure, tanning beds, harsh skincare products, chemicals, and an unhealthy diet can exacerbate the ageing process. To enhance your skin's health, it's crucial to refine your skincare routine, adopt a healthier lifestyle, and optimise your nutrition through a well-rounded, balanced diet that includes antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables, healthy fats from sources like oily fish and nuts, and adequate hydration.
Here are a few tips to help you nourish your skin from within:
1. Vegetables FTW
Consume a minimum of five servings of fruits and vegetables every single day. These foods contain powerful antioxidants that protect your skin from damage caused by free radicals, which can be triggered by factors like smoking, pollution, and sunlight. Nutrients like beta-carotene and lutein found in carrots and spinach help your skin cells develop better and healthier. A colourful variety of fruits and vegetables is ideal.
2. Get Your Vitamin C
Prioritise vitamin C-rich foods, such as blackcurrants, blueberries, broccoli, guavas, kiwi fruits, oranges, papayas, strawberries, and sweet potatoes. Vitamin C is vital for supporting the immune system, promoting radiant skin, and aiding in blemish healing.
3. The Tea About Vitamin E
It’s a popular skincare ingredient, but there’s more to vitamin E than that. Foods rich in vitamin E, like almonds, avocados, hazelnuts, pine nuts, sunflower and pumpkin seed oil has amazing skin benefits. Vitamin E plays a significant role in protecting the skin from oxidative damage and photo ageing.
4. Stock Up On Selenium
Boost your selenium intake with foods like Brazil nuts, which are powerful antioxidants that may help protect against skin cancer, sun damage, and age spots. Other sources include fish, shellfish, eggs, wheatgerm, tomatoes, and broccoli.
5. Rely On Zinc
Incorporate zinc-rich foods into your diet to keep your skin supple and support oil-producing glands. These foods include fish, lean red meat, whole grains, poultry, nuts, seeds, and shellfish. Zinc also helps your skin battle acne and any fungal colonisation. It helps repair your skin barrier from a cellular level and gives it immense strength.
6. Not All Fats Are Bad
Fats have got a bad rep, but you needn’t necessarily recoil at the thought of them. Include healthy fats in your diet, such as monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats in avocados, oily fish, nuts, and seeds. Pay special attention to omega-3 fatty acids, which are anti-inflammatory and may benefit skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. Sources of omega-3 include salmon, trout, sardines, flaxseed, chia seeds, walnuts, and rapeseed oil.
7. Fight Hormonal Imbalance with Phytoestrogens
Consume phytoestrogens, which are natural compounds found in plants. They help maintain hormonal balance and support skin health. They are instrumental in cases of acne. Examples include soy-based foods like tofu and tempeh, as well as whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and flaxseeds.
8. Win It With Water
Stay well-hydrated by drinking six to eight glasses of water daily. Hydrated skin remains flexible and healthy, so make water your primary choice of beverage over tea, coffee or alcohol. Coconut water, some fruits and vegetables also contribute to hydration.
9. Get Your Carbs On Point
Opt for low-GI carbohydrates, such as beans, pulses, and porridge. These slow-releasing carbohydrates provide steady energy and help prevent collagen damage and wrinkles associated with high-GI foods.
Keynote On Acne-Sensitive Diet
To maintain healthy skin, consider these dietary choices and lifestyle adjustments. Keep in mind that acne can also be influenced by diet, and making specific dietary changes may help minimise its severity. Reducing saturated and hydrogenated fats, eliminating junk food and high-sugar items, increasing the consumption of raw vegetables, whole grains, fresh fruits and fish, and incorporating selenium-rich foods can contribute to healthier skin and potentially reduce acne symptoms. Additionally, adopting a Mediterranean diet has been associated with milder acne.
In addition to these pointers, make sure you avoid crash diets and fluctuations in weight, as they can lead to sagging skin, wrinkles, and stretch marks. Crash diets often lack essential vitamins and minerals. Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption can also negatively impact your skin's appearance. Armed with the right nutritional knowledge, you can make appropriate food choices to clinch that glowing skin!