Each year, billions of dollars are spent on skincare products to fight dryness, the signs, of aging, and many other issues. However, some of the best things for your skin are available at your nearby grocer. The foods you eat have a significant impact on the health of your skin, and adding and removing specific foods from your diet can help you protect your skin’s health for that perfect glow.
Foods for Healthier Skin
While choosing skin-healthy foods will not result in drastic changes overnight, they will provide long lasting benefits over the long term. The following foods are those that have been proven to provide healthier skin, from the inside out.
Berries
Dark berries are some of the best foods for promoting healthy skin, and they are also great for your insides as well. Berries are high in antioxidants, which are needed to fight free radicals that are in your bloodstream. Free radicals damage cells in the body, including skin cells. When skin cells are damaged, it results in an increase in wrinkles due to a lack of elasticity.
If you don’t want to spend all of your time eating berries, opt for elderberry juice, which provides plenty of protective antioxidants in a single glass. You can also choose sour berries, which are packed with vitamin C to provide even more elasticity for protection against wrinkles.
Spinach
Like many green, leafy foods, spinach provides plenty of health benefits. However, it also provides your skin with lutein, vitamin E, calcium, and iron. All of these nutrients are vital for healthy skin, and the added dose of antioxidants just makes this veggie a skin saving powerhouse.
Broccoli
Broccoli contains high levels of vitamin B, which works within the body to help fight inflammation. When the body is healthy on the inside, the skin shows it on the outside by providing that warm healthy glow we all love.
Carrots and Tomatoes
Carrots and tomatoes both provide carotenoids, which help to protect the skin from the harmful rays of the sun, and help delay the aging process of the skin. When these foods are eaten regularly, they also increase your skin’s natural protection from the sun by a factor of four.
Kiwi
Kiwi fruit is another skin loving food that provides plenty of antioxidants and vitamin C, which helps the skin maintain its firmness. The nutrients in kiwi also provide added protection against the appearance of wrinkles.
Whole Grains
We all know that whole grains are healthy food options, but they also include healthy fats and carbohydrates and dietary fiber. All three of these are beneficial for promoting healthy skin due to the benefits they provide for healthy digestion.
Proteins
Proteins provide the skin with everything it needs to repair damage, and fight aging. The collagen in the skin is made up of proteins, and including healthy proteins in your diet allows the body to create the collagen needed to replace lost skin cells.
Foods to Avoid
Just as there are foods that provide great skin benefits, there are also those that promote wrinkles. Sausages and other meats contain arachidonic acid and free radicals, both of which wreak havoc on the skin. Sugar is another healthy skin no-no, as it causes the immune system to weaken. This results in higher levels of bacteria in the body, which results in inflammatory skin issues like acne.
While there are tons of creams and treatments out there to help you have the healthy skin you crave, there are also plenty of foods that you can choose to help you do the same – without spending all that time and money on lotions and other quick fixes.
