Top 5 Foods for Beautiful Skin
5. Seafood
Active components: Omega-3 fatty acids, zinc
Benefits: Smooth, clear and glowing skin
Most of us have heard
that fish can be really good for your overall
health -- it's a primary component in what's known as the "Mediterranean
diet." Many types of fish and shellfish can also work wonders for the
skin, especially oysters and fatty fish like salmon.
The primary nutrients
that make fish so good for your complexion are zinc and, especially, omega-3 fatty
acids. Increasing omega-3 intake can reduce dryness and inflammation.
Inflammation can cause skin to age faster, and research shows that getting too
little omega-3 may contribute to inflammatory disorders like eczema and
psoriasis [source: UMMC]. Omega-3 fatty acids can also help keep
the heart's arteries clear and so improve circulation. Good circulation is
crucial to skin health.
Zinc can help fight
acne because it's involved in metabolizing testosterone, which affects the
production of an oily substance caused sebum, a primary cause of acne.
Zinc also assists in new-cell production and the sloughing off of
dead skin, which gives the skin a nice glow .
You'll also find these benefits in
flaxseed oil and walnuts.
Next up: Peel some of these for tighter skin.
4. Citrus Fruits
Active component: Vitamin C
Benefits: Smooth and taut skin
Vitamin C is a prime skin-care ingredient in
tons of beauty creams. This vitamin aids in the body's production ofcollagen,
a protein that forms the basic structure of your skin [source: Discovery Health].
Collagen breakdown, which starts speeding up significantly around the age of
35, can leave your skin saggy [source: RealAge].
Consuming extra vitamin C in foods like oranges, grapefruits,
Acerola cherries (a single Acerola has 100 percent of your vitamin C for the
day) and tomatoes can
help tighten the skin and prevent wrinkles.
Vitamin C also may fight inflammation, and its antioxidantproperties
can neutralize the free
radicals (highly
reactive oxygen molecules) that damage cells and can prematurely age your face.
In case you get tired of eating all that fruit, hot peppers, bell peppers and sprouts also have good amounts of
vitamin C.
Next up: Veggies are good for way more than weight control.
3. Red and Green
Vegetables
Benefits: Bright and smooth skin
Skin is the body's largest organ. It makes sense, then, that
what's good for your whole body is also good for your skin -- and as far as
food goes, it doesn't get much better than vegetables. You'll especially want
to look for red-orange and green vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes and spinach.
Orange-red vegetables are full of beta-carotene. Our bodies
convert beta-carotene into vitamin A, which acts as an antioxidant, preventing
cell damage and prematureaging.
In the case of vitamin A, you also get anti-acne benefits -- vitamin A has been
used in acne medications (think Retin-A) for many years.
Spinach and other green, leafy foods provide tons of vitamin A,
too, which helps your skin produce more fresh new cells and get rid of the old
ones, reducing dryness and keeping your face looking bright and young.
Mangoes are also a great source of vitamin A.
It's best to get this vitamin from food and not fromsupplements,
though, since too much vitamin A can cause health problems.
Next: You'll probably be happy to find out that what's good for
your skin can also be really good for yourtaste buds…
2. Nuts
Benefits: Young and soft skin
As with many of the skin-healthy foods on our list, the good
stuff in nuts -- especially almonds -- has to do with antioxidant
activity. Vitamin E combats skin-aging free radicals, especially protecting
skin from sun damage due to UV-sunlight-generated free radicals [source: Self].
Vitamin E also tends to help skin hold in moisture, relieving dryness and
making skin look younger.
Pairing vitamin E with selenium can enhance its antioxidant abilities,
so go ahead and throw some almonds into your cottage cheese (great source of
selenium) for a skin-revitalizing snack [source: LifeScript].
Almonds, pistachios and walnuts also provide a nice supply of omega-3
fatty acids, another great skin nutrient.
Our last beauty food: Keep it whole to get fantastic overall
results…
1. Whole Grains
Benefits: Clear and moisturized skin
The "whole food" movement has whole-body advantages,
not the least of which is great-looking skin.
Whole foods are basically unprocessed -- whole wheat bread
instead of white bread, for instance. The whole grain buckwheat is a good
source for the antioxidant rutin, which helps combat inflammation-related skin
damage. Wheat germ provides the B-vitamin biotin,
which assists cells in processing fats. If
you don't have enough biotin in your body, your skin can become dry and scaly.
In general, whole grains instead of processed carbohydrates can
improve your complexion. Processed (or refined) flours can cause an insulin
spike, which in turn can encourage acne. Replacing your refined-flour pancakes
with buckwheat pancakes is a good acne-reducing move.
Incidentally, this would also help reduce your risk of developing diabetes [source:MedicineNet].
Now, while oranges, buckwheat, oysters, spinach and almonds are
great foods for your skin, achieving great-looking skin through dietary changes
doesn't have to be so specific. A healthy body means healthy skin. Just feed
your body good, healthy foods, get some exercise and keep your stress
low, and your skin will reap the benefits.
For more information on skin health and related topics,
including home recipes for facials, look over the links on the next page.
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