Written by IALH Editor
Image by Preventionmag
Healthy skin starts from the inside, and while a solid skincare routine doesn’t hurt, what we put into our bodies shows on the outside! We’re giving you a quick dive into the best foods (and drinks) to keep your skin looking fabulous.
1) Hydrate!
Water is the key to it all huns, we need AT LEAST 6 to 8 glasses a day (but try to aim for more if you can). Another useful tip is to add watermelons and cucumbers into your diet as they’re full of water and contribute to keeping you hydrated.
2) Eat your greens, especially the leafy ones
Kale, broccoli and spinach all are up there with the best vegetables for good skin. The vitamins and minerals they contain will help you leaps and bounds on your good skin journey. Broccoli also contains sulforaphane which can help maintain the collagen levels in your skin (bonus!)
3) Vitamin E & plenty of avocados
Foods rich in vitamin E are the perfect way to maintain good skin – it also aids strong skin aswell. Next time you’re on the food shop try some avocados, fish, almonds and hazlenuts. The great thing with avocados is they’re filled with ‘good fat’ – the fancy word for this is monounsaturated fat and this helps to stabilse your cholesterol levels and also enhancing that glow in your skin.
Try eating foods rich in vitamin E and C at the same time as the vitamin E is able to protect the skin from sun damage more effectively. Note: this is not to be substituted for sunscreen!
4) Omega-3 fatty acids
Think mackerel and salmon. Foods with lots of omega-3 like oily fish help your skin to stay supple and full of moisture. Due to their natural anti-inflammatory properties also, they can help to reduce redness if this is something you suffer from.
If you’re a vegan or vegetarian, then other sources besides fish will need to found. Many oils like flaxseed or rapeseed are good omega-3 along with soya products.
5) Avoid high-GI (glycaemic index) carbs
High GI foods, so food that contains a lot of sugar or processed grains like white bread for instance raise the level of glucose in the blood super quickly (probably too quickly!). Try swapping out your morning toast for porridge some days and sugary treats for fruit. Too much sugar and processed food means your body is likely to produce too much insulin and while there are many negative health effects associated with this, your skin won’t thank you either!
Now we said this was a quick dive, there are plenty of other vitamin rich foods that will help your skin and here’s a shopping list to take with you next time you’re running low.
– Sweet potatoes
– Oats
– Lemons (try some in hot water every morning)
– Bell peppers
– Papaya
– Kiwi
– Beef (for the zinc)
– Tomatoes
– Lentils
– Sunflower seeds
