Fill Your Face – Eat Your Way to Healthy Skin

Most of us know what we should be eating, yet when faced with the choice between that quick and delicious fast food and spending time to cook your own healthy meal, usually the former wins out. However, it’s important to note that what we eat is eventually reflected in how we look. Poor eating habits can produce shallow, dry skin, acne, chronic skin conditions, premature aging, and wrinkling. So let’s find out what we should be eating to promote healthy skin.

Fruits and vegetables provide many of the essential vitamins and minerals to keep skin healthy. This includes fiber, vitamins A, B, and C, and other antioxidants that will fight free radicals that can damage skin and cause premature aging. Health professionals recommend 5-6 servings daily of these fruits and vegetables.

Try fruits and vegetables such as tomatoes, watermelon, and pink grapefruit, which contain lycopene, an antioxidant that has been shown to reduce the effects of sun exposure and stimulate your immune system and healthy skin. Additionally, foods such as carrots, sweet potatoes, red and yellow peppers, spinach, mangos and apricots all contain a form of vitamin A, called beta-carotene, which will benefit your skin in the same way lycopene will.

It is important, too, to receive vitamins C and B. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that will help with wound healing and assist in the production of collagen- a protein that helps support the skin’s resilience, shape, and aids in anti-aging. Sources of vitamin C include oranges, broccoli, brussel sprouts, peppers, strawberries, and kiwi. A lack in vitamin B would lead your skin to be prone to dermatitis, cracked lips, dry skin, and skin lesions. Therefore, to avoid a dull and lackluster complexion, be sure to fill up on fat-free milk, cheese, yogurt, bananas, chick peas, oats, and asparagus.

Lastly, remember to always drink water. Whether it is in the heat waves of summer or the blizzards of winter, drinking water is essential to assist cells in moving nutrients in and flushing out impurities. Staying hydrated also allows the body to sweat and aids in keeping complexions clear.

The trick now, is simply resisting (or minimizing) the high-fat, high-sodium foods. With a stocked refrigerator, you’ll be well armed to establish new healthy habits including foods that will benefit your skin. Experience the positive results of increased energy and healthy, radiant, youthful-looking skin!