Healthy Skin Food

The healthiest looking skin is built from the inside out, which is why it’s so important to know which foods are considered healthy skin food.  While creams and serums can do their part, beautiful skin starts with your dinner plate.

Healthy Skin Food: Liquid Invasion

Before we jump into all the wonderful foods that can slow aging, there are a couple of liquids we need to cover: water and green tea.  No article on healthy skin food would be complete without mentioning these two liquids because they have just as much impact on healthy skin as food does.

Water, for instance, will keep your skin hydrated.  This seems pretty basic, but you’d be surprised at how many women notice a difference in skin quality simply by drinking the water they need.  As a bonus, water also helps to flush the body of toxins that can damage skin and other organs.

Green tea, on the other hand, is a wonderful anti-inflammatory and protects cell membranes from UV ray damage.

Best Skin Food: Get The Krill Oil

Krill oil, the most advanced omega 3 supplement, is the best remedy for dry skin. Just do the test: if you have elephant elbow skin, then buy now some krill oil, double the dose and you should see a significant improvement within 15 to 30 days. Krill oil is unlike fish oil: it contains omega 3 in phospholipid form and a very powerful antioxidant called astaxanthin. The antioxidant in krill oil also helps preventing sun burns.

Healthy Skin Food: Bring On The Selenium

Selenium, technically, is a non-metal chemical compound found in healthy skin food like cottage cheese, Brazil nuts, whole-wheat carbs, and tuna.  Selenium is so important because researches have discovered that it helps make sunburn and oxidative damage less likely to occur in skin cells.  By preventing this damage to cells, premature aging slows down.

Healthy Skin Food: Daily Dose Of Vitamin A

Foods high in beta-carotene (which converts to Vitamin A in the body) are necessary for beautiful, smooth skin.  Beta-carotene is vital in repairing the skin, and can be found in many foods.   For a high dose of beta-carotene and Vitamin A, try eating pumpkins, sweet potatoes, carrots, yogurt, cherries, and Gogi berries.  Speaking of berries, that brings us to our next point.

Healthy Skin Food: Anti-Oxidant Superheroes

Fruits and veggies high in anti-oxidants are absolutely wonderful for preventing cell membranes and DNA from being damaged by free radicals.  In order to stop free-radicals from disintegrating cells, eat foods such as: Gogi berries (a.k.a. Acai berries), blackberries, blueberries, black and pinto beans, artichokes, cocoa nibs, pecans, and plums.

Healthy Skin Food: Oils and Fats

While both oils and essential fatty acids could have entire articles dedicated to them alone, we’ve condensed the two into this one category.  To start off with, healthy oils such as cold-pressed or expeller-pressed virgin oils (olive, coconut, etc) are perfect for keeping skin lubricated and feeling soft.  Virgin coconut oil in particular is known for preventing wrinkles, and improving digestion – which is necessary for glowing skin (more on that connection later).  Just remember that oils are high in calories, so it’s a good idea to keep consumption at two tablespoons or less each day.

Omega-3 fatty acids on the other hand, are essential for maintaining healthy cell membranes.  The healthier your membranes, the more water they store and the more plump and young your skin will look.  Foods high in omega-3 fatty acids are salmon (any cold water fish), flax seed (ground is best), and walnuts.

Healthy Skin Food: The Digestive Connection

Researchers are becoming more and more convinced that maintaining a healthy digestive system is key in keeping skin looking fresh, healthy, and young.  To this end, it’s a good idea to consume whole-grain, high-fiber foods which will help keep the colon clean.

Substituting shallots for onions is another good idea.  Shallots are a great healthy skin food because they promote healthy digestive flora and detoxify the liver.  Eating food that is high in probiotics, like yogurt, or taking a probiotic supplement is a good idea.  Probiotics are “live” cultures that your intestines need for healthy digestion.

Eating healthy skin food is the best way to maintain and promote youthful, smooth-looking skin.  Including some of the foods from each category, every day, will ensure that you live a healthier, happier life with beautiful, glowing skin.