The secret of glowing and shiny skin does not lie in costly lotions, creams, or other fancy skin treatments. It lies in what you eat. Skin is a reflection of your health. What you eat is shown by your skin. For glowing and shiny skin, you must be alive and kicking. Not all the food items you eat bring health to you. Researches show that food rich in antioxidants and vitamins is considered skin-friendly foods as well as functional foods. These skin-friendly foods bring a fabulous beauty solution and provide a protective effect to the skin both internally and externally.
Skin-Friendly Foods
These are some examples of skin-friendly foods:
- Fresh fruits (apples, oranges, apricots, etc.)
- Green leafy vegetables
- Tomatoes, carrots, beans
- Berries and lentils
- Whole grains
- Fatty fish
- sweet potatoes
- Nuts
Skin-Friendly Diet
One can take salon treatment for glowing skin. No doubt, this is a beneficial approach. But beautiful skin requires a nourished and healthy diet too. A daily meal plan consisting of a nutrient-rich diet will hit the mark. A skin-friendly diet includes the following meals per day:
- Minimum five portions of skin-friendly fruit and vegetables per day
- Daily health intake of vitamins E and C
- Eight to ten glasses of water
- Healthy fats
- Intake of omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids
Two diet styles are introduced that contain the best foods for healthy skin. These are:
Paleolithic-style diet:
This diet is beneficial in lowering blood sugar levels. The Palaeolithic diet contains lean meats, nuts, and fruits allowing less consumption of carbohydrates, dairy products, and refined oils.
Mediterranean-style diets:
This diet is rich in fruits, fish, olive oil, and whole grains and is low in saturated fats.
Skin-Friendly Fruits
Fruits are a rich source of water, antioxidants, and vitamins. Fruit like watermelon, oranges, and apples are rich sources of water. Eating these fruits can reduce water retention which may cause puffiness of the eyes. Fruits prevent water deficiency in the body. It allows sweating from the skin to keep it fresh in a harsh environment.
Healthy Foods for All Types of Skin
Fruits and vegetables are harmless and are equally effective for all types of skin. Ginger, chia seeds, carrot, and tomatoes are examples of skin-friendly. Tomato has lycopene that reduces the anti-aging effect. Ginger has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. The soothing effect of ginger is proven by the fact that is not only eaten raw but also used in skin masks too.
Chia Seed- Best Food for Glowing Skin
Facts about chia seeds are recently studied. It has been seen that chia seed is a top-notch skin-friendly ingredient with a healthy amount of omega-3 fatty acids. Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids are essentially required in the body to keep yourself alive. Just a little amount of chia seeds in the morning can activate collagen production that makes skin wrinkle-free.
Omega-3 Rich Food as Best Skin-Friendly Foods
Fatty fish like salmon and herring are excellent food for skin health. Fatty fish contains omega-3 fatty acids and vitamin E. Vitamin E is the most important antioxidant for the skin while omega-3 fatty acids keep the skin thick and moisturized. Fatty fish also has zinc that helps in the production of new skin cells and removes damaged ones.
Healthy Fat for Healthy Skin
MUFA (monounsaturated fatty acids) and PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acids) are present in some food items that include nuts, fatty fish, and seeds. These foods give an essential and healthy amount of fatty acids that keep skin healthy and elastic.
What not to eat to avoid acne?
Acne is a condition that causes bumps on the skin. Food alone cannot cause acne but yes, some kinds of food can increase the risk of acne along with genetic causes and lifestyle. ”What not to eat in acne?” is a question frequently asked. Here is a list of food that can increase acne problems:
- Refined carbohydrates– increase the risk of acne by 30% more. Soda drinks, beverages and sweeteners, cakes, and biscuits contain a high amount of refined sugar.
- Fast foods– burgers, pizza, and other such items contain soy oil. This gives a high amount of omega-6 to the body which leads to inflammation which in turn causes acne.
- Chocolates, saturated fats, and food you are sensitive to will cause acne. These foods must be avoided to prevent acne on the skin.
Anti-Acne Foods
Acne-friendly foods include low glycaemic food like whole grains and legumes. Food containing vitamins A, C, and E, and zinc mineral are considered safe food for the skin. Yellow and orange fruits, whole-wheat bread, brown rice, quinoa, pumpkin seeds, and some kinds of fatty fish contain a high amount of water and minerals being a natural treatment for the skin.
Mediterranean-style diets in very effective in acne treatment as it contains beauty skin-friendly foods.
Skin-Friendly Weight Loss Diet
Weight loss has become a medical concern these days. Almost everyone is trying to lose weight but many people do not follow a healthy diet plan. Continuously losing weight with an unhealthy diet can cause a bad effect on your skin. This may lead to wrinkles, stretch marks, and anti-aging effects on the skin. Crash diets containing low vitamins and nutrients can lead to skin damage if taken for a long time. It is always suggested to take a balanced, healthy, and skin-beneficial diet in the weight loss journey. Beans, pulses, nuts, and white eggs must be included in a weight-loss healthy diet.
Can food color damage your skin?
Some artificial colors used in beverages and food items are damaging to the skin. But food-graded colors are proven safe for the skin when used in limiting values. So it is required to properly read the ingredients of any manufactured product to eat only food-graded colors.
The outcome
There are several remedies for skin beauty. But it is a well-known fact that skin-friendly foods are the best source of shiny, glowing, and healthy skin. It must be noted that food is not a cure for any skin acne or allergy, but it is a helping hand to get rid of acne. Skin-friendly food can only speed up the treatment process or reduce the risk of further problems. If you are suffering from severe acne, you must consult a doctor and eat balanced, healthy, and skin-beneficial foods.
Pingback: Everything You Should Know About Kale - Health4Foodies