Foods Good for the Skin: What are the Best Foods?

Healthy Skin

Forget creams, lotions, and other external ingredients to make your skin beautiful. Eating the right foods with the right nutrients is what you need to make your skin healthy. Eating a well balanced diet is important for many reasons, but there are certain foods good for the skin.

What are the Best Foods to Make your Skin Look Good?

Foods high in the following nutrients will help give you beautiful and healthy skin:

Essential Fatty Acids

Essential fatty acids (most commonly omega 3 & 6) provide the major material of which cell membranes are made. Strong cell membranes allow important nutrients to enter and waste products to exit, prevent harmful substances from entering, and holds water in. Essential fatty acids are needed to repair skin and maintain healthy skin.

The body does not make these much-needed fats so it is important to eat foods containing them everyday. An average diet provides plenty of omega 6 but usually lacks omega 3. Foods high in omega 3 include flaxseed, walnuts, salmon, and sardines.

Vitamins A, C, and E

Skin requires vitamin A to maintain its integrity. A deficiency in vitamin A can result in dry, flaky skin. Vitamin C is necessary for the production and maintenance of collagen, a protein substance that forms the base for all connective tissues in the body, including skin. Vitamin C and E are both powerful antioxidants that help prevent cell damage caused by free radicals.

Foods high in vitamin A include carrots, spinach, turnip greens, kale, calf’s liver, sweet potatoes, and low-fat dairy products.

Foods high in vitamin C include citrus fruits, red bell peppers, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and cabbage.

Foods high in vitamin E include mustard greens, turnip greens, sunflower seeds, spinach, almonds, collard greens, kale, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, tomatoes, papaya, and kiwifruit.

Antioxidants

According to one study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, and plums have the highest capacity of antioxidants. These four foods can help give skin a younger look because of their ability to protect cell membranes from damage (such as from sun exposure and pollution).

Selenium

Selenium is another antioxidant that protects skin from damage. It is also responsible for tissue elasticity. Foods to eat include cod, tuna, halibut, salmon, turkey, chicken, eggs, whole grain oats, and barley.

Zinc

Zinc is necessary for cell replication and also controls the production of oil in the skin. Foods high in zinc include calf’s liver, spinach, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, green peas, and yogurt.

Other

Besides eating foods good for the skin, it is important to drink plenty of water (about 8 glasses a day is best). Water not only keeps the body well hydrated, it helps move nutrients into cells, remove toxins from cells, and keep skin clean and clear by allowing the body to sweat more efficiently.

Sources Used

WebMD: Foods for Healthy Skin: You Are What You Eat - https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/features/skin-food

Natural News: The top five nutrients for healthy skin - https://www.naturalnews.com/021773.html

WHFoods - https://www.whfoods.com

Photo Credit

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