Do you have a cabinet full of serums, lotions, and moisturizers, but you’re still battling problem skin? If you want glowing skin, the old saying ‘you are what you eat’ has never been truer. Beautiful skin starts with nourishment from within. Older cells are constantly shed and replaced by younger ones. A steady supply of key nutrients is essential for rapid skin regeneration.
Undeniably, our skin does naturally age. Wrinkles and age spots are the inevitable results of time. However, 90% of visible skin changes commonly attributed to aging are sped up by overexposure to the sun, chemicals, and poor nutrition. With this in mind, a holistic approach is best. Treat your skin kindly and optimize your nutrition by eating nutrients crucial for the skin to stay radiant, supple, and blemish-free.
Read on for 6 tips on eating your way to glowing skin…
#1 Eat Healthy Fats
Unsaturated fats - found in avocados, oily fish, nuts, and seeds - provide essential fatty acids which act as a natural moisturizer for your skin, keeping it plump and improving elasticity.
Good fats are crucial to healthy skin because each skin cell is surrounded by two layers of fat (also known as the phospholipid bilayer) that make up the cell walls. Dietary fats supply the building blocks for healthy skin cells, giving the appearance of moisturized, plump, healthy skin.
#2 Opt for Omega-3
Omega-3 fats encourage the body to produce anti-inflammatory compounds, which may help inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema, acne, and blemishes. Make sure you get enough omega-3 from your diet. Omega-3s are rich in oily fish (salmon, mackerel, sardines, cod, and tuna). If you're looking for plant sources, go for chia seeds, walnuts, pumpkin, and rapeseed oil.
#3 Eat more phytoestrogens
Phytoestrogens are natural compounds in plants or plant-based foods, mostly soy (isoflavones) products, vegetables, and grains. They have a similar effect to the female hormone estrogen produced by the body. For this reason, phytoestrogens are known as dietary estrogens and act as antiaging in the skin through estrogen receptors or increased production of hyaluronic acid and collagen.
Phytoestrogens may be beneficial in keeping our estrogen hormone levels in balance. Include phytoestrogen-rich soybeans, tofu, whole grains (i.e./ oats, barley, and wheat germ), fruits, and vegetable as part of your balanced diet.
#4 Go for low-GI foods
The glycemic index (GI) is a system that ranks carbohydrate-based foods on how slowly or quickly they are broken down in the body into glucose. A low GI food (GI of 55 or less) releases sugar into the bloodstream more slowly and gradually, providing you with a steady supply of energy and increasing satiety. Try eating plenty of whole grains, brown rice, steel-cut oats, beans, lentils, minimally processed grains, low-fat dairy foods, nuts, and peas. Avoid high-GI (GI of 70 or higher) carbohydrates like white bread, sugary drinks, cakes, biscuits, and doughnuts, as they can lead to blood sugar spikes, glycation, and inflammation, which may damage collagen and accelerate wrinkles.
#5 Include plenty of zinc in your diet
Zinc is an essential mineral for various healthy bodily functions, including boosting immune function, aiding wound healing, DNA/protein synthesis, and growth; renowned for its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects. Zinc also assists in collagen synthesis as an enzyme cofactor and repairs skin damage, keeping skin clear and supple. Zinc-rich foods include shellfish like oysters, crabs, lobsters, red meat, beans, nuts, seeds, and whole grains.
#6 Eat more food rich in antioxidants
Fruit and vegetables contain powerful antioxidants that help to protect the skin from the cellular damage caused by free radicals. Free radicals can be produced in the body naturally and from outside sources, like pollution, smoking, and UV rays. To fight free radicals, antioxidants are your greatest weapon and armor.
Antioxidants are vitamins and other nutrients that counter the damaging effect of free radicals. Make it a goal to add dark, leafy vegetables and colorful fruits to your diet. Other than that, eat a handful of nuts or drink a cup of green tea daily to replenish the body with antioxidants to slow the damaging effect of free radicals on our body and skin.