Introduction
There are numerous foods for healthy skin.
All we need to do is to be able to incorporate them into our diet to benefit from their skin-enriching and replenishing qualities.
The food you eat plays a very important role in the overall state of your health.
If you choose to ignore your nutrition habits and end up eating unhealthy food over an extended period, you will expose yourself to the risk of damaging your metabolic system.
You could put on weight OR potentially damage the organs in your body like your heart, your kidney, or your liver.
One aspect of nutrition that people do not pay enough attention to is the effect of bad nutrition on skin as opposed to the effect of healthy nutrition on the skin.
With the multitude of research turning up on the effect of dietary habits on the human body, it is evident today, that the food we consume contributes in large amounts to the general health of your skin.
And may even speed up skin aging!
Irrespective of the abundance of make-up products that could help you conceal any skin defect (if you choose to), it is still in your best interest to have healthy looking skin as it will positively contribute to your physical appearance.
In this article today, we will be looking at the top 12 foods that you could take consistently to achieve healthy looking skin.
Now let’s jump right into it, shall we?
Your Top 12 Foods For Developing And Maintaining Healthy Skin.
1. Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is sweet and also contributes to the health of the skin.
It contains a high level of antioxidants which help protect the skin from sun damage and damage from ultraviolet radiation.
As a matter of fact, some studies have discovered that it helps with the reduction of wrinkles.
Dark chocolate you want to consume must contain at least 70% cocoa.
This ensures that more of the chocolate and less sugar is consumed.
2. Fatty Fish
Omega-3 fatty acids are very amazing at promoting the health of the skin.
These fatty acids can be found in surplus quantities in fatty fish like mackerel, herring and salmon.
The fatty acids work by making sure that the skin is thick, supple, and very moisturized.
This prevents the skin from getting dried out, thereby causing the skin to look healthy and fresh all the time.
They also work towards reducing the inflammation beneath the skin which in turns prevent you from having acne, pimples, and skin redness as all these usually appear as a result of inflammation beneath the skin.
These omega-3 acids are also found in fish oil supplements.
Fatty fish also contains a good quantity of Vitamin E, which is an antioxidant that protects the skin and keeps it soft.
Any kind of antioxidant is usually great for our skin health.
Other nutrients that fatty acids contains include Zinc and high-quality protein, which helps maintain skin strength, reduces inflammation and helps the skin heal faster from wounds and lesions.
3. Broccoli
Broccoli is a veggie that contains lots of minerals and vitamins that are very essential to the health of the skin.
These nutrients include Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Lutein, and also Zinc.
The lutein that it contains is basically a carotenoid that has the same functions like Beta carotene.
This healthy skin food protects the skin from oxidative damage, that results in wrinkling and drying of the skin.
Broccoli also contains a chemical compound known as sulforaphane and this compound has been said to even contain anti-cancer properties that might help in the fighting of some kinds of cancer cells.
This compounds also protects the skin from oxidative damage and ensures that all the protective system available in the body are turned on.
Broccoli plays a mean defense game against the sun’s agents!
4. Sunflower Seeds: Booster Foods For Healthy Skin.
When it comes to the topic of healthy skin, foods that belong to the nuts and seeds category are very good boosters.
One of the seeds that acts as a large contributor is the sunflower seed.
They are very rich in Vitamin E, and high in antioxidants.
They generally protect the skin and promote its health.
5. Red Bell Peppers & Yellow Bell Peppers
Bell Peppers, irrespective of the color that they possess, are excellent sources of the Beta-carotene nutrient.
This nutrient is a pro-vitamin A, which is soon converted to Vitamin A once it gets into the body.
Vitamin A helps the skin fight skin damage from the sun and other free radicals in the atmosphere.
Bell peppers equally contain lots of vitamin C that help the body in the production of collagen, which is a structural protein that helps the skin to maintain its strength and firmness.
6. Green Tea: Food For Healthy Skin In a Drink!
Catechins found in green tea, protect the skin from damage and aging.
These compounds improve the health of the skin by protecting it against skin damage from the sun and also works to reduce inflammation which could cause acne.
You need to ensure that you take it without milk though because some studies show that milk reduces the antioxidant properties of green tea.
7. Avocados: Power foods for healthy skin.
One of the major components of the Avocado is the high amount of healthy fats that they contain.
The fats in the Avocado pear is very healthy and essential for the development of a healthy skin.
When consumed in appropriate quantities, these fats could help keep your skin looking moisturized and feeling supple.
A study carried out in more than 700 women showed that those who took lots of avocados, developed a healthy and springy looking skin.
Vitamin E contained in avocados equally helps keep the skin healthy and naturally protected from oxidative damage.
When Vitamin C is combined with Vitamin E, a more effective result is achieved.
This is because vitamin C is very essential for the production of collagen and collagen is the protein that ensures that the skin is healthy and strong.
Vitamin C is also protects the skin from sun-related damage.
8. Red Wine
Red wine contains a compound called resveratrol which is found in the grapes it is made from.
This compound prevents the skin from premature aging and skin damage as a result of free radicals.
However, it is an alcoholic beverage and should be consumed in moderation.
9. Tomatoes
One nutrient that tomatoes are rich in is the almighty vitamin C.
It also contains some carotenoids like lycopene.
This carotenoids, along with other ones like lutein and beta-carotene, play a major role in protecting the skin from sun damage, aging, and wrinkling.
All the major carotenoids are present in tomato seeds.
So, if you really want healthy skin, you can also, commit to taking lots of tomatoes and you will get it.
You can choose to have them with cheese or other sources of healthy fat like olive oil as they help the body with easy and fast absorption of carotenoids.
10. Sweet Potatoes: Antioxidant Packed Food For Healthy Skin.
Sweet potatoes are a popular root vegetable packed with vitamins, minerals, and fibers.
It is packed with Beta-carotene, which functions as pro-vitamin A when consumed, meaning that it is easily converted to Vitamin A in the human body.
Examples of plants that contain these nutrients are oranges, sweet potatoes, and veggies like spinach and carrots.
Sweet potatoes contain enough of these nutrients.
And like all carotenoids, they block your skin naturally from the effects of the sun rays and act as antioxidants.
11. Soy
Isoflavones are a plant compound, that help with the healthy development of the skin.
According to some studies, women who had a regular intake of these compounds daily had the look of their skin improved and less wrinkled too.
Now, soy contains these compounds in ample quantities and it could help moisturize the skin, leaving it healthy and strong.
Isoflavones protect the skin from exposure to ultraviolet radiation, thereby reducing the risk of developing skin cancer.
12. Walnuts
If walnuts are easily reachable to you, you need to take lots of them as they help enhance the skin.
Unarguably, these nuts contain a healthy dose of fatty acids.
Amazingly, the fatty acids in walnuts are fatty acids the body cannot produce by itself.
Walnuts are just about the richest among nuts, because they have way more Omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids than other nuts.
This is another reason why walnuts are amazing, as they contain a healthy balance of both acids.
By the same token, an excess of Omega-6 fatty acids can cause skin problems.
As a matter of fact, you’ll need to balance it with Omega-3 fatty acids to fight against them.
Uniquely, walnuts naturally possesses this balance.
Other nutrients contained in Walnuts are Zinc, protein, selenium, Vitamin E and Vitamin C.
All of which contribute greatly to our skin’s beauty.
Conclusion on Foods For Healthy Skin
There you have it!
These are foods, not drugs; so, you should be free to eat as much as you can.
No side effects to fear.
Cheers to a health skin!
Take charge of your health and happiness!