Skin health can be improved by eating a diet high in healthy fats and vitamins. Many fruits and vegetables, like red grapes and tomatoes, contain skin-beneficial chemicals.
Nutrition is essential for good health. A poor diet can harm your metabolism, induce weight gain, and even harm organs like your heart and liver.
However, what you eat has an impact on another organ: your skin.
As scientists learn more about diet and the human body, it becomes evident that what you eat has a substantial impact on the health and aging of your skin.
This article examines the greatest foods for maintaining healthy skin.
Fatty fish
Fatty fish, such as salmon, mackerel, and herring, are great sources of omega-3 fatty acids. They are high in omega-3 fatty acids, which are essential for maintaining skin health.
Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for maintaining thick, supple, and moisturized skin. In fact, a lack of omega-3 fatty acids can lead to dry skin.
Fish contains omega-3 fats, which help to reduce inflammation, which can cause redness and acne. They can even make your skin less vulnerable to UV radiation from the sun.
According to certain research, fish oil supplements may help combat inflammatory and autoimmune skin disorders including psoriasis and lupus.
Fatty fish also contains vitamin E, which is one of the most vital antioxidants for your skin.
Getting adequate vitamin E is critical for protecting your skin from free radicals and inflammation.
Finally, fish contains zinc, a mineral that is essential for regulating the following:
- inflammation
- general skin health
- the growth of new skin cells
Skin irritation, lesions, and delayed wound healing can all result from a zinc shortage.
Walnuts
Walnuts have many characteristics that make them an excellent food for healthy skin.
They’re a good source of essential fatty acids, which are fats that your body cannot make itself.
In fact, they’re richer than most other nuts in both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids.
A diet too high in omega-6 fats may promote inflammation, including inflammatory conditions of your skin like psoriasis.
On the other hand, omega-3 fats reduce inflammation in your body — including in your skin.
While omega-6 fatty acids are plentiful in the Western diet, sources of omega-3 fatty acids are rare.
Because walnuts contain a good ratio of these fatty acids, they may help fight the potential inflammatory response to excessive omega-6.
What’s more, walnuts contain other nutrients that your skin needs to function properly and stay healthy.
One ounce (28 grams) of walnuts contains 8% of the DV for zinc.
Zinc is essential for your skin to function properly as a barrier. It’s also necessary for wound healing and combating both bacteria and inflammation.
Walnuts also provide small amounts of the antioxidants vitamin E and selenium, in addition to 4–5 grams of protein per ounce (28 grams)
Sunflower seeds
In general, nuts and seeds are high in skin-nourishing nutrients.
Sunflower seeds are a good example.
1 ounce (28 grams) of sunflower seeds contains 49% of the daily value for vitamin E, 41% of the daily value for selenium, 14% of the daily value for zinc, and 5.5 grams of protein.
Sweet potatoes
It works as a provitamin A, which means that it can be turned into vitamin A in your body.
Oranges and vegetables such as carrots, spinach, and sweet potatoes contain beta carotene.
Sweet potatoes are a great source, with one 1/2-cup (100-gram) serving containing enough beta carotene to supply more than six times the DV of vitamin A.
Carotenoids, such as beta carotene, protect your skin by functioning as a natural sunblock.
When you take this antioxidant, it gets absorbed into your skin and helps protect your skin cells from UV rays. This may aid in the prevention of sunburn, cell death, and dry, wrinkled skin.
Surprisingly, high levels of beta carotene may also give your complexion a warm, orange hue, contributing to a healthier overall appearance.
Bell Peppers
Not only are bell peppers delicious, but they are also one of the top vitamin C-rich foods, with 95mg — more than 100% of the daily intake for vitamin C — in just half a cup. Vitamin C is well-known for its antioxidant effects and immune-boosting properties, but it also plays a crucial role in skin health.
Vitamin C can help to prevent and repair skin damage caused by ultraviolet (UV) light, and it can even help with wound healing. Antioxidants are also necessary for collagen production. We know that numerous environmental contaminants can lower vitamin C levels in the skin and cause free radical damage, so eating vitamin C-rich foods is essential.
For a tasty way to gain the benefits of this favorite food, add sliced peppers to salads and sandwiches or make wonderful red pepper hummus.
Broccoli
Broccoli has numerous vitamins and minerals that are beneficial to skin health, including zinc, vitamin A, and vitamin C.
It also contains lutein, a pigment that functions similarly to beta carotene. Lutein protects your skin from oxidative damage, which can cause it to dry out and wrinkle.
Broccoli florets, on the other hand, contain a unique component known as sulforaphane, which has some promising prospective advantages. It may potentially have anti-cancer properties, including against certain types of skin cancer.
Sulforaphane is also a potent antioxidant that protects against solar damage. It works in two ways: it neutralizes dangerous free radicals and activates other protective systems in your body.
In lab experiments, sulforaphane reduced the percentage of skin cells destroyed by UV light by up to 29%, with protection lasting up to 48 hours.
Sulforaphane may also help maintain collagen levels in your skin, according to research.
Soy
Soy contains isoflavones, which are plant chemicals that can mimic or prevent estrogen in the body.
Isoflavones may improve your skin and other regions of your body.
In one tiny research of middle-aged women, ingesting soy isoflavones every day for 8-12 weeks decreased fine wrinkles and increased skin suppleness.
Soy may also alleviate skin dryness and build collagen in postmenopausal women, which helps maintain your skin smooth and robust.
These isoflavones not only protect your body’s cells from harm, but they also protect your skin from UV radiation, which may lower your risk of several skin cancers.
Dark chocolate
If you need another excuse to consume chocolate, consider this: The effects of cocoa on your skin are rather remarkable.
Participants in one study reported fuller, more moisturized skin after 6-12 weeks of daily consumption of an antioxidant-rich cocoa powder.
Their skin was also less rough and scaly, less sensitive to sunburn, and had greater blood flow, which means more nutrients were delivered to the skin.
Another study discovered that eating 20 grams of high-antioxidant dark chocolate per day could allow your skin to withstand more than twice as much UV radiation before scorching as low-antioxidant chocolate.
Several other studies have found comparable outcomes, including reduced wrinkle appearance. Keep in mind, however, that at least one study found no meaningful impacts.
To optimize the benefits and keep added sugar to a minimum, choose dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa.
Green tea
Green tea may prevent your skin from aging and damage.
Catechins are strong molecules found in green tea that help to boost the health of your skin in a variety of ways.
Green tea, like many other antioxidant-rich foods, can help protect your skin from sun damage.
One 12-week trial involving 60 women discovered that drinking green tea everyday helped lessen sunburn redness by up to 25%.
Green tea also enhanced their skin’s hydration, roughness, thickness, and suppleness.
While green tea is a terrific choice for good skin, you should avoid drinking it with milk because there is evidence that milk may impair the antioxidant benefit of green tea.
Flaxseeds
These small but powerful seeds are an excellent plant-based source of omega-3 fatty acids, fiber, and other nutrients. Consuming flaxseeds, specifically flaxseed oil, may even improve skin moisture and smoothness, according to research. Just keep in mind that flaxseed oil has a low smoke point and is best utilized uncooked.
When it comes to flaxseed, there is a significant difference between whole and ground. Whole flaxseeds have a longer shelf life but are more difficult for the body to break down and digest, whereas powdered flaxseeds are easier for the body to digest but have a shorter shelf life, therefore keep them in the fridge to avoid spoiling.
Try incorporating ground flaxseeds into your breakfast yogurt parfait or a smoothie. Due to its low smoke point, flaxseed oil is best utilized in healthy homemade dressings and for drizzling.
Olives & Olive Oil
Olive oil, a cornerstone of the Mediterranean diet, is strong in monounsaturated fats and antioxidants like vitamin E, which support the health of your skin, hair, and nails. Olives and olive oil include polyphenolic chemicals that may help protect cells from disturbance and increase blood flow throughout your body.
However, the advantages extend beyond skin health. According to one study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, those who ingested more than half a tablespoon of olive oil each day had a decreased risk of mortality than those who did not.
Use good olive oil in salad dressings and on your favorite roasted veggies. Olives are a satisfying snack that also provides a dose of fiber; nevertheless, don’t overdo it because they are heavy in sodium.