Nutrition For The Skin
Your skin is the largest organ in your body, helping to protect your insides and to regulate your body temperature. But more often than not, we neglect our skin’s health by not choosing the proper foods. While we know we want to prevent wrinkles, good skin actually comes from good nutritional habits. Here’s what you need to know in order to keep your skin looking fresh, young, and healthy – from the inside out.
What Your Skin Cells Need
Just like any other cells in your body, your skin cells need the right combination of vitamins and minerals in order to grow and regenerate. And like other cells, the skin cells have a certain growth cycle that they undergo which needs to be supported. Skin cells grow under the outer layers of skin that you can see. As these outer layers are shed (on a daily basis), the new skin cells take their place, allowing your skin to be soft and smooth. When you’re not eating right, this growth process can be slowed, leaving the dull, old skin cells on the surface of your skin. You might notice that your skin is ruddy and pale, or that it simply doesn’t glow the way it used to.
In order to maintain its health, your skin needs a variety of different vitamins and minerals:
• Vitamin C – This antioxidant helps to protect the skin from environmental damage while also helping to rejuvenate the appearance of your skin.
• Vitamin D – The skin takes in Vitamin D from the sun and transports it to the rest of the body.
• Vitamin A – Another antioxidant, this vitamin has been linked with protecting your skin from cancer and other damage.
• Vitamin E – With this vitamin, you can expect to see firmer and moister skin.
Why Fat is Your Skin’s Best Friend
Too often, we think of fat as a bad thing to add to your diet – and this is partially true. Saturated fats and trans fats are both horrible for your body as well as for your skin. But plant based fats like those found in avocados and nuts are actually quite helpful to your skin. These fats allow your skin to retain more moisture, which becomes more difficult as you age. By providing your skin cells with this moisture, your skin will look more supple and firm, even reducing the appearance of fine lines caused by dry skin.
Adding Good Skin Foods to Your Diet
Aside from the good fats you can find in avocados and nuts, you will also want to add seeds to your diet to help give your skin a natural glow. Things like flax seed and flax seed oils can help increase the nutrition in every meal, while also providing more skin helping essential fatty acids. You can often find flax seed in cereals or as its natural form – just grind it up and put it on top of any meal for the full benefit.
Fish oils are another way to add to your skin care regimen. These fatty acids also help contribute to skin cell growth as well as to adding moisture to the skin itself. While you can find these ingredients in capsule form at your local health food store, you can also get enough fish oil from a few servings of tuna or salmon each week.
Water is the Cure All
But while it makes sense to add more fruits and vegetables as well as natural fats to your diet, it’s what you’re drinking that really matters. Since the skin is the way your body rids itself of toxins, you need to make sure you are flushing out your body as quickly as possible – by drinking more water. Though the standard recommendation is eight glasses a day, you might need to drink more if you are active. Simply sip water throughout the day, up to eight glasses and you will get the amount you need. If you want to drink more, that’s great too.
The Ideal Skin Diet
When you’re shopping for your good skin diet, you might want to check the labels or the signs to be sure you’re getting all organic foods. Though the connection isn’t clear, it makes sense that foods prepared and grown with chemicals could do harm to your skin. By buying foods that are grown without pesticides, you will limit your skin’s exposure to these dangerous chemicals.
If you want to make your skin glow from the outside, try using an egg white as a face mask. Just apply a whisked white to your skin, allow to dry and rinse off. This will tighten your pores instantly. Or you can take a papaya and rub the insides over your skin for a quick fruit acid peel. Leave on for just a few minutes and wash off.
Related Information:
Losing Loose Skin After Losing Weight
Health Dangers Of Losing Weight Too Fast
