Your diet is your route to the vitamins, minerals and nutrients you need to boost health and wellbeing.
Without these vital supplies of good stuff, your skin, in particular, will suffer from various nutrient deficiencies and subsequent skin problems becoming apparent without the right vitamins and minerals.
With this in mind, you can, in fact, eat your way to healthy skin and doing so couldn’t be simpler. In this blog post, we take you through the dos and don’ts of nourishing your skin from within.
DON’T follow the fads
It seems that every month sees the emergence of a new, often celebrity-endorsed fad diet but you don’t have to keep up with the trends to realise your healthy skin diet as Healthline explains:
“With most modern diets, the scientific research on their benefits is lacking. Many tend to be more so marketing trends than medical recommendations.
If there is a connection between a diet and benefits, it could take years, even decades, before research proves the link… following a balanced, heart-healthy diet is a good way to make sure your meals are maximizing your skin health.”
Crash diets are particularly harmful to your skin and wider health with the process of losing and regaining weight over a short period hurting your skin.
In addition to causing sagging, wrinkles, and stretch marks, most crash diets lack the vitamins and minerals you need to guarantee a healthy, balanced, skin-enhancing diet.
DO up your fruit and veg intake
Fruits and vegetables are powerful sources of vitamins, minerals and nutrients so should be a staple part of your healthy skin diet.
Many fruits and vegetables are packed full of antioxidants too, substances that actively remove damaging oxidising agents and protect the skin from the cell damage caused by free radicals.
Free radicals along with smoking cigarettes, long periods of sun exposure, and regular exposure to pollution have been proven to cause premature ageing.
By consuming at least five portions of fruits and vegetables a day, you’re giving your skin what it needs to ensure healthy cell development and a glowing, even skin tone.
DON’T underestimate the power of vitamin C
Whilst ensuring that levels of all the essential vitamins and minerals are high is important, there’s one vitamin that will work wonders for the skin.
Vitamin C is not just a vitamin, it’s a super antioxidant. Vitamin C actively promotes immunity, enhances skin radiance, and aids faster healing to ensure your skin is strong, healthy, and positively glowing.
It is also integral to the production of collagen within the skin, a process that can help to delay the ageing process and keep your skin stronger, healthier and plumper.
Another powerful antioxidant you should stock up on is selenium. Found in brazil nuts, broccoli, eggs, tomatoes, and fish, selenium protects your skin against the damaging effects of the sun, fights against infection and inflammation, and improves the skin’s elasticity to keep your skin looking and feeling great.
DO cut out the sugar
It’s common knowledge that eating processed foods damages health, but there’s one refined carb that can prevent you from getting the younger-looking skin you long for.
Sugar is pretty hard to avoid if you consume a lot of processed foods. By making an effort to cut down your sugar intake, you’ll unlock the ultimate anti-ageing remedy.
Sugar reduces the skin’s ability to repair collagen, which will, in turn, lower elasticity, and lead to the formation of premature wrinkles, sagging, and other signs of ageing.
Lowering your sugar intake can also ease PCOS symptoms, so sweeten your foods naturally with fruit, maple, syrup and lucuma powder to indulge your sweet tooth.
DON’T forget to drink water
It’s not just about what you eat, what you drink will make a huge difference to the texture and appearance of your skin.
Water is the ultimate skincare saviour, in fact, it’s all you need to refresh your skincare regime. It will refine your skin’s pH balance, flush out toxins, minimise the signs of ageing, improve elasticity and hydrate your skin from the inside out to leave you looking and feeling fabulous.