What to eat to be beautiful and have healthy skin?
The famous phrase ‘You Are What You Eat’ is the best way to explain how nutrition affects our appearance and especially our skin.
Our diets can improve the health and appearance of our skin as well as causing problems such as acne, premature aging and dry skin.
Most foods that are good for our skin are good for our overall health, so to have beautiful skin, we should follow the general rules of a balanced diet: eat enough fruits and vegetables, choose whole-grain products, limit sweets and alcohol.
It is important to remember that the renewal of skin cells lasts for about six weeks (this is how long it takes for a young cell to appear on the surface). Therefore, the results of the diet can be seen only after six weeks, so do not wait for miracles and do not give up early.
And we’ll tell you what you need to eat to keep your skin healthy.
Fighting oxidation
To maintain a youthful appearance and healthy complexion, the diet must be rich in antioxidants.
Antioxidants help protect skin cells from free radicals.
Free radicals are particles that contain one or more unpaired electrons and take electrons away from full molecules, thereby making them incomplete, causing oxidative stress and cell damage. This process accelerates the aging of the body, including the skin, resulting in wrinkles and age spots.
Free radicals are formed in the body as a result of various unfavorable factors: bad environmental conditions, smoking, solar radiation.
To reduce the negative effects of free radicals and need antioxidants that prevent oxidation. Antioxidants are found in large amounts in fruits and vegetables.
Eat several servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and it is better if they are different colors – red, yellow and green.
Betacarotene and Lutein
Betacarotene and lutein are responsible for normal skin cell development and a healthy complexion.
You can found Betacarotene in red pumpkins and carrots;
Lutein is found in orange oranges, mandarins, peaches, apricots and melon and dark green spinach, broccoli and leafy cabbage.
Vitamin C
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant, it speeds up the healing of acne and makes your skin glow. Blackcurrants, blueberries, broccoli, kiwi, oranges, and strawberries contain the most vitamin C. Vitamin C strengthens capillaries that deliver nutrients to skin cells.
Selenium
Selenium is a strong antioxidant. A diet rich in selenium is thought to protect the skin from the negative effects of sunlight, reduce the likelihood of age spots and reduce the risk of skin cancer.
An excellent source of selenium is Brazil nuts. Just four nuts contain a daily dose of this trace element.
But Brazil nuts are not easy to find on the market, but tomatoes, broccoli, wheat germ, fish and eggs also contain a lot of selenium and are available to everyone.
Lycopene
Tomatoes are rich in this antioxidant. It helps keep your skin soft and delicate. A big plus of tomatoes is that they are very easy to include in your diet: they can be components of salads, side dishes, sandwiches.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is also a strong antioxidant. It protects skin cells from oxidative stress and supports their normal growth. Almonds, avocados, hazelnuts, and sunflower oil are rich in vitamin E.
Adding moisture
The skin needs water to maintain its elasticity. Even with mild dehydration, which we don’t usually notice, the skin begins to look dry and tired and has a grayish tint.
The amount of liquid needed is individual and depends on your weight and lifestyle. Average norm is calculated on the basis of 30-35 ml per 1 kg of body weight, and it is calculated for normal BMI, i.e. weight ideal for your height. The more active your lifestyle and the more physical activities that make you sweat, the more water you should drink. We also need more fluids in the heat.
Any liquid counts, but pure water is best. Herbal teas, table mineral water are useful for the skin. Besides you should take into account that some drinks, for example coffee, have a diuretic effect, so they do not count.
We are friends with fats
Polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats provide the body with essential fatty acids, which work as a natural moisturizer for the skin and maintain its elasticity.
Useful fats are found in oily fish, avocados, nuts and seeds. An added plus: these foods are also rich in vitamin E, which protects the skin from free radicals.
The essential fatty acids omega-3 and omega-6 are called essential because they are not produced in our bodies and come only from food. And we need them for the synthesis of anti-inflammatory substances. Having these fatty acids in your diet helps fight inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.
They also help preserve collagen fibers in the skin and strengthen them, which makes the skin firmer and the facial oval more defined.
The best sources of omega-3:
- Salmon;
- Tuna;
- Lake trout;
- Sardines;
- Mackerel;
Rejuvenating with phytoestrogens
Phytoestrogens are plant analogs of female sex hormones. There are different types of phytoestrogens. Isoflavones are found in soybeans, lignans in the fiber of fruits, vegetables, whole grains. Flax seeds and their products linseed oil, sesame seeds and cereals are especially rich in lignans.
Phytoestrogens help fight age-related skin changes caused by a decrease in estrogen. They reduce skin dryness, increase skin elasticity, and reduce the number and depth of wrinkles. Of course, you can’t expect all wrinkles to disappear when you add soy to your diet, but they can improve your skin’s condition slightly. Plus, phytoestrogens are antioxidants.
Regulate skin oiliness with zinc.
This trace element is vital to the proper functioning of the sebaceous glands. It also helps repair skin damage and keeps the skin soft and supple. Zinc-rich fish, lean red meat, whole grains, poultry, nuts, seeds and seeds like flaxseed.
Avoid restrictive diets
You already know that strict restrictive diets have a negative impact on both appearance and health. Just as bad they affect the condition of the skin.
Constantly alternating weight gain and weight loss provoke premature appearance of wrinkles, stretch marks and sagging skin. In addition, such diets are often poor in vitamins, which are essential for the beauty of the skin.
Unfortunately, despite all our best efforts, our skin continues to age. Wrinkles, age spots and blotches slowly appear as a result of the accumulated effects of sunlight, harsh soaps, various chemicals and unbalanced diet. But it is in our power to help our skin resist the inexorable time as long as possible.
