What to eat for radiant glowing skin

So you want to have beautiful, glowing skin…?

You can of course go to the extent of trying to cover up your imperfections with makeup, adding some dewy foundation and some highlighter here and there, which is always fun. might I add, but that is not actually addressing the root of the issue.

Having beautiful skin starts with you, what foods you choose to eat, how you hydrate, and all of your other lifestyle choices. The state of your skin is a reflection of what you have going on inside your body, so if you are not treating your body (and mind and spirit) with the love and care it deserves, then your skin may not give you much love in return.

Keep in mind that there are so many aspects that play a part in the health of your skin, but let’s focus on how food relates to skin health here..

Here is a simple way to understand how food works in your body:

When you eat food, you chew it in your mouth, and the chewing begins to activate certain digestive enzymes. It flows into the stomach where your enzymes mix with everything you consumed and break it down, and then it continues on into your intestines where (hopefully) all the nutrients, vitamins, minerals, are absorbed for your body to use. Then all the waste that is not needed by the body, is excreted.

So, if you are eating foods that are known to be unhealthy (I will get into these types of foods later), and you are eating them repetitively, without eating many (or any) healthy foods, you are not going to get enough of the right things you need to support and carry out the functions in our body that are exist to keep us healthy and working optimally. You could be doing yourself a great disservice by not feeding our body what it needs in order to function at it’s best.

Our skin also needs certain things to stay healthy and vibrant. It is actually considered an organ and is commonly called the epidermis, which is the outermost layer. The skin uses different vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and fats for many different reasons, and if you are not getting enough of these components, your skin may not be too happy with you!

It may start to look dull, have blemishes, redness, dark circles, puffiness, look tired, extra dry, overly oily, or just not look it’s best…

Doing what you can by consuming foods that are rich in the components that your skin (and body) need to be vibrant and healthy will most likely serve you in the short and long run with more beautiful, radiant skin, and better health.

Remember, everything in your body is connected, so what you are eating everyday has an impact on your skin!

Good skin Foods!

Here are some exceptional foods for skin health:

Dark Berries contain antioxidants called anthocyanins that protect your skin from sun damage and help your skin stay vibrant. Various dark berries are high in Vitamin C.

Green leafy vegetables are some of the most beneficial foods you can eat, period, and in skin health it’s no different. Eating a variety is best so you get the nutrients you need, and remember the darker green, the better!

Cruciferous vegetables broccoli, cabbage, bok choy, brussel sprouts, kale – foods loaded with Vitamins A, C, E, and K are fabulous for your skin. They help to reduce puffiness and bloating, and work to keep your skin clear and glowing.

Bright colored fresh, raw vegetables red, yellow, orange, and purple are wonderful for skin health. A variety of bright vegetables can get you loads of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, which are all needed for optimal body functions as well. Remember when you take care of your body, you take care of your skin, and eating a variety is a great way to go. Raw foods contain more nutrients than cooked, so opt for raw first.

Nuts and seeds have lots of good vitamins, and omega 3s. They can help reduce skin inflammation, improve the elasticity of the skin, and even help scars to become less obvious. Go for raw, unsalted nuts and seeds.

Green Tea contains lots of antioxidants that help fight damage from free radicals that we are bombarded with all day every day, and those that our body create as well. It can help with aging and hydration and is anti-inflammatory.

Beans, lentils and Legumes contain amino acids which are necessary for the production of collagen and elastin and important for healthy skin. They also are rich in polyphenols (antioxidants that fight free radicals), and are wonderful foods for keeping the gut healthy (and moving) because they have so much fiber! With a healthy gut you are much more likely to have healthy skin. As always, it is best to eat a variety.

Essential fatty acids (Omega 3’s) are found in walnuts, chia, flax, and hemp seeds. Supplements are also available should you need to up your intake for various reasons. These help hydrate skin by keeping the skin cell walls plump and healthy.

Fermented Foods keep your gut healthy and happy, and help to establish a population of beneficial bacteria. Without a healthy gut, you may not have healthy skin. It’s best to opt for buying the fermented foods that need to be refrigerated since those typically contain live bacteria. Try sauerkraut, kimchi, miso, and tempeh. Stay away from anything with added sugar or too much salt – and even better if you can ferment your own!

Beets, sweet potatoes, and spinach contain phytoceramides which are ceramides that are derived from plants. They have a similar structure to the ceramides that our bodies make to keep skin firm and keep wrinkles at bay. As we age, our bodies make less ceramides, so eating foods with phytoceramides may help with hydration and to fight signs of aging. These foods are also high in vitamins and minerals that are beneficial in skin health.

Turmeric anti-inflammatory and is a wonderful ingredient to include for so many reasons, not just skin health. It can reduce puffiness, protect skin against sun damage, slow aging, and hydrate the skin.

Watermelon has lots of water in it! Our bodies need water, and most of us don’t get enough each day. Eating watermelon can get you lots of water in addition to lycopene, vitamins A, B6, C and potassium. The redder the watermelon, the riper it is, and that means it contains more lycopene!

Now… unhealthy foods will do the opposite of give you healthy looking, radiant skin, as I mentioned above. Cutting back on these foods, or avoiding them completely if you can, can really do wonders for your health, skin included.

Harmful Skin Foods!

Added sugars - This means anything with sugar that is not from the whole food (examples of whole foods with sugar are fruits and vegetables) The obvious culprits are pastries, doughnuts, candy, mixed sugary coffee drinks, sodas, etc. There is added sugar almost everywhere though, including a lot of tomato sauces, milks, salsas, crackers, soups, and so many other products. Added sugar causes inflammation inside the body, and that shows up on your skin, causing it to look dry, causing breakouts, aggravating conditions such as eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis, as well as causing skin to look aged. Always check the label to see what you are consuming, and better yet, just opt for the whole form of the food.

Added salt - Typically humans eat way too much salt. Too much salt can cause dehydration which can cause your skin to be very dry. It can also cause puffiness and swelling on your face. Most processed food and food that you eat in restaurants has way too much salt added to it. Read the back of the box next time you are ready to buy a packaged food product and see how much sodium is in it. I bet you’ll be surprised.

Processed/packaged foods – As I mentioned above packaged and processed foods have added sugar, salt and in addition they typically contain lots of chemicals and preservatives that are harmful to the body! They have little nutrients, and if they are replacing healthy foods in your food plan, you may want to reconsider eating them if you want to work on having clearer, more radiant skin. Stick to the whole foods.

Fried foods – The oils that foods are fried in are dangerous to your body, and cause a ton of inflammation among other issues, therefore increasing the inflammation on your skin. It can lead to dull, aged looking skin, as well as an increase in acne. They can also make you feel tired and lacking energy..

Refined carbohydrates – Simple carbs/refined carbs are bad for your skin, as they turn into sugar and sugar leads to inflammation. This includes any carbohydrate that has been processed from its whole form: pasta, bread, bagels, muffins, snack bars, and so much more. Opt for the whole form of the food, like quinoa, amaranth, oat groats, and millet. These are whole grains and do not typically cause as much of a blood sugar spike as the refined carbs.

Vegetable oils – These are everywhere! Check the back of some of your boxes of food in your house, you will surely find added oils in the most of them. These include canola, corn, soybean, sunflower, safflower, cottonseed, grapeseed oil and many others. These oils have large amounts of omega 6 in them, and having so many of them in our food plan can lead to an overabundance in the body. Our body needs ideally a 1:1 ratio of omega 6 to 3 and since these oils have infiltrated most processed foods, and restaurant dishes, it can lead to inflammation in the body, and therefore…that’s right… showing up on the skin. Today, largely the ratio that people consume is 20:1 because of all of these oils in basically everything, except whole food. Eating whole food is the way to avoid these terrible oils.

Gluten – Gluten causes inflammation in the gut which causes inflammation around the body including on the skin. Even eating a little bit can cause a problem, and it can take around 3 months to get it out your system once you stop eating it. So be patient. Your skin didn’t come to be like this overnight, so change may take some time..

Dairy – Just ditch the dairy! Dairy, especially the dairy produced by large scale factory farms, can cause acne flare ups and other skin problems. It has added hormones that is given to the cows, which you then consume in the milk, cheese, butter, and ice cream. There are so many other reasons why dairy should be avoided for great skin (and great health), but I’ll leave it at that for now. Also, dairy triggers the same receptors in your brain as opiates do, so you may have a difficult time letting go of it, but you will most likely be glad you did in the long run. Your skin and body will thank you.

Alcohol – Alcohol is extremely drying to your skin, toxic to all the cells in your body, and not beneficial by any means. It can cause skin aging, wrinkles, puffiness, and redness. It also slows down the process of cellular repair. Doesn’t sound too good huh?

……..

So sorry to burst the bubble about what is and is not good for your skin, but I believe knowledge is power. And by no means am I suggesting you that you have to give up all of these things at this moment, and never have them again. You can do what feels right and good to you! You can do any of the above things that you can begin to implement into your lifestyle in a low stress way, and possibly continue to incorporate more down the line.

And try to make it fun for yourself! Choose some good looking new recipes using some more of the good skin foods, and taking away some of the bad skin foods. Before you know it, you will be enjoying the process of helping your skin to look it’s finest.

As a by product, you may notice that you feel better and have more energy since all the good skin foods have things your body needs to function optimally.

…..

And always, make sure you drink enough WATER!!

Hydration is so important for skin health, and all around health. Filtered water is best, as water in most places is contaminated with all sorts of bad stuff, and lowering your exposure to toxins as much as possible will be of benefit in the short and long run.

Cheers to your future happy, healthy, radiant skin!!