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Foods that Promote Healthy Skin

By on September 3, 2012

That old cliche’ saying ‘you are what you eat’ may be outdated, but it’s true. The foods you put inside your body not only reflect through your weight, but also through the appearance of your skin.

Knowing the right types of food to eat to promote healthy skin can give you healthy, radiant skin. It could also possibly prevent you from having to use toxic and harsh chemicals on your skin.

Acerola Cherries

A single acerola cherry gives you a whopping 100% of your dietary recommendation for Vitamin C. This is great news because Vitamin C assists in producing collagen, and also fights against wrinkles, premature aging, and damage. Vitamin C is one of the most important vitamins that you should consume daily to promote skin health.

Mangoes

The leading face-healthy ingredient in mangoes is Vitamin A. One serving of mango has at least 80% of the daily recommended dietary serving of Vitamin A.

Vitamin A is great for the skin. It is an antioxidant, so it fights premature aging. Vitamin A also has advantages for the skin such as preventing the skin from drying out, and repairing dead skin cells.

Cottage Cheese

Cottage cheese probably wouldn’t be your first pick for a skin-healthy food, but it is a prime candidate. Even though dairy is excellent for the skin, it’s not the dairy in cottage cheese that makes it amazing for promoting healthy skin.

Cottage cheese contains an essential mineral called selenium as well as high levels of Vitamin E. Research has showed that selenium can significantly decrease the liklihood of getting skin cancer by an average of 60%. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that works in conjunction with the selenium to prevent premature aging and promote healthy, radiant skin.

Oysters

Oysters are loaded with the mineral zinc. That is great news for oyster lovers everywhere. When combined with Vitamin C, zinc works to increase the elastin supply in the body, which increases the skin’s elasticity.

Zinc also works in the body to reduce the amount of sebum produced, which can prevent acne from occurring, or help treat current acne. It also works to alleviate inflammation from acne. Zinc has also been shown to decrease dandruff of the scalp.

Avocados

Avocados are a prime fruit to eat for healthy skin. This fruit is packed with B-complex vitamins and tons of essential oils. Vitamin B3, or niacin, is found in abundance in avocados. B3 is a natural anti-inflammatory, which can help soothe raging pimples and prevent outbreaks. It can help any type of inflamed or blotchy skin.

A single avocado contains 3.8mg of niacin, which is 27% of your daily recommended intake. Avocados are a great choice for skin care.

There are a lot of ways to incorporate avocados into your diet. You could try avocado ice cream, guacamole, or blending avocado with fruity berries into a smoothie. You could also try an avocado face mask.

Baked Potatoes

A single baked potato with the skin intact can give you 75% of the recommended daily dose of copper your body needs.

Copper peptides work to increase the production of elastin, collagen, and other substances that are vital to healthy skin. Elastin and collagen are what gives skin its elasticity and strength that it needs. Copper can help reduce the appearance of scars, and can work with other antioxidants in the body to remove the free radicals that are associated with skin damage.

Copper is also beneficial in healing wounds faster, decreasing skin irritation, and preventing wrinkles.

Almonds

Almonds are great for your skin. One serving of almonds contains 150% of the recommended dietary intake of Vitamin E. Vitamin E is an antioxidant that works to prevent early aging of the skin as well as other skin damage. Vitamin E is also full of oils that work to prevent your skin from drying out and becoming flaky.

You don’t have to add these exact foods to your diet if you don’t like them or don’t feel like eating them. There are a lot of other great food sources out there to help you get the right natural vitamins and minerals your skin needs to stay healthy and beautiful. You could always find your own favorite foods that contain high amounts of essential minerals and vitamins that promote skin health.

Vitamin E is a big player in skin health. You should try to incorporate foods into your diet that will give you large boosts of this vitamin. Some foods that are chock-full of Vitamin E include sesame seeds, walnuts, vegetable oils, and whole grains.

Try to find foods such as spinach, carrots, and broccoli that have a high beta-carotene content. Beta-carotene is a form of Vitamin A that helps slow down the aging of skin and leaves skin looking new and fresh.

Also be sure to get plenty of Vitamin C. The most common source of Vitamin C is through citrus fruits such as tangerines and oranges. Vitamin C is essential to healthy skin since it is one of the most important antioxidants your body needs. It is important to consume Vitamin C daily since it is one of the only vitamins the body is not able to store for long periods of time.

Regardless of the foods you eat to obtain your skin health boosting vitamins and minerals, you should always be sure to keep your skin hydrated by drinking a lot of water. You should drink between 5-8 glasses each day to properly hydrate your skin. If you don’t get enough water, your skin could become dry and begin to crack and flake. By drinking plenty of water you will keep your skin supple and elastic for a long time to come.