Eating Healthy For your Skin
There are many nutrients needed for radiant skin. Vitamins and minerals are all required, which is why a balanced diet of healthy foods is essential.
Top of your healthy skin list is water. You must drink water to allow your cells to function and your skin to repair. Water keeps the skin moist from the inside and being dehydrated will show quite quickly in your skin. Youll need more if you exercise. (Check out my post on water for more info)
Anti oxidants is a word thrown around a lot these days, but anti oxidant nutrients like Vitamins A C and E are essential to keep your skin looking healthy and slowing the aging process. A good way to get a variety of anti oxidants is to eat a varierty of fruit and vegetables.
A B C
Vitamin A
is essential for growth and repair and helps protect against infection. Long term lack f vitamin A can result in dry bumpy, rough and scaly skin. You can get this from things like liver egg yolk and dairy products. If you are vegan or vegetarian you can get it from things like spinach, broccoli, apricots and peaches.
Beta Carotene
is an anti oxidant that helps protect against damage from sunlight and may even protect against premature aging. Beta carotene is found in bright coloured fruits and vegetables like carrots, tomatoes, green veggies. So keep your mix of fruit and veg like a rainbow and you’ll be sure to be getting a good mix.
Vitamin C
is needed for maintenance and formation of collagen, which keeps your skin supple and youthful. It is an antioxidant and so protects also against premature aging. It is also great in wound healing and to repair muscle tissue if you are into fitness. The best sources are citrus fruits, sprouts Brussel), berries, cabbage, tomatoes and as with beta carotene, coloured fruits and veggies.
Vitamin E which is found in oil rich foods like vegetable oils, nuts and avocados is another anti oxidant which is excellent for the skin as it rehydrates the skin and helps prevent aging by reducing free radical damage.
Zinc works alongside vitamin A to produce collagen and elastin, keeping the skin youthful and supple. It can be found in things like turkey, yoghurt and some nuts.
Avoid sugar as this causes something called glycation which damages skin cells and eat your coloured fruits and veggies. Brings a different meaning to “taste the rainbow”!!
Benefits of eating the rainbow
