Every year we spend hundreds of dollars on products to achieve beautiful, glowing skin. Isn’t it interesting that many of these products are marketed as having nutrients that we can actually get from our food? Lean protein and vitamins like Co-Q10, C and E along with antioxidants to defy aging all increase the cost of beauty products and promise smooth, supple and wrinkle free skin.
What if we just ate these same nutrients in our food and created beauty from the inside out? The benefits would extend far beyond simply improving our appearance.
The truth is, beauty comes from the inside out – literally. What you eat and drink everyday impacts the health of your skin. Next time you go shopping, add a few of these items to your cart. You won’t find them in the beauty aisle at your supermarket; you will find them in the grocery aisle!
Your skin is made of proteins called collagen and elastin. Wrinkling and sagging skin indicates a deficiency of these proteins. Wrinkles don’t just happen overnight; they take years to develop and a diet lacking in good quality protein such as salmon and turkey is the likely culprit. It’s never too late. Sure, you may not be able to completely reverse the signs of aging, but you can most certainly slow the process by eating a diet rich in lean protein to increase collagen (which is responsible for toning) and elastin (responsible for elasticity of your skin).
This skin loving monounsaturated fat is nature’s perfect moisturizer. You need to eat fat to have supple skin—plain and simple. Olive oil is a good source of polyphenols which are antioxidants known to help slow the aging process. In fact the ancient Greeks used to bathe in olive oil! Add olive oil in your diet everyday – on salad or whole wheat pasta or dip some whole grain bread into extra virgin olive oil. Avoid cooking with olive oil because heat destroys the beneficial properties of olive oil.
If you want to get rid of blotchiness or blemishes, make sure that you are eating foods that contain vitamin C and vitamin E. Citrus fruits are very good for your skin so try to include fruits like oranges, grapefruits, and limes. You can also find vitamin E in any green and leafy vegetables as well as in certain lean meats, nuts, and beans. Remember to always choose organic to avoid exposure to chemicals and hormones.
Brazil nuts, whole grains, salmon, halibut, shiitake mushrooms.
What do all these foods have in common? They are a good source of selenium which is a mineral and a powerful antioxidant that protects your skin from free radical damage that you may encounter from the sun and air pollution, especially if you live in a big city. Selenium is a skin rejuvenator and protector of your cells. Interestingly, selenium also plays an important role in the health of your thyroid. One of the symptoms of a hypothyroid is dry skin. Next time you are grocery shopping, aim to purchase at least one or two of these skin protecting items.
The key thing to remember is that beauty comes from the inside. Invest in yourself with the foods you put into your grocery cart rather than fancy products that promise the world, but don’t deliver. Not only will you see the benefits on your skin, but you will feel better from the inside out. And nothing says beauty more than when you FEEL beautiful and happy.