Beauty from the inside out: The best foods for beautiful skin

Skin draws its elasticity, moisture, and a healthy glow from good nutrition, so by eating the right foods and maintaining a healthy diet, you can begin to minimise, and even prevent common skin problems.

While acne and wrinkles might also have different causes other than diet, nutrition can help reduce or prevent these problems at various stages of your life and enhance your skin’s natural beauty.

Eating right to protect your skin

Antioxidants

A diet rich in antioxidant vitamins and minerals, such as vitamin C, vitamin E, selenium, and vitamin A (in the form of beta carotene), is the best defence against the free radical damage of oxidation, which in turn causes wrinkles and pigmentation. Antioxidants nourish and protect skin to maintain its youthful appearance.

Vitamin C and your skin

Vitamin C is naturally found in the skin and plays a vital role in the production of collagen and protection of the cells against free radical damage.

Research has shown that a vitamin C-rich diet helps the skin to fight off oxidative damage from the sun, so it is important to eat plenty of vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables regularly.

Fruits that are rich in vitamin C include guavas, oranges, lemons, and lemon juice, grapefruit, strawberries, mangoes while vegetables include white potato, tomatoes, turnip greens, cauliflower, and all varieties of cabbage.

Vitamin E 

Vitamin E protects the skin against harmful UV radiation damage and helps to guard the membranes of skin cells.

It has been found that vitamin E may work in conjunction with vitamin C to give the skin an extra boost of protection when it comes to sun damage and ageing.

The best food sources for getting enough vitamin E in your diet include healthy foods like almonds, sunflower seeds, spinach, hazelnuts, peanut butter, broccoli, flaxseed oil, avocados, mangoes, and olive oil.

Your skin needs Zinc

The skin contains approximately 6% of all the zinc in your body and is necessary for protecting skin cell membranes and helping to maintain the collagen that keeps it firm.

Zinc is also critically involved in skin renewal, which keeps the skin looking healthy and bright. Include zinc-rich foods in your diet such as seafood like oysters, lobster, clams, and crabs, and light meat such as skinless chicken or turkey.

Vegetarians can supplement with grains and pulses such as black-eyed peas, lentils, lima beans, soybeans, and starchy beans, as well as pine nuts, pecans, cashews, peanuts, and peanut butter, and sunflower seeds.

Omega-3 Fatty Acids

Omega-3 Fatty Acids are healthy fats that are crucial for maintaining cell membranes as effective barriers for allowing water and nutrients in and keeping toxins out, as well as protecting against sun damage.

A diet rich in omega-3 fatty acids has shown to significantly lower the risk of skin cancer in cells, as well as add elasticity and suppleness which helps prevent ageing.

The best foods to eat that are high in omega-3 fats includes wild salmon, rainbow trout, sardines, mackerel, herring, anchovies, and oysters, as well as flaxseed, soybeans, walnut oil, butternut, and seaweed.