wellhealthorganic.com:diet-for-excellent-skin-care-oil-is-an-essential-ingredient: A well-balanced diet plays a crucial role in promoting excellent skin care. Including essential oils in your dietary routine can be highly beneficial. These oils, such as coconut oil, olive oil, and avocado oil, are rich in nutrients and antioxidants that nourish and hydrate the skin.
They help maintain skin elasticity, protect against free radicals, and promote a healthy complexion. Incorporating these oils into your diet, either by using them in cooking or as salad dressings, can contribute to overall skin health and radiance. Remember, moderation is key, as excessive oil consumption may lead to weight gain.
What is skin?
Skin is the largest organ of the body. It regulates body temperature, provides a protective barrier and helps maintain fluid balance. A number of factors impact the health and appearance of our skin, including our genetics, age, hormone levels, conditions such as diabetes, and diet and lifestyle.
How can I achieve fabulous skin?
Everyone has a favorite face cream or treatment, but there’s no denying that beautiful skin starts with nourishing it from within. Older skin cells are constantly being shed and replaced, which means a steady supply of nutrients is essential to support skin turnover. Eat the correct balance and you’ll feed your skin and help keep it soft, supple and blemish-free.
1. Eat a minimum of five portions of fruit and vegetables every day
Fruits and vegetables contain powerful antioxidants that help protect skin from cellular damage caused by free radicals. These free radicals may be triggered by smoking, pollution and sunlight.
Eat a rainbow of colourful fruits and vegetables, and aim for at least five portions a day. Beta-carotene, found in orange fruit and vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes and pumpkins, and lutein, found in kale, papaya and spinach, are both important for normal skin cell development and healthy skin tone.
Discover what counts as one of your five-a-day. Start your day with raspberry kefir overnight oats or sweet potato pancakes with orange & grapefruit.
2. Get your vitamin C
We need vitamin C to support the immune system, promote radiant skin and help blemishes heal. The best sources are blackcurrants, blueberries, broccoli, guava, kiwi fruits, oranges, papaya, strawberries and sweet potatoes.
Vitamin C is also key for producing collagen, the protein that forms the scaffolding that keeps our skin plump and supported, and strengthens the blood capillaries that supply the blood that nourishes our skin.
3. Eat enough vitamin E
Vitamin E plays a key role in protecting the skin from oxidative (cell) damage and photo-aging. Foods high in vitamin E include almonds, avocados, hazelnuts, pine nuts and sunflower and pumpkin seed oil.
4. Stock up on selenium
Selenium is a powerful antioxidant that works alongside vitamins C and E. Studies suggest that a selenium-rich diet may help protect against skin cancer, sun damage and age spots. One way to boost your intake is to eat Brazil nuts. Just two or three nuts will provide your recommended daily amount. Mix Brazil nuts with other seeds rich in vitamin E as a snack or salad sprinkle. Other good sources of this mineral include fish, shellfish, eggs, wheatgerm, tomatoes and broccoli.
5. Eat plenty of zinc
The mineral zinc helps keep skin supple by supporting the normal functioning of oil-producing glands in the skin. It’s also involved in the healing process and helps repair skin damage. Zinc-rich foods include fish, lean red meat, wholegrains, poultry, nuts, seeds and shellfish.
6. Include healthy fats
Certain fats act as a natural moisturiser for your skin, keeping it supple from the inside and improving elasticity. These fats include the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated varieties found in avocados, oily fish, nuts and seeds. These fats come cleverly packaged with a healthy dose of valuable vitamin E.
Pay special attention to food sources of a polyunsaturated fat called omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids are anti-inflammatory and may help alleviate skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis. They also form the building blocks of healthy skin.
You can find omega-3 fatty acids in oily fish such as salmon, trout and sardines, as well as plant sources including flaxseed, chia seeds, walnuts and rapeseed oil.
Discover the health benefits of salmon. For a nutritious dinner, try sesame salmon with purple sprouting broccoli & sweet potato mash.
7. Eat more phyto-estrogens
Phyto-estrogens are natural compounds found in plants. They have a similar structure to the female sex hormone oestrogen, and are thought to help keep our natural hormones in balance. This is important because estrogen plays an important role in skin health, especially in supporting skin structure and minimising skin damage.
There are different types of plant ‘oestrogen’ – some are found in soya (isoflavones) such as tofu and tempeh, while others are found in the fiber of wholegrains, fruit, vegetables and flaxseed (lignans).
8. Drink six to eight glasses of water a day
Skin needs moisture to stay flexible. Even mild dehydration may leave your skin looking dry, tired and slightly gray. Experts recommend we drink six to eight glasses of water a day. All fluids count towards your daily allowance, but water is best.
If you work in an office, keep a large bottle of water on your desk to remind you to drink. Caffeine-free herbal teas are good, too. Don’t forget that some fruit and vegetables, such as watermelon, courgette and cucumber, also contribute fluids – the added benefit is that the minerals they contain will increase the rate you hydrate your body and skin.
Discover how to stay hydrated. Give yourself a hydration boost with our watermelon & strawberry slushie and watermelon lollies.
9. Choose low-GI carbs
The glycaemic index (GI) is a system that ranks carbohydrate-based foods on how slowly or quickly they are broken down in the body to glucose. Try to eat plenty of beans, pulses, porridge and other low-GI, slow-releasing carbohydrates. These carbs release their energy into the blood stream gradually, providing you with a steady supply of energy and leaving you feeling satisfied and less likely to snack.
Avoid high-GI carbohydrates such as biscuits and sugary drinks, as they lead to production of insulin, which may damage collagen and accelerate wrinkles. Try our tuna, asparagus & white bean salad or porridge with blueberry compote.
10. Don’t crash diet
Repeatedly losing and regaining weight will take its toll on your skin, causing sagging, wrinkles and stretch marks. Crash diets are often deficient in essential vitamins and minerals, too. Over long periods of time, this type of dieting will reflect on your skin.
If you’re considering trying a weight loss plan, make sure you have all the facts first – explore our expert guides to popular diets and read the six things you should consider before starting a diet. Smoking and excessive alcohol consumption are two other lifestyle factors that will impact the look and appearance of your skin.