The Healthy Skin Diet

We all want to have healthy skin. Whether you make an effort to go to the tanning salon on a regular basis to get a nice glow to your appearance or you are always making sure to moisturize daily to keep dry skin at bay, having a soft, smooth appearance just makes you look so much better.

The foods we choose to eat can also have a large effect on how our skin looks so it is important to become more aware of your diet if this is a goal for you. You've likely heard of the tale that chocolate causes pimples. The great news is this is completely false. In all reality, if a small piece of chocolate helps to reduce your stress levels that could actually prevent pimples since stress is a major factor in acne developing. I wouldn't recommend eating a full chocolate bar a day as that will add to your waistline but if you are a chocoholic and can control your portion size, go for it!

Here are a few dietary adjustments you should consider that do in fact influence how your skin looks.

Fruits And Vegetables

As your skin is the first barrier between you and the environment, it will always be running into the various oxidative stresses that you experience on an every day basis. For example, pollution, second hand smoke and the suns harmful rays can all wreak havoc on the condition of your skin. By increasing your intake of fruits and vegetables you will help to supply your body with more anti-oxidant power that will help to neutralize these free radicals. If free radicals are left to destroy the skin, wrinkles will likely result along with an overall lacklustre appearance. In addition to that, the anti-oxidants can help to prevent skin cancer making a sufficient intake even more important.

Don't start thinking that by eating a few more fruits you will turn back the hands of time twenty years as that's simply not realistic but don't underestimate the power that a good 5-10 servings daily can do for you. The best sources to choose will be the most brightly coloured varieties such as tomatoes, mangoes, carrots, apricots, spinach and cantaloupe.

Healthy Fats

Too many people have fallen for the belief that dietary fat is evil. In a world that seems so focused on weight loss, we have gone to great lengths to cut fat down in our diet and even more people are now also cutting carbohydrates. Some diets do promote eating more fat coupled with protein (such as the Keto diet), however many of them fail to recommend the type of sources that should be consumed and the type that should be avoided.

The really important thing to remember with fat intake is that one of the reasons why it is so essential is because some of the most helpful vitamins for your skin such as vitamin E and vitamin A are fat soluble. This means that if the diet is not high enough in fat to begin with, it is unlikely that your body will be able to fully utilize these vitamins and you will see a reduced appearance as a result. Vitamin A in particular is important because it is required by the body in order to produce new cells. Since the skin is constantly destroying, shredding and producing new skin cells, not getting enough vitamin A would really halt this process.

If you have followed a low fat diet in the past, you may have noticed that your skin is very flaky and dry. It would seem like no matter how much moisturizer you used, nothing seemed to help. Rather than looking for a topical solution however you should have considered what you were putting into your mouth.

You should aim to consume about 20% of your daily calories from fat, not only to help your skin maintain itself but also to manage insulin levels and keep your hormone production on the right track. Low fat diets can be connected with low testosterone in males or issues with menstruation in females, both which can lead to problems with reproduction abilities.

Remember to try and get these fats from healthy sources though and to consume the standard six gram recommendation of omega-3 fatty acids. Most people will choose to take these in capsule form as it's most convenient unless your diet is rich in salmon or flax.

Water

Not only do you need to make sure you are well hydrated so that your brain can function optimally (as it's affected by even slight dehydration), but you also need more water to flush your body out and help prevent skin dryness. Water helps to deliver nutrients and oxygen to the cells and carry away the waste products.

When the body senses you are dehydrated, it will draw upon the water balance from the skin in order to meet its needs. That is what causes dry skin. Solve this problem by ensuring you are getting at least 8 glasses per day, more if you workout, and then there will be no need to rob your skin of moisture. Keep in mind too that by increasing your servings of fruits and vegetables in your diet you will also be increasing water intake.

Iron

Iron is a much talked about nutrient, particularly among women. One of the primary reasons many people will experience fatigue is due to low iron stores, otherwise known as anemia. Vegetarians and those who aren't eating any red meat are particularly susceptible to this condition if they are not making a conscious effort to get other iron-rich sources in their diets. Additionally, most of the vegetarian sources of iron are not absorbed quite as readily by the body as the meat sources are.

The purpose of iron in the body is to deliver oxygen to the cells. When this is not occurring the skin will take on a dull appearance and is a sure sign you are not getting enough. You want to aim to get at least 18 mg of iron a day, preferably from sources such as lean ground beef, chicken breast, fortified cereal, legumes and lima beans. Make note that taking Vitamin C in along with your iron rich foods will help to increase the absorption so eat an orange or some red peppers along with your food.

Magnesium Rich Foods

Lastly, try and include more foods that are rich in magnesium into your diet. Magnesium and vitamin D will work together to try and preserve the underlying bone structure of your face that serves to keep skin tight against the bone. When the skin starts to become loose you will notice a sagging appearance and wrinkles may begin forming.

To get more magnesium in your diet, try eating more foods such as nuts, whole grains, spinach, pumpkin, squash, halibut and black beans.

So if getting better skin is something that interests you, be sure to eat the foods mentioned above daily or as often as you can. It can take a little time to notice significant improvements in your skins appearance but rest assured that by using the suggestions provided you will help your skin retain a more youthful appearance in the future.

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