30 Jul Eat your way to a better skin
6 foods for flawless skin.
Doctors always emphasize during a consultation or checkup, the importance of nutrition to health. They sing the songs of fruits and vegetables for better heart and brain health, so, you probably have an idea how important adequate or balanced diet is to vital organs of your body.
Asides you brain and heart though, another very important victim or beneficiary (depending on how and what you eat) of your diet is your Skin. Beautiful skin goes beyond the expensive body creams and serums, What you take into your system plays a vital role in how slow or fast your skin ages, its elasticity, its dewiness or lack thereof, apparently, we really are what we eat.
Asians are credited for their youthful, glass looking skin and many say its due to genetics, we agree, genetic play an important role in how you look buy, their strict low glycemic seafood and veggies based diet (low in glucose/sugar), also helps, the tea and the herbs they always seem to overdose on also gets some credit.
If you are ready to join the “healthy diet”” team, below are some of the foods you should add to your diet, and guess what, you get tons of other healthy benefits as well, so it’s a win win!!!
- Water; your Skin cells contain mostly water hence, if you’re dehydrated, your skin will feel parched and dry. What you want to do this, take a lot of water, you don’t have to chug gallons daily, you just have to include other sources of water in your diet, like fruits and vegetables. The moisture in your skin will make it look dewy, healthy and moisturized.
Source; wise geek
- Vegetables; these are known for their deep and yummy looking colours, vegetables like spinach (efo tete), kale, and broccoli contain Beta-carotene, a pigment that gives plants their colour. The body converts it to Vitamin A which aids cell production and turnover/shedding (to enables the skin to shed old skin and create new ones.
Source; shuttershock
- Citrus Fruits and Peppers; vitamin c is essential for the production and formation of collagen, the skin support structure, the stronger it is, the smoother the skin and there will also be no room for wrinkles because it also helps prevent wrinkles.
Source; fruitpress
- Embrace proteins and Nuts; Eggs, Fatty fish , almonds and walnuts are huge Omega-3 fatty acid producers which help fight Inflammation caused by the sun and stress, hence they prevent wrinkles. They also produce zinc andirons for cell production and efficient blood flow, and according to research, good blood flow is responsible for that Youthful glow.
- Turmeric; No, you won’t turn yellow but adding this brightly coloured spice to your meals from time to time could be really good for your skin and overall health. Acne is caused by a bacteria called, PROPIONIBACTERIA ACNES, which is gradually getting stronger than most antibiotics, however, research has shown that Turmeric is a good alternative as it has anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidants and antiseptic properties.
Other foods are amazing for your complexion are; Beries, Sweet potatoes, green tea, garlic, tomatoes and pumpkin seeds (Ugu)and they are awesome for your brain and heart too.
You might want to stay away from too much oil as it could clog the pores, and Dairy because it causes hormone production and also has the acne causing hormone form cows.
Don’t forget, consult your doctor before any abrupt diet change and also know your allergies, the goal is to get glass skin not end up with allergic reactions.
written by Akintunde Folashade for Bel fiore Medical