What to Eat for Healthy Skin
I'm a nut for skin care. I geek out about it almost as much as I do about health and fitness.
Healthy skin is a reflection of internal health. There are many incredible creams, serums, and cosmetics to put on top of your skin. But, there are also lots of things you can do to take care of your skin to better health from the inside.
Your skin needs many nutrients: water, essential fats, vitamins, and amino acids. Here are five foods (and drinks and lifestyle tips) I highly recommend if your goal is healthier-looking skin. As a bonus, I have included a short list of some key foods to consider avoiding.
Skin Food #1 - Water
No doubt hydration is key for healthy-looking skin! Water and other hydrating fluids are great to help your skin stay moisturized and supple.
For a bit of an extra anti-inflammatory hydrating boost, try boosting your water with anti-inflammatory green tea (sugar-free if possible).
Skin Food #2 - Fish
Fish contains many nutrients important for skin health - omega-3s, and vitamins A and D to name a few. Omega-3s are anti-inflammatory to help cool the flames of inflammation. Vitamin A can help with blemishes and dryness, while vitamin D helps with skin tone.
Skin Food #3 - Bell peppers, citrus, and broccoli
Collagen is one of the most abundant proteins in our body. It’s also known to help our skin stay firm and supple.
Vitamin C is necessary for your body to make collagen. So, foods rich in vitamin C are great for your skin. For example, bell peppers, citrus, and broccoli.
Do note that overcooking vitamin C-rich foods can destroy some of the skin-beautifying vitamins. So, try having these lightly steamed or raw for maximum vitamin C levels.
Skin Food #4 - Bone broth
Homemade bone broth contains a lot of the amino acid glycine. Glycine is another essential component of the skin protein collagen. Glycine also helps speed the healing of the skin.
Skin “Food” #5 - Sleep more & stress less
I know these aren’t exactly foods, but they’re an important part of naturally great skin. When we don’t sleep enough, or stress too, much our body flips on systems that affect our whole body… including our skin.
Stress hormones can increase inflammation and lead to not-so-healthy looking skin. Prioritize sleep and stress management, and you can see results in your life, and in your skin.
Watch out for these foods
Some foods are allergenic or inflammatory. These can cause all sorts of issues in your body, including affecting your skin. For example, apple skin gives me Kylie Jenner lips... in a bad way.
It's hard to come up with one list of inflammatory or allergenic foods for everyone. Each person is biochemically unique, so you may have to go through this and see what applies to you. There are a few common allergens that may be a good bet to eliminate from your diet.
The first is processed foods. These are pretty much bad for everyone. They can affect your health in so many ways, including how your skin looks and feels. Try ditching pre-packaged and fast foods in favor of whole foods as much as possible. Not just for your skin, for your whole body.
The second might be dairy. It could be a hormonal response or even an insulin response. We don't quite know why, but some people who cut out dairy report better skin.
Skin health is not just about what you put on your skin, but what your skin gets from the inside too. There are lots of important nutrients and foods to help support healthy skin. Which also means, that there are lots of foods that can affect your skin in negative ways as well.
Hydrating, eating nutrient dense whole foods, and avoiding common allergenic and inflammatory foods might make all the difference for you.
