Eat Your Way To Fabulous Skin
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We’ve all heard the phrase that we are what we eat, right? Now that we have recalled that phrase, it’s time we sit back and take a moment to understand why we waste oodles of efforts in browsing through the shelves of beauty care shops, or surfing the cyberspace, and reading thousands of reviews before buying that one convincing skincare product for ourselves. It’s tiring, confusing, and expensive, but we still do it. Because skin care is important. Even though we have our own apprehensions about the product that we have chosen, we take the chance.
But, there’s always more than one way of doing things in life— including skincare. Have you ever wondered about eating your way out to get that glorious, pimple free, and perfect skin? We have gone a step ahead and termed this as an “edible skincare” routine.
Beautiful skin is achieved mainly from the nourishment it gets from our body. On an everyday basis, skin sheds its old cells. And for the new cells to work efficiently, they require the right set of nutrients which can be supplied only by eating the right foods, and by following a balanced diet (1). We’ve put down a list of tips on what to eat to help your skin stay radiant, soft, blemish-free, and youthful.
1. Eat Fruits And Vegetables Everyday (5 Portions)
Why get confused between the different shades of cream that suits your skin when you can gorge on an entire rainbow of colors? (we are referring to the fruits and vegetables) Antioxidant-rich fruits and vegetables are known to benefit the skin (2). The antioxidant-rich foods like sweet potato, carrots, spinach, papaya, etc., promote a healthy growth of skin cells in our body. Instead of resorting to an espresso shot or any kind of junk food in between your meals, eat a bowl full of fruits or vegetables. It is healthy for your body, mind, and your skin. Try to eat small portions at least 5 times in a day and see the results for yourself. You’ll be left with a blushing, radiant, and healthy skin (3).
2. Eat The C (Vitamin C)
Apart from being a super antioxidant, vitamin C is important for many other things—it supports our immune system, it helps the skin to become radiant, and it heals blemishes naturally (4). Where do you find this? In the most colorful foods like—blueberries, strawberries, papaya, guava, kiwi, oranges, etc, (5). Vitamin C is also required mainly to produce collagen (the main protein structure found in skin).
3. Never Crash Diet
If you’re on a spree of gaining and losing weight, you are indirectly stretching your skin and subjecting it to rapid changes in elasticity. Frequent changes in weight might leave your skin sagging and with stretch marks. Crash diets don’t really supply your skin with the right amount of nutrients and it speeds up the process of skin aging (6). It’s better if you opt for a balanced diet that will keep your entire body healthy. And if you still have a weight loss plan that you want to follow, do some research on its facts and figures. Explore the world of healthy diet plans and choose the one that suits you the best. A crash diet can crash the health of your skin, so it’s a big no-no!
4. Store Up On Selenium
This is a powerhouse of antioxidants. It doesn’t just work simultaneously with vitamin E and C to support the immune system; it also protects our skin against skin cancer, aging, and sun damage (7). The Brazil nuts are rich in selenium. Having just three of these nuts fulfills the RDA (recommended daily amount) of selenium (8). Mix these nuts with other nuts and make a nutty bar to snack on or just eat them whole, it’s your call. Apart from this, broccoli, eggs, wheat germs, tomatoes, and fish are rich in selenium.
5. Drink Water (Minimum Of 6-8 Glasses) To Stay Hydrated!
We go berserk choosing the right moisturizer for our skin. Some of us shift from one moisturizer to another depending on the climate (this one for summer, that one for winter). But we’ll tell you a hassle-free moisturizer hack—it’s water. Plain and simple water! Our skin requires moisture mainly to stay flexible and this can be obtained only from within. Therefore, drink enough water, at least 6-8 glasses every day (9). You can also eat fruits and vegetables that have water content in them (like watermelons or cucumbers). Avoid smoking or excessive alcohol intake as both tend to dehydrate your body.
6. Opt For Low-GI Carbs
If you’re wondering what GI stands for here, its glycaemic index—a system that ranks the carbohydrate-based foods on how rapidly they are broken down into glucose (10). Carbohydrates are also essential for our body, but most diets rule them out completely (which isn’t right). Eat foods with low GI level like beans, porridge, pulses, etc., as the carbs in them break down easily leaving you with some energy, and making your stomach feel full. Avoid high GI level foods like biscuits or sugary drinks as these can contribute to the building up of insulin which damages the collagen of the skin.
Eating right can turn out to be an excellent treatment for your skin. Practice healthy eating, stick to balanced diets, and keep your body hydrated. These reasons are more than enough for your skin to smile and thank you.
