Food for Healthy Skin

Overview

Every year, women spend billions of dollars on skin care products and cosmetic procedures to improve the appearance of their skin. In relying on these products and cosmetic procedures, you could be overlooking the one thing that could do more for your skin than any superficial treatment: Your diet.

Let's take a look.

Healthy Skin From the Inside Out 
How you are on the inside affects how you look on the outside. That means eating foods that are rich in protein to build collagen, antioxidants to fight inflammation, minerals that promote healing and fluids for hydration. It also means eating fiber to help speed waste through your gut and out of your body as waste.    

Foods for Skin Health

Meat, fish, poultry and other protein-rich foods. Meat is a major source of protein, which is used to make collagen. Collagen is a fibrous protein that helps to give skin the smooth appearance that you desire. It is the key to preventing premature wrinkling. Good sources of protein include low-fat meats, seafood, eggs, dried beans and peas, nuts and seeds.

Citrus fruits. Citrus fruits are rich in vitamin C, which is necessary for collagen formation. It is also a powerful antioxidant that helps to prevent inflammation that could damage skin cells. Good sources of vitamin C include mangoes, papaya, guava, kiwi, strawberries, red bell peppers and sweet potato. And of course, orange juice and other citrus fruits are important sources of vitamin C in the American diet. 

Sweet potato. Sweet potatoes are rich in vitamin A, not to mention vitamin C and other key nutrients. Vitamin A has been long associated with helping to create smooth healthy skin. In addition to sweet potatoes, you can get vitamin A from a variety of yellow-orange fruits and yellow-orange or dark leafy green vegetables. Mangoes, papaya, carrots, pumpkin, spinach and collard greens are all great sources.

Water. Water is really important for keeping your skin well-hydrated. You can easily do this by drinking 4 to 8 glasses of water daily. You may need to drink more water if you are in a hot environment, engaging in intensive sports/exercise or otherwise sweating a lot. Stay away from fluids that are high in sugar or salt, however, as these can cause inflammation, be dehydrating and damage rather than heal your skin.

Whole grains. Whole grains are rich in zinc, a mineral that is well-known in medical circles for its healing properties. Besides whole grains, you can get zinc from nuts, seeds, legumes, dried beans and peas, and all kinds of animal products and seafood.

Fiber. You would hardly associate fiber with skin health. Yet, it can play a key role. Keep in mind that one of the major roles of fiber is to keep your digestive tract healthy by binding and mopping up toxic waste along the gut and getting rid of this waste by way of the colon. This helps to cleanse your whole body, including your blood. Healthy blood flow to the skin will help to produce and maintain healthy cells, promote collagen formation and keep your skin aglow.

Summary

Eat foods that are rich in protein, vitamin C, vitamin A, zinc and fiber to help repair skin damage and promote a smooth, healthy appearance. Be sure to drink plenty of water to keep your cells properly hydrated, as well.

Food for Your Brain

Your brain is the central processing unit for your body, and like the other tissues in your body, your brain depends on the foods you eat in order to get the nutrients it needs for optimal functioning. Yet, you probably never give a second thought to how the foods you eat affect your brain.

Studies show that mental function declines as people age. This decline often leads to diseases like dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. Low levels of certain nutrients are found in people with dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. In other cases, studies show that performance on memory tests and other functions requiring mental acuity may be diminished in people who have low levels of certain nutrients.

You can get the nutrients you need by making a special effort to eat brain foods everyday.

Fats

Omega-3 fats are unsaturated fatty acids that act as powerful antioxidants. These antioxidants protect your brain by binding with free radicals to prevent them from causing damage to your brain cells. Omega-3 fats are also used to build the myelin sheath that covers the nerve fibers in your brain.

You can get an abundance of omega-3 fats in your diet by eating oily fish such as salmon, tuna and mackerel, as well as nuts, including walnuts and almonds, and vegetable oils such as flaxseed oil and canola oil.

Eggs

Eggs contain choline, a B vitamin that your brain uses to produce a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine. This neurotransmitter helps brain cells to transmit or pass information on, from one neuron to another.

Sugar

Sugar is the main source of energy for your brain. The best way to get sugar into your brain is to eat complex carbohydrates, in the form of starches. These starches broken down to sugar molecules, but since it takes longer for starches to be digested and absorbed that sugar, you are less likely to experience a sugar ‘high’ followed by a ‘crash’ caused by rapid highs and lows in your blood sugar. Fruits, vegetables and whole grains are good sources of complex carbohydrates.

Green Tea

Green tea contains polyphenols, which are antioxidant compounds that capture free radicals and prevent them from causing damage to healthy brain cells.

Dark Green Leafy Vegetables

Dark green leafy vegetables such as spinach, kale, collard greens and turnip greens supply the brain with folic acid (folate), a B vitamin that is essential for the development of healthy brain tissue.

Fruits

Fruits, such as blueberries, grapes and apples are loaded with flavonoids. Flavonoids are antioxidants that bind free radicals in your brain to protect your brain cells from being damaged by free radicals.

Other Brain Foods

A few other foods that are rich in antioxidants and offer protection for your brain are chocolate, whole grains, turmeric, onion, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, and broccoli.

Meat, seafood, eggs, dairy and soy also promote brain health by supplying two essential amino acids, tryptophan and tyrosine. These amino acids are used to make neurotransmitters, which allow your brain cells to communicate with each other.

Antioxidant Vitamins

Beta-carotene, vitamin C and vitamin E are antioxidant vitamins that help to protect your brain from free radicals. by binding free, rendering them incapable causing damage to brain the brain cells. Additionally, vitamin C is used to make neurotransmitters, which allow your brain cells to send messages back and forth. Vitamin B12 and vitamin B6 are other vitamins that play a vital role in protecting nerve tissue and enhancing brain function.

A healthy brain requires a healthy diet that provides the nutrients your brain needs to prevent oxidative damage and promote proper functioning of the neurons. Lack of these vital nutrients can lead to poor brain function, dementia, Alzheimer’s disease and other manifestations of brain dysfunction. On the other hand, a diet rich in these foods will help to improve brain function

About the Author

Dr. Dorene E. Carter is a registered dietitian and nutrition consultant with over 25 years of experience in teaching, counseling, training, project development and writing. Dr. Carter earned her PhD in nutrition from the University of California, Berkeley and is currently President & CEO of CHANA Project, the Child Health and Nutrition Access Project.