Eat Your Way to Gorgeous Skin

The fountain of youth is just a few fabulous eating habits away! Let us show you how to find it!

If you want to get the glow and have youthful, radiant skin, it all starts with great nutrition and maximum hydration. Yes, eating mindfully and drinking a boatload of water will do wonders for your complexion. Beautiful skin truly starts from the inside out. I mean, c’mon, they don’t call me Jason “Glowbell” for nothin’, honey.

However, it wasn’t always that way for me. I remember being in my teens and using powerful pharmaceutical topical creams and medicines to combat my acne. Brainwashed by all the TV and magazine advertising, I thought that was the only way to win the war against pimples. My dermatologist mentioned that the cause of my acne could be the oily food and chocolate I was eating, but for some reason, I brushed it off. Little did I know, there was a correlation between my dietary choices and my skin issues (but the chocolate got a bad rap for years).

Before I learned how to take care of my skin by eating a clean, organic, plant-based diet, I was all too familiar with the challenges detailed below:

• Acne is the most common skin disorder in the U.S., affecting 40 to 50 million people
• Nearly 85 percent of all people have acne at some point in their lives
• In 2004, the total cost associated with the treatment of acne exceeded $2.2 billion

As it turns out, healthy foods work from the inside out to brighten your complexion and give you an attractive, radiant glow. Good nutrition plays a vital role in maintaining awesome, youthful, and supple skin. Blueberries, spinach, walnuts, kiwis, dark chocolate, and nondairy yogurts are just a few great choices that come to mind—and there are lots more!

Necessary Nutrients for Sexy, Supple Skin

Omega fatty acids, antioxidants, and trace minerals are all essential nutrients that contribute to flawless skin throughout your lifetime. According to research from the University of Maryland Medical Center, increasing your intake of omega-3 fatty acids can reduce skin dryness and inflammation. Inflammation can cause your skin to age faster, and the research shows that getting too little omega-3s may contribute to inflammatory disorders like eczema and psoriasis. Omega-3 fatty acids can also help keep the heart’s arteries clear and thus improve circulation. Good circulation is crucial for skin health. Omega-3 fatty acids also help to keep the top outer layer of the skin strong and intact so that external toxins and pollutants are kept out.

One of the big-kahuna antioxidants, vitamin E, combats skin-aging free radicals, protecting your skin from sun damage caused by these UV-sunlight-generated culprits. Vitamin E also tends to help skin retain moisture, relieving dryness and making your skin look younger.

Pairing vitamin E with selenium can enhance its powerful antioxidant abilities, so go ahead and munch on some raw almonds or Brazil nuts (both great sources of selenium) for a skin-revitalizing snack. Other antioxidants like lycopene (found in watermelon and tomatoes) and beta-carotene (found in carrots and peppers) are superfood skin saviors that can curb any potential damage from free radicals.

Vitamin C is a prime skin care ingredient in tons of beauty creams on the market. This vitamin aids in the body’s production of collagen, a protein that forms the basic structure of your skin. Collagen breakdown, which starts speeding up significantly around the age of 35, can leave your skin looking saggy. Consuming extra vitamin C in foods like oranges, grapefruits, camu camu, acerola cherries (a single acerola has 100 percent of your vitamin C for the day) and tomatoes can help to tighten up your skin and prevent wrinkles. Vitamin C may also fight inflammation, and its high levels of antioxidants can neutralize the free radicals (highly reactive oxygen molecules) that damage your cells and prematurely age your face. In case you get tired of eating all that fruit, hot peppers, bell peppers, and organic sprouts also have good amounts of vitamin C.

Zinc, a trace mineral, can help your skin by fighting acne. Zinc is involved in metabolizing testosterone, which affects the production of an oily substance called sebum, one of the primary causes of acne. Zinc also assists in new cell production and the sloughing off of dead skin cells, which gives skin a nice, healthy glow and plump appearance.

Get healthy with our free fitness challenge where we give you a free meal plan and a free exercise regimen to follow so you can feel your best!