Beauty is only skin deep, but youth and health goes even deeper! Get healthy, youthful skin naturally from the inside out!
You’ve seen it; you walk into a face care aisle and are bombarded with a seemingly endless variety of facial care products. A lot these products are geared toward helping you keep your skin looking vibrant, youthful, elastic, and beautifully radiant. While these products might seem great in theory, there are some problems with many of them. First, many common brands use several toxic and unnatural ingredients that can wreak havoc on our internal health and can cause hormone disruption. Secondly, these products oftentimes are ineffective, or only mildly effective with consistent and daily use. Lastly, they aim to treat the symptom of aging skin from the outside in, rather than from the inside out.
Like anything else, the health of the skin is an outward sign of an internal environment. If you truly want healthy, youthful, and vibrant skin, you must first consider your internal health and how to maintain or improve it. What you eat, drink, breathe, and put onto your skin are all absorbed into the body, and all of it affects the complexion, elasticity, and health of the skin. Additionally, certain nutrients found in fresh, whole foods have protective properties to help prevent against damage, such as the damage that can result following sun exposure.
So, what are the foods and considerations best able to maintain healthy and youthful skin?
Fresh Vegetables
Vegetables are nature’s powerhouse, especially when coming from fresh, whole, organic, and (ideally) local sources. Vegetables are high in bioflavonoids and other potent antioxidants that combat free radical damage. Free radicals greatly damage skin and can significantly lead to aging of the skin and wrinkles. Furthermore, veggies are naturally high in water content, keeping the skin hydrated and glowing.
Healthy Fats
Healthy, natural fats such as omega-3 fats and unrefined coconut oil also have antioxidant properties to keep the skin well. Additionally, they help the skin keep its smooth, plump, and vibrant look and feel. Our skin cells are surrounded by two layers of fat; these layers make up the cell walls. So, when we’re deficient in the essential fatty acids, these layers suffer, and the health and appearance of our skin suffer as well.
Vitamin C
Naturally occurring vitamin C is one nutrient known to enhance the health of the skin. Vitamin C aids the body protein collagen production, which is one of the important building blocks of the skin. When collagen is broken down or not efficiently produced, the skin can become wrinkly and saggy. Therefore, vitamin C can keep your skin firm and tight. Additionally, vitamin C is an antioxidant nutrient aiding in the prevention of free radical damage and has been shown effective in the prevention of DNA damage. Lastly, vitamin C can heal of the skin. Natural foods that are high in vitamin C include citrus fruits, berries, papaya, kiwi, strawberries, red bell peppers, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and dark leafy greens.
Water
When the body is dehydrated, your skin is left being dry, flaky, and with a gray complexion. You cannot have healthily functioning, radiant skin without being properly hydrated.
Benefits of Morning Water Therapy
Stay properly hydrated and help you skin with morning water therapy.
Green Herbal Tea
Herbal green tea boosts skin health by providing hydration as well as being a great source of those antioxidant nutrients that protect skin from free radical damage. Green tea is also full of nutrients such as vitamins A, B, C, D, E & K and minerals chromium, zinc, manganese, and selenium.
Raw, Organic Cacao
Quality cacao, or dark chocolate is another great food to promote healthy and youthful skin. Quality cacao is very high in antioxidant nutrients, as well as vitamins and minerals. Cacao also contains some healthy fats, all of which work together to support the function, stability, and regrowth of skin.
Cultured & Fermented Foods
Because health is an internal condition, it’s essential to consider the health of the gut in everything. You are what you digest. To maintain a healthy gut function, the health of the gut microbiome must be considered. To maintain and boost the healthy gut bacteria, it’s ideal to consume traditionally fermented and cultured foods frequently. Some top fermented and cultured foods include fermented pickles, kombucha, kimchi, and sauerkraut.
In addition to those things that should be included in your day, there are also the things that particularly wreak havoc on the skin.
- Stress
- Cigarette smoking or any form of smoking
- Eating charred, grilled, or blackened foods
- Eating fried foods
- Eating hydrogenated vegetable oils
- Eating processed sugar
- Eating processed carbohydrates
- Eating toxic and unnatural food ingredients such as preservatives, coloring agents, and flavorings
- Alcohol
- Energy drinks
- Processed and sweetened drinks and juices (including coffee)
- Too much sun exposure
To put it simply, eat as nature intended and your skin will be healthy, vibrant, and considerably more youthful!
