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Making an effort to eat an enriching diet is worthwhile, with certain foods known to improve our skin.
We can take the body’s largest organ for granted, yet this plays a key role in temperature regulation, protection, sensory perception and how we look.
Each aspect is influenced by the way our skin is cared for, including the nutrients a good diet can provide. Genetic make up and the passage of time have an effect but the right intake of minerals, antioxidants and other vitamins matters.
Basic needs also count, such as avoiding too much sun exposure and keeping hydrated but there are opportunities to go beyond this.
Choosing Helpful Foods
Rather than rely on manufactured supplements to support our skin, a sound research base shows what we need for better health:
Cartoneroids – Found in carrots, pumpkin, mango, sweet potato, and papaya.
In plants and vegetables, they produce bright red, yellow and orange colouring. Within the human body, they have antioxidant properties, reduce photoaging and can help to produce vitamin A, which benefits the immune system and eyesight.
Omega 3 fatty acids – Available in oily fish such as salmon, or mackerel, walnuts, flax seeds, chia seeds and hemp oil.
Lessens inflammation, supports skin barrier function and improves skin hydration. An ability to reduce triglyceride (fat) levels and promote cell membrane growth will also help your heart, eyes and brain.
Polythenols – Found in coffee, red wine, onions, tomato, green tea and fruit juice.
Antioxidants, that protect your body’s tissues against oxidative stress and the outcomes, such as heart disease, inflammation, or cancers, including skin cancer.
Vitamin B complex – Occurs in meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products, peanuts and soya beans.
Assists carbohydrates in metabolising, along with supporting the synthesis of proteins with cholesterol and reducing deficiencies associated with skin conditions.
Vitamin C – Provided by citrus fruit, blackcurrants, guava, parsley and chili peppers.
Antioxidant properties and support for collagen synthesis, along with negating skin damage from the sun’s rays.
Vitamin A – A compound which must be created within the body from your diet, particularly eggs, dairy products and fish.
In an active form, this is what we know as retinol, or retinoic acid. You may be familiar with the benefits this has for the skin, including collagen production, increased barrier protection, wrinkle reduction and a fresher appearance.
Minerals – Zinc from red meat, eggs and seafood, along with copper from nuts seeds, meat, seafood and grains.
Zinc helps with wound healing, inflammation reduction and strengthening the immune system. Copper supports keratinocyte and fibroblast production, which promotes skin elasticity and regular pigmentation.
There are further dietary elements to consider, such as lycopene, an antioxidant which occurs naturally in tomatoes, red carrots, watermelon and papaya. Grapes and cherries could be added to a list of foods which will enhance your body’s health.
Wide Ranging Benefits
Apart from being cheaper and safer, eating food with micronutrients is preferable to taking supplements. You receive a wider range of beneficial compounds, they are better absorbed and you build a healthy relationship with food.
Alongside the enjoyment and known advantages this gives your skin, there is a degree of evidence that non melanoma skin cancers can be reduced by dietary factors. Free radical (unstable oxygen) levels which damage DNA are lowered by antioxidants.
Looking better and reducing the need for dermatology treatment are great reasons to consider dietary change. Other parts of your body also benefit, as can the way you feel, through following the type of diet we evolved on.