As we age, we all expect our skin to start to loosen and sag, get wrinkles, cellulite, age spots, dryness or oiliness, or a dozen other skin issues. These are just inevitable signs of aging… right?? Well, did you know these are all just signs and symptoms of nutritional deficiencies and that they can be managed effectively using just healthy foods?
We can use nutrient dense whole foods to enhance our skin health and vitality, starting at a young age for prevention or at an advanced age for improvement of symptoms. There are a myriad of foods to support skin health, but here are my top recommendations for specific nutrients to support healthy glowing skin and where they can be found in nutrient dense whole food form.
Omega 3 Fatty Acids
Omega 3’s are healthy fatty acids found in healthy fats. They are great for skin because they support skin’s moisture, improves the skin barrier keeping out bacteria and toxins, improves elasticity and reduces inflammation (decreasing redness and acne). Foods that are high in Omega 3’s include: Fatty fish (salmon, mackerel, and herring), eggs, cod liver oil, avocado, walnuts, flax seeds and natto.
Vitamin E
Vitamin E is essential to skin health because it is a potent antioxidant for the skin barrier. It can also help protect the skin from UV damage and can be anti-inflammatory for your skin cells. Foods that include good amounts of Vitamin E include: sunflower seeds, broccoi, avocado, almonds, broccoli, salmon, mango, kiwifruit and pistachios.
Zinc
Zinc has multiple health benefits for your skin. It is vital for regulating inflammation, the production of new skin cells, and overall skin health. It also works as an antioxidant.Zinc deficiency can lead to skin inflammation, lesions and delayed wound healing. Zinc is found in meat, shellfish, chickpeas, pumpkin seeds, cashews, potatoes and dark chocolate.
Collagen
Collagen is a substance found throughout the body. Your body does make its own collagen, but many times it cannot keep up with the demand and falls behind. Supplementing collagen in your diet can improve elasticity to the skin, improving the look of fine lines, wrinkles, and stretch marks. It may reduce cellulite and help improve inflammatory skin conditions like eczema, psoriasis and acne. Collagen can be found in bone broth, eggs, fatty fish, grass-fed meats, and spirulina. Many foods also help build collagen in the body and some of those include leafy green veggies, pumpkin seeds, berries, citrus fruit and garlic.
Beta Carotene
Beta carotene is the nutrient responsible for making foods orange. It supports healthy skin by acting as a natural sun block. It is an antioxidant that gets trapped in your skin cells, blocking some harmful UV rays from the sun. It is found in oranges, carrots, sweet potatoes, spinach, dark leafy greens, cantalope, red bell peppers, broccoli, peas, and apricots.
Green Tea Catechins
Green tea is bursting with antioxidants, which are crucial to skin health. Catechins are a specific antioxidant that improves the moisture, roughness, thickness and elasticity of skin.
A nutrient dense, whole foods diet can boost skin’s vitality and appearance in so many ways. Use these foods for radiant skin from age 15 to 105 and everywhere in between.
Have more questions on skin health or a nutrient dense whole foods diet? Contact me today!