We all have skin care regimens, and if you’re anything like me, you’ve been tweaking yours to get it just right for years. As effective as those cleansers and creams may be, did you know that you can get healthier, glowing skin just by eating the right foods? Follow these tips to get beautiful, healthy skin that will even last through those upcoming dry winter months!
The first key is to eat foods packed with antioxidants. These can be things like dark chocolate, pomegranates, lots of different kinds of berries, and even red beans. These foods all contain something called polyphenols or flavonols, which help with blood flow in the skin and give you that glow you’ve been looking for! A couple of servings a day should do the trick.
If you’re looking to calm redness or fight acne, look for more antioxidants! This time you’re looking for a type called EGCG, which will calm those red zones. You can find this most potent in green tea but also in nuts like pecans and pistachios, as well as in carob flour, which is often used as a healthier substitute for chocolate. If it’s zits you’re looking to zap, go for foods high in zinc like seafood, spinach, pumpkin seeds, and beans. Zinc has a lot of healing properties, and if applied topically can even be as effective against outbreaks as some antibiotics.
If hydration and brightness is what you need, look for foods high in vitamin E, a known skin savior that can be found in raw seeds, almonds, kale and other dark, leafy greens, avocadoes, papaya, and broccoli. Vitamin E is another antioxidant compound that has similar healing properties to the others already mentioned.
Finally, one of the most important skin care secrets is to stay hydrated! Just drinking more water can make your skin brighter, suppler, and less tired-looking. Make sure you’re also getting in plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, which have a high water content.
Of course, following these tips will not only give you healthy skin, but a healthy body! Antioxidants are known to prevent the onset of terminal diseases, and eating lots of them can detoxify your body and give you more energy. So eat up and love the skin you’re in!