Foods that Beauty the Skin

The food you are an important factor not only for health in general, but also are essentially ingredients for healthy skin. For foods that directly nourish the skin, eat more organic greens and antioxidant-rich-foods-such as blueberries, apples and tomatoes , as well as foods high in sulfur, silicon and zinc.

Sulfur an essential element for collagen shytetesis is abudant in cruciferous vegetables, such as broccoli and cauliflower, as well as onions, garlic and bee pollen. Silicon reinforces the skin and all connective tissue, and helps maintain a healthy electrolyte ballance and bone density.

Foods rich silicon include oats, barley, brown rice, wheat germ, strawberries, apricots, and greens, along with horsetail (Equisetum arvense) and alfalfa tea. For abudant sources of zinc, eat more nuts and seeds in addition to dried beans and lentils.

FOCUS ON FRUIT AND HEALTHY FATS

Feed your skin by consuming more fresh fruit. MElons for example, contain natural alpha hydroxy acids. Essential fatty acids (EFAs), found in salmon and flaxseed, can help retain skin moisture, especially when skin is irritated and dry. Include more skin-nourishing oils in your diet, such as peanut, almond, avocado and jojoba. Use these oils in stir fries, mix into marinades or add to dressings for a delicious tossed salad. And be sure to include olives in those salads, they contain a potent phytochemical that can help stimulate cells and hydrate skin.

A healthy diet also plays a crucial role in maintaining skin integrity and warding off the signs of aging. When studying the food habits of people aged 70 and older living in various countries, an international team of researchers discovered a colleration between skin wrinkling and diet. Study subjects whose diet consisted of more vegetables, olive oil and legumes showed less skin wrinkling compared to people whose diet included more sugar and full-fat dairy products. Now that's food for thought.