Food That Makes Your Skin Glow

Every one has a favorite face cream or treatment, but beautiful skin starts on the inside.  As the saying goes "You are what you eat". We know that eating rightly helps to maintain a healthy lifestyle but it also helps to maintain a healthy appearance.



Eat the correct balance of foods and you'll feed your skin with the vital nutrients it needs to help it stay soft, supple and blemish-free.

Water
Drink plenty of water everyday as this will help the skin look soft, supple and more youthful. By keeping the body hydrated, your overall appearance will benefit from improved skin texture. If you're feeling bloated, it may be due to an increase of sodium in the body, so increase your intake of water to help flush it out. Water also helps in the weight-loss process by reducing water weight and replenishes water loss during workout activity.

Vegetables
Green leafy vegetables such as Spinach and Swiss chard are very good for the skin. A recent study found that people with a history of squamous cell carcinoma who ate about two servings of theses greens weekly reduced their risk of subsequent skin cancers. Researchers credit the vegetable's high concentration of the organic pigments lutein and zeaxanthin.

Tomatoes
Cooked tomatoes (in juice or sauce) which is loaded with locopene can protect skin against sunburn. Try to consume about one cup a week, paired with a healthy fat (like olive oil or avocado), which will help your body absorb the locopene.

Vitamin C
Vitamin C helps the body fight infection and diseases. It pumps up the immune system and also promotes healing, did you also know that Vitamin C is essential to collagen production? Collagen helps the skin remain elastic but firm, which keeps the skin wrinkle and line free.
Citrus fruits, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli and cabbage are all rich in Vitamin C. Keep in mnd that their juices are also packed with this important vitamin.

Green tea
Green tea has been shown to lower cholesterol, improve immune function and reduce the riskk of specific types of cancer, it is rich in antioxidants. If you are a big coffee drinker, try replacing  your morning cup of coffee with a cup of green tea. Without cream, sugar or other artificial flavorings, you may notice a reduction in weight while satisfying your caffeine fix.

Essential Fatty Acids
Essential fatty acids (EFAs) like omega-3 and omega-6 are known as good fat, which helps cellular functioning. This helps skin, hair, nails, muscles and practically everything involved in your physical appearance.
Like other good foods, EFAs help the cells to function properly, which helps to clear up skin and prevent blemishes, reduce wrinkles, improve hair condition and nail growth

Soy
Soy proteins are rich in amino acids, vitamin E and many other anti-oxidants. These components help the skin retain moisture, smooths out skin's appearance and improves elasticity

Useful Tips

• Is your skin oily? then cut down on processed and junk food as well as foods high in sugar, such as cakes and biscuits as well as hard fats. You may have to dip your bread in olive oil or hemp seed oil for a tasty and healthy treat instead of using butter
• Is your skin itchy? then get some relief by opting for foods high in vitamin B, such as eggs, fish, lentils, nuts and whole-grains, vitamin B improve poor circulation which is sometimes associated with itchiness
• Is your skin very dry? then try increasing your intake of foods rich in beta-carotene such as yellow and red peppers and dark green leafy vegetables, and upping your intake of omega 3 rich oils. Add a teaspoon of flax oil to salad dressings or sprinkle some linseed on your cereal daily
• For acne? try selenium rich foods, such as cashew nuts, fresh tuna, sunflower seed, Brazil nuts, walnuts and wholemeal bread, combined with vitamin E for the best effect

Finally, once you make changes to your diet, don't just expect an overnight miracle. It takes six weeks for new skin to emerge up to the surface, so the visible benefits from dietary changes will take just as long. It's never too late to start