Eating Right for Healthy Skin

Hi everybody! Hope your August is off to a great start! I can’t believe school is approaching so soon! Last fall, I took a course on nutrition and I made a brochure on the 4 vitamins, 2 minerals, and 1 macronutrient that have been found to be beneficial for skin health. This post will be an educational lesson on what to eat for healthy skin. As many of you already know, skin is the largest organ of the human body. The food, beverages, and supplements that we intake play a crucial role on the health of our skin. Rather than looking at specific “acne-inducing” food items, which vary greatly from one person to another, it’s better to focus on what nutrients are particularly great for your skin as well as overall health. Here they are:

Vitamin A: maintenance and repair of skin tissues; reduce dryness and keeping the skin look bright and young

Sources: low-fat dairy products, green leafy vegetables, red-orange vegetables, mangoes

Vitamin B Complex: biotin forms the basis of skin, nail, and hair cells; inadequacy may lead to dermatitis and hair loss

Sources: bananas, eggs, oatmeal, wheat germs

Vitamin C: reduce sun damage by neutralizing free radicals; fight inflammations; produce collagen, a protein that forms the basic structure of your skin; should be consumed with vitamin E

Sources: tomatoes, citrus fruits, kiwi, strawberries, guava

Vitamin E: reduce sun damage by neutralizing free radicals; reduce the production of cancer-causing cells; reduce wrinkles

Sources: walnuts, almonds, wheat germs, sunflower seeds

Selenium: when vitamin E is combined with selenium, vitamin E’s antioxidant abilities are enhanced; play a role in skin cancer prevention

Sources: whole-grain cereal, brown rice, whole-wheat bread, seafood, garlic, eggs

Zinc: clear skin by taming oil production and may be effective in controlling the formation of acne lesions

Sources: oysters, lean meat, poultry

Essential Fatty Acid: Omega-3 fatty acid reduces inflammation; responsible for creating skin’s natural oil barrier; reduce production of sebum

Sources: salmon, sardines, flaxseed

I hope this post has been informative for you guys! What is your favorite nutritious “skin food”?

-Karen