Skin care must be good enough to eat! – Joanna Runciman
Healthy skin is a reflection of overall wellness. A healthy skin shows how healthy you are on the inside. Sure, lifestyle habits and genetics play an important role in influencing your skin but that doesn’t mean that a healthy glowing skin is unachievable. You have heard the old adage, beauty starts from within. Eating food that feed and nourish your skin can give the much needed boost from within. With the right balance of foods which are rich in antioxidants, vitamin C, collagen, amino acids, good fats, a healthy and glowing skin can be all yours. Here are 8 skin loving foods that are a must in your plate.
Tomatoes
Tomatoes are the best sources of vitamin C and carotenoids like lycopene. Lycopene, an anti-aging antioxidant, protects the skin against damage from the sun and helps to prevent wrinkles. The pulp of tomatoes also helps tighten pores and prevent pimples since tomatoes are acidic in nature. Research suggests that lycopene is more easily absorbed by the body when it’s cooked, so add tomatoes in your soups, stews and sauces.
Papaya
Papaya has super healthy enzyme papain and chymopapain that help in skin repairing, exfoliating and hydrating. When applied on the skin, these enzymes dissolve pore clogging fats, removes blemishes and cleanse the skin. Eating a single cup of fresh, ripe papaya gives 144% of daily value of collagen-strengthening vitamin C.
Beetroots
Beetroot has a cleansing impact as it makes the blood clearer and fights free radicals. It is loaded with iron, potassium, magnesium, fibre, phosphorus and the vitamins A, B and C, all of which are very good for skin. Beetroots prevents signs of aging, reduces pigmentation and blemishes, moisturizes dry skin and promotes hair growth. So have a glass of beetroot juice or eat it as a salad or apply the pulp from the juice of your face.
Sweet Potatoes
Sweet potatoes are an excellent source of beta carotene which is an antioxidant that turns into vitamin A in the body. It also contains vitamin C, which is both an antioxidant and vital in the production of collagen. Collagen is the main component in the skin and other connective tissues, including hair and nails. Antioxidants protect the skin from free radicals and vitamin A deficiency which is a huge reason for dull, dry skin. One 1/2-cup serving (100 grams) of baked sweet potato contains enough beta-carotene to provide nearly four times the RDI (Reference Daily Intake) of vitamin A.
Red and Yellow Bell Peppers
Bell peppers contain of beta-carotene and vitamin A, C and K— both of which are important antioxidants for your skin. One cup (150 grams) of chopped red bell pepper contains the equivalent of 92% of the RDI for vitamin A and 317% of the RDI for vitamin C. These help smooth out the skin and lighten the appearance of any dark spots caused by the overproduction of pigmentation. They also keep the skin firm and make the skin healthy and youthful.
Cold Water Fatty Fish
Salmon, sardines, canola, mackerel and tuna, boost linoleic acid levels in the body. They are rich sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which are necessary to keep skin thick, supple and moisturized.
Avocados
Avocados are high in healthy fats along with and vitamins E and C. Getting enough of these fats is essential to keep skin flexible and moisturized.
Green Tea
Green tea is known to protect the skin from damage and aging. Green tea has loads of Vitamin B2 and Vitamin E, both essential for skin health maintenance. Caffeine and tannins in green tea help shrink blood vessels around the eyes, making it a miracle for treating puffy eyes and dark circles. Green tea leaf fibers are proven to stimulate hair growth and that’s because of catechins and polyphenols which stimulate cell turnover in hair follicles.
For healthier, younger, glowing and radiant skin, rather than looking in your vanity kit, try adding these eight foods to your diet.
You’re never too old to become younger. – Mae West
24 Responses
I’m a fan of all of these!
Thank you sharing this Shilpa. I eat almost all of these but never knew they are good for our skin. Avocado I need to further add.
I believe in sticking to naturals when it comes to skin, health. They are anytime way better than chemicals.
Being a vegetarian, I consume the veg options you’ve stated, but I see we consume very less of Red and yellow bell pepper. Thanks for reminding it out to me, need to be included more in our diet.
Wonderful post. Love how multi-functional these fruits and vegetables are. Will eat more beetroots from now.
I am a vegetarian so fish is out, other than that I can experiment on each food option to make it look more appealing and can munch on them every day.
Wow that’s really nice of you to share the list, all the fruits and vegetables are easily available and can be included in our diet regularly
Thank you for the list Shilpa. I will now be more mindful that these go into my plate buddy
I’m glad that apart from fish I include all the other foods you’ve recommended in our daily diet. Our food intake plays a big role in keeping a healthy and glowing skin.
These items have great health benefits indeed.I love papaya ,fish ,sweet potato and green tea .Definitely a tasty way to ger healthy skin
Eating Mackerels helps your skin…your post just made my day. When you see your staple food in this list..the happiness is something else.
I love papaya, sweet potatoes and fishes but hate to eat tomatoes.. hopefully my skin will get better once I start to eat more of the above.
I am sure now I have to add all these in my meal to have a better and more healthy glowing skin!! Thanks for sharing these
I have green tea on a regular basis and i can say that it is truely very beneficial! 🙂
well said, These are some good healthy foods you have mentioned. Beets, papaya, tomatoes, sweet potatoes and bell peppers are amazing source of nutrients
So informative post. I will add some fruits vegetable in my diet according to this post now
I try to add and use these all foods in the forms of salads or cooked form. Papaya, tomato, sweet potatoes are favourites.
Ah, I eat almost all the foods mentioned here. I can specially point out how eating papaya daily has made my skin much better.
this is a good list. A lot actually depends on the kind of food you are eating instead of the products you are using on the skin. I try to eat a lot of fruits.
You incorporated the rights food that would give clean and glowing skin if taken every day in right quantity
This is a great list for foods to eat to maintain great looking skin. I am glad I incorporate all of these in my daily meals.
really a good list, raw tomatoes can be eaten raw as well as if we apply its juice on face then also it immediately cleanses skin
Didn’t expect tomatoes in the list. 😀
Thanks for listing down the food that we have to take for glowing skin.
very informative post. these foods really help to glowing skin