Eating and Drinking for Optimum Skin Health

Understanding how food and drink can affect your skin is really useful, especially for those of us that suffer with skin problems such as Dryness or Acne and Congestion.

Red and Yellow Bell Peppers are an excellent source of Beta-carotene which your body converts into Vitamin A and is essential in maintaining healthy skin.

They’re also one of the best sources of Vitamin C. This vitamin is necessary for creating the protein collagens which keeps skin firm and strong.

Green Tea

Exposure to sun and environmental toxins can wreak havoc on our skin. That’s why powering up on antioxidants is a simple and tasty way to boost protection against harmful elements.
Aiming for eight or more daily servings of great skin foods that are antioxidant rich is a snap, and delicious too! Sip on green tea for a midday pick-me-up.

Kale

Talk about a powerhouse veggie that can boost your skin’s healthy, luminous sheen! Just one cup of kale has twice the daily recommended intake of Vitamin A and Vitamin C, both of which are essential for blasting the oxidative, damaging effects of sun and building glow-boosting collagen.

Nuts and Seeds

Nuts are one of the best skin foods around. Not only are the tiny packages packed full of protein, they contain essential minerals and vitamins that can be vital for keeping skin clear, smooth, and youthful.

Seeds and nuts also boast hydrating natural oils that can restore the hydration to skin and blast away wrinkles.

Berries

Berries of all kinds are the hidden secret to arming your skin with potent antioxidant power. Anthocyanin, the pigment responsible for the vivid jewel tones of blue, red and purple found in blueberries, strawberries, cranberries, blackberries and raspberries, actually works to protect the skin from damage from free radicals in our surrounding environment.

Just half a cup of berries a day can help prevent premature ageing and wrinkles.

Oily Fish

Eating fish provides us with inflammation-busting Omega 3’s, but being the big fish isn’t always a good thing. We need to take care to avoid larger fish that may contain toxins.

Opt for the smaller fish in the sea, such as wild caught salmon, mackerel, sardines and anchovies that boast healthy fats that can lead to radiant skin.

Omega 3 fatty acids in these fish can combat inflammation and fight cancer.

While hormones and the changing of the seasons might affect our skin, so do some of the foods we eat.

Cheese is actually a super good — so it is healthy for you.

However, as Klein pointed out, “Dairy products (milk, butter, cheese, milk chocolate) all increase oil production and lead to blocked pores,” which can cause blackheads and breakouts.
If you’re experiencing some acne, maybe pass on the pizza or the loaded Mac n Cheese.

Alcohol 

Alcohol is kind of like caffeine – it dehydrates you. When you’re dehydrated, your skin can’t clear toxins as well and it might even produce MORE oil.

Avoid a lot of caffeine — it is very dehydrating, or drying, to the skin.. If you do decide to sip on a caffeinated cup, just make sure you follow up with some water  to keep your skin from drying out.

Fizzy drinks

Soda has crazy amounts of added sugar and can wreak havoc on your skin. Added sugar is the most ageing food that we consume, and can make your skin lacklustre and speed up your body’s production of wrinkles.
Of all the sources of sugar that cause ageing, unnatural sources of sugar are some of the worst.

Refined carbs are foods like white bread and pasta, crackers, pastries, and cereals. Like sugar, refined grains have a high glycemic index – that means your blood sugar raises quickly when you eat them and your body has to release more insulin to absorb it. Why? Because they’ve been stripped of fibre, which slows down the absorption of carbs.

So we know that extra insulin can cause inflammation. It can also increase a hormone called IGF 1 that boosts sebum production. Not good for acne!