“You are what you eat!” This old adage may seem silly, but it is also true. While snacking certainly has ramifications for your waistline, the types of foods you are choosing may also impact your skin health.
Your diet can impact every system in your body, including your skin. We shed old skin cells every day, and the new ones that replace them need proper nutrition to support their health and growth. When nourished properly, your skin is softer, more youthful, and more radiant.
Snack Better for Healthier Skin
There are certain building blocks for healthy skin and specific nutrients that fight off aging within the skin. When choosing your snacks and meals, try to include antioxidants for more vibrant skin.
Antioxidants offer powerful protection for your skin, especially in terms of keeping the skin safe from free radical damage. Eating a rainbow of colors in fruits and veggies is an excellent way to get the important antioxidants your skin needs. To do this, choose snacks that are high in beta-carotene, vitamin C, and vitamin E.
- Beta-carotene. This vitamin helps prevent premature aging due to sun exposure by limiting UVA-induction into the skin. Consider foods such as carrots, leafy vegetables, corn, cantaloupe, broccoli, tomatoes, tangerines, squash, and watermelon.
- Vitamin C. This vitamin is known for fighting off colds and improving your immune system, but Vitamin C also helps make collagen and repair damaged cells within your skin. You can find this powerful vitamin in citrus fruits as well as red peppers, sweet potato, kiwi, blueberries, broccoli, strawberries, potatoes and cauliflower.
- Vitamin E. Add more Vitamin E to your diet to handle skin inflammation as well as support the overall cell function within your skin. Vitamin E can be found in a broad range of foods and snacks, but nuts are one of the richest sources. Snacking on almonds, pistachios, brazil nuts and hazelnuts can be a tasty, skin-smart choice.
These antioxidants and vitamins certainly aren’t the only nutrients that can benefit your skin health. For a moisturized complexion and to support the oil-producing sebaceous glands of your skin, you should also consider snacks that are high in omega-3s, omega-6s, and zinc (which can be gained from fish, lean red meats, nuts, seeds, shellfish, and poultry).
Snacks that Sabotage Your Skin
Now that you know which foods foster a healthy complexion, you should know that there are snack choices that can cause or aggravate skin problems. Snacks that are high in sugars and refined carbs can trigger inflammation in the skin, which means they contribute to acne as well as eczema or rosacea flare-ups. It is also important to avoid salty snacks, as they can dehydrate the skin and lead to more prevalent signs of aging.
Need a Skin Care Expert in Atlanta?
At Olansky Dermatology, we love helping patients achieve and maintain a healthy and vibrant complexion. We also recognize the significant impact that your diet has on your skin health as well as your skin’s appearance. To learn more tips about keeping your skin healthy at home, please contact our office.
