Top 10 Foods for Healthy Skin

Even though beauty products are getting increasingly high-tech, the best complexion cures still come from the most natural quarters: the aisles of your super­market. More and more, studies are finding links between certain nutrients and wrinkle reduction, radiance, and acne prevention.  We wrote an article Best Oils for your Skin, but decided to take it one step further.  Everything you eat becomes a part of not only your inner being, but the outer fabric of your body as well. The healthier the foods are that you consume, the better your skin will look.

Here are Samir Becic’s and Health Fitness Revolution‘s Top 10 Foods for Healthy Skin:

• Dark Chocolate:  Cocoa hydrates your skin, making it firmer and more supple. We recommend 70% cocoa dark chocolate as it contains high levels of flavonols, a potent type of antioxidant. A couple of squares a day should be enough to improve luminosity. Also, if applied topically, the caffeine in chocolate may temporarily reduce skin puffiness!  To read more health benefits of dark chocolate, read our article here.
• Berries:  Berries have a very high antioxidant content. In a study recently published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, berries weighed in with the highest “total antioxidant capacity” of any food. The benefits of these foods for healthy skin are plentiful.
• Greek Yogurt:  It contains about twice as much protein as regular yogurt, and the protein you get from eating dairy helps skin become firmer, so it’s more resistant to lines.
• Kidney Beans:  Are known to zap zits!  They’re high in zinc, and studies indicate a correlation between blemishes and low zinc levels.
• Soy (beans, and milk):  Soy contains minerals and proteins that have been shown to reduce hyperpigmentation.  Drinking soy milk in your latte and eating edamame can even out skin tone.
• Steel-cut oats:  Steel-cut oatmeal is less processed than other varieties, so it retains more vitamins. Also, it takes longer to break down in your body, which helps keep your blood sugar stable. This is important because studies found that spiked blood sugar elevates your body’s level of androgens, hormones that can contribute to wrinkles.  Oats are also great for healing the body.
• Pomegranate:  They’re packed with polyphenol antioxidants which fight free radicals and regulate skin’s blood flow, giving it rosiness. Applied topically, they can reduce lines and moisturize.
• Sunflower Seeds:  Eat a handful daily because they are loaded with vitamin E, which keeps your skin supple by protecting its top layers from the sun. Apply topically to heels and lips to stay moisturized.
• Walnuts and Flax Seeds:  Walnuts contain omega-3 essential fatty acids, which can improve skin’s elasticity. The nuts are also loaded with copper, a mineral that boosts collagen production. To read more health benefits of Omega-3 fatty acids, read our article here.
• Peppers (red, green, and yellow!): Women who eat green and yellow vegetables regularly tend to have fewer wrinkles, especially around the eyes. Also, studies found that carotenoids, the antioxidants in yellow and orange veggies, can decrease skin’s sensitivity to the sun.

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