Yes it is true - with a few adjustments to your daily diet, you can naturally maintain a youthful complexion. Just as you feed your skin from the outside with fresh, pure and organic ingredients, you want to also feed it from the inside.
Your skin is the largest organ and our greatest indicator of health or imbalance. If you think about what your skin faces on a daily basis, from environmental offenders like smog, harsh chemicals and UV rays, it only makes sense that a strong and healthy skin barrier is essential to defend you from these. However, overtime if you not nourished properly, the barrier (defenses) can break down, making it hard to replenish, repair and regenerate the skin. That means a suffocated complexion, causing breakouts and expediting the aging process.
The goal of an anti-aging dietary approach is to eat in moderation for a healthy weight, avoid foods that are high in sugar, saturated fats and are highly processed, and add more fresh organic foods that are nutrient rich and promote optimal skin health from within.
When it comes to the foods that strengthen your skin barrier and reverse the aging process, there are six in particular I incorporate in my diet because they contain critical nutrients and particularly promote a youthful complexion.
Keep reading to find out what they are and how they fight against aging!
Avocados are rich in healthy fat, fiber and several vitamins including biotin, which forms the basis of healthy skin. The monounsaturated fats (MUFAs) in the fruit also help provide the skin with a natural oil barrier, fight against inflammation and protect against sun damage. I like to eat half in the morning and then use the other half in a salad for lunch.
Blackberries and Raspberries contain ellagic acid that protects your skin from UV rays and can help prevent wrinkles. I toss these in my oatmeal or use them in a mid day smoothie. See my favorite berry breakfast smoothie bowl recipe here.
Green Tea is well known for its high concentration of antioxidants which help protect against free radicals. The specific antioxidants in green tea we like the most are polyphenols, which may help protect collagen and even reduce some signs of aging. Green tea is also known to help boost your metabolism! I drink this in the mornings, iced or hot.
Sweet Potatoes are one of the ultimate beauty fix veggies to add to your diet. Just half of a medium potato with skin provides 200 percent of your daily recommended intake of the disease-fighting compound called carotenoid. The compound particularly will give a beautiful glow that I like to call the carotenoid complexion! I like to eat half of a baked sweet potato with a side of veggies for dinner.
Tomatoes are not only rich in vitamin C but also the powerful carotenoid lycopene, which help protects the skin from UV rays. Eating tomatoes regularly will help strengthen your skin’s defense against environmental offenders. They also work double duty by not only fighting off oxidation that ages skin cells but also boosting collagen! Eating them in a salad is great but I also like eating them on their own as a snack.
Water is key to beautiful and flawless skin; I can’t stress this enough! Water not only hydrates, it also gets rid of waste and toxins, which are the main cause of dullness and aging. The more you drink, the more your skin will stay moisturized, elastic, flexible and toned. You want to make sure you are getting enough water, especially when faced with some of the most common dehydration culprits like alcohol, caffeine, salty foods, and tobacco. A couple tips and tricks to add extra hydration and delight to your water include infusing it with frozen berries or fresh cucumber slices and mixing some fresh fruit juice in like lemon or watermelon.
