A balanced diet by definition is one consisting of the proper quantities and proportion of foods needed to maintain health or growth. Good nutrition protects the body more effectively from infection, fatigue, poor performance and disease. Bad eating habits have been linked to the rising levels of obesity and diabetes all over the world.
Now, do you know that bad eating habits can also damage your skin? Do you know that what you put in your body is equally, if not more important than the pricey products we apply on it? Everyday research outcomes prove to us that diet affects the quality of the skin as well as the complexion. What you eat can also affect your hormonal balance which can be a culprit in some cases of acne, inflammation and accelerated aging.
So what should you eat for good skin? It’s nothing out of this world. You just need to eat real food in the right quantities. Ensuring you are eating enough of your fruits and vegetables and staying hydrated. Learn a lot more about coming up with healthy meals from our book What Should I be Eating?
Before I go, let me share a few examples of how eating right would get you skin your friends would be envious of.
FRUITS AND VEGETABLES
An apple a day keeps the doctor away; well, skin doctors too! Plus oranges and carrots and… you get the gist. Here a few off the awesome things these power foods can do for your skin.
Tighten your skin and improve radiance: Getting in a lot of Vitamin C found in many fruits and vegetables, can help reduce sagging of the skin and brighten the skin. Examples include citrus fruits (oranges, lemons, tangerine), kiwi, mango, pawpaw, tomatoes, strawberries, bell peppers, dark green vegetables (spinach, ugwu)
Prevent and reduce appearance of wrinkles: Brightly coloured fruits and vegetables like carrots, red pepper, strawberries are high in antioxidants, vitamin A, beta carotene to mention a few. These powerful ingredients prevent and reduce the appearance of wrinkles on the skin, prevent and fade out acne scars and brighten the skin naturally.
Anti-ageing and sunscreen: Tomato, spinach, sweet potato, pumpkin leaves as well as its seeds, cabbage, lettuce, okra to mention a few. These vegetables are powerhouses when it comes to skin health. Tomato contains lycopene, an antioxidant with anti-ageing properties which also acts as a sunscreen from within. Sweet potatoes have anti-inflammatory properties (goodbye to acne) due to the presence of vitamin A; it also has vitamin C which improves skin tone and fades out scars.
Brighten your skin! Pumpkin seeds can brighten up your skin when eaten because of the high zinc content. Zinc is vital in the creation of new skin cells, skin tone improvement and oil control.
FATS AND OILS
Youth boost: Olive, sunflower, peanut oil etc are really good sources of monounsaturated fatty acids (MFAs). Olive oil has about 75% of it. MFAs play a role in youth boost. The antioxidant polyphenols in olive oil also mop up free radicals in the body.
Clearer skin: Sardines are rich in a type of omega-3 called DHA which is an anti-inflammatory. This omega 3 can also be found in salmon and can help with clearer skin.
Walnut also contains alpha-linoleic acid, a type of omega 3, a deficiency of which can cause dry, scaly skin.
WATER
The importance of water cannot be over-emphasized. Water flushes out toxins, hydrates the skin's deepest layers from within. It also improves circulation which in turn speeds up cell tissue recovery. A hydrated skin appears plump without surgical fillers and is radiant.
Post was written by a colleague and friend, Temitope Fayoriju.
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