The Connection Between Your Diet And Your Skin

There is a close connection between the food and beverages you consume and the health and appearance of your skin. Keep reading to learn more about the best and worst foods and beverages for your skin.

The Best

Water

Water keeps your skin hydrated and helps to clear toxins out of your body before they damage your skin. Aim for 7-8 glasses of water a day. You can also get water from vegetables and fruits like melons that have high water content.

Fruits With Vitamin C

Vitamin C is useful for many reasons, but one benefit of vitamin C is that it is an antioxidant. Antioxidants fight free radicals so that they can’t damage skin cells and other cells in your body. Fruits with vitamin C include oranges, strawberries, pineapples, kiwis, and more.

Vegetables With Beta-Carotene

Foods with beta-carotene can help protect your skin from sun damage. In general orange and yellow vegetables are great sources of beta-carotene. Add carrots, yellow or orange peppers, squash, or tomatoes to get more of this nutrient in your diet.

Snacks With Vitamin E

Vitamin E is another nutrient that can help protect your skin from the sun. Snack foods like sunflower seeds and almonds are good sources of vitamin E, but you can also get vitamin E from broccoli and dark leafy greens like spinach and kale.

The Worst

Simple Carbohydrates

Simple carbohydrates (like those found in white bread, soda, and rice cakes) are quickly converted to sugar, which causes insulin levels to spike and inflammation to spread throughout the body and the skin. In addition to causing inflammation in the skin, sugar also binds to collagen and breaks it down. Collagen plays an important role in keeping your skin young and healthy. When collagen breaks down, your skin is more prone to fine lines, wrinkles, and other signs of aging.

Refined Sugar

Refined sugar, like the sugar you find in juice, soda, candy, and cookies, has all the same negative effects on your skin as simple carbohydrates. Other sugars, like those found in fruits, are broken down into glucose more slowly, so you can usually eat them in reasonable amounts without negative consequences.

To learn more about keeping your skin young and healthy, schedule a consultation at Core Plastic Surgery.