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| Your food choices play a definite role in the health of your skin. |
A small amount of protein at every meal is essential since it has amino acids of L-lysine and L-proline for collagen development. When you don’t have enough protein, your skin suffers, losing that plumpness that leads to wrinkling.
An ideal portion size of a piece of meat is about three-ounces, a size that could fit in the palm of your hand. One egg would be enough or an eight-ounce cup of Greek yogurt or cottage cheese is just an example that you could get creative with.
Fruits and vegetables are also very critical because of all their antioxidants and help in fighting free radicals that our skin encounters daily. Try to eat five each day and your complexion will thank you. Skin-boosting fruits are blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, darker varieties of grapes are the best with the most phytochemicals and antioxidants. Citrus fruits, especially oranges also help firm up the skin’s outer layers as well as heal as it delivers oxygen and nutrients where needed.
You need to also add more yellow and green vegetables to your diet while reducing some starchier ones like potatoes, which can affect your blood sugar levels in how quickly your body breaks its down. How sugar is regulated in your body can impact the appearance of the skin in addition to your health, mood and energy levels.
Leafy, green vegetables like kale, which is rich in vitamin C, A, and K helps address aging. Spinach is another winner, not only for its vitamin A, B vitamins but also for having anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats to keep skin flawless. Broccoli is another great source. Avocado (though technically a fruit) is wonderful for its anti-inflammatory properties as well to improve the skin’s health with its bounty of vitamin C, A and K.
Tomatoes are a rich source of lycopene, lutein, beta-carotene and minerals to feed the skin so it can thrive.
Fish is a good choice. Oily fish like tuna, salmon and mackerel with all their omega-3 fatty acids are ones that you might want to jot down on your grocery shopping list. Try eating these at least twice a day.
Nuts are excellent for a beautiful complexion with all their protein, omega-3 and omega-6 fats, vitamin E and minerals. However, you need to be careful of the amount you eat. Otherwise, you will pack on pounds.
Seeds are amazing with all the protein and nutrients they have for glowing skin. Sunflower, pumpkin, sesame seeds or the butters made from them are something you should start thinking about adding to your diet.
Make it a habit to start using healthier oils like olive oil and canola oil in your cooking and baking over margarine and butter. I bake a lot with both of those oils and often substitute them in my recipes that called for margarine or butter without any problems. The extra virgin olive oil has the beneficial antioxidant ability due to its polyphenols.
Try to get enough of the right sort of grains into your life. Oats, quinoa, brown over white rice, whole wheat instead of white bread has more nutrients, but also helps the skin in another way. They provide needed extra fiber, which can help clean your system of toxins, lingering in your system to congest the skin.
Try a fiber-drink like Metamucil daily also is helpful for getting that fiber to clear your system. The longer that you don’t move that old food out, the more it can ferment to affect the condition of your skin.
Dark chocolate is abundant with antioxidants like catechins and phenols to help skin’s circulation and defending against free radical damage. Again, you need to watch your portions or prepare to buy larger size clothes because these can be hard to resist. The higher the percentage of cocoa solids in a dark chocolate bar, the better it is for your skin and health. A 70-percent is a good bet–-that is, if you can limit yourself to one square of the bar.
Though we all aren’t blessed with perfect genes, the right foods can tremendously help
renew a problem complexion into one that you might be surprised to see!
