Eat Your Way to a Healthy Complexion
It’s been said “you are what you eat,” and far from being a poetic platitude, this timeless trope is literally true! Not only do the micro-nutrients in food, including vitamins, minerals, enzymes and phytonutrients allow biochemistry to proceed properly, but the building blocks of the proteins, fats and carbohydrates that we ingest, ultimately become our bones, blood, muscles, and all the other tissues and organs that make up our miraculous and marvelous human bodies. This of course includes the body’s largest organ, the skin, and there is no way to get around the fact that eating poor quality foods will show up as poor-quality complexion.
While this seems like an obvious truth, it isn’t something most of us account for when we decide what to eat. And the unfortunate results are pretty much all skin-health conditions from acne and accelerated aging to dryness and dark spots.
Foods that are overly heated and highly processed are deficient in enzymes and nutrients, negatively impacting the skin and acting as the source of pretty much all cutaneous concerns including eczema, rosacea, and psoriasis. Even seemingly external dermatological problems like allergic reactions and sun damage can at least partially be the result of poor food choices.
On the other hand, enjoying high-quality foods not only helps slow down aging and prevent full-blown skin health challenges, but can also be the source of healthy, beautiful, glowing skin. Sure, topical skin care is important, but at the end of the day the skin, like any other part of the body, is composed of what we consume. I recommend including foods with phytonutrients, essential fatty acids, protein, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals in your daily meal plan.
The 13 Foods for a Healthy Complexion
Here’s a list of 13 of my favorite skin health foods. Make each one a regular part of your diet and you can eat your way to good skin!
1.) Fatty Fish (salmon, tuna, sardines) – Loaded with Omega-3 fatty acids to help improve inflammatory skin diseases like eczema and psoriasis, plus is a great source of protein. Make sure to eat the skin; it’s not only delicious but it’s also one of nature’s best sources of skin cell friendly vitamin D.
2.) Bone Broth – Great source of collagen and hyaluronic acid, two of the most important skin building molecules. While they won’t do much to promote skin cell health when applied topically when eaten these two nutritional powerhouses may help prevent much of the thinning and wrinkling associated with skin aging.
3.) Avocado – Delicious delivery of Omega-6 fatty acid for prevention of skin dryness. This popular fruit (yes, avocados are a fruit!) also contains a generous amount of vitamin C, as well as protein and vitamin A for collagen and connective tissue building and repair.
4.) Eggs – Nature’s most nutrient dense foods, contains EFAs for skin healing and moisturization, B-vitamins to energize skin cell growth, vitamin A for improved production of skin fats and anti-acne and collagen building minerals like zinc and sulfur.
5.) Organ Meats – Protein-packed building food that contains all the raw materials including cholesterol, phospholipids, vitamin A and minerals like iron, zinc, selenium, and sulfur for construction of new skin cells and tissue.
6.) Walnuts – antioxidant packed power-nut, vitamin E and polyphenols make this food particularly helpful as a natural skin sun protectant. Omega 3 fats provide anti-inflammatory benefits and collagen building copper keeps wrinkles and fine lines at bay.
7.) Garlic – Allicin, the most powerful component of this stinky but popular vegetable, has well known anti-fungal and anti-microbial properties. Also, contains complex sugars that help build connective tissue. Antioxidants and minerals like sulfur and selenium support skin health and healing. Garlic skins are an especially good source of anti-aging nutrients; add them to boiling water to make a savory, skin health tea.
8.) Pigmented Veggies (green, red, blue, yellow, orange) – pigments are delivered to the skin from the blood where they act as natural sun protectants. Use steamed with butter to maximize absorption. Veggies also contain fiber and nitrogen for digestive and skin health, as well as a host of micronutrients to support skin cell chemistry.
9.) Flax Seeds – One of nature’s best sources of skin soothing Omega-3 fatty acids. Also, a great source of blood and digestive tract cleansing fiber. Phytoestrogens support skin softness and anti-aging. Flax seeds are also a great source of skin-building protein.
10.) Aloe Vera Gel – Phytosterols and polysaccharides enhance skin healing and reduce skin inflammation, a source of 20 amino acids, as well as glucosamine for hyaluronic acid and connective tissue synthesis, soluble fiber supports detoxification and a wide spectrum of minerals, including zinc, copper, chromium, and calcium provide overall skin health benefits.
11.) Papaya – contains enzymes for digestive support and reduced inflammation, and improved healing of bruises, burns and post-surgical trauma. Loaded with vitamin C for collagen and connective tissue production, and also contains sun protecting carotenoids.
12.) Citrus Fruit (lemon and oranges) – Vitamin C loaded powerhouse, packed with antioxidant and UV protection phytonutrients. Fiber enhances digestion and detoxification. High concentrations of B vitamins and Eaectrolytes support skin cell energy, activity, and development.
13.) Blueberries – One of three fruits native to North America (along with Concord grapes and cranberries), when it comes to food value, the humble little blueberry’s diminutive dimensions can be misleading. Despite its tiny size, these little berries, on average about .3 inches in diameter, pack a powerful nutritional punch. They’re loaded with digestion supporting fiber, vitamins C and E for beautiful skin and robust immunity and they even have hard-to-find vitamin K1 for healthy blood and bones. And, blueberries are a great source of anthocyanin a purple pigment that is one of nature’s best anti-oxidants
….and, that’s The Truth!
About the Author
What Your Food Cravings Really Mean
Ever had a craving you just can’t shake? Is there only one particular food that can always pull you out of an emotional rut? Have you ever wondered where the phrase“Eat your feelings” even comes from or what causes food cravings in the first place?
Of course, you have! You’re only human! Most people accept food cravings as a normal part of everyday life without really ever asking what these food cravings mean.” No two bodies are the same, and therefore no two reasons behind a specific food craving are the same. While some may be rooted in nutritional deficits – others may be a deeper signal from our Spirit echoing throughout our bodies.
Your mind, body, and Spirit communicate through an intricate language, which isn’t always easy to decipher. However, with a little effort, you can translate these signals and create the harmony needed for improved health.
For most, we’ve been taught to “overcome” our bodily cues with medicine or supplements. For example, when a person has a headache, they’re taught to reach for the Advil bottle rather than lying down and drinking lots of water. However, no matter how much you resent, ignore, or overlook your bodily cues – they’re not going to go away.
When looking at a type of food craving specifically, emotions are one of the most common causes of binge eating. Cravings that cause emotional eating tend to manifest themselves when we feel vulnerable. Rather than expressing fluctuations in our emotions, we tend to stuff them down with “comfort foods” that give our bodies a false sense of fulfillment. After a while, your body learns this routine, creating cravings that, when satiated, provide a short-term boost of chemical components. By deciphering the real meaning of your cravings, you can get insight as to what’s truly gnawing at you from within.
Gaining knowledge about what our cravings can mean, whether through personal research or consulting with a dietitian, may help us to reduce unhealthy habits and poor food choices that may lead to undesirable outcomes like weight gain and obesity. The following are the three most common food cravings and a starting point for you to decrypt what your mind, body, and Spirit are trying to tell you.
