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
The Healing Benefits of Pineapple
Fruit for Thought: Pineapple
The Pineapple* (Ananas Comosus*) is a tropical plant with edible fruit. It has a bright yellow fibrous inner flesh that is naturally very sweet and best when ripe. Its aroma is pleasant, and the juice thirst quenching. Pineapple does not ripen well post-harvest, and it is available year-round.
**Botanical name:
**Ananas comosus, the most economically significant plant in the Bromeliaceae family.
**Native to:
**The plant is indigenous to South America and is said to originate from the area between Southern Brazil and Paraguay. Columbus encountered the pineapple in 1493 on the Leeward island of Guadeloupe. He called it piña de Indias, meaning “pine of the Indians,” and brought it back with him to Europe, thus making the pineapple the first bromeliad to leave the New World. Many say the fruit was first introduced in Hawaii when a Spanish ship brought them there in the 1500s. The fruit was cultivated successfully in European hothouses beginning in 1720.
Healing Benefits:
As a very subtle healer of many body ailments, below is a list of some of the benefits of pineapple:
- Its most essential ingredient is bromelain, a natural anti-inflammatory and painkiller. In the upper respiratory tract, bromelain fights bronchitis and sinusitis. Bromelain is effective in healing stomach ulcers and repairing body tissues.
- Pineapple juice contains natural collagen which boosts the immune system.
- Damaged, chapped or burnt skin can be reconditioned by drinking pineapple juice.
- Pineapple contains detoxifying elements and chemicals that stimulate kidney functions.
- Helpful in treating bruises, cuts, muscle pain, arthritis, joint pain, sprains, and back pain. Pineapple has proven to positively supplement recovery from knee injury, reduce fever, body wrinkles, and aid digestion.
- Consuming pineapple often drastically reduces recovery after surgery.
- Excellent antidote for cardio-vascular disease due to its ability to break-down cholesterol compounds.
**CAUTION:
**Children should not eat it in excess as it can cause gingivitis in children.
Recipe: Spiced Tropical Fruit Compote
Makes: 6 servings, 2/3 cup each Active Time: 20 minutes Total Time: 50 minutes
Whole spices give a subtle but distinct flavor to this tropical fruit compote. Here the fruit is not cooked in the syrup, but simply macerated so that the taste remains fresh and distinct. The spiced syrup is also a wonderful sweetener for hot tea or as a base for a veggie-stir-fry.
**Ingredients: **
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup fresh pineapple juice
1 teaspoon freshly grated lime zest
1/4 cup lime juice, (2 limes)
10 whole cardamom pods
8 whole allspice berries
8 whole black peppercorns
8 whole cloves
2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half
3 kiwi, peeled and sliced
2 mangoes or papayas, peeled, seeded and cut into chunks
2 seedless tangerines or small oranges, peeled and sliced
2 star fruit (carambolas), thinly sliced
1 cup fresh pineapple chunks
1 banana, peeled and cut into thick slices
Directions:
- Combine sugar, pineapple juice, lime zest and juice in a small saucepan.
- Tie the spices in a small cheesecloth bag and add it to the saucepan.
- Bring the liquid to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
- Cover the pan, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool.
- Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 24 hours.
- Toss all the fruit in a serving bowl.
- Add syrup and stir gently.
- Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- Remove spice bag and serve.
