Since ancient times, women have sought after a variety of ways to retain their beauty. Good nutrition is one of the best kept secrets for staving off wrinkles and maintaining youthful, glowing skin. Your skin cells are continually being renewed and need a constant supply of nutrients for optimum health. As a result they are often the first to show signs of nutritional deficiencies. The reduced supply of oxygen, vitamins, minerals and protein to skin cells can lead to dryness, flaking, and an outbreak of spots. In this article, you will come across some of the top beauty foods, foods that give your skin a good hormone boost, alkaline foods and foods to be scrapped off from the diet for improving skin health and shine.
THE TOP BEAUTY FOODS
AVOCADO supplies monounsaturated fats, which promote plump, youthful skin. It also supplies antioxidants such as vitamin C, E and carotenoids to help guard against wrinkles.
BERRIES are an excellent source of vitamin C and bioflavonoids that improve collagen formation and help keep skin supple
CARROTS provide carotenoid antioxidants, which help to protect the skin against sun damage, and are also a good source of silica, which strengthens skin, hair and nails. FISH provide omega 3 fatty acids that reduces skin dryness, improve elasticity, strengthen nails and add a glossy sheen to your hair
GARLIC dilates tiny blood arteries and boosts blood flow to the skin
SOYABEAN provides is of lavones that help to keep the menopausal skin supple and combat dryness and age related wrinkles.
PUMPKIN AND SWEET POTATOES provide oestrogen to regulate collagen production in the skin and works as an anti -ageing food component
Foods that are Natural Sunscreen for the Skin
Skin exposure to harsh UV light of sun has proven to have a damaging effect on the texture and complexion. Some sun exposure is important for Vitamin D but don’t expose any area of skin for more than 20 mins. A diet rich in the antioxidant vitamin C, E and carotenoids found in yellow-orange fruit and vegetables such as papaya, carrots, pumpkin and sweet potato also help to protect against the damaging effect of the sun rays. Foods with red pigment called carotenoids should also be included in the diet which acts as a natural protection against sun. Some lycopene containing foods are tomatoes, grapefruit, guava and watermelons that keeps your skin healthy.
Foods that balance out Hormonal Levels for Glowing Skin
A major reason for dry flaky skin or excess greasiness and spots is due to imbalanced hormone level. Oestrogen, a hormone provides female skin with the youthful glow. When Oestrogen levels start to decline in females in their mid to late 40s, so does collagen production, elastin and hyaluronic acid – the very things that give skin elasticity. So include foods containing plant hormones known as phyto-oestrogen like soy foods, flaxseeds and sesame seeds. Also Indian spice Turmeric has powerful anti-inflammatory actions and also helps in balancing female sex hormones. Turmeric can be added to curries, soups and vegetable gravy preparations.
Alkaline diet for Skin Nourishment
Our body works hard to maintain a very tight pH range of 7.35 to 7.45, which is slightly alkaline. With the acidic pH the skin health is affected. So for optimal beauty benefits aim to eat a balanced diet that consists of 60% to 80% alkaline foods and only 20% to 40% acid foods. By this I mean eating more fruits and green leafy vegetables and cutting back on animal proteins and processed foods. Aim to eat more alkaline forming foods like green tea, tomatoes, berries, grapefruit, figs, peppers, nuts like almonds and walnuts, beetroot radish, kale, spinach, broccoli.