Dikeledi Moetji
Your skin is your body’s largest organ and needs to be treated with the utmostcare, before you even start looking at cosmetic solutions for good skin health,you need to ensure these three main factors have been taken into consideration: Diet, sun exposure, and lifestyle habits.
Firstly, good quality cosmetic products and treatments are important for your skin health. And secondly, that anutritious and wholesome diet is imperative for good overall health. While thisis absolutely true, the fundamentals of good skincare actually start whatyou put into your body to nourish your skin internally – your diet.
The expression, “you are what you eat,” never gets old and that’s becauseit’s pretty factual. Not only can your diet determine your overall wellbeing, it can determine your skin health as well. If you’re not very healthy the warning signs start to appear on your skin first.
Eating for good skin health
Take a look at what nutrients does your body need to look and feel the best that it can.
1. Fatty fish such as salmon, trout and mackerel, are packed with omega-3fatty acids which are crucial fats our bodies need to moisturize ourskin and reduce inflammation caused by skin conditions or sun damage. Fatty fish also contain Vitamin E, which is an important antioxidant for your skinand zinc, which helps your body generate healthy, new skin cells all the time.
2. Sweet potatoes are packed with a phytonutrient calledbeta-carotene that converts to Vitamin A in the body and can act like as anatural sunblock, as it protects your skin cells from the UV rays. But thisdoesn’t mean you can stop using sunblock every day, it’s just a fantasticadd-on. Other veggies high in beta-carotene include carrots and spinach
3. Dark chocolate lovers, this is going to make you veryhappy. Dark chocolates main ingredient, cocoa powder, it yet anothernatural ingredient that’s filled with antioxidants your skin needs. However,this doesn’t mean you can start eating as much chocolate as you want, you need to stickto a dark chocolate that has a 70% cocoa content or higher.
4. Red wine is something else youmay not have expected to be part of this list. But this isn’t a joke, oneglass of red wine a day can do wonders for your skin as it containsthe polyphenolic antioxidant resveratrol that, much like the otherswe have discussed in this article, can sweep up free radical damage and giveyour natural collagen production a boost. Cheers!
Not all foodsare created equally, and there are definitely some ingredients you should beavoiding in order to protect your skin. Try to keep these following ingredientsto a minimum:
1. Refined sugars are definitely something you should avoid toprotect your skin health as they cause your insulin levels to spike and triggeran inflammatory response throughout your body that can make the collagen andelastin fibres in your skin break down. Stay clear of foods such assweets, ice-cream, pastries and cool drinks to keep your skin healthy andhappy.
2.Salt can be useful for your skin in a circulation-boostingsalt scrub, but when you’re taking it all in through your diet – it’s not sogood anymore. Salt absorbs moisture, meaning it can cause water retention andswelling within your body and it will start to show in areas such asunderneath your eyes, given the skin is much thinner and prone to inflammation.
3. Alcohol is another one to avoid (besides your glass of red wine every now and then) asit both causes inflammation and dehydration, which can result in skin concernssuch as wrinkling, sagging and enlarged pores.
