Want Better Skin? Add These Fruits And Veggies To Your Meals

 It’s not a surprise that fruits and vegetables are beneficial for your overall health. These foods are known for doing amazing things to our bodies. From fighting off disease to adding vitamins and minerals to keeping you healthy and energized. They are the superheroes we always need. As a matter of fact, we don’t always hear about how certain fruits and vegetables should be staples in our skin care routines. They are, in fact, significant to our skin health!

Fruits and vegetables carry the same minerals and vitamins you’ll find in many of your favorite skin care products. Vitamins C, E, D, and K particularly, are good for the skin. These fruits and vegetables carry powerful antioxidants that affect the skin in the most positive way. Antioxidants are compounds that help to prevent oxidations in the body. Oxidation creates free radicals which cause damage to the skin cells. Damaged cells show up as saggy skin, wrinkles, and all other pesky signs of aging. When you add fruits and vegetables that carry these vitamins and antioxidants, this can help stop the process and keep your skin looking younger and healthier, even as you age.

Our skin is made up of high levels of concentrated antioxidants like Vitamin C in the first and second layer. This antioxidant, Vitamin C, plays a huge supporting role in the body’s use of collagen. 

Collagen is a protein that is the main building block to help the body repair damaged cells and regenerate injured or damaged skin. Whether it be wounds, breakouts or scarring. 

In addition to Vitamin C, Vitamin E is another important antioxidant in the skin. This vitamin helps focus on fighting sun damaged skin. Vitamin E is able to absorb some of the sun’s UV rays and even treat inflammation while keeping the skin moist. 

Which Fruits and Vegetables Should You Add To Your Skin Care Routine?

Carrots – we know carrots are good for our eyes, but did you know carrots are good for your skin too? Carrots are in the same food category as kale, pumpkin, and spinach – to name a few – who carry beta carotene in them. Beta carotene is also an antioxidant. Carrots help eliminate free radicals from the skin and help slow down the aging process. 

Oranges – looking for Vitamin C? We all know citrus fruits like lemon and oranges are loaded with vitamin C to help with our immune system and are the most popular natural source of medicine to help ward off sickness. Oranges are full of vitamin C and are the perfect way to help increase your intake.

Avocados – our beloved healthy fats! Including omega 3 fatty acids. These are a natural skin moisturizer. So load up on that ever-popular avocado toast!

Just a couple of power-foods that can help you on your way to healthy and youthful skin. However, don’t limit your choices to just these. Having a large variety of fruits and vegetables as part of your daily nutrition will help you achieve beautiful and flawless skin. 

Consider These Additional Foods For Better Skin

Walnuts

Walnuts are known to be a good source of protein, selenium, zinc, vitamin E and fatty acids.

Fatty acids are fats that your body cannot produce by itself and like salmon help keep the skin moisturized. In fact, unlike salmon, walnuts are richer in both omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids. 

Unfortunately, diets too high in omega-6 fats may contribute to inflammatory conditions like psoriasis. Omega-6 fatty acids are much more common than omega-3s, therefore, finding sources of omega-3 fatty acids are going to be beneficial. 

Walnuts are a healthy source of both omega-6 and omega-3s. The omega-3s may help to fight the potential inflammatory response to excessive amounts of omega-6 fatty acids. 

Walnuts also provide zinc. Zinc is helpful when it comes to wound healing, helping you beat both bacteria and inflammation, and is most essential when helping your skin function as the proper barrier. 

Plus, small amounts of vitamin E, antioxidants and selenium.

Sunflower seeds

A good rule of thumb is to always make sure you have nuts and seeds in your diet. Nuts and seeds are a good source of skin enhancing nutrients.

For instance, sunflower seeds. 

Just 28 grams of sunflower seed has 49% of the daily value for vitamin E, 14% of zinc, 41% for selenium and 5 and a half grams of protein.

Red grapes

Red grapes, not red wine! Are known to have a wide range of health benefits. Containing a compound called resveratrol, red grapes can help reduce the effects of aging and slow the production of harmful free radicals. 

Tomatoes

In addition to being important sources of carotenoids and vitamin c, tomatoes also contain lycopene. The combination of beta carotene, lycopene, and lutein have been known to protect the skin against damage from the sun and prevent future wrinkling. 

Adding fatty foods like cheese to your tomatoes helps to increase your absorption of carotenoids.

Broccoli

Broccoli contains lutein, vitamin A, zinc, and vitamin C. These minerals are important to keep your skin healthy and protect it from oxidative damage. This kind of damage makes your skin dry and wrinkled.

Broccoli florets are even known to have anti-cancer effects including some skin cancers.

It also contains sulforaphane, which may help prevent skin cancer and protect your skin from sunburn.

Sweet potatoes

Much like carrots, sweet potatoes carry the nutrient beta carotene. Beta carotene is a nutrient found in plants that can be converted into vitamin A in your body. Making it function as a provitamin A. 

Sweet potatoes contain enough beta carotene that carries more than six times the amount of vitamin A you need daily.

Carotenoids are like beta carotene and help keep your skin healthy. It acts as a natural sunblock and protects your skin from sun damage.

Red or yellow bell peppers

Like carrots and sweet potatoes, bell peppers are also an excellent source of beta carotene. 1 cup of bell peppers contains 156% of your daily intake of vitamin A. 

They are also a great source of vitamin C. Like citrus fruits, vitamin C is necessary for creating collagen. This keeps the skin firm, reducing your wrinkles and dry skin as you age.

Fatty Fish

Much like avocados, fatty fish are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids. You’ll find it in mackerel, herring, and salmon. All great sources for maintaining healthy skin!

Omega 3 fatty acids help keep the skin supple, moisturized, and thick. Without these omega-3 fatty acids, dry skin can be the result of a deficiency. 

Fatty fish can also help reduce inflammation and make your skin less sensitive to the sun’s UV rays. In some studies, it was found that fish oil supplements may help fight inflammatory and autoimmune conditions that may affect your skin like psoriasis. 

It’s also an important source of Vitamin E, which helps protect your skin against damage caused by free radicals and inflammation. 

Maintaining the integrity of your skin can be done with these high quality protein sources. In addition to adding zinc. 

Zinc provides a regulation of:

• inflammation
• overall skin health
• the production of new skin cells

Fatty types of fish like salmon are a great contribution to your skin care routine!

Dark chocolate

Participants in a study experienced thicker and more hydrated skin after 6 to 12 weeks of consuming a cocoa powder high in antioxidants each day. 

As if we needed any more convincing to consume chocolate!

These participants found that their skin was less sensitive to sunburn, better blow flow, and less rough looking. 

It was also found that eating 20 grams of high-antioxidant dark chocolate per day could allow your skin to hold up against double the UV radiation before starting to burn.

To maximize benefits, choose dark chocolate that is at least 70% cocoa and keep away excess sugar.

Green tea

Compounds called catechins are found in green tea. Catechins are powerful antioxidants that help protect your skin from damage, especially sun damage.

Green tea made with water instead of milk was found to help improve thickness, elasticity, roughness, and moisture. 

In Conclusion

What you eat doesn’t just affect you in the way of your health but also has a significant impact on your skin health. Make sure to pack in all the foods that help you get enough essential nutrients and vitamins to protect your skin. 

If anyone is telling you to add chocolate to your diet, it’s us! Find ways to incorporate as much of these skin boosting foods into your meals and help fight against the effects of aging and the sun better supported!

Have More Questions On How To Improve Your Skin? Call Dr. Balshi at Balshi Dermatology in Delray Beach, FL.

If you wish to learn more or try a cosmetic alternative to get more youthful and glowing skin and are in the South Florida area, call our experts at Balshi Dermatology. They can offer advice and resources to help you.

We are a board-certified dermatologist in Delray Beach. Balshi Dermatology at (561) 272-6000 or send us a message on our Contact Page to set up your appointment.