Good nutrition can make your skin look better and feel better. Here are some tips from health experts ranging from diet plans to specific foods with surprising skin benefits.
Lentils contain some of the most gut-nourishing varieties of fiber out there, and they're one of the best sources of plant-based iron to boot. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)(ASSOCIATED PRESS/ARIEL SCHALIT)
Lentils contain some of the most gut-nourishing varieties of fiber out there, and they're one of the best sources of plant-based iron to boot. (AP Photo/Ariel Schalit)(ASSOCIATED PRESS/ARIEL SCHALIT)
Think of it as skin care from the inside out. Good nutrition can make your skin look better, feel better and even help prevent skin cancer. Below, health experts offer pro tips from diet plans to specific foods with surprising skin benefits.
Salad buffers your skin. Time and sun exposure break down the body’s collagen and elastin, proteins that make skin strong, supple and elastic. “Poor diet can do that too,” says Carrie Dennett, a Seattle-based registered dietitian nutritionist. As a result, she says, you want a diet high in fruits and veggies that protects your skin as you age, and increases the level of natural food pigments called carotenoids and other antioxidants in the body.
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Thinkstock
Flaxseed oil eases skin sensitivity. “About half the American population claims to have sensitive skin,” says Dr. Michael Greger, founder of NutritionFacts.org. For those people, tingling, chafing, burning and itching are common sensations. In a study of participants who took flaxseed oil every day for three months, he says, skin was better hydrated, smoother and better able to perform its barrier function against environmental irritants.
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Thinkstock
Green and yellow veggies can ward off crow’s feet. Among more than 700 Japanese women in a study on skin aging, participants who ate less of these vegetables had noticeably more furrows around their eyes than their produce-loving peers. In terms of wrinkling overall, Greger says, observational studies suggest that eating a diet high in vegetables including legumes — beans, split peas, chickpeas and lentils — could be protective.
Plant-based diets fight skin’s foes. A diet centered on whole foods has anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, Greger says, as well as prevents ischemia, or lack of blood flow, to the skin. Fruits, veggies, mushrooms and legumes are best: “Foods that grow out of the ground are our healthiest choices,” he says. Skin-friendly diets cut down on inflammatory foods, he adds, such as meat, sugar, dairy and items high in saturated fat. People who eat more fruits and veggies have lower rates of skin cancer, epidemiological studies show.
(ASSOCIATED PRESS/ARIEL SCHALIT)
ASSOCIATED PRESS/ARIEL SCHALIT
Orange and red fruits and veggies make skin look better. “Beta-carotene in orange fruits and vegetables help with skin tone,” Dennett says. But don’t overdo the carrots to the point where your skin turns orange, she warns. Red or pink-toned plant foods, such as tomatoes and watermelon, give skin healthy color and contain lycopene, a powerful antioxidant.
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Tomato paste protects skin from sunburn. It’s not always about fresh, whole plant foods. Canned tomato paste, rich in lycopene, counters the DNA-damaging effect of sunburns, evidence shows. “It’s like built-in sunscreen that’s internal,” Greger says.
[See: Which Is Worse? Experts Choose the Lesser of 8 Pairs of Health Evils.]
(Getty Images/Justin Sullivan)
Getty Images/Justin Sullivan
Fruit juice dampens alcohol’s damage. Alcohol is associated with increased rates of sunburn, and that’s not just from people getting drunk and frying in the sun. “It turns out that alcohol rapidly eats up the antioxidant protection in your skin,” Greger says. Unfortunately, within minutes of someone downing several shots of vodka, the body’s levels of skin-saving chemicals called phytonutrients plunge. Adding orange juice reduces the harmful effects of UV light exposure. “Drinking screwdrivers is not as bad as drinking vodka straight,” he says. Berry-rich drinks like strawberry daiquiris are even better.
Healthy fats mean healthy skin. While taking in too little fluid could contribute to dry skin, “drinking tons of water is not necessary,” Dennett says. Save some room for healthy dietary fats. Heart-healthy fats are also good for the skin, she notes. Fish such as salmon, sardines and mackerel are excellent sources of omega-3 fatty acids. Nuts and avocados also nourish the skin. On the other hand, don’t overdo on saturated fats such as chicken skin or fatty cuts of meat.
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Thinkstock
Green tea reduces roughness. In a 12-week study of 60 women, published in the June 2011 Journal of Nutrition, those randomly assigned to drink green tea after sun exposure showed a 16 percent decrease in skin roughness and 25 percent decrease in scaling. Skin quality did not improve for other women assigned to drink a placebo beverage.
[See: 8 Foods for Healthy Hair.]
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Thinkstock
Diets that promote general good health, and help prevent heart disease, diabetes and possibly cancer have a lot in common. “That’s a diet that’s rich in fruits and vegetables; contains adequate protein; and limits or minimizes sugars, refined carbohydrates, excess alcohol and excess caffeine,” Dennett says. “A balanced, sensible diet.” A traditional Mediterranean diet is a good choice because it reduces inflammation, she says: “Inflammation isn’t good for the skin or rest of the body.”
(Getty Images/iStockphoto/Thinkstock)
