The Best Foods For Radiant Skin
Interested in looking glowy, naturally radiant, and fresh? Most people try suntanning, spray tanning, or using makeup in an effort to add color and brightness to the skin. These do offer a temporary fix, but did you know that you can actually eat your way to beautiful, radiant skin?
These are the best foods to add to your diet to get that lit-from-within look.
Colorful Vegetables
You’ve been told since you were a kid to eat the rainbow, and for good reason. Colorful vegetables contain high levels of carotenoids, a red-orange pigment that acts as an antioxidant. If you eat enough carotenoid-filled foods, they will impart a lustrous, warm glow to your skin tone.
Studies have shown that people who eat colorful vegetables regularly have a faint yellow-orange hue to their skin that is perceived as more attractive than a tan. This shows just how important carotenoid consumption is for a healthy, alluring glow! You’ll find the highest levels of carotenoids in these foods: carrots, bell peppers, spinach, sweet potato, kale, tomatoes, and collard greens.
Fatty Fish
Fish that are high in fat are rich in Omega-3 oils such as EPA and DHA. Omega-3s are great for the health and appearance of your skin, hair, and nails. As an added bonus, Omega-3s also support brain and heart health.
Fish oil is useful for dull, dry skin, as it regulates sebum production and helps support the skin barrier. Healthy skin cells are better at holding water, allowing for your skin to look hydrated and plump. Some examples of fatty, omega-3-packed fish include salmon, mackerel, tuna, sardines, herring, and cod.
Brewed Tea
Sipping a cup or two of tea per day is a fast way to get glowing skin. Tea is high in polyphenols, a type of anti-inflammatory antioxidant. Polyphenols have the ability to neutralize harmful atoms in the environment known as free radicals. Free radicals may cause skin aging, some cancers, and heart disease.
Polyphenols may also protect your skin against sun damage to some degree. (But it’s still a good idea to wear sunscreen when you go outside.) Green tea, white tea, black tea, and Pu-erh teas offer plentiful antioxidative benefits that you’ll see in your skin, and they’ll hydrate you at the same time.
Walnuts
Walnuts, like fish, are another great source of omega-3 oils. The omega-3s found in Walnuts and other nuts and seeds are called ALAs, or alpha-linoleic acids. All types of omega-3s are important for skin and general health.
Walnuts are also abundant in vitamin E, a key antioxidant that possesses incredible skin-healing properties. Vitamin E is used in skin creams to heal and moisturize problem skin. In the same way, ingesting foods like walnuts that are high in vitamin E will help give your skin the rejuvenation it needs.
Since walnuts are rich in vitamin E and higher in antioxidants and omega-3s than any other kind of nut, including them in your diet is a smart choice.
Berries
Berries like blueberries and raspberries are rich in color, indicating a high presence of antioxidants. They’re not only one of the best things to eat for your skin, but also for overall wellness. Eating berries can improve your blood circulation, making your skin appear more lively and rosy.
Berries also support collagen synthesis due to their high levels of vitamin C and anthocyanin, a type of flavonoid that reinforces the stability of collagen. These two work together to increase the amount of collagen in the skin, improving structure and making skin look firm and youthful.
There’s no shortage of delicious foods that can make your skin look better than ever. Including these foods as a part of a healthy, well-rounded diet will have you well on your way to enviable, luminous skin.