Top Foods to Improve Your Skin Health

It's often said, "You are what you eat," and that saying is true. When you eat food that's full of unhealthy fats, salt, and added sugar, your skin shows it.  In this post we're going to take a look at some of the best foods to help you achieve youthful, glowing skin.  

Tomatoes

How can this juicy red fruit promote healthier skin? Tomatoes are loaded in a powerful free-radical fighting antioxidant called selenium. Diets rich in selenium protect the skin from cancer, early aging, wrinkles and fine lines. This doesn't necessarily mean that eating a couple of tomatoes will make grant you immunity from skin cancer, but it's one more step towards improving your skin health and protecting it from disease.  

Salmon

Wild-caught salmon (not farm-raised) is arguably one of the nutritious varieties of seafood on the market. Consuming at least one serving of this delightful fish per week will benefit your skin in several different ways. For starters, salmon is chalk full of omega-3 fatty acids. I know what you're probably thinking, isn't fat bad for your health? There are both “bad” fats and “healthy” fats, and omega-3s falls under the latter category. These healthy fats work to block the release of collagen-damaging enzymes that would otherwise promote wrinkles and sagging skin. Salmon also contains essential fish oils, which further promote healthy skin.  

Berries

Blackberries, blueberries, acai berries, cranberries, and strawberries are all jam packed with healthy antioxidants to make your skin glow ...plus they make the perfect snack!  

Spinach There's a reason why spinach was Popeye's food of choice: it contains numerous beneficial nutrients and compounds, including vitamin A. Just a single cup of spinach has roughly 943 milligrams of vitamin A, protecting the skin from oxidative stress caused by sunlight and free radicals. Spinach also contains a healthy dose of vitamin C, which is used to produce collagen and new skin cells.  

Dark Chocolate

No, that's not an error! Dark chocolate (in moderation, of course) is actually good for your complexion.  Flavonols, the antioxidants found in dark chocolate, reduce roughness in the skin and protect against sun damage. However you can easily overdue it if you're not careful...be sure to only eat a few ounces a day.  

Water

Okay, technically water is a beverage, not a food, but it's too important not to mention in our list. Our bodies are comprised of nearly two thirds water, attesting to the power of H20. It's responsible for transporting nutrients to vital organs, balancing our hormones, and maintaining the skin's elasticity. When you fail to drink enough water, your skin will gradually become dry and dehydrated. And depending on the severity of your dehydration, it may lead to dry, rough, cracked skin. The bottom line is that you should consume a minimum of eight, 8-ounce glasses of water per day – more so if you are physically active.  

Certain foods can have the opposite effect by damaging the skin, such as the following:

• Cow's Milk
• Non-organic foods (often loaded in hormones, pesticides, herbicides, fungicides and other nasty chemicals)
• Fried foods
• Hydrogenated fats
• Artificial sweeteners
• Excess alcohol
• Excess caffeine
• Refined sugar (fruit sugar is OK)

Colleen's tip for smart snacking: "I always make sure that I have a couple healthy snacks with me when I'm out and about. Doing this makes me stay on track with eating foods that are better for me, and from being tempted in the checkout aisle!"