How Eating Habits Affect Your Skin
When people say that you are what you eat, they may be joking, but they’re right — at least when it comes to your skin. This quick guide shows you what to avoid and what to do for bright, hydrated and healthy skin.
The Worst Foods for Your Skin
You don’t have to avoid the following foods completely, but making them a habit can quickly lead to skin problems:
Sweets: Candy, soda and other sugary foods sharply increase blood sugar levels. This triggers oily skin, potentially causing acne breakouts. Too much sugar can also hurt your collagen, leading to premature aging and wrinkles.
Salty foods: Potato chips, processed meats and other salty foods are hard on your skin. Sodium can literally suck the water out of your cells. If you notice dry, rough and dull skin, too much salt may be the culprit.
Greasy foods: Fast food has it all, but in a bad way. Restaurants use cheap oils, tons of salt and fat, and who knows what else. These ingredients can cause low-level inflammation, hurting your skin and robbing it of youthful elasticity. All that salt can cause puffy eyes, too.
Alcohol: Drinking too much alcohol can dehydrate your skin, strip away protective antioxidants and contribute to irritation and inflammation. Alcohol is a low-grade toxin as far as the skin is concerned.
The Best Eating Habits for Beautiful Skin
Follow these tips to protect and nourish your skin every day:
Stay hydrated: Give your skin the moisture it needs by remembering to drink plenty of water. Get into the habit of drinking water before meals, not just when you feel thirsty. Also, many types of fruit and veggies support moist skin, such as watermelon, strawberries, oranges, peaches, tomatoes, apples and cucumbers.
Get more antioxidants: Colorful fruits and veggies are high in antioxidants, from blueberries and red peppers to carrots and broccoli. These natural compounds have a huge effect on skin health, helping to protect the skin against UV rays and supporting immune health.
Give your skin the building blocks it needs: Protein and vitamins are essential for replacing old skin cells with shiny new ones. For example, vitamin C helps cuts heal faster and boosts collagen production naturally. Omega-3s from fish, avocados and nuts are equally important.
The Benefits of Skin-Smart Eating Habits
Making smart diet choices can treat your skin to incredible benefits:
More hydration
Better sun protection
Smoother, brighter skin
Fewer wrinkles
Less acne
Less redness and inflammation
The other side of the coin holds, too. If you don’t take good care of your body by eating nutritious foods, your skin is one of the first things to suffer.