Many people depend on facial creams and expensive treatments to get radiant skin. And while they may indeed improve the quality of your skin, they aren’t the end-all-be-all solution. After all, these surface treatments won’t do much if you aren’t eating a healthy diet. That’s because the kinds of food you eat matter as much as what you apply to your skin.
This is because your skin is your body’s largest organ. And like the rest of your body, your skin absorbs important nutrients from the food that you consume. So if you tend to eat a lot of highly processed food, your skin will suffer as a result. You’ll likely notice more pimples, rashes, and skin that’s either too dry or too oily.
Conversely, consuming more natural and unprocessed ingredients can help reverse these negative effects. With enough of the right vitamins, a healthy diet can result in strong and supple skin.
With that in mind, it’s a good idea to start tweaking your diet sooner rather than later. For instance, you could buy everything organic from the supermarket. That way, you can be sure that your food is free of unnecessary chemicals. It’s also best to start preparing your own food so that you know exactly what ingredients go into them. That said, here are some of the nutrients essential to healthy skin, and what foods you have to eat to get them:
1. Vitamin C
Most people know that vitamin C is important for boosting your immune system. But did you know that it can also give you get better-looking skin?
That’s because vitamin C is a potent antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals. It also plays a part in repairing your body’s damaged cells, meaning it can heal various skin blemishes. You can get vitamin C from oranges, papaya, strawberries, guavas, and blueberries, to name a few.
2. Vitamin E
Vitamin E is another antioxidant that’s essential for maintaining healthy skin. It is normally delivered to your skin through sebum produced by your body’s sebaceous glands. This sebum helps condition the skin and prevent it from drying. Vitamin E also protects your skin from oxidative cell damage.
To get more vitamin E, try topping your salads with almonds, hazelnuts, and sunflower seeds. Avocados and certain cooking oils are also rich with vitamin E.
3. Vitamin D
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble vitamin that helps keep your bones strong and healthy. This vitamin has also been found to prevent skin ageing. Studies also show that calcitriol (the active form of vitamin D) can aid in skin cell growth, repair, and metabolism.
Some good sources of vitamin D include freshly prepared artisan cheese by gardnerswisconsincheese.com, egg yolks, and fatty fish.Another way to help your body create more of this vitamin is to go outside and get enough sunlight. Just make sure that you don’t stay under the sun too long, or else you’ll end up getting a sunburn instead.
4. Vitamin K
Vitamin K is essential to preventing your blood from clotting. This, in turn, helps your body heal bruises and cuts more quickly. It’s also believed to ease skin conditions such as stretch marks, scars, spider veins, and dark spots. Additionally, it can reduce redness, swelling, and inflammation. This makes it perfect for treating dry patches of skin.
Vitamin K1 can be found in leafy greens such as cabbage, lettuce, spinach, and kale. Meanwhile, vitamin K2 can be found in animal products such as eggs and butter.
These are just some of the most important nutrients you need for healthy glowing skin. As long as you stick to a proper diet, you shouldn’t have any trouble getting enough of these vitamins every day.