It's easy for skin to become dry, flaky, and sallow — even in the Summer. Before you go out and spend your paycheck on fancy lotions and creams [1], try nourishing your skin from the inside out — what we put in our bodies is just as essential to a healthy glow as what we put on them. Here are eight foods that will leave you glowing all year long!
Get That Youthful Glow
If you're not getting enough vitamin A in your diet, then your skin is majorly suffering. Not enough of this nutrient makes skin dry and flaky [3]. The vitamin is also touted for its antiaging benefits.
Go ahead and get Popeye on us — dark, leafy greens like spinach and kale are excellent sources of vitamin A. Start by cooking up one of these healthy kale recipes [4].
Repair and Rejuvenate
Foods like oysters, crab, and lean meats are rich in zinc, which makes them great skin soothers. Zinc helps reduce oil production and acne [5] and also helps heal wounds.
What Wrinkles?
By now we all know that citrus fruits like oranges and grapefruit are chock-full of vitamin C. But this essential nutrient might also help turn back the clock by preventing wrinkles [6].
Protect and Heal
Green tea has been found to have [7] properties that help protect the skin from melanoma and that also act as an anti-inflammatory against acne.
Improve the Tone
Two antioxidants found in eggs, lutein and zeaxanthin, have been found to improve skin tone [8] and protect against UV damage. And if this isn't enough of a reason to enjoy eggs, check out all the other nutritional benefits [9] that make them a mainstay in our diets.
Nature's Sunblock
Bring on the red sauce! Eating tomatoes can help protect the skin from damaging UV rays [10]. This is a good thing since sun damage can cause premature aging and skin cancer.
Build a Force Field
As if we need an excuse to eat more berries [11]! They're great on their own or as a topping for salads, cereal, and yogurt. Full of antioxidants [12], blueberries can protect the body, including the skin, from damaging free radicals, which disrupt healthy cell production, causing you to look older faster. They are also high in vitamin C and considered anti-inflammatory — two good things for your skin.
Soft and Supple
Fish like salmon, tuna, and trout are high in omega-3s. Those good-for-you fats help soften dry skin [13] by holding in moisture, which helps decrease the look of wrinkles and plumps up skin.