I am often asked if diet and nutrition plays a major role in the health and appearance of your skin. The simple answer is yes – your diet does have a direct effect on the appearance of your skin. I’m not referring to the old wives tales about chocolate/crisps/chips causing acne (I will deal with that in another post), but to the role of good nutrition in keeping our skin looking it’s best.
Just like every other organ in our body, the skin needs good nutrition to function as it should. While we can provide a lot of nutrition from the serums or creams we apply on the outside, it is really important to supply them from the inside too. Here are a few simple suggestions for you to think about.
-Eat a variety of different coloured fruit and veg. The darker the food, the more anti-oxidant in general. Anti-oxidants help to protect the skin from damage.
-Reduce your intake of caffeine / alcohol. These will contribute to dehydration.
-Be careful with dairy consumption if your are prone to breakouts/eczema.
-Reduce refined carbs/sugars as much as possible in your diet. These can lead to inflammation in the skin and accelerate the ageing process.
-A good way to get extra anti-oxidants in your diet is by drinking herbal teas such as green or white tea.
-Try to incorporate Essential Fatty Acids into your diet to help keep skin supple. Find these in fish or seeds such as flax/sunflower. Supplements are fine too.
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