SKIN CARE - Eat for healthy skin

Eat for healthy skin

What you eat has a big impact on the health of your skin.

How healthy you are on the inside reflects how you look on the outside. For healthy, more youthful-looking skin, eat a diet rich in skin nutrients, as well as drinking plenty of water and getting regular exercise and sleep.

Researchers from the University of Florence have recently discovered that certain types of foods could accelerate the production of free radicals and the ageing of our skin up to 50-fold.

These foods are called advanced glycosylated end products (AGE) and they form a toxic mix of proteins and sugars that increase free radical damage. AGE foods that should be reduced include fried fish and meat, cakes, white bread and pasta and soft drinks.

Top skin nutrients

Vitamin A: Milk, cheese, egg yolk, fish liver oils and beta-carotene-rich (provitamin A) foods such as carrots, sweet potato, pumpkin, apricots and mangoes.

Vitamin C: Citrus fruits such as oranges, mandarins and lemons, as well as fruits such as kiwifruit and berries.

Zinc: Lean meat, chicken, fish, dairy foods, brewer's yeast, eggs (yolk), legumes, wholegrain cereals and bread, pecans, sunflower and pumpkin seeds.

Antioxidants: Berries, green tea, red and orange fruit and vegetables.

Healthy fats: Oily fish (salmon, trout, mackerel, sardines), cold-pressed flaxseed and extra virgin olive oil, nuts and seeds (especially chia seeds), and avocado.

Source: http://www.bodyandsoul.com.au/health/health+news/eat+for+healthy+skin,7335