The Best Foods for Healthy Skin

I've written a bunch of articles about how to take care of your skin by cleaning, treating, and moisturizing, and about the different things you can put on your skin, from treatment products to primers to make-up. But to have truly beautiful skin, you need to focus on what you put inside your body.

We all know that water is good for us, but do you really get why? Without sufficient water, we become dehydrated. Have you seen dehydrated fruit? What do you see on dehydrated fruit? If you answered "wrinkles" then you have a pretty good idea of what your skin could look like without sufficient clean water. Experts from WebMD, NaturalNews, and MedicineNet say half a gallon, or 8 glasses of water a day, is the amount we need to consume. Not only will it hydrate your skin, it also helps you sweat properly, which helps your skin to eliminate toxins. Make sure that you drink water with minerals in it, for best results.

So what should you eat? Basically, a healthy diet. One high in fruits, vegetables, fish, healthy oils, and low-fat or non-fat dairy, just like you should eat for a healthy body. But if you want some specifics, and why they help your skin, read on.

Blueberries, along with blackberries, strawberries and plums are filled with anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidants fight the free radicals that can damage your skin as well as your internal organs, and repair damaged skin cells. Berries are one of nature's best sources of anti-oxidants. If they're not in season, buy frozen ones and mix them with low- or non-fat yogurt in a blender for a great fruit smoothie.

Low-fat dairy products, including yogurt and cottage cheese, provide your body and your skin with Vitamin A, which may just be the most important nutrient for your skin cells. If you have diabetes or a thyroid condition, it's even more important to include enough Vitamin A in your diet. If you have one of those conditions, your body may have trouble converting beta-carotene, found in carrots and other orange foods, to Vitamin A, so you need to consume more of it. Yogurt, especially the good Greek yogurts, contain live cultures of acidophilus. You may already know that acidophilus is important for good digestion, but it's also important for healthy skin.

Essential fatty acids are found in a variety of foods that include salmon, walnuts, flax seed, and canola oil. If your cholesterol is high, your doctor may tell you to include more of these foods in your diet for that reason. But they help the skin by building healthy cell barriers that keep toxins out but let nutrients in and waste products out. The skin cell membranes also hold water in, keeping your skin looking younger and plumper (don't think that makes you look fat; it just make you look unwrinkled, and that's a good thing!).

Whole grains, along with surprises like tuna and turkey, help your skin because they contain selenium, an essential nutrient for your body and your skin. Study results published in the British Journal of Dermatology showed that higher levels of selenium in your skin result in lower incidence of skin cancer. That's enough to get me eating whole grains! Selenium can also reduce the amount of damage skin cells suffer when exposed to too much sunlight.

Green tea is rich in both anti-oxidants and polyphenols - both compounds that reduce free radicals, and also fight cancer, protect skin cell membranes, and reduce inflammation in skin cells. After you drink a cup of green tea, try putting the tea bag(s) on your face, for an extra dose of skin goodness.

You don't need to totally change your eating habits, or do it all at once. But start swapping out some unhealthy foods for healthy ones: Stop eating white bread and start eating whole grain bread (be a label reader - choose breads that say 100% whole grain!). Eat low-fat or non-fat yogurt instead of drinking whole milk, and use it to replace sour cream. Throw some berries into plain low fat yogurt to spice it up. If you don't like plain green tea, throw a little raspberry or peach juice into it. Citrus fruits are also good for your skin; while juice is good, the whole fruit is better. Eat salmon and fresh tuna instead of red meat (but leave canned tuna for your cats!). Stop your soda habit and switch to free water instead, and remember that if you feel thirsty, you're probably already dehydrated.

We've all been told that true beauty comes from within. When it comes to skin and food, that's absolutely true. And the rest is up to you!

(Sources: http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/features/skin-food, http://www.naturalnews.com/020409.html,http://www.care2.com/greenliving/top-5-foods-for-healthy-skin.htmlhttp://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-skin/AN01863 , http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=50523 )