Superfoods That Contribute to Beautiful Skin

Photo Credit: Perfect Health Diet

With so much emphasis on skin care products and potions to handle skin issues like acne and dry skin, it’s often overlooked that diet is at the core of many skin issues. Too much or too little of certain foods can cause digestive issues, malabsorption of vital nutrients and hormonal imbalances. All of these internal issues contribute to your skin’s health and appearance.

Combined with limiting common digestive irritants like processed dairy and grains, you can look to certain super foods to help you boost your complexion. When in doubt about what to reach for, think local, raw and organic plants. Incorporate a range of fruits, vegetables, seeds and nuts of varying colors. This will ensure that you’re consuming an abundance of different vitamins and minerals—which will boost skin health.

1. Greens

Leafy greens such as spinach, kale and chard as well as sea greens such as spirulina and chlorella are amongst some of the most nutrient rich foods that you can get your hands on. Chock full of powerful phytonutrients, these foods aid detoxification and promote an alkaline pH. Skin problems like acne are often a result of inflammation—which is an effect of an acidic pH. Thus, regularly eating these foods can keep your skin issues at bay. 

Adding powdered greens to a smoothie, blending greens with water or juicing your greens are great ways to get your daily dose.

2. Health Fats like Ghee & Coconut Oil

The age of low-fat diets is seemingly over—thank goodness. A diet low in healthy fats can cause an array of skin issues.

Fat plays a vital role in facilitating hormone release and disbursement through the endocrine system. When your dietary intake is lacking fat, hormone imbalances arise because your body does not have the resources is needs to keep up its hormonal “housework.” Hormonal acne can manifest itself in cystic, fluid filled blemishes and well as breakouts along the jawline. 

Luckily, you can alleviate most of these symptoms simply by making a daily effort to ingest enough fat. Organic ghee (clarified butter) and organic coconut oil are two powerhouse fat sources that will help improve your internal health as well as the health and glow of your complexion. Other sources of healthy fats include avocado, flaxseed, chia seed, hemp seed, almonds and cashews. Invest in buying organic produce as much as possible to minimize your exposure to pesticides and toxins.

3. Berries

One of nature’s richest sources of antioxidants, berries are an extremely nourishing skin food. They are also rich in flavonoids, which are known to extend the life of skin cells. Thus, they play a role in anti-aging and keeping skin looking and feeling youthful. Berries that are readily available at your local health food market like strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries are great, nutrient-dense choices to incorporate into your daily food intake. 

Creating smoothies using these hearty skin boosters is a great way to ingest these superfoods. If you have access to a more expansive array of berries, don’t be afraid to expand your horizons. Goji, maqui, aronia and camu berries are excellent, lesser-known skin boosting superfoods.

Your skin, which is a reflection of your internal health, is something that you are able to enhance and improve upon through your diet. Keep in mind that not all foods are created equal. Some foods pamper and help skin thrive, which others dim your skin’s glow and overall health. Keep these aforementioned superfoods in mind when making healthy decisions in the grocery store. Combine them with a diet that is rich with organic, whole, real foods and you will witness remarkably healthy skin.

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for Gabrielle Brick; By Jesica Salyer

Jesica Salyer is a runner, organic nutrition/skincare enthusiast and writer behind RunOnOrganic.com. She graduated from Midwestern State University with a Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology. She has experience in assistant volleyball coaching, fitness training/coordination and experience playing collegiate volleyball for Rutgers University. She currently lives in Kansas with her husband and daughter. Jesica works as a freelance writer and aims to inspire others as co-founder of FurtherFasterForever.com