The Ten Best Foods for Your Skin
June 23, 2014
Here is what we found from a recent Eat This, Not That! article about the 10 best foods for your skin. You may be surprised at what you read!
10. Almonds: Skin Boost: Sun Blocker
Almonds are stuffed with Vitamin E, which helps defend against sun damage. Volunteers who consumed 14 milligrams of the Vitamin per day (about 20 almonds) and then there were exposed to UV light burned less than those who took one. And because Vitamin E is an antioxidant, it also works to keep your arteries free of dangerous free radicals.
9. Flaxseeds: Skin boost: Wrinkle Fighter
These little seeds offer a payload of omega-3 fatty acids, which erase spots and iron out fine lines. The British Journal of Nutrition reported that participants in one study who downed about half a teaspoon of o-3s in 6 weeks experienced significantly less irritation and redness, along with better-hydrated skin. Beyond flax, salmon is an omega king.
8. Cooked Tomatoes: Skin boost: Sun Blocker
Lycopene, the phytochemical that makes tomatoes red, helps eliminate skin-aging free radicals caused by ultraviolet rays. Cooking tomatoes helps concentrate its lycopene levels, so tomato sauce, tomato paste, and even ketchup pack on the protection. So does a hunk of lycopene-rich watermelon.
7. Sweet Potatoes: Skin boost: Wrinkle Fighter
They’re loaded with Vitamin C, which smooth out wrinkles by stimulating the production of collagen. A recent study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that volunteers who consumed 4 milligrams of C (about half a small sweet potato) daily for 3 years decreased the appearance of wrinkles by 11 percent. Try papaya and carrot, too.
6. Spinach: Skin boost: Cancer Defender
In a study published in the International Journal of Cancer, people who ate the most leafy greens had half as many skin tumors over 11 years as those who ate the least. The folate in these veggies, which helps maintain and repair DNA, may reduce the likelihood of cancer-cell growth.
5. Safflower Oil: Skin boost: Natural Moisturizer
The omega-6 fatty acids found in Safflower oil can be the ultimate moisturizer for people who suffer from dry, flaky, or itchy skin. They keep cell walls supple, allowing water to better penetrate the epidermis. Scientists have found that this oil may even help people who suffer from severe conditions such as eczema.
4. Canned Tuna: Skin boost: Skin Tightener
Your favorite deli sandwich has a little secret: Selenium. This nutrient helps preserve elastin, a protein that keeps your skin smooth and light. The antioxidant is also believed to buffer against the sun (it stops free radicals created by UV exposure from damaging cells).
3. Carrots: Skin boost: Blemish Blaster
Think of carrots as orange wonder wands – good for the eyeballs, and good for clearing up breakouts. No magic here, though, just plenty of Vitamin A, which prevents overproduction of cells in the skin’s outer layer. That means fewer dead cells to combine with sebum and clog pores. Plus, Vitamin A reduces the development of skin-cancer cells.
2. Green Tea: Skin boost: Cancer Defender
Green tea releases catechin, an antioxidant with proven anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. Research found that drinking 2 to 6 cups a day not only helps prevent skin cancer but might also reverse the effects of sun damage by neutralizing the changes that appear in sun-exposed skin. (The tea’s antioxidants degrade as it cools, so drink it while it’s hot).
1. Dark Chocolate: Skin boost: Sun Blocker
Flavonols, the antioxidants in dark chocolate, reduce roughness in the skin and provide sun protection. In a study from the Journal of Nutrition, women who drank cocoa fortified with a chocolate bar’s worth of flavonols had better skin texture and stronger resistance to UV rays than those who drank significantly few flavonols.