Healthy Skin Nutrition

HEALTHY SKIN NUTRITION

Chemicals in skincare and cosmetics, sun damage, alcohol consumption, hormonal imbalances, stress, poor nutrition, constipation, and inflammation are just some of the things that can lead to skin conditions, and visible signs of ageing and damage.

To help heal skin conditions, and prevent premature ageing, don’t just rely on what you put on your body. 

Make sure your daily diet includes plenty of foods that nourish your body with vitamins and minerals essential for healthy skin, hair, and nails • especially vitamin A • vitamin C • vitamin E • magnesium • zinc • silica • selenium, and omega-3 fatty acids. 

SKIN HEALTH STUDIES 

Research has established a direct link between nutrition and skin conditions.

What you eat affects your skin! 

Diets high in trans fats (the bad fats) make you vulnerable to UV damage and severe photo-ageing.

Diets high in sugar inhibit collagen repair.

BUT diets rich in nutrition can protect and restore skin health.

ANTI-AGEING STUDIES

Collagen is a protein in your body that gives your skin its structure and elasticity.

Our bodies make collagen. But as we age production slows down, and that’s why our skin sags and wrinkles.

However, there is good news.

There is growing evidence that the most effective way to prevent skin ageing is to encourage collagen regeneration through nutrition.

DITCH THESE FOODS

If you want vibrant, healthy skin, stop eating foods that undermine skin health and age you. 

Highly refined foods offer little nutrition. Don’t eat them.

Eat whole, organic, natural food.

If you’re not sure what to eat to improve your skin, have a look at The Mediterranean Diet. 

A diet high in sugar will age you, and inflame skin conditions.

Raw honey, dates, and stevia are healthier sweetening alternatives.

Also, avoid hidden sugar in processed foods – check the labels.

And we recommend every family should watch That Sugar Film by Damon Gameau – to see (in real-time) what happens when you eat a diet high in hidden sugar. 

Trans fats age and affect your skin including, hydrogenated margarine, animal fat, deep-fried foods, takeaways, and junk food – ditch them.

Eat healthy monounsaturated fats and polyunsaturated (omega-3 and omega-6) fats, which are found in raw nuts and seeds, avocados, olives, and cold-pressed olive oil. 

NUTRIENTS FOR HEALTHY SKIN

The nutrients essential for healthy skin, hair, and nails include – vitamins A, C, E, and D, magnesium zinc, silica, selenium, omega 3, omega-6, and omega-9 fatty acids. 

Vitamin A food sources include carrots, sweet potato in its skin, pumpkin, spinach, kale, mango, papaya, red capsicum, and broccoli. 

Vitamin C is found in papaya, citrus fruits, strawberries, raspberries, pineapples, guava, mango, kiwi fruit, Kakadu plum, capsicum, tomatoes, zucchini, cabbage, kale, broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, and celery.

Vitamin C is destroyed by heat and cooking so make sure you eat raw salads and fresh fruit daily. 

Vitamin E foods include raw nuts and seeds, tahini, organic wheat germ, avocado, and cold-pressed organic olive oil. 

Vitamin D is found in mushrooms, egg yolk, fortified foods, vitamin D supplements, raw cacao, and hemp seed oil. 

Magnesium food sources include legumes • dark green leafy vegetables • bananas • dried figs • avocados • guavas • kiwi fruit • papaya • blackberries • raspberries • blueberries • raw cacao • almonds • organic coconut milk • pumpkin and chia seeds •and organic whole grains.

Zinc food sources include sesame and pumpkin seeds, watermelon seeds, shitake mushrooms, beans, almonds, cashew nuts, chickpeas, oat bran, black tahini, and raw cacao. 

Silica is found in oat bran, alfalfa sprouts, leafy greens, green beans, whole grains, brown rice, lentils, horsetail tea, cucumber, leeks, bananas, celery, radish, asparagus, raisins, red lentils. 

Selenium food sources include Brazil nuts, broccoli, soybeans, mustard seeds, sunflower seeds, tahini, unsulphured black strap molasses, rice bran, and wheat germ.

Always try to source organic, non-genetically modified nuts, seeds, and grains. 

Omega 3-6-9 fatty acids are found in cold-pressed hemp oil (don’t heat), hemp seeds, algae oil, tahini, cold-pressed walnut oil, walnuts, chia seeds, linseed (flax), evening primrose oil, macadamia nuts, boiled soybeans (edamame), haricot (navy) beans, firm tofu, avocado, black tahini • and evening primrose oil.

WATER is essential for healthy, hydrated skin.

Aim to drink 8 glasses of pure water daily, including skin-healing herbal teas such as chamomile, hibiscus, rooibos, dandelion, horsetail, and green tea to replace fluids lost during the day.

NUTRITIONAL NEEDS ARE UNIQUE 

Our nutritional needs change throughout the different ages and stages of our lives. The nutrients a pregnant mother requires compared to a developing child or an older adult are vastly different. 

You also need to consider the state of your health, nutrient deficiencies, food intolerances, allergies, the effects of prescribed medications, your health history, stress, lifestyle, climate, pollution, and hydration – all of these issues influence our skin and ageing. And everyone’s circumstances are unique. 

That’s why the best thing you can do is ask your naturopath to help you create a personalised skin health strategy. 

If you need help healing your skin, contact us.

We love helping people heal.

References

Barcelos RC, Vey LT, Segat HJ, Benvegnú DM, Trevizol F, Roversi K, Roversi K, Dias VT, Dolci GS, Kuhn FT, Piccolo J, CristinaVeit J, Emanuelli T, Bürger ME. Influence of trans fat on skin damage in first-generation rats exposed to UV radiation. Photochem Photobiol. 2015 Mar-Apr;91(2):424-30. doi: 10.1111/php.12414. Epub 2015 Jan 20. PMID: 25600099.

Cao, Changwei, Zhichao Xiao, Yinglong Wu, and Changrong Ge. 2020. “Diet and Skin Aging—From the Perspective of Food Nutrition” Nutrients 12, no. 3: 870. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12030870

Schagen SK, Zampeli VA, Makrantonaki E, Zouboulis CC. Discovering the link between nutrition and skin aging. Dermatoendocrinol. 2012 Jul 1;4(3):298-307. doi: 10.4161/derm.22876. PMID: 23467449; PMCID: PMC3583891.

Eat well to be well!