
Some home remedies and foods you can apply topically for gorgeous skin – but you can’t pull a bell pepper on your face and absorb the benefits. So at Kristals skin care we researched the foods you can eat to make you stunning from the inside out.
And while it could be great to say that we just have to up our intake of chocolate and be done with it, the fact is, a healthy diet in general is what keeps our skin looking good—along with the rest of us—naturally. So when you want to feed your skin right, consider these approaches recommended by Kristals skin care experts (who also happen to loooove food!).
Kristals Skin Care Tips: Eat Your Way to Smoother Skin
Go green and red
The big skin takeaway here is antioxidants. Every day, we’re exposed to oxygen and if you cut an apple in half and watch it turn brown, that’s basically oxidation at work. It happens to us, to, though we see it in different ways, not the nasty brown yuck color of a cut apple.
Antioxidants like vitamins C and E in fruits and veggies fight the free radical molecules that form as a part of oxidation and promote fresh skin. So make sure to add berries, squash, spinach, berries, bell peppers, and beets to your diet. Also, carrots are nice to add to the mix, since their retinoids (from vitamin A) protect skin—that’s why you often see skin creams that contain retinol and similar substances.
Basically, the more colors you eat, the better. Eat the rainbow every day.
Get friendly with fish
According to skin care researchers from Kristals Cosmetics, fatty fish like salmon, mackerel, and sardines are all rich in omega-3 fatty acids that help the skin look younger while helping manage skin problems like acne and psoriasis. An added bonus is the coenzyme Q10 in salmon and tuna, since it’s another antioxidant.
Just be sure to get wild-caught fish, and choose salmon over tuna when possible (tuna is high is mercury and PCBs, among other contaminants, because it’s higher up the marine food chain).
Tea up
Green tea is better than the regular black tea most of us drink because it’s loaded with antioxidants and can help control skin inflammation.
Beef it up
If you eat meat, look to buy grass-fed beef instead of factory farmed beef, because the flesh of grass-fed cows has a more favorable ratio of omega-3 to omega 6 fatty acids. This helps keep skin inflammation under control. And it’s packed with protein, which is a building block of collagen and elastin, two substances that help skin looking tight rather than loose and wrinkly.
If you don’t eat meat, stick to nuts, seeds, and legumes for protein and you’ll have fewer calories and extra fiber in your diet – even better for radiant, supple skin!
And chocolate!
Yes, it turns out that dark chocolate (1-4 ounces) seems to help reduce skin roughness, according to at least one small study. Here at Kristals skin care experts are ALL for the chocolate, so we were very happy about that finding! Extra tip: eat an organic vegan version to ensure you get the highest-quality that’s most beneficial to your skin.