Eat Your Way to Healthy Skin | by Sylvia Galelli
Read labels and ditch the toxins .
Rainbow Antioxidant Protection . Phytonutrients from a colourful rainbow diet protect our cells from being damaged by free radicals . Among the many deleterious consequences of free radical damage is the breakdown of skin collagen ( yikes !). Firm skin is yet another reason to eat your colourful veggies ! Further , phytonutrients help provide photoprotection . Research has shown that phytonutrients can help quench sun-induced free radical damage by localizing these compounds into the epidermis . The two best phytonutrients for photoprotection are beta-carotene and lycopene . Beta-carotene-rich foods include leafy greens , carrots , sweet potatoes , spinach , winter squash , kale , broccoli , and cantaloupe . Lycopene-rich foods include tomatoes , watermelon , pink grapefruit , and papaya . So , now you know : you can both apply and eat your SPF !
Anti-Inflammatory Benefits of the Rainbow . The second benefit of the rainbow diet is less inflammation . Phytonutrients help combat “ inflammaging ” of the skin ! To leverage the anti-inflammatory benefits of the rainbow diet , choose foods and spices such as leafy greens ( think kale , spinach , collards , arugula , watercress , and leaf lettuce ), blueberries , strawberries , cherries , avocados , olive oil , walnuts , turmeric , ginger , cinnamon , and garlic . Always aim for three colors on your plate !
Ditch Sugar . This one is tough but so worth it ! Ditching sugar is hard because sugar highjacks your brain and is super addicting ( ever tried to detox from sugar ?). Why is sugar detox so important to skin health ? Simply put , sugar compromises the integrity of collagen and elastin - think loss of firm , supple , resilient skin . Sugar sticks to amino acids present in collagen and elastin , causing Advanced Glycation End-products … It literally AGES your skin !
To compound matters , sugar increases inflammation , which also damages skin cells .
Sugar is a pro-aging agent , the opposite of anti-aging . If you want to proactively monitor your sugar le1vels with labs ( called Hemoglobin A1C ), ask your healthcare practitioner . There is great value in following your numbers .
The key takeaway is that a diet high in sugar results in prematurely aged skin , not to mention fat gain and poor health . For gorgeous skin and vibrant health , we need to ditch sugar - even if it ’ s hard at first !
90 iS Skin Source