You’ve probably heard the term “skin food,” meaning food items that don’t just fill your belly, satiate your taste buds, and give you the energy you need to get through the day, but also help you enhance your beauty, with your skin as the main benefactor. Keep reading for a list of eight skin-healthy foods, plus learn how and why you should add them to your beauty diet.
1. Chocolate
Kids (and at times adults) love, love, love this treat! Remember how you and your friends just couldn’t get enough of it back when you were little girls and your mom had to remind you not to eat too much? Well, it is true that too much of anything isn’t a good thing, but who knew that a little chocolate now and then could do wonders for your skin? The dark type in particular contains high levels of flavanols, an organic compound that works as an antioxidant. Other organic compounds it contains are polyphenols and catechins. Flavanols are also found to improve blood flow to the skin, protect your skin from sun damage, and keep it firmer and hydrated.
2. Oatmeal
Apparently, oatmeal does more than just help you start your day right as a good breakfast food. Used by people from ancient civilizations to beautify their skin, oats can help you treat skin ailments like acne. They also as a skin moisturizer as they removes dead skin cells and provide deep moisturizing; they contain beta-glucan, which forms a fine film on your skin, thus penetrating deep into it. Oatmeal baths are also known to help battle itchiness and protect the skin from exterior irritants. You may also want to check out beauty products that contain oats as they are known to lighten ones skin and work as a natural cleanser.
3. Water
You probably know that you should be drinking a lot of water to stay healthy, but did you know it amps up your natural beauty too? It may be easy to bring a bottle or two of water with you wherever you go, but hey, if its good for your health and physical appearance, why not, right? Dehydration dries out your skin and increases your chances of developing wrinkles prematurely—something no woman wants. Staying hydrated keeps your skin firmand moisturized, and wrinkles that are already present start to be less noticeable. Drinking a healthy dose of water flushes out toxins in your body and gives you a glow that is sure to turn heads when hydrated from within.
4. Tomatoes
There must be a reason these keep showing up on salads. Tomatoes keep skin firm and strong as they contain vitamin C. They also have lycopene, which helps stimulate skin circulation and protect your skin from sun damage! Lycopene, which is what gives tomatoes their color, has been found to improve the skin’s natural SPF, and people who consume tomatoes regularly have been found to have more than 30 percent protection against sunburn. Now this looks like one food that is great for summer, so keep those tomatoes coming!
5. Papaya
Not only is it great for juices and smoothies, but papaya is packed with vitamin A and papain, both of which help break down inactive proteins and aid in removing dead skin cells. Vitamin A on its own works as an antioxidant for the skin, while papain makes papaya an excellent exfoliant. Have you also wondered why it is the primary ingredient in many whitening soaps? It’s because the papain found in this fruit makes it a good agent in skin lightening. It also has skin-firming and anti-aging properties and keeps skin soft and supple as well as preventing pimples and blemishes from developing.
6. Green Tea
Green tea doesn’t just help soothe your nerves and anxieties (which means a lot less frowning, right?). But this beverage has even more direct effects on your skin. As it turns out, green tea contains antioxidants like catechins, particularly EGCG, that boost blood flow and oxygen to the skin. It can also help you this summer as it combats sun damage by stopping free radicals and reducing inflammation.
7. Red Grapes
Red grapes may be small, but they are powerful skin food. These babies are filled with antioxidants that give you youthful, glowing skin! They have anti-aging properties, as they reduce wrinkles and help with skin elasticity and proper circulation of the blood to the skin! With the abundance of antioxidants in red grapes, these also effectively help reduce sun damage. And on top of all these benefits, they also have anti-inflammatory properties thanks to the resveratrol and quercitin found in these globular fruits.
8. Pumpkin
Pumpkin is one of the top sources of beta-carotene, which the body converts into vitamin A. The vitamin A and vitamin C found in pumpkins help soften skin and boost collagen production. This helps prevent the signs of aging. Pumpkins also have fruit enzymes and alpha hydroxy acids (AHAs), which increase cell turnover for bright and smooth skin!
These foods aren’t the only ones good for the skin. Virtually anything that keeps you hydrated and contains antioxidants is likely to help you keep that youthful glow about you for longer than you otherwise would. Still, you may want to make sure you get bigger helpings of these foods whenever you get the chance.