1. Avocado:
Avocado is loaded with Vitamin E which will help keep your skin plump while protecting against sun damage.
2. Citrus Fruit:
A great source of Vitamin C – which your body needs to produce collagen – is they key to looking youthful.
3. Fish:
Filled with selenium which protects skin cells against free radical damage and preserves the collagen fibres that keep your skin wrinkle-free.
4. Low-Fat Dairy Products:
One the most important components of skin health is vitamin A. One of the best places to get it is low-fat dairy products. In fact, experts say that the health of our skin cells is dependent on dietary vitamin A.
5. Blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and plums:
The common link between these four foods is their high antioxidant content. In a study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, these four fruits weighed in with the highest “total antioxidant capacity” of any food. The benefits of these foods for healthy skin are plentiful.
6. Almonds, Walnuts, Canola Oil, and Flax Seed:
These seemingly unrelated foods all deliver essential fatty acids, and thus are key foods for healthy skin.
7. Oysters:
These slimy little creatures are choc full of zinc — a major player in skin repair that helps create collagen, which provides the structural support in skin (sayonara sagging). Zinc also has antioxidant properties, and it’s been shown to be a protective nutrient at the cellular level.
Zinc also helps maintain stronger nails, keeps your scalp and hair healthy and helps protect your eyes from vision problems.
8. Green Tea:
This beverage deserves a category all its own in any article about foods for healthy skin. The skin-health properties in this beneficial drink just can’t be beat.
“It has anti-inflammatory properties, and it’s protective to the cell membrane. It may even help prevent or reduce the risk of skin cancer,” says Lipski. Indeed, a study published recently in the Archives of Dermatology shows that whether taken orally or applied to the skin, green tea can reduce the risk of damage from ultraviolet light (such as the burning rays of the sun), and thus reduce the risk of skin cancer.
9. Water:
While the exact amount you should drink each day varies, no one disputes the role good hydration plays in keeping skin looking healthy and even young. When that hydration comes from pure, clean water — not liquids such as soda or even soup — experts say skin cells rejoice. “It is my belief that our skin needs at least a half gallon of good clean water — that’s about eight glasses — every day,” says Lipski.
What to avoid?
1. White Carbs:
Refined carbs like white rice, bread and pasta are full of simple sugars. Eating them elevates your blood sugar making your body release insulin. This fuses the collagen and elastin in your skin, so it loses it’s elasticity, causing wrinkles. High glycemic foods have been linked to an increase in acne, according to an Australian study. Whole wheat and oats are packed full of antioxidants and have been found to be anti-inflammatory. Switch to whole grain carbs instead.
2. Salt
“Salt causes tissues to swell and may make your face seem puffy and unhealthy,” says Norenius. Iodized salt is especially bad in high doses as it has been shown to aggravate acne. Make sure to check all pre-packaged foods for their sodium content before consuming and make sure to rinse all canned vegetables, meats and beans after opening them to reduce the sodium content.
3. Candy
Candy is loaded with sugar and overeating sugar causes wrinkles and dull skin. How? It damages your collagen and elastin, the super important fibers that keep your skin firm and youthful, causing it to become dry which leads to premature wrinkles and sagging.
4. Alcohol
Alright, so this isn’t technically a “food,” but you consume it and that’s why it made this list. In short, over indulgence of booze can wreak havoc on your skin. It is “extremely dehydrating to cells within the body including your skin cells,” says Norenius. It also causes “vasodilatation which can be an aggressor for rosacea,” she warns.