10 Foods That Give You Clear Skin

A healthy, glowing skin: who doesn’t dream of this? Good news, you have a bigger impact on your skin’s health than you think.

This doesn’t necessarily mean that incorporating an 8-step skin care routine in your daily life will do the trick. You can use as many beauty products as you want, but if your body is unhealthy, your skin will be too. The food you eat has high and direct impact on your skin. With the right diet and balance in vitamins, minerals and natural fats you can make your skin glow from the inside. Keep reading to discover the 10 foods that will contribute to ease up this process.

10. Dark Chocolate

Chocolate is not just a mood booster; it is also a skin booster! Dark chocolate with minimum 70 percent cocoa provides sun protection because it contains flavonoids. Flavonoids are plant natural compounds which have strong antioxidant properties. The fact that chocolate is good for your skin doesn’t mean you need to apply the delicious snack all over your face. Simply eating a piece (or two) every day should do it. Regardless of chocolate’s sun protective features, never forget to use sunscreen.

Besides acting as sun protection, chocolate can also rejuvenate and prevent skin aging. This is, again, caused by flavonoid which helps old cells recover and divide and make chromosomes longer. This is a good thing, because while aging, chromosomes naturally become shorter which causes wrinkles.

9. Green Tea

Most green tea contains ECGC. This substance is mainly responsible for the positive impact on your skin. ECGC has two important characteristics. Firstly, it works anti-inflammatory and secondly, it prevents skin damage after sun exposure. A 2-3 percent green tea extract has a preventative effect on the appearance of wrinkles. This is mostly thanks to the photoprotective effect green tea has. However, there is a small catch.

 8. Low-Glycemic Index Foods

White bread, sweets, bagels, and fries are delicious but can be disastrous for your skin. They are examples of foods with a high glycemic index. These types of food give you a sugar rush, which is very likely to result in acne and inflammation.

Try to stick to foods with a low-glycemic index: legumes, whole grains and different fruit and vegetables. These foods will keep your blood sugar levels balanced which allows your liver to properly absorb the sugar. The development of acne and inflammation will be prevented, because the sugar didn’t get a chance to get into your collagen.

7. Non-dairy Milk

 Milk has shown to stimulate sebum production, which can lead to acne. Even though sebum is necessary for a healthy skin, too much or too little sebum can cause skin problems. Milk plays a significant role here.

Milk and other dairy products can increase your insulin level. A too high insulin level will result in an increased production of hormones in the liver. These hormones will, in turn, stimulate the sebum production which causes your pores to clog faster. The cowmilk we drink contains many growth hormones, because it is intended to raise young calves. The milk is perfect for the calf, but can be quite harmful for people with acne prone skin. Therefore, replacing dairy with a non-dairy alternative might work perfectly for you.

 6. Fatty Fish

Fish has many health benefits. It is good for heart and blood vessels and contains many vitamins. But besides that, it is also proven to be good for your skin. Mostly fatty fish like salmon, mackerel and herring do the trick, because they hold much omega-3 fatty acids.

Omega-3 fatty acids ensure your skin to remain hydrated, supple and thick. That is why an omega-3 oil deficiency can result in dehydrated skin. Not only do omega-3 oils in fish hydrate your skin, they also reduce inflammation, which causes redness and acne.

5 . Avocados

Avocados aren’t just for on toast. Besides being tasty, they have many health benefits for your body. Avocados contain healthy fats that can enhance the condition of your skin. It is of great importance to get enough of these fats for a smoother and more hydrated skin. There are also indications that avocados contain compounds that can protect the skin from sun damage caused by UV radiation, which can lead to wrinkles and other signs of aging.

Avocados hold a great amount of vitamin E and C. Vitamin E is an important antioxidant that contributes to protecting your skin against oxidative damage caused by the free radicals in your body. Vitamin E works better in combination with vitamin C. Vitamin C is necessary to make collagen, the most important structural protein that ensures healthy, elastic and strong skin.

 4. Walnuts

Walnuts aren’t just a delicious and healthy snack; they are also great to improve the health of your skin. Walnuts are a great source of essential fatty acids, which are acids your body cannot produce itself. An example of those acids are omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 fatty acids.

Beware that omega-6 can work inflammatory, possibly exacerbating other skin conditions such as psoriasis. Omega-3, on the other hand, reduces inflammation in your body. Luckily, walnuts contain both acids in a good ratio. This helps fight the potential inflammatory response to an abundance of omega-6 in your body. Walnuts also contain the mineral zinc. Just like omega-3 fatty acids, zinc acts anti-inflammatory.

3. Sweet Potatoes

Orange fruit and vegetables contain loads of vitamin A. In the case of sweet potatoes this vitamin A is derived from beta-carotene, a nutrient found in plants. It is an antioxidant that converts to vitamin A in the human body. It also causes fruit and vegetables to colour orange, yellow or red.

One of the skin benefits of beta-carotene is that it acts as a natural sunblock. This means that it can help prevent skin damage through sunburn and wrinkled skin. Again, keep in mind that this is no substitute for sunscreen.

2. Berries

Berries are best known for their high antioxidative powers. Antioxidants are fundamental to protect your body from free radical damage.

Antioxidants have healing properties which are wonderous for your skin’s health. Good examples of berries with a potent source of antioxidants are the goji berry and acai berry. This doesn’t rule out the more well-known cranberry, raspberry, strawberry etc. There simply is a lot to choose from.

1. Leafy Greens

Leafy greens like kale and spinach aren’t just must-haves for your morning juice. Kale, for example, is high in phytonutrients. Phytonutrients work both as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory. Spinach acts perfectly as a lightweight skin-soother that boasts hydration and cooling properties.

Spinach and kale also provide the body with several vitamins: vitamin A to battle dry skin, Vitamin C to battle the sun’s damage, and vitamin E to help fight inflammation.