Best diet for excellent skin care oil is an essential ingredient: wellhealthorganic.com
What Are Foods for Healthy Skin?
Most experts say eating a balanced diet is the best way to get your share of good food for healthy skin. Still, a number of specific skin treats are more likely than others to give a boost of glowing good health to your complexion. Here’s what experts told wnmagazine are the most important:
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.
Nutrition
What Are Foods Beneficial for Skin Health?
Most experts agree that eating a balanced diet is the best way to ensure your skin stays in excellent condition. But some specific treatments and foods have been known to be especially effective at providing that glow-worthy glow. Here’s what dermatologists told wnmagazine are the most essential:
Low-Fat Dairy Products.
Vitamin A is essential for skin health, and one of the best sources is low-fat dairy products. In fact, experts believe that our cells depend on dietary vitamin A for optimal health.
Nutrition expert Liz Lipski, PhD, CCN emphasizes the importance of eating A-rich dairy foods if you have either diabetes or thyroid dysfunction.
Lipski, founder and Director of InnovativeHealing.com and author of Digestive Wellness, notes that many people with these issues cannot convert beta carotene into vitamin A – the form commonly associated with carrots.
According to her, the A in dairy products is “true A,” so everyone can benefit from its use.
Lipski notes that low-fat yogurt not only supplies vitamin A, but it also contains acidophilus – the “live” bacteria responsible for intestinal health. Furthermore, this beneficial bacteria may have an impact on skin as well.
Lipski affirms that anything which helps regulate digestion, such as live bacteria or enzymes, will show up in healthy-looking skin.
Blackberries, blueberries, strawberries and plums.
These four foods share a high antioxidant content. According to research published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, these fruits had the highest total antioxidant capacity of any food studied. The benefits of these foods for healthy skin are plentiful.
Heller emphasizes that free radicals, such as those formed from sun exposure, can damage skin cells’ membranes and potentially even their DNA. She adds that fruits like blueberries contain antioxidants and other phytochemicals which help shield these cells from damage so there’s less chance for DNA damage to take place.
Heller believes that by protecting cells from damage and disintegration, you are helping prevent premature aging. Eating fruits like strawberries may even help keep your skin looking younger for longer.
According to a new study, other fruits and vegetables with “high antioxidant capacity” include artichokes, beans (the study cited black, red, and pinto), prunes, and pecans. Discover how phytochemicals like ferulic acid can help enhance the effects of other antioxidants.
Salmon, Walnuts, Canola Oil and Flax Seed.
These seemingly unrelated foods all provide essential fatty acids and are therefore key ingredients in maintaining healthy skin.
“Essential fatty acids are critical for healthy cell membranes, acting not only as barriers against harmful substances but also providing passageway for nutrients to enter and leave the cell,” according to Ann Yelmokas McDermott, PhD, a nutritionist at Tufts University’s Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging.
Due to its role in holding moisture inside cells, the stronger your cell membrane becomes, the plumper and younger-looking skin you will have.
Heller adds that the same inflammatory process which can damage our arteries and lead to heart disease can also harm skin cells. Essential fatty acids provide protection for both, she believes.
Omega 3s and 6s are two of the most essential fatty acids for good health – they should be in balance for healthy skin too! While most people get enough omega 6, Heller notes that many lack adequate amounts of omega 3. To get enough of these essential fatty acids, try including fish oil into meals like fish or walnut oil as well as flax seed oil in your meals for extra nourishment.
Healthy Oils.
Healthy oils contain more than essential fatty acids. Eating high-quality oils keeps skin lubricated and gives it a healthier overall appearance.
What oils are ideal for healthy skin? Lipski recommends looking for those labeled cold pressed, expeller processed or extra virgin.
Lipski notes that when an oil is commercially processed, they often add solvents and heat it to extremely high temperatures before going through five or six processes. As a result, valuable nutrients are lost during this process.
Comparatively, when oils are produced through the cold-press or expeller process (or extra virgin olive oil), preparation involves only pressing, heating and bottling.
“Eating fruits and vegetables not only benefits your skin,” according to Lipski, “but they are also beneficial for your overall wellbeing.”
Experts remind us that any fat, even healthy ones, is high in calories and we should limit ourselves to no more than two tablespoons daily.
Whole-wheat bread, muffins and cereals; turkey, tuna and brazil nuts.
Selenium, an essential mineral for healthy skin, links all these foods. Studies have even demonstrated that selenium can even protect skin damaged by sun exposure if its levels of selenium are high.
Researchers from Edinburgh University demonstrated in two clinical trials that when selenium levels were high, skin cells were less vulnerable to oxidative damage that can increase cancer risks. These results were published in 2003 in both British Journal of Dermatology and Clinical and Experimental Dermatology. Furthermore, French scientists discovered oral doses of selenium combined with copper, vitamin E and vitamin A could prevent sunburn cell formation on human skin.
Lipsky emphasizes that consuming more whole-grain products leaves less room for “white” foods that may not be beneficial to skin health, such as white flour items (breads and cakes), sugar and white rice. All these can affect insulin levels and contribute to inflammation that could eventually lead to skin break outs.
Green Tea: For skin health benefits, this beverage deserves its own category all by itself. Green tea’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory effects make it a must-have in any skincare regimen.
Lipski notes that coconut oil “has anti-inflammatory properties and may even protect the cell membrane.” He believes this could potentially help prevent or reduce skin cancer risks.
Recent research published in Archives of Dermatology suggests that green tea, whether taken orally or applied directly onto skin, may reduce UV light damage caused by burning rays from the sun and thus lower skin cancer risks.
Heller notes that green tea’s polyphenols possess anti-inflammatory effects which could be beneficial to skin health in general.
Water. Although the amount you should drink each day varies, no one disputes the importance of staying hydrated to keep skin looking youthful and healthy. When this hydration comes from pure, clean water — rather than liquids such as soda or soup — experts say skin cells rejoice.
Lipski advocates that our skin should receive at least half a gallon of pure, clean water daily – roughly eight glasses.”
Lipski emphasizes that all water is beneficial for keeping both body and skin hydrated, but hard water with high mineral content is especially beneficial. He suggests using water softeners to de-mineralize drinking water may lessen some of these beneficial effects.
“Water softeners may help with plumbing, but hard water is actually healthier for you,” according to experts.
In addition to keeping cells hydrated, water helps them move nutrients in and toxins out, according to Lipski – leaving skin looking healthier as a result.
She emphasizes that staying hydrated allows us to sweat more efficiently, keeping skin clean and clear in the process.
expert Liz Lipski, PhD, CCN, says it’s doubly important to eat A-rich dairy foods if you have either diabetes or a thyroid condition.
“Many people who have these problems can’t convert the beta carotene to vitamin A, which is the form found in many foods that we normally associate with this vitamin, such as carrots,” says Lipski, the founder and Director of InnovativeHealing.com and the author of Digestive Wellness.
Lipski says low-fat yogurt is not only high in vitamin A, but also acidophilus, the “live” bacteria that is good for intestinal health. Turns out, it may also have an impact on the skin.
“Anything that helps keep digestion normal, any live bacteria or enzymes, is also going to be reflected in healthy-looking skin,” says Lipski.
Blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, and plums.
The common link between these four foods is their high antioxidant content. In a study recently 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.
“Free radicals — like the kind formed from sun exposure — damage the membrane of skin cells, potentially allowing damage to the DNA of that cell,” says Heller. The antioxidants and other phytochemicals in these fruits can protect the cell, she says, so there is less chance for damage.
“When you help protect the cells from damage and disintegration, you also guard against premature aging. In this respect, these fruits may very well help keep your skin younger looking longer,” says Heller.
According to the new study, other fruits and vegetables with a “high antioxidant capacity” include artichokes, beans (the study cited black, red, and pinto), prunes, and pecans. Learn how phytochemicals like ferulic acid can help boost the effects of other antioxidants.
Salmon, Walnuts, Canola Oil, and Flax Seed.
These seemingly unrelated foods all deliver essential fatty acids, and thus are key foods for healthy skin.
“Essential fatty acids are responsible for healthy cell membranes, which is not only what act as barriers to harmful things but also as the passageway for nutrients to cross in and out and for waste products to get in and out of the cell,” says Ann Yelmokas McDermott, PhD, a nutritionist at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University in Boston.
Because it is the cell membrane that also holds water in, the stronger that barrier is the better your cells can hold moisture. And that means plumper, younger looking skin.
Also, says Heller, the same inflammatory process that can harm our arteries and cause heart disease can harm skin cells. Essential fatty acids can offer protection to both.
The best-known essential fatty acids are omega 3 and omega 6, which must be in balance for good health (and good skin). Though we all seem to get enough omega 6, Heller says many people lack omega 3s. Fish, walnut, and flax seed oil are among the best sources.
Healthy Oils.
These contain more than essential fatty acids. Eating good-quality oils helps keep skin lubricated and keeps it looking and feeling healthier overall.
Which oils are the right oils for healthy skin? Lipski says those labeled cold pressed, expeller processed, or extra virgin are the ones to look for.
“When an oil is commercially processed, the first thing they do is add solvents and raise them to really high temperatures, then put it though five or six processes. Important nutrients are lost,” says Lipski.
By comparison, she says when oils are prepared by the cold-press or expeller process, or, in the case of olive oil, are extra virgin, preparation involves only pressing, heating, and bottling.
“You get all the nutrients that are not only good for your skin, but good for your body,” says Lipski.
Since any fat, even a healthy one, is high in calories, experts remind us that we don’t need more than about two tablespoons a day.
Whole-wheat bread, muffins, and cereals; turkey, tuna and brazil nuts.
The mineral selenium connects all these foods for healthy skin. Experts say selenium plays a key role in the health of skin cells. Some studies show that even skin damaged by the sun may suffer fewer consequences if selenium levels are high.
For instance, in two clinical trials, researchers at Edinburgh University showed that when levels of selenium were high, skin cells were less likely to suffer the kind of oxidative damage that can increase the risk of cancer. The results were published in 2003 in both the British Journal of Dermatology and the journal Clinical and Experimental Dermatology. And a group of French researchers found that oral doses of selenium, along with copper, vitamin E and vitamin A could prevent sunburn cell formation in human skin.
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.
Heller adds that the polyphenols in green tea have anti-inflammatory properties that may also be beneficial to skin health overall.
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.
While any good, clean water will keep your body and your skin hydrated, Lipski says hard water, the kind high in minerals, is especially good. Using water softeners to de-mineralize drinking water may reduce some of the potentially helpful effects.
“A water softener may help your plumbing, but it’s hard water that is better for your health,” she says.
In addition to keeping cells hydrated, water helps cells move nutrients in and toxins out, which Lipski says automatically leaves skin looking better.
She adds that when we’re properly hydrated, we also sweat more efficiently. Doing so helps keep skin clean and clear as well.
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