smilingbeauty2.jpgYour skin is the first thing people see when they look at you. Strangely enough, it’s considered the largest organ in the human body — right up there with the intestines, lungs, and liver. It serves many purposes, including acting as our first defense against germs and the environment, and converting sunlight to vitamin D. The layer of fat under the skin’s surface helps ensure that the important fluids inside our bodies stay inside our bodies.

Foods for healthy skin include those rich in lycopene. That’s a pigment that gives many fruits and vegetables their red color. It’s a proven antioxidant, and antioxidants are important because they reduce the risk of several types of cancer and they prevent the formation of harmful byproducts of metabolism called free radicals.

Many experts believe that a “perfect” diet for healthy skin would contain all of the following foods:
a) Raw and lightly steamed organic vegetables
b) Fresh organic fruits
c) Organic, grass-fed beef, bison, and poultry
d) Oily, cold-water ocean fish

Citri-cize Your Diet

Citrus fruits play an important role in keeping your skin looking young. That’s because the antioxidant Vitamin C found in citrus “is involved in the formation of collagen - a protein that binds cells and tissues together”, according to nutritionist and Food Network Chef Robin Miller. In other words, collagen helps keep your skin firm and hence reduces wrinkling. This is one of the best healthy diet for healthy skin.

Vitamins C, E and A: Vitamin C is highly effective at reducing free radical damage, such as that caused by overexposure to the sun or pollution. Free radicals consume collagen and elastin - the fibers that support skin structure - and can cause wrinkles and other signs of premature aging. Vitamin C is especially effective at protecting the skin from overexposure to the sun when combined with vitamin E. Foods high in vitamin C include acerola (a cherry-like fruit), red and green bell peppers, guava, kale, parsley, collard greens, turnips, and broccoli.

Zinc is especially important if you have acne. In fact, sometimes acne itself is a symptom of a zinc deficiency. Taken internally or used topically, zinc works to clear skin by taming oiliness and soothes spots into clearing sooner. Food sources of zinc include oysters, lean meat, and poultry. Veggies can get zinc from milk, egg yolk, legumes, whole grains and nuts. It is added to veggie ‘meats’ and fortified soymilk. Zinc from animal foods is better absorbed by the body than zinc from plant foods. Vegans need to eat more servings of zinc-rich plant foods to get enough zinc daily.

Read more about Aloe vera for your health and skin.

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