Nourish Your Skin: The Healing Power of Food (Part 1)

When it comes to caring for your skin, foods can work for you or against you.

“There’s truth in the familiar saying, ‘You are what you eat’,” says Richard Price, M.D. of Price Skincare Clinic in Ridgeland, MS . “The nutritional content of your food can affect your body’s internal processes and either promote healthy skin or cause issues with it.”

In Part 1 of ‘Nourish Your Skin: The Healing Power of Food’, we’ll share what healthy properties you should look for when shopping for food. We’ll also recommend specific foods that can help boost your skin health.

In Part 2 of this series, we’ll pinpoint the kinds of food that are not good for healthy skin and give you a ‘Danger Zone’ list of foods that can cause skin problems.

Healthy Choices = Healthy Skin
We’ve already stressed that you should make healthy food choices if you want healthy skin.
But what kinds of choices are we talking about?

Broadly speaking, you want to choose foods that are rich in:

• Nutrition: Foods that are rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants help repair damaged skin, and protect it from threats such as the sun’s UV rays and environmental pollutants.

• Anti-inflammatory properties: Inflammation can contribute to skin conditions such as acne, eczema, and psoriasis. But foods with anti-inflammatory properties are your friend, helping to reduce inflammation as well as the flare-ups of these skin conditions.

• High water content: In addition to drinking plenty of water, including plenty of fruits and vegetables with high water content can help keep your skin hydrated, which is essential for skin elasticity and the prevention of dryness and premature aging.

• Healthy fats: Foods rich in healthy fats help protect the skin’s natural oil barrier.

Add These Healthy Foods to Your Grocery List
While there are many foods with high nutritive value, anti-inflammatory properties, water content, and healthy fats, here are some of the healthiest foods you can put at the top of your list to promote healthy skin.

• Fatty fish such as salmon, sardines, and trout are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, helping to maintain skin health by reducing inflammation and keeping the skin moisturized.

• Avocados are one of the healthiest fruits you can include in your diet. Full of healthy fats and antioxidants like vitamin E, avocados can help protect the skin from damage and keep it supple.

• Leafy Greens including spinach, kale, and Swiss chard are high in vitamins A, C, and E, as well as antioxidants, which promote healthy skin.

• Berries such as blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries are also rich in antioxidants and vitamins that can help protect the skin from damage caused by free radicals.

• Nuts and seeds such as almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and flaxseeds are good sources of vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats that support skin health and reduce inflammation.

Let the Healing Power of Food Nourish Your Skin
The good news is that not only are these foods good for your skin, but they are also good for the rest of your body.

So, stock up, eat up, and let the healing power of food nourish your skin!

Have a question about the foods you’re eating? Or a skin problem that might be a result of poor nutritional choices? Give us a call at: 601.992.3996