I admit it. I love skin. It’s such an important part marker of your overall health. Your skin is the window to your gastrointestinal, hormonal and nutritional health. Being the largest organ in the body it has some big responsibilities.
- Elimination and detox
- Making vitamin D
- Protecting our body
Good Nutrition is the foundation of healthy skin
Healthy skin starts from the inside out. Skin is the window to your general health. No matter how much you spend on expensive skin products if your overall health is not addressed you will not get the results you want. I can tell a lot about a person by looking at their skin. There are many factors involved in getting a healthy skin with good nutrition being the foundation . Here they are:
- Diet
- Water
- Stress
- Rest
With the essential cherry on top:
- Skin care products
- Sun protection
1. Eat Foods Your Skin Loves
These are the power house of nutrient rich foods. All the ones with bright beautiful colours, anti oxidant rich and full of all the good stuff your skin will love.
- All leafy greens – kale, Rapini, Spinach, Collard greens, Swiss chard, Arugula
- Berries – blackberries, blueberries, raspberries and strawberries
- Yellow-orange fruits and vegetables – Bell Peppers, Lemon, Pumpkin, Squash, Carrots, Sweet potatoes
- Fish – the fattier the better – Salmon, Sardines, Mackerel
- Nuts and seeds – Almonds, Walnuts, Sunflower seeds
- Clean proteins – Chicken, fish, turkey, eggs
2. Drink Water…lots of it
Water deserves it’s own full page post but I will keep it short here. We are all made of water. How much of our bodies? 55% for women and 60% for men to be exact. We need to maintain that balance for our brain and body to function well. Dehydrated skin will appear dry, flaky and be more prone to wrinkles. Yet drinking water is one of the most difficult habits to maintain.
How much should you be drinking? It depends, but my general rule of thumb is if your pee is yellow (and you are not taking B vitamin) you need to drink more.
I recommend 1.5 litres or 6 cups daily. If you lead an active lifestyle then 2 litres or more a day.
3. Cope better with Stress
Who doesn’t deal with this? It is inevitable – unless you live on a mountain top with clean air and food and not a care in the world – but the differentiator for how our body will handle a stressor is how well we cope with it. Your mom could misplace her keys and freak out to the point where no one wants to be around her unless there is security or a life coach. Whereas, you could lose a friend or family member and cope so well everyone is wondering what you are on and wants some of it. Either way, the stressors exist but the stress hormones vary from each person. Stress hormone – Cortisol – is not kind to our skin. Cortisol causes dryness, wrinkles, acne, redness and tired looking skin.
Coping mechanisms can drastically turn things around: Walking, Exercise, Yoga, Meditation, Sleep and whatever healthy lifestyle habit that gets you focused on the present moment, remind you to be your grateful and to be kind yourself.
4. Get Rest
Insomnia has got to be one of the top 3 complaints I see in my office. We all need sleep but it eludes many of us. Certainly, sleep disturbance is a complex issue since there are many reasons that can cause sleepless nights.
A great place to start is making sure you have good sleep hygiene, clean diet with good quality protein, avoid any foods you may be sensitive to, no caffeine after 3pm and meditate at bedtime.