From Your Mouth...

... to your skin?

A healthy and balanced diet can shield your insides from all sorts of conditions and maladies, but did you know that it can also help to protect your outside?! The right vegetables, nuts, seeds, oils, fish, teas, and chocolates can shield your skin from the ravages of the environment, time, and even cancer. In this month's edition of Skin Care for Women (with a little help from our friends at Women's Health Magazine), we have found at least one food to address every issue from wrinkles, to acne, to dryness and more.  

1.  Flaxseeds

Skin boost: Wrinkle Fighter

These little seeds offer a payload of omega-3 fatty acids, which erase spots and iron out fine lines. The British Journal of Nutrition reported that participants in one study who downed about half a teaspoon of o-3s in 6 weeks experienced significantly less irritation and redness, along with better-hydrated skin. Beyond flax, salmon is an omega king.

2.  Spinach

Skin boost: Cancer Defender

In a study published in the International Journal of Cancer, people who ate the most leafy greens had half as many skin tumors over 11 years as those who ate the least. The folate in these veggies, which helps maintain and repair DNA, may reduce the likelihood of cancer-cell growth.

3.  Safflower Oil

Skin boost: Natural Moisturizer

The omega-6 fatty acids found in safflower oil can be the ultimate moisturizer for people who suffer from dry, flaky, or itchy skin. They keep cell walls supple, allowing water to better penetrate the epidermis. Scientists have found that this oil may even help people who suffer from sever conditions such as eczema.

4.  Canned Tuna

Skin boost: Skin Tightener

Your favorite deli sandwich has a little secret: Selenium. This nutrient helps preserve elastin, a protein that keeps your skin smooth and tight. The antioxidant is also believed to buffer against the sun (it stops free radicals created by UV exposure from damaging cells).

5.  Carrots

Skin boost: Blemish Blaster

Think of carrots as orange wonder wands - good for the eyeballs, and good for clearing up breakouts. No magic here, though, just plenty of Vitamin A, which prevents overproduction of cells in the skin's outer layer. That means fewer dead cells to combine with sebum and clog pores. Plus, vitamin A reduces the development of skin-cancer cells.

6.  Dark Chocolate

Skin boost: Sun Blocker

Flavonols, the antioxidants in dark chocolate, reduce roughness in the skin and provide sun protection. In a study from the Journal of Nutrition,  women who drank cocoa fortified with a chocolate bar's worth of flavonols had better skin texture and stronger resistance to UV rays than those who drank significantly few flavonols.

7.  Green Tea

Skin boost: Cancer Defender

Green tea releases catechin, an antioxidant with proven anti-inflammatory and anticancer properties. Research found that drinking 2 to 6 cups a day not only helps prevent skin cancer but might also reverse the effects of sun damage by neutralizing the changes that appear in sun-exposed skin.                              (The tea's antioxidants degrade as it cools, so drink it while it's hot).

8.  Cooked Tomatoes

Skin boost: Sun Blocker

Lycopene, the phytochemical that makes tomatoes red, helps eliminate skin-aging free radicals caused by ultraviolet rays. Cooking tomatoes helps concentrate its lycopene levels, so tomato sauce, tomato paste, and even ketchup pack on the protection. So does a hunk of lycopene-rich watermelon.

So there you have it folks...what you put in your body is equally as important as all of the creams, lotions and potions that you can put on your body when it comes down to having healthy, glowing skin. This by no means suggests that those things aren't helpful too (especially sunscreen), but by adding some very basic foods to your diet, you can help to achieve and retain that youthful glow...from the inside out!

More Foods You Should Put On Your Plate for Sexy, Smooth and Youthful Skin

*Portions of this article orginally appeared in an article on Women's Health Magazine.com

Comments, Comments, We LOVE Comments!

Do you have a creative way to incorporate these skin care super foods into your diet or perhaps a skin care woe that you would like some help addressing? Leave us a note in the comment section below. We would love to hear from you!