Getting the best nutrition you can is essential for maintaining healthy skin. There are many treatments to keep your skin looking its best, but the first step to beautiful, glowing skin is nourishment from within. As our skin cells shed, they are continually replaced by new ones and a steady supply of key nutrients is essential to support this rapid growth. By eating the correct balance of foods, you’ll feed your skin the vital nutrients it needs to help it stay fresh and blemish-free.

Here are some healthy diet tips to get your skin glowing:

Eat Fruit and Veggies Daily – Fruit and vegetables contain powerful antioxidants that help to protect skin from the cellular damage caused by the environment. Free radicals, smoking, pollution and sunlight can cause wrinkling and age spots.

Get Enough vitamin C – Vitamin C is also an antioxidant. It is needed to support the immune system, promote radiant skin and help blemishes heal properly. Vitamin C is also needed to produce collagen that strengthens the capillaries that supply the skin. The best sources are blueberries, broccoli, guava, kiwi, oranges, papaya, strawberries and sweet potatoes.

Avoid Crash Diets – Repeatedly losing and regaining weight can take a toll on your skin, causing sagging, wrinkles and stretch marks. Crash diets are often short in essential vitamins and minerals too. Over prolonged periods of time this type of dieting will be reflected on your skin. It is always best to eat a healthy, balanced diet.

Eat Enough Vitamin E – Vitamin E protects skin from oxidative (cell) damage and supports healthy skin growth. Foods high in vitamin E include almonds, avocados, hazelnuts, pine nuts and sunflower and corn oils.

Omega-3 Benefits – Omega-3s are essential fatty acids that cannot be made in the body and must be obtained through diet. You will find omega-3s in oily fish and certain plant sources. Omega-3 fats encourage the body to produce anti-inflammatory compounds which can help skin, particularly inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema and psoriasis.

Eat Plenty of Zinc – Zinc is involved in the normal functioning of the sebaceous glands in the skin (which produce oil) and helps to repair skin damage and keep skin soft and supple. Zinc-rich foods include fish, lean red meat, wholegrains, poultry, nuts, seeds and shellfish.

Once you make changes to your diet, don’t expect your skin or overall health to improve overnight. It takes six weeks for new skin to emerge up to the surface, so the visible benefits from dietary changes will take just as long.

To learn more about the correlation between diet and skin health, contact The Center for Advanced Dermatology at 602-867-7546 or mddermsolutions.com.