The natural way to get a healthy glowing skin!

Beautiful skin comes not just from beauty products, but from within. You may be using the best skin care products, but true attractiveness in the form of healthy, nourished skin can also be attributed to what you eat and drink. Poor nutrition and the lack of essential nutrients lead to a pale, rough, dehydrated and irritated skin.

And during summer’s high temperatures and humidity, you should take extra care of our skin in order to stay fresh, healthy and free of blemishes. So make a healthy plan for your skin and remember, the more you take care of yourself, the more it reflects on your beauty!

What to drink for healthy skin?

• Water: Hydrate your skin by drinking water regularly. Water aids blood circulation, helps eliminate toxins and gives your skin a healthy appeal. Drink at least 8 glasses of water per day, and more during the summer.
• Fresh fruit juices (in moderation) are packed with vitamins and minerals and provide you with the fluids that your body needs. Make a fruit smoothie once in a while to provide you with essential nutrients.
• Hot drinks like anise, chamomile, as well as green tea and coffee which contain antioxidants beneficial for body cells as well as skin cells.

 

What to eat for healthy skin?

• 5 portions of fruits and vegetables: Rich in minerals and antioxidants which help fight free radicals that damage our body cells, including our skin. Antioxidants found in vegetables and fruits include Vitamin C (guava, oranges, kiwi, strawberries, melon, and green pepper) and Vitamin A (carrots, spinach, mango, apricots). Have at least 5 servings a day of colorful fruits and vegetables for a beautiful moisturized skin.

Run out of fresh fruits and vegetables? Always keep frozen vegetables and fruits handy! These are usually hand-picked, and are deep-frozen immediately, thus retain more nutrients than fresh ones left in a refrigerator for days.

• A small handful of nuts and seeds, especially almonds and peanuts which are rich in the antioxidants Selenium and Vitamin E. Pine nuts are rich in zinc which plays a role in skin repair. In addition, nuts are a major source of essential fats which help build healthy skin cells.
• Calcium: Since calcium can also be lost through sweating, try to replace it by eating lower-fat dairy products like skim milk, yogurt, labneh and low-fat cheese.
• Fish: Rich in the beneficial omega-3 fatty acids which also help nourish the skin and prevent dryness. Sources of omega-3 fats are oily fish like salmon and sardines, canola oil and walnuts.
• Cooking method: The way you cook can also affect the health of your skin, so avoid frying and go for grilling, broiling and steaming.

What to avoid for a healthy skin?

• Excessive sun exposure: especially at peak hours! Free radicals from UV light damage the skin, so just apply sunscreen for protection.
• Stress: This can make the skin look and feel dull. Be physically active to reduce stress and boost your mood!
• Smoking: It can cause skin dryness and constriction of blood vessels, reducing the blood flow to the skin, and thus robbing your skin of essential nutrients.
• Avoid highly salted foods, and avoid adding extra salt to your food; high salt intake leads to water retention and bloating (in particular your hands and feet), especially if you are not drinking enough water.

Good to know:

Exercise gets the blood flowing to the skin! So give yourself a healthy glow by going for a walk every day.

Take care of your body and skin all year round!