How You Can Use Your Diet as a Major Component for Your Natural Skin Care Program

Copyright 2006 Douglas Alp
With so much emphasis today on staying healthy and looking good we see many remedies for skin care and a healthy look, that it is sometime very confusing. Although there are many great products being marketed today there are also many things that one can do to assist your body in creating and producing beautiful skin from the inside out. The following foods incorporated into your diet will make your natural skin care program work in synergy with your body to produce beautiful skin.
People spend a lot of money every year to look good. To have beautiful smooth wrinkle free skin but neglect to give the attention to the foods that they consume that will add to their beautiful skin. It is not enough to just exfoliate, and use the lotions and potions to have beautiful skin. Beautiful skin comes from the generation of healthy vibrant cells being produced from within your body.
One of the most important substances you can put into your body to aid in producing excellent skin is water. Water flushes toxins out of your body, it help you loss weight and is a major source of hydration. If you are only putting a moisturizer on top of your skin this is not enough. How about adding moisture to your skin from the inside by drinking plenty of clean purified water.
Your diet and the foods you consume not only affect your skin but your overall health. If you choose to put garbage in your body you will get garbage out. So for starter I’ll tell you what to avoid. Avoid greasy fatty foods and processed food. Being today to put wholesome fresh foods into your body and let that nutrition rebuild and keep your skin and entire body vibrant and healthy.
For starters you should be consuming foods that contain vitamin C. Vitamin C promotes healing, help rebuild collagen, and produces skin with elasticity and firmness. Food such as citrus fruits, strawberries, tomatoes, broccoli and cabbage are high in vitamin C and can help in reducing wrinkles and fine lines.
Green tea is also an excellent anti-oxidant which improves your immune system and is an excellent substitute for coffee.
Soy proteins which have a high amount of amino acids, flavonoids and vitamin E help the skin retain moisture and give the skin a smooth appearance.
The essential fatty acids which are your omega 3’s and 6’s are the good fats that the entire body needs. These good fats will help your skin, hair, nails, muscles and all your cellular functions. It will help to clear up blemishes and reduce wrinkles. Food like olives, olive oil, almonds and avocados are excellent sources of your good fats. Also fresh fish like salmon will provide a good source of your omega 3’s and 6’s.
And let’s not forget our greens. Vegetables such as spinach, collard greens, and kale are high in vitamins A, C and E. They also contain good amounts of iron and fiber. These foods help to reduce wrinkles and give your skin a healthy look.
Another great food to help your skin and your immune system is yogurt. Yogurt contains friendly bacteria which help improve your digestion which in turn improves your immune system. An improved immune system will definitely support your largest organ, your skin.
One other food that will assist your body and your immune system to produce healthy skin is garlic. Garlic is high in anti-oxidants and has been used for centuries for medicinal purposes. It will assist your body and immune system to stay healthy and fight off infections and disease.
And now the best part. For all you people who desire great healthy looking skin this will probably be your favorite part. Cocoa powder which is found in chocolate is very high in polyphenol anti-oxidants. It has twice the anti-oxidant properties of red wine and three times the anti-oxidant properties of green tea. Dark chocolate typically has the highest percentage of cocoa. I have seen some dark chocolates as high as 83% cocoa. Now remember everything in moderation. Don’t go and eat a box of chocolate every day. Just a small piece every few days and only eat the finer dark chocolates with the highest amounts of cocoa.
You see there are many excellent nutritious foods you can consume that will add to your natural skin care program and will also help with your overall health and well being. So eat well, look good and keep your skin healthy from the inside out.