Many of us spend lots of money on all the creams and serums to beautify our skin and maintain a younger look. However, what some don’t realize is that beautiful skin comes from within. It starts with what you eat and a dull, dry complexion is the first sign of poor eating. Dr. David Bank, President of the New York State Society for Dermatology and Dermatologic Surgery, offers the 10 best foods for your skin.
1) Avocados: The creamy, green fruit is abundant in essential oils and B-complex vitamins that nourish your skin inside and out. Avocados also contain a lot of Niacin (vitamin B3), which is important for healthy skin since it acts as an anti-inflammatory and soothes irritated or red/blotchy skin.
Recipe: Blend half an avocado with yogurt and frozen berries to make a creamy, nutty-flavored morning smoothie.
2) Mangoes: Mangoes contain more than 80% of daily vitamin A requirements, which is essential for maintaining and repairing skin cells. A deficiency in vitamin A will result in dry, flaky complexion. Mangoes also work as an antioxidant fighting free-radical damage that can prematurely age the skin.
Recipe: Mango-Chile Chutney
3) Almonds: Almonds contain 150% of daily vitamin E needs and is rich in oils that moisturize your skin while its antioxidants protect against skin damage and premature aging.
Recipe: Cinnamon Roasted Almonds
4) Cottage Cheese: Selemium in cottage cheese teams up with vitamin E as a power free radical-fighting antioxidant team. It also protects against skin cancer and dandruff.
Recipe: Mix cottage cheese with fresh fruit for a great morning breakfast. However, if you want to indulge, try baked macaroni and cottage cheese recipe.
5) Acerola Cherries: Different from average cherries, Acerolas supply 100% of daily vitamin C intake. As an antioxidant, vitamin C fights skin damage and wrinkles and plays a central role in production of collagen, the structural protein in your skin.
Recipe: Chocolate-cherry cupcakes
6) Oysters: Oysters fight pimples because they’re rich in zinc. The mineral affects sebum production, which is a deficiency that contributes to acne. Zinc also helps boost elastic production.
Recipe: Garlic Oyster Linguini
7) Baked Potatoes: Trade French Fries for a steaming baked potato. One baked potato (with the skin) provides 75% of daily copper need. Copper when combined with vitamin c and zinc produce elastin fibers that support skin structure. Copper deficiency in your diet can reduce skin’s ability to heal and cause it to become rigid and lifeless.
8) Mushrooms: Essential to your skin, riboflavin is found in mushrooms and is involved in tissue maintenance, repair and improves skin blemishes caused by rosacea. The body uses large amount after sustaining a burn or wound, or when undergoing surgery.
Recipe: Garlic-rosemary mushrooms
9) Flaxseed Oil: Flaxseed oil is one of the best sources of essential fatty acid. One teaspoon of flaxseed oil provides 2.5 grams of omega 3s, which hydrates the skin. Essential fatty acids also dilute sebum and unclog pores that lead to acne.
Recipe: pour 2.5 grams of flaxseed oil in your morning juice to kick start the day.
10) Wheat Germ: Super nutritious, wheat germ is just the embryo within a grain of wheat. It is a good source of biotin, a vitamin C that’s crucial to skin health. A mild biotin deficiency can cause dermatitis, a condition characterized by itchy, scaly skin.
Recipe: sprinkle wheat germ on yogurt for a tasty way to get more biotin.