Natural beauty comes from within, eating these foods will help to improve it too
Simple Advisory Board Nutritionist, Fiona Hunter, has worked with Simple to identify foods with skin-loving properties and anti-ageing benefits – such as tomatoes, broccoli and mackerel.
Eat these foods and you'll find that you can beautify your skin from the inside-out.
These recipes form part of Simple SkinTrition, which is based on the understanding that the better our diets are, the happier and healthier our skin will be.
Fiona recommends cooking with the following foods to help encourage more beautiful skin:
Oily fish
- Salmon and other oily fish contain omega 3 fats which encourage the body to produce anti-inflammatory compounds which can help to slow and even reverse signs of ageing in the skin. Salmon is also rich in a compound called DMAE (2 dimethylaminoethanol) which can help to increase muscle tone and prevent skin from sagging. What’s more, eating a diet rich in omega 3 fats can help to keep our heart and mind healthy.
Brightly coloured fruit and vegetables
- Tomatoes are an excellent source of the phytochemical lycopene, which helps to protect the skin against damage from UV radiation.
- Butternut squash is a good source of the antioxidant beta-carotene, helping to protect the skin from damage by free radicals, which can cause wrinkles and signs of ageing.
- Blueberries, strawberries, and raspberries contain phytochemicals, (which are plant chemicals that have protective or disease preventive properties) which help to strengthen the walls of tiny blood vessels and can help to prevent thread veins.
- Citrus fruit and red peppers are bursting with vitamin C which is essential for helping our bodies make collagen. Vitamin C also helps protect the skin from the damaging effects of free radicals and helps to slow down the progress of ageing.
Bitter tasting vegetables
- Spinach and kale both contain a phytochemical called lutein, which helps to boost the skins antioxidant capacity thereby protecting against damage from free radicals and helping to slow down the progress of ageing.
Nuts, beans and pulses
- Bean, pulses, porridge and other low GI carbs may not immediately stand out as ‘beautifying foods’, however low GI carbs help produce great looking skin. Shun high GI carbs like biscuits and sugary drinks as these result in the over production of insulin which can damage collagen and accelerate wrinkling.
- Avocado, pears, nuts and seeds are rich in vitamin E which helps protect against free radical damage and essential fatty acids help keep the skin supple.
- Brazil nuts are a fantastic source of the mineral selenium which helps protect the skin against sun damage and age spots. Just four Brazil nuts will provide more than 100% of the recommended daily amount.
Femalefirst Taryn Davies
Tagged in Health Beauty Tips Diet Healthy eating Skin Diet tips