You have heard the old saying you are what you eat and it’s true. What you eat effects your inside and and effects your outside too. In knowing the right foods to eat regularly, you can keep wrinkles at bay, help prevent acne, and even ward off skin cancer!
What many people don’t know is that your skin is an organ like your lungs, heart and kidneys. Other than protecting muscles and bones, the skin performs other vital functions such as shielding the body from bacteria and helps regulate body temperature. Nerve signals are transmitted throughout the body by the skin. So, If you want to protect your outside the same way you protect your inside, you have to eat a healthy and balanced diet that are good for both. Below is a list of some of the best foods to help you keep younger looking skin and some things that need to be avoided to an extent:
The Sun
It has been discovered that the sun can do more than give you a burn if you get too much. People didn’t used to have much concern over sunburn, but today we know it causes almost irreversible damage to skin and skin cancer. UV rays are responsible for this. The sun puts out ultraviolet radioactive waves that are detrimental to the skin when you are overexposed. People easily forget about the dangers of UV radiation since we can not see it. UVB and UVA rays are not absorbed by the ozone layer and pass through the atmosphere. These are the ones that cause skin damage like premature aging and disease like cancer. UVB rays mostly affects the outer layers of the skin causing sunburn. UVA rays can penetrate deeper and damage elastin fiber in the skin. The elastin is what gives your skin the ability to snap back and keeps it firm. Once the elastin begins to break down, that is when you begin to see looser skin thats sags and wrinkles easily. However, excessive exposure to the damaging UVA rays can hasten this process and bring on premature skin aging. UVA rays can reach the keratinocytes, the skin cells within the basal layer of the epidermis. This is where most skin cancers begin to form. Even though you might love to get a little tan, even a little tan is damaging to your skin. Sun blocks and sunscreens help keep out some of the harmful rays, but eating the right foods can be helpful as well in preventing skin damage. You do get a good amount of vitamin D from the sun. You just have to be careful about how much sun you are getting.
What Foods To Eat And Why
Tomatoes – Tomatoes contain lycopene, a phytochemical that gives them their bright red color. This has been shown to help protect skin cells from the damaging UV rays. Fresh tomatoes are great, but cooking them actually boosts the content of lycopene. Tomato paste can have up to 4 times the amount of lycopene as fresh tomatoes have.
Almonds and Dairy Products – Almonds have vitamin A, which is an anti-oxidant and has a similar effect as lycopene. Also found abundantly in almonds and dairy products is vitamin E. It helps repair sun damage and even prevents new damage by cleaning up free radicals that can cause cancer.
Lemon Zest – D-limonene is found in the peel of lemons and other citrus fruits. It can help reduce the risk of cancer, especially squamous cell carcinomas. You might not want to eat lemon zest or other citrus fruit peels because they are bitter. Using one tablespoon a week in something you cook or bake is sufficient!
Moisturizing Inside Out
You might not realize that while the sun causes plenty of damage to our skin, cold winter temperatures can reek havoc of its own. Going from the outside where it can be freezing and very windy to the indoors that is warm and dry can cause depletion of the lipid layer of skin. This can create dry, itchy and scaly skin. Moisturizers help, but the healthy fats that you eat are helpful too.
Cold Water Fish, Seeds and Nuts – Wild salmon, tuna, cod, sardines, herring and rainbow trout are examples of cold water fish. These fish are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids. It also helps moisturize the skin by helping cells hold in moisture. Pecans, walnuts and flax seeds are great sources of Omega-3 fatty acids.
Acne
Acne is not just a problem for adolescents. All ages can suffer from it. Uncleanliness of the skin can contribute to acne, but vitamin deficiencies play a part too.
Carrots, Sweet Potato, Pumpkin and Milk Products – The production of sebum by the skin can cause acne. Sebum is a natural body oil that can clog pores, even though it also serves the purpose of moisturizing the skin and keeping it shiny. Too much sebum can cause problems. The vitamin A in carrots helps reduce sebum and helps those with acne caused by it. Large amounts of vitamin A can be found in orange vegetables as well as milk products.
Whole Grain Products – These contain the most complete package of vitamin B complex which is helpful in fighting acne.
Water – Water helps to hydrate the skin as well as cleanse it of unwanted toxins that can lead to acne.
Preventing Wrinkles
Fruits and Vegetables– Strawberries, kiwi, citrus, broccoli, green peppers and cabbage are all rich in vitamin C. Vitamin C helps boost collagen production, which in turn keeps skin younger looking and less wrinkled.
Oysters – Oysters are rich in zinc. Other lean meats, pumpkin, squash, nuts and milk also have zinc. Zinc can help ward of leathery skin by helping to repair skin cells.
Sugar – Sugar is bad for skin because in the bloodstream it attaches to proteins. It is transformed into a harmful molecule called advanced glycation end products. Inevitably is can harm collagen and that is a no no if you want younger looking skin.
Stem Cell Cream – It is a very good plan to always eat right, protect ourselves from the sun and other harmful free radicals, but it just doesn’t always happen that way. Do the best that you can with all of the above helpful hints, but supplement you wrinkle and sagging skin defenses with Stem Cell Cream. It will help the create the collagen and elastin that decreases over time and give your skin the added boost of rejuvenation it needs when you don’t always eat and do everything that your body would like you to!
