When you feel good, you look good and when you look good, you feel good. It sounds cliche to say "you are what you eat" but the fact of the matter is, it’s true. What you put into your body can be just as important as what you put on it. Providing your body with optimal levels of nutrients is so important to helping you look and feel good.
Want a glorious complexion even as you age? Here are some foods that improve your complexion from the inside out.
6 Foods for Healthy Skin
1. Chia Seeds - Chia seeds are great for your skin for a number of reasons. First, they’re great for hydration. Chia seeds can actually absorb 10-12 times their weight in water. Adding a few tablespoons of chia seeds to your water bottle everyday will do a lot to hydrate you. And when you're hydrated, it shows on your skin. Additionally, chia seeds have omega 3 fatty acids, which are also good for your complexion. These seeds are also high in fibre which aid in lowering blood pressure and helping those with digestive issues.
Add chia seeds, to cereal, yogurt, in smoothies or on top of salads and stir-fry bowls too.
2. Avocado - Avocado contains Vitamin E, a nutrient that’s key to improving your skin’s health. They are high in healthy fats which help keep your skin flexible and moisturized. These fatty acids also help to repair and replenish the skin’s protective layers. It's one of those perfect foods for healthy skin.
Add slices of avocado to salads, on sandwiches, in a smoothie or even use as a face mask to hydrate your skin.
3. Carrots - Carrots are loaded with beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant that prevents the skin cells from damage and as a result, slows aging. Carrot are also a great source of antioxidants and can help treat many skin issues such as acne, rashes and dry skin.
Enjoy raw carrots as a snack, shredded into a salad or roast them. In fact, carrot juice can do wonders for your skin.
4. Nuts & Seeds - Most nut and seeds such as almonds, brazil nuts, walnuts and sunflower seeds to name a few are packed with vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. They provide several benefits for your health including your hair, nails and skin.
Grab a handful of dry, unsalted nuts and seeds as a snack, add them to salads, stir-fry, or enjoy a variety of nut butters on toast or in smoothies.
5. Green Tea - The antioxidants you get from green tea are among the most potent in the world. Green, black, and oolong tea contain large quantities of polyphenols, a class of bioflavonoids that have been shown to have anti-aging qualities. Like many antioxident foods, green tea can protect your skin from sun damage and aid in reducing facial redness.
Try starting your day with a warm cup of green tea. You can also find green tea extract in our Zax's Facial Redness Cream.
6. Dark Chocolate - Dark chocolate contains flavonoids, an antioxidant that reduces rough skin and helps with wrinkles, hydration and skin texture. Dark chocolate with at least 70% cocoa or high quality cocoa powder protects the skin from sun damage.
Choose to eat dark chocolate with 70% cocoa or higher as a treat, use cocoa powder or nibs in smoothies, on yogurt and when baking.
Written by, Alyssa Rolnick, Co-Founder of Zax’s Original Products, Registered Dietitian and Mother of a very busy household.