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The Best Food for Healthy and Sexy Skin and Hair
If you think of food only in terms of losing weight or lowering your cholesterol,
listen up. Your skin can be negatively affected by many factors including sun
exposure, smoking, not drinking enough fluids, pollution, and hormonal changes.
A sedentary lifestyle where the couch and remote control see more action than
you do, stress, aging and poor eating habits all contribute to the overall
health and look of your skin.
Nutrition is a major player in skin and hair health. You've heard the saying,
'you are what you eat?' I can think of a dozen foods off the top of my head along
with the various vitamins, minerals, protein, and antioxidants that they provide
to your body which can help make a difference in your skin and hair.
Here's your food prescription
Lean red meat, turkey, lentils, eggs for protein:
Important for making new skin cells and skin repair. The iron in the protein
carries oxygen to your cells all over the body including hair follicles. Many women
do not get enough protein.
Peanut butter, avocado, almonds, wheat germ for vitamin E:
Good for skin repair and a strong anti oxidant. Vitamin E helps to keep healthy
skin cells healthy.
Strawberries and blueberries, broccoli, oranges, red peppers for vitamin C:
important in collagen production and skin elasticity.
Mango, apricots, carrots, and sweet potatoes for beta carotene:
This antioxidant helps prevent premature aging and has a role in the growth
and repair of skin.
Salmon, walnuts, flaxseeds for omega-3 fats:
Keep the cells that make up your skin healthy.
Water:
Your body is well over 60% water. Water is what keeps skin moist and hydrated.
Overdoing it on alcohol and caffeine can dehydrate the skin. A good rule of thumb
is for every alcoholic beverage you drink or cup of coffee or soda with caffeine,
follow it with a glass of water.
If you want your skin and hair to look healthy and sexy, spend some of your
money on these great foods to nourish the inside of your body instead of only
products for the outside. You truly are what you eat. Bon appetite!
Source: Copyright of Dr. Susan Mitchell and Practicalories, Inc. reprinted here with permission.
Dr. Susan Mitchell is an award-winning registered dietitian. She serves on
the health and medical advisory board of Family Circle magazine
and is co-author of three books: Fat is not your fate ,
I'd Kill For a Cookie, and
and Eat to Stay Young: The Anti-Aging Program .
A reliable source to the media, she has appeared on
The Today Show, CNN, the TV Food Network, and the Daily Buzz. Dr. Mitchell
is also quoted extensively in Reader's Digest, Time, Redbook, Fitness, and
Cooking Light.
Editorial Staff, August 2007
Last update, August 2008
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