Best Foods for Clear Skin

Don’t we all find it necessary to have clear and healthy skin? For sure, acne can be a huge pain, bringing on plenty of anxiety and anguish. There are many products that can help prevent or treat acne and other skin issues; but one of the most effective ways to improve your skin’s quality is by eating foods that include healthy vitamins and antioxidants, which also carries rewards for our entire bodies. Here we will look at some specific food groups and how they contribute to having clearer skin.

Fruits and Vegetables

Fruits and vegetables include vitamins C and E and antioxidants that have been found in multiple studies to be good for your skin’s health. 

Vitamin C, found in citrus fruit, bell peppers, some berries, kiwi, guava, and parsley, can help fight wrinkles and heal blemishes.

Avocados are a great source of vitamin E and natural fats, which can improve skin elasticity and decrease damage from free radicals (simply, atomic particle reactions that cause our bodies to age over time). 

Tomatoes are a great source of lycopene, an antioxidant that works towards having smooth skin.

Nuts and Seeds

A variety of nuts can be good for your skin. Walnuts have abundant supplies of omega-3 and omega-6, while flax seeds are rich in omega-3. These fatty acids have been found to reduce skin damage from UV rays and preserve collagen that helps retain skin firmness.

Zinc appears to have a correlation to acne: a study in the BioMed Research International Journal found that participants with lower levels of zinc had more severe acne. There are many foods that contain zinc, with pumpkin seeds, cashews, quinoa, and lentils having the largest reserves of the mineral. 

Seafood

Seafood also contains omega-3 fatty acids and zinc. Cold water fatty fish — such as salmon, sardines, and herring — are the best for bringing omega-3 and vitamin E to your diet, with a host of other benefits for brain and heart health. Meanwhile, shellfish from both crustaceans and mollusks (such as oysters and crabs) provide significant quantities of zinc. 

Water

A major part of skin health that can be easily overlooked (and often the simplest to do) is keeping your body properly hydrated. While the common recommendation is six to eight glasses of water per day, every human body is different. When in doubt, thirst can be taken as a warning signal to hydrate. 

Many foods from the fruits and vegetables group are also high in water content, with tomatoes being one of the densest sources.

Our Largest Organ

Skin is the largest organ that humans have, and it is quite often taken to be a visual representation of our inner health. To showcase the largest organ of our body in the best way possible, eating right is a necessity.

Vanessa Huasasquiche | Contributing Writer

Fall 2024

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