Certified Nutritionist Karishma Chawla writes about foods that make your skin healthy.
The most powerful strategy you can employ to have beautiful skin is to get optimal nutrition. Skin requires abundant supply of nutrients to look and feel it’s best. Your skin is highly responsive to what you eat. Therefore, a well-balanced diet with right proportions of nutrients is a must. It must have complex fibrous carbohydrates, lean complete protein and good fats with right quantity of omega 3 fatty acids. A good hydration status and antioxidants are important, too.
Certified Nutritionist Karishma Chawla suggests different foods for the aging skin and those to suit different skin types.
Healthy ageing skin foods
The best way to slow the aging of skin on a cellular level is to keep body cells from oxidizing. And the best strategy is to have antioxidant rich foods and supplements.
Lean protein: Low fat milk and milk products and lean meats like chicken, fish and egg whites.
Skin is made up of protein. Hence fueling skin with complete or first class protein enhances it. This bracket of food can be consumed in all the three meals of the day.
Omega 3 rich foods: Avocado, olive oil, salmon, tuna, walnuts, and flaxseeds.
Omega 3 rich foods helps in retaining good moisture for the skin giving it a supple look.
Zinc rich foods: Sesame seeds, pumpkin, poultry, beans, chickpeas, almonds, peas, and mushrooms.
These help combat acne and help maintain collagen levels.
Vitamin C: Green leafy veggies, broccoli, parsley, bell peppers, papaya, asparagus, and cauliflower
Vitamin E: Nuts, whole grains, green leafy vegetables, avocado, tomatoes, apples and carrots
Foods for dry skin
- Consume good fats like olive and rice bran oil for cooking.
- Add omega 3 fats like walnuts, fish, supplements for suppleness and moisture.
- A minimum of three litres of plain or infused water minimum
- Add other fluids like vegetable juices, lime water, and coconut water
- Avocado
Foods for oily skin
- Go low on sugar and avoid refined carbohydrates
- Avoid dairy. You can consume almond milk instead
- Avoid bad fats like the ones present in fried and/or packaged foods and full fat meat and dairy products. These lead to inflammation.
- Consume high fibre whole grains like jowar, bajra and oats
Foods for sensitive skin
- Avoid foods that you are allergic to. Keep a food journal for record.
- Avoid junk food and spicy food.
- Add raw foods in the form of sprouted beans, seeds, nuts, fruits, and salads to your meals.
- Anti-inflammatory foods like omega 3 rich and antioxidants
- Foods rich in vitamins C and E
A balanced meal is the key to maintain good skin health. The foods mentioned need to be added or subtracted based on your bio-individuality.
