Miracle Foods For Healthy Skin

By:   Kate Parham 

 

Does beauty truly come from within?

No, we’re not talking about what a good person you are (though, we’re sure you’re delightful!); rather, does what we eat really affect our skin? Are those potato chips causing your acne? Will eating fresh fruits and veggies prevent wrinkles?

It’s a controversial topic in medicine, one with conflicting evidence and opinions. But Dr. Jessica Wu, author of the new book Feed Your Face: Younger, Smoother Skin and a Beautiful Body in 28 Delicious Days, is convinced: “Despite what most doctors tell their patients, I believe that what we eat does affect our skin."

Dr. Wu came to this conclusion after monitoring and analyzing her patient’s food choices for more than 15 years at her dermatology practice. “The science clearly shows many instances in which food choices are linked to conditions like acne, rashes and sun damage,” says Dr. Wu.

Dawn Gallagher, model, TV host and author of the new book Nature’s Beauty Secrets: Recipes for Beauty Treatments from the World’s Best Spas, agrees. “In order to keep your skin looking healthy, you need to maintain a diet that is well-balanced nutritionally,” says Gallagher. Poor nutrition can negatively affect the skin’s ability to renew and heal itself, but improved diet often results in younger looking skin, possibly even partially reversing the signs of aging, says Gallagher.

Gallagher goes on to say, “Skin care products are a lot less likely to be effective if your skin is lacking in the essential nutrients." So even if you’re using the right products, it may not make a difference if your diet is lacking.

Just as both diet and exercise are important for maintaining a healthy body weight, both nutrition and products are important for achieving healthy skin. “Some people respond more quickly to prescription medications, while others respond better to a change in their diet,” explains Dr. Wu, who sends most of her patients home with a “prescription” for the right foods AND the right products.

Eat This
If you want hydrated, firm, radiant skin, sans acne, wrinkles and rashes, eat a diet high in these nutrients:

• Vitamin A: Without Vitamin A, our skin turns dry, itchy and it loses its elasticity.
  • Prescription: Eat carrots, spinach, broccoli, melons and apricots, says Gallagher.
• Zinc: Working with Vitamin A to produce collagen and elastin, the fibers in Zinc give your skin its firmness and strength, says Gallagher. Plus, studies show it may be even better at treating acne than antibiotics.
  • Prescription: Eat beans, whole grains, nuts and fortified breakfast cereals.
• Vitamin C: To keep your skin firm, eat a diet high in Vitamin C.
  • Prescription: Eat citrus fruits, cabbage, strawberries, watermelon and tomatoes.
• Vitamin E: An antioxidant, Vitamin E neutralizes free radicals that cause aging.
  • Prescription: Eat almonds, hazelnuts and wheat germ.
• Lycopene: This antioxidant has been shown to protect against sun damage, says Gallagher, and to improve fine lines, hydration, elasticity and radiance.
  • Prescription: Eat tomatoes, which are high in lycopene.
• Omega-3 fatty acids: These anti-inflammatory nutrients help calm rashes, itchy skin and acne, actually reversing damage and decreasing hormones associated with increased oil production (read: clogged pores)
  • Prescription: Eat oily fish, like salmon, sardines and trout, at least twice a week.
• Silicon: Silicon helps hair and nails grow longer, thicker and healthier
  • Prescription: Eat green beans, whole grains, lentils and spinach.
  
  Avoid this
  Just as some foods improve the quality of your skin, others just make it worse. Check it out:
  
• Dairy: Full of hormones, even the organic kind, dairy (including milk, cheese, and yogurt) can aggravate acne, says Dr. Wu.
• Refined grains: Refined grains break down into sugar, which increases inflammation, in turn breaking down collagen in your skin, says Dr. Wu. Avoid white breads, pasta and tortillas.
• Sugar: Steer away from foods made with sugar (white, brown, powdered, and raw) as well as corn syrup, honey and molasses, which offer little to the diet except extra calories, says Dr. Wu. 

Play with your food
“Spas offer us a place to rest the mind, renew the body and re-evaluate our lives,” says Gallagher, whose book facilitates this process by suggesting simple recipes for at-home spa treatments, all of which can be made with what’s already sitting in your pantry or fridge. A few tips to remember:

• “Some items in these recipes, especially essential oils, are very strong,” explains Gallagher. “They should never be eaten, no matter how yummy they smell. Many ingredients should not be used if you have certain medical conditions, like high or low blood pressure or epilepsy, or if you are pregnant. If you are unsure, consult your physician first.”
• Before slathering any product all over your body, test it on a small area, like the inside of your arm or just under your hairline for facial products, recommends Gallagher.
• Use organic ingredients whenever possible. “Pesticides are not pretty.”
• Take your time. “Enjoy the scents and sensations of fresh fruits, exotic essences, and pungent herbs,” says Gallagher. “In this hurried, harried world, quiet, contemplative time to your-self is an absolute necessity. Stress can dull the most lustrous complexion, cause nails to crack and break and turn hair brittle and lifeless.”

Peach power
Peach kernel oil is rich in vitamin E, making it great for nourishing the skin without leaving a greasy feel. High in antioxidants, peaches protect skin from damaging UV rays by counteracting free radical activity, and applied topically they improve the strength, elasticity and general appearance of the skin. The following recipes use the power of the peach to hydrate your skin and battle the effects of the sun and environment—a must for dry and mature skin.

Peachy Keen Facial Mask

• ½ –1 ripe peach
• 1–2 Tbsp peach kernel oil, olive oil, or almond oil

1. Mash peach in a bowl, removing skin and pit. Mix with just enough warm peach kernel oil, olive oil, or almond oil to form a spreadable paste. You can also prick a small vitamin E capsule and add the oil to the mixture.
2. Apply with small brush or cotton pads. Leave on for 10 to 15 minutes. Rinse off with tepid water.

Fresh-as-a-Peach Moisturizer

• ½ –1 Tbsp almond oil or peach kernel oil
• 1 tsp peach juice
• Drop of honey

1. Mix ingredients together in small bowl and rub gently into face (or hands and nails).

 

Kate Parham

Kate Parham is a Washington D.C.-based freelance writer who reports on health, consumer finance and lifestyle topics. Her work has been published in dozens of consumer magazines and online including USA Today, Real Simple, Self, Cooking Light and countless others. 

Nanci Babcock

Minerva Place Founding Member

http://nanci.minervaplace.com