What Should I Eat to Get Beautiful Skin?

What we put inside our body affects the outside. This is why a lot of people are careful with what they eat. I don't follow a strict diet. I'm pretty happy with myself. I'm not perfect but I'm happy. I eat what I want but I am mindful of the dishes I cook and the food I eat. In general, I am not a huge junk food eater. I do get the occasional craving for chips and sweets but after that, I can do without them for a long time.

I am getting older and now I am more careful with my food choices. Aging is becoming a concern and so I want to help my body delay the signs of aging with these foods.

Salmon and Tuna

Salmon is a bit expensive here but I found a brand that sells frozen ones at a more affordable price. So, salmon has become a regular in our weekly menu. Salmon is an oily fish and you can get biotin from it. Biotin is a B-vitamin that produces fatty acids and metabolizes amino acids. It prevents your skin from becoming scaly. Tuna is another good source of biotin.

10-minute salmon dinner

Aside from biotin, tuna also has selenium which preserves elastin, a protein that keeps your skin smooth and tight. It is also believed to protect you against damaging UV rays. Half a cup per day of this canned fish can help. Be sure to choose the low sodium version. If you're pregnant, please ask your doctor first before consuming fish.

Cheesy Tuna Pasta

Sweet potatoes, carrots, spinach

These vegetables are rich in vitamin A. They enhance skin color and appearance. Eating a produce-rich diet also keeps your cells and skin hydrated. Sweet potatoes contain vitamin C and the body needs it to produce collagen. The more collagen you have, the less creased your skin looks. In a study published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, volunteers who consumed about 4 mg of vitamin C (or half a small sweet potato) daily for three years reduced the appearance of wrinkles by 11%. Natural botox, anyone?

Spinach has folate that helps repair and maintain DNA. They help bolster the cells' ability to renew themselves. This reduces the likelihood of cancer-cell growth. Aside from protecting you against cancer, spinach has water in it that penetrates cell membranes resulting to plumper and less wrinkled skin. 

Spinach and olive rice

Spinach is quite expensive here but I think I need to 'invest' in it. 

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are popular in Filipino cuisine. We use them with garlic and onions as a base for many dishes. When you cook tomatoes before eating them, you get a good boost of lycopene, a phytochemical that makes tomatoes red and helps eliminate skin-aging free radicals caused by UV rays. Just half a cup of cooked tomatoes or pasta sauce has 16 mg of lycopene. A good dose of tomatoes and some sunscreen will protect your skin. 

Chicken Tomato Stars Soup

Almonds 

We love nuts and almonds are one of our top choices. Almonds are packed with vitamin E and helps maintain the skin healthy. Vitamin E may also protect the skin from sun damage but of course, almonds are not a replacement for sunscreen so you still need your regular dose of SPF. 

Sunflower seeds

My son loves snacking on sunflower seeds. I'm not a huge fan. I prefer pumpkin seeds but seeing as these tiny seeds are an excellent source of vitamin E, I think I need to start snacking with my son. Aside from sun protection, vitamin E also protects the skin from damage caused by free radicals in both the environment and in the body. Excessive free radicals can harm body and skin cells.

Chocolate-covered sunflower seeds (maybe this will make me eat them)

Brown rice

I tried brown rice once before and I'd have to say that I didn't like it. Being used to white rice, it's really hard to make a transition. I know it's better than white so I've been looking around for good recipes that feature brown rice. It's worth a second shot. Brown rice lowers the glycemic index so you get lesser inflammation and acne flair-ups. I will be cooking some brown rice next week and will be featuring it in my food blog. 

Orange juice

A lot of people say that juice is actually harmful to the body as they are mainly composed of sugars. We like homemade fresh fruit shakes. I know that orange juice is good to increase the body's sugar level as it is advised for diabetics when they need a sugar boost. I also drink a glass of OJ when I feel dizzy when my sugar is low. But, did you know that OJ is also a good antioxidant that protects the skin and other cells from damage from free radicals? OJ is packed with vitamin C that also helps create collagen, your body's main structural protein. 

There you go! I think I know what you're going to put in your grocery cart the next time you go shopping. I know mine will include all of the above. Happy eating and enjoy your beautiful skin!

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