The Key to Having Natural Beautiful Skin

Beautiful skin!  It's something we all aspire for, women and men.   No one wants dry, blotchy, rough, uneven skin and we certainly try to avoid getting acne.  We will go to get our facials and expensive creams in hopes of getting and maintaining the perfect youthful and soft skin.  In the end, what ever the creams and facial couldn't fix we will cover up with make up.  I have been there so many times and this is why I can speak on it so well.

How satisfying is this routine?  I will admit that it can be fun to try new creams, wearing make up, and there is definitely nothing wrong with a facial but it kind of takes the fun out of it when you have to depend on these things to have the type of skin.

We all have envied the lady who proclaims to have on no make up and seems to have great skin.  We assume it's just in her genes and we wish that we had her natural beautiful skin.  Well, I have a secret to share with you.  Your quest for naturally beautiful skin is no further than your plate!  It is pretty much known that eating healthy improves your over all well being inside and out.  But there are certain foods that will do wonders for your skin.

First, I will briefly cover the foods that you should avoid because they are known for damaging the skin.  Refined carbohydrates, sugar, salty foods, bad fats, soda and caffeine are all damaging to the skin especially when consumed over a long period of time.  Refined carbohydrates clogs pores which causes acne.  These food include any cakes, sweet, and processed foods.  Sugar affects the collagen in your body by depleting the function of protein in the body.  Too many salty foods draw out the moisture in the skin cells which will lead to loss of elasticity.  Eating bad fats depletes the amount of oxygen to the skin cells.  Oxygen supports the production of elastin and collagen in the skin.  Soda contains a lot of sugar and artificial ingredients.  As we have already mention these ingredients affects the skin in a damaging way which will lead to skin rashes and acne.  Caffeine amplifies any stress that you may endure which then deprives the skin of oxygen and blood.  This will make the skin look lifeless and dull.

Now that we have covered what will harm our skin when consumed, I will go over what is the best foods to eat for our skin.  I want to share what I have found to be the top five foods that are great for the skin and also give information on foods that are not the top five but  are also very helpful to the skin.  The top five foods would be water, Salmon (and other fatty fish), blueberries, carrots, and green/black tea.

Water is needed to keep the skin hydrated.  For men up to 60% of the body is made up of water and for women it is 55%.  Water prevents our skin from being dry and it rejuvenates our skin cells.

Salmon and other fatty fish contains the healthy fats that we need for our skin.  These fats or Omega-3 nourishes the skin and reduces the production of inflammatory substances in the body.  It also prevents pores for clogging and skin from wrinkling.

Some experts consider blueberries to be the food that contains the most antioxidants which protect the skin from cell damage.  This berry contains a load of vitamin C, E, fiber, and riboflavin which all fights the aging process of the skin leaving it looking younger longer.

Vitamin A is also know for protecting the skin cells from damage.  The carrot is a vegetable that provides a great amount of Vitamin A along with potassium and biotin.

A lot of people do not know or are just learning the benefits of green and black tea.  Some are still not aware of all the benefits it provides the skin.  These teas are rich with antioxidants that protect the skin and fights acne.  Green tea also protects against sun damage and ultra violet light.  This protection will ultimately reduces the risk of cancer.

Those are the top five basic foods that I found to work wonders for the skin.  This list is great to start your quest for beautiful skin.  But there are also a few other foods that I must touch on that are fantastic for the skin.

Sweet potatoes!  A lot of people love them so maybe this food will be an easy one to incorporate into your meals.  This root is know for giving skin an even and smooth complexion.  There are large amount of beta carotene in sweet potatoes which converts to vitamin A in the body.  A serving of sweet  potato can give you up to 700% of the US RDA for vitamin A.   Keep in mind that a lot of the creams we purchase contain retinol and retinoic acid are derived from vitamin A.

Watercress is currently being raved about due to it's profound affects the battle against aging.  Like most vegetables, you will get the benefit that watercress provides if you eat it raw.  You can put it in a salad, smoothie, a sandwich or even on pasta.  Research has shown that if you eat watercress once a day you should notice younger skin and even a noticeable reduction of facial wrinkles.

Other foods that are recommended to include in your diet to achieve healthy skin include beans, peas, lentils, nut, tomatoes, mackerel and other fatty fish.  The beautiful thing about the foods mentioned is that not only will you have beautiful skin but you well be healthy from the inside out.

So go head and fix yourself a watercress salad topped with Salmon or juice vegetables and fruits to make a great power breakfast drink when you're on the go.  You may be able to reap the benefits of having someone ask you what type of make up do you wear and you can say, "I'm not wearing any".

I hope you have enjoyed my findings on how to have life long beautiful skin.  My name is Nicole Coles and I have a passion for all things natural.  I believe that going back to the basics of real food and skin care is the key to a long healthy life.  I have always had this passion but it intensified when I lost my father to diabetes complications in 2011.  Because I now believe whole heartily that our food is our medicine, I dedicate my life to researching, learning, and then sharing what are the best foods to eat to be in the best physical and mental health possible.

nicolecoles.blogspot.com
first photo is from www.comluv.com