Looking to keep your youthful glow? Consider what you’re putting on your plate! There’s no stopping the hands of time, but you can certainly give your skin an edge by boosting it with the nutrients needed to help it do its best, aka anti-aging eating.
Aging is a natural process, and there’s no need to consider it a burden. You can, however, feel like you’re aging more gracefully by making sure your skin gets all the nutrients it needs. Some food items carry stronger nutrient concentrations that correlate to healthy skin and a youthful appearance.
If it helps you feel more confident, what’s to lose? After all, these foods are generally beneficial for other aspects of health and wellness, too – so there’s no unwarranted risk to adding them into your diet.
What Happens to Skin as it Ages?
Skin has two major proteins that are essential – collagen and elastin. These proteins are responsible for skin elasticity, strength, moisture retention, and an overall more ‘youthful’ appearance. And – as you guessed it – these are the two proteins that dwindle down over the years, due to a rise in free radicals, long-term sun exposure, and other factors that can cause cell damage. When collagen and elastin taper down and lose potency, skin becomes drier and more fragile, thereby emphasizing wrinkles, sagging, and other signs of aging.
The Basics of Nutri-Cosmetics
By eating foods that are rich in the specific nutrients needed to help skin stay strong, you can effectively reduce the signs of aging. The science of using nutrition to achieve cosmetic results naturally is called nutri-cosmetics.
There are a few factors that make a food potentially useful for nutri-cosmetics. For one, foods that are rich in Vitamin C are great, because this vitamin fights free radicals and helps enzymes produce collagen. Foods with linoleic acid are also helpful for keeping skin from becoming thinner, thus reducing the severity of wrinkles. Avoiding sugary foods is also recommended.
Of course, there is no cure-all when it comes to nutri-cosmetics, but the advantage of this science is that it is a more natural approach to cosmetics, as opposed to surgery, medication, or intense product usage. Plus, anti-aging foods generally contribute to a healthy, balanced diet anyway!
5 Anti-Aging Foods
There are plenty of foods considered ‘healthy’ for the body, but these are some of the foods that nutritionists and dermatologists agree are particularly beneficial for helping skin look its best.
1) Red Peppers
Peppers are a powerhouse! Loaded with Vitamin C, red peppers offer solid anti-aging properties. Green peppers are good, too!
2) Pomegranate Seeds
Another great source of Vitamin C, these little red seeds help protect the body from free radical damage.
3) Walnuts
Walnuts are a natural source of linoleic acid. Bonus – walnuts are great for heart health, too!
4) Oatmeal
Oatmeal and other whole grains (brown rice, quinoa) can combat inflammation and provide a good amount of B Vitamins, which are great for the skin.
5) Broccoli
Offering tons of antioxidants, Vitamins C and K, and folate, broccoli has lots of anti-aging properties. Plus, it’s an awesome source of fiber and calcium.
These five food sources are all great options for supporting skin health. And they’re quite easy to include in a range of recipes, too! Enjoy.
