Your food choices greatly impact the health and appearance of your skin. Increasing your intake of healthy fats and certain vitamins can help you achieve the glowing complexion you’ve always dreamed about!
Our body uses monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats (a.k.a. fatty acids or healthy fats) to maintain our skin’s protective oil barrier, which keeps skin hydrated and young-looking. These healthy fats are also essential to many normal body functions like blood clotting, muscle movement, and fighting inflammation.
The food you eat is also an extra layer of defense from harmful UV rays. Vitamins C and E are two common nutrients that help protect you from wrinkles, signs of aging, and skin cancer as a result of UV exposure.
Luckily, there are plenty of common foods that boost skin health. In fact, some of these may already be a part of your everyday diet.
Dark chocolate
This secretly healthy sweet treat is packed with antioxidants that benefit your skin. Cocoa helps protect against sun damage and stimulates blood flow to your skin, keeping it hydrated. Go ahead, grab that square of chocolate you’ve been thinking about. The higher the cocoa content, the better!
Almonds
Vitamin E found in almonds helps protect your skin from environmental toxins and UV damage. They also contain linoleic acid, a healthy fat that hydrates the skin, keeping it plump and glowing. You could always snack on plain almonds, but for something a little more interesting, try almond butter or tossing sliced almonds on a salad.
Avocados
This popular superfood is packed with skin-boosting greatness, including fatty acids and vitamin E. Compounds found in avocados help repair damaged skin and increase its elasticity, which reduces the appearance of wrinkles. If you need more avocados in your life, let us know, and we can include them in your next office fruit delivery!
Natural oils
The oil you use when cooking at home can have a positive impact on your skin. Less-refined oils such as avocado oil, olive oil, canola oil, and sunflower oil contain high amounts of healthy fats that keep your skin hydrated. Incorporate more healthy oils into your diet by making your own salad vinaigrettes. Oh, and feel free to use skin health as an excuse to hog the bread and oil at the Italian restaurant.
Check out this winter citrus salad recipe that will give your immune system and skin a boost with avocado, almonds, oranges, and homemade vinaigrette!