It’s no secret that having skin that glows can transform your look and make you feel more confident, but what’s the best way to get glowing skin? There are a lot of answers out there, from applying expensive lotions to getting monthly facials, but our favorite answer is simpler than you might think: Eat healthier!
After all, you can scrub your face until it’s raw and slather on the most luxurious products on the market, but if your body isn’t giving you healthy skin, you won’t see those results. There are many foods that have been proven to improve skin conditions and keep it healthy, but these foods stand out as some of the most important foods for glowing skin.
How Much Does Diet Affect Your Skin?
Your diet plays a major role in how your skin looks and feels. If you want to improve your complexion, get enough protein (which helps protect against sun damage), drink lots of water, and avoid refined sugars as much as possible. Certain foods also have specific benefits. To ensure healthy-looking skin, be sure to incorporate plenty of these foods into your diet.
Top 20 Best Foods To Eat for Glowing Skin
1. Cacao
Cacao is packed with antioxidants, which are great at fighting free radicals and making your skin look its best(1). It also has a good amount of Vitamin E, an essential nutrient that helps keep your skin smooth and soft.
Cacao is available in powder form in health food stores, or you can buy cacao nibs to grind yourself. It doesn’t take much to add cacao to your diet; just a tablespoon or two daily will give you noticeable results over time.
You can mix it into smoothies or sprinkle it on yogurt or cereal instead of sugar if you want to make a healthier breakfast treat!
2. Dark Leafy Greens
Dark leafy greens like spinach, kale, and collard greens are high in vitamin K—an essential nutrient involved in building and maintaining healthy skin. More specifically, a vitamin K deficiency can lead to thinning of the skin (which leads to flakiness), as well as an increased risk of bruising and excessive bleeding.
Incorporating a few servings of dark leafy greens into your weekly diet is all it takes to keep your skin looking its best. To get you started, try adding one cup of raw spinach or arugula to your next salad. Not only will you immediately notice brighter skin but it will also help reduce any blemishes and clear up acne breakouts caused by clogged pores!
3. Sweet Potatoes
Also known as yams, sweet potatoes are a natural cure-all food. They’re packed with a huge amount of beta-carotene, which converts to vitamin A in your body. Vitamin A is an antioxidant that helps protect against sun damage and aging (think wrinkles).
By eating sweet potatoes you’ll be helping to prevent skin damage from things like UVA rays, sun exposure, and cigarette smoke (which contain harmful free radicals). Sweet potatoes can even help correct issues like hyperpigmentation from acne scars or melasma caused by sun exposure. All these amazing benefits can be yours by adding sweet potatoes to your daily diet.
4. Pineapple
In addition to being a delicious and nutritious snack, pineapple is rich in bromelain, an enzyme that can help reduce inflammation. Inflammation under our skin means redness, pimples, and blemishes – none of which make us look radiant!
Since pineapple can help soothe and heal our skin from infections as well as allergies it is one of my favorite foods to eat regularly. Make sure you are getting a fresh pineapple or one that has not been sitting out all day. You can easily spot old pineapple by turning it upside down; if it smells like vinegar then it’s not going to have a lot of enzymes left in it and is probably best avoided.
5. Berries
Berries are packed with antioxidants that help boost collagen and elastin, which improves your skin’s ability to regenerate. However, most berries aren’t as rich in antioxidants as some other fruits.
For example, blueberries are among some of the healthiest foods you can eat, but they don’t come close to having as many antioxidants as pomegranates or acai berries. Still, eating berries a few times a week will help you achieve glowing skin.
The best way to incorporate more berries into your diet is by making smoothies with them; just be sure not to add any added sugar or simple carbs—they’ll just cause more damage than good!
6. Tomatoes
Tomatoes are packed with lycopene, an antioxidant that has been shown to slow down sun damage. Tomatoes also contain antioxidants like beta-carotene, vitamins C and E, and potassium. Tomatoes are also high in vitamin A; in fact, a half-cup of tomatoes contains about 2,500 IU of vitamin A.
This is important because it helps us keep our skin looking young by maintaining healthy cells, tissues, and organs. Vitamin A also supports skin cell growth as well as keeping our hair follicles healthy and encouraging new hair growth!
7. Salmon
Salmon is rich in vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown to improve your skin’s complexion. When you’re on a budget, wild salmon is a great alternative to costly skin products. Simply sear it, then sprinkle on some extra virgin olive oil or lemon juice—the vitamin C will keep your skin looking even better.
If you like canned fish, make sure it comes packed in water rather than brine; some cans contain added salt that can dehydrate your skin further. For optimal skin health, try to eat salmon at least twice a week.
8. Avocado
While both Avocado and banana are high in vitamin C, which is known to promote healthy skin, Avocado contains more. In addition to a dose of vitamin C, Avocado contains moisturizing omega-9 fatty acids and amino acids. Add one or two tablespoons of it in your salad or smoothie. You can also mash it and apply it directly on your face as an effective skin moisturizer.
Also Read: Avocado Oil Benefits, Uses and Side Effects
9. Watermelon
The magical fruit is packed with both vitamins and antioxidants that help to reduce inflammation in your skin, which leads to that dreaded redness. Another benefit? It hydrates your skin from within, making it great for dry or dehydrated complexions. The best way to eat watermelon? Top it with a little bit of lime juice and mint leaves—it’ll leave you refreshed and hydrated!
10. Apricot
Apricots are rich in beta-carotene, which is a form of Vitamin A. Beta-carotene is important for boosting your immune system and has powerful antioxidant properties. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals that can damage cells, causing premature aging and other skin problems.
Apricots are also high in potassium, which helps to lower blood pressure and reduces stress on arteries. This allows more blood flow to feed damaged skin tissue from sun exposure. Potassium may also prevent collagen breakdown so wrinkles become less visible.
11. Broccoli
This little green head of goodness is packed with nutrients that work together to provide powerful anti-aging benefits. Broccoli contains glucoraphanin, which is converted into sulforaphane in your gut.
Both these compounds have been shown to inhibit enzymes that break down collagen and elastin, which gives you firmer skin and a reduced appearance of wrinkles.
Additionally, broccoli has also been shown to protect your skin against sun damage due to its high antioxidant content
12. Kale
It’s true, kale is one of nature’s most nutrient-dense foods. It’s full of fiber and other healthy vitamins and minerals, including iron, calcium, potassium, and vitamin K. In fact, a cup of kale contains up to five times more vitamin C than an orange!
One major benefit of eating kale regularly is that it has been shown to help fight certain types of cancer by reducing oxidative stress. This can slow down or prevent cells from becoming damaged in your body. Furthermore, a single serving (1/2 cup) contains over 100% of your daily requirement of Vitamin A. What does that mean? It helps keep your skin healthy by fighting off free radicals and anti-aging effects.
13. Sunflower Seeds
These seeds are a good source of vitamin E, which helps protect your skin from oxidative stress. They’re also high in phytosterols, which have been found to have similar effects. This is key when it comes to preventing and treating acne by helping reduce inflammation and excess sebum production.
Sunflower seeds also contain zinc, which has been shown to regulate oil production in skin cells. When that’s in check, your pores stay clear and healthy-looking. For an easy snack that also packs some protein and vitamins, try topping off a bowl of sunflower seeds with pumpkin or sunflower butter. You can find these on Amazon as well if you don’t have access to them locally!
Also Read: Health Benefits of Dry Fruits
14. Kiwi
The number-one superfood to help you fight acne is kiwi. Not only is it an excellent source of vitamin C, which boosts your body’s collagen production, but eating kiwi helps fight inflammation, a major cause of acne breakouts.
In fact, those who consume two or more servings of fruits and vegetables a day have 10 percent less acne than those who don’t. So if you want that beach-ready skin all year long, eat up!
15. Soy
Soy products contain isoflavones, which can help improve complexion by relieving dryness and flaking. They may also keep your skin looking young as they fight against aging processes. Soy foods include tofu, edamame, soy milk, and miso soup.
If you’re not a fan of soy milk or tofu, check labels to see if other soy products are included in your cereal or granola bars. Some brands add hidden sources of soy to their food products so read ingredient lists carefully!
16. Papaya
Papaya contains an enzyme called papain, which has been proven to help aid in exfoliation. Simply apply some fresh papaya to your face, let it sit until it begins to dry, and rinse off with warm water.
Papaya also helps clear skin by reducing inflammation in addition to a variety of other antioxidants. Eating papaya is also said to help balance oil production on your skin’s surface naturally. Good news! It tastes delicious too!
17. Pomegranates
Pomegranates are rich in antioxidants and Vitamin C, which help fight free radicals. Free radicals are what damage your skin and lead to wrinkles so consuming foods that fight them is super important.
Pomegranates also have anti-inflammatory properties and contain phytochemicals called ellagitannins, which boost collagen production under your skin to keep it firm. That said, you may want to avoid pomegranates if you’re pregnant because they can cause uterine contractions.
18. Grapes
The antioxidants and polyphenols in grapes are powerful free radical scavengers, meaning they can protect your skin from UV rays and environmental stressors that lead to wrinkles. And there’s another bonus: when you eat grapes, you get a large dose of resveratrol, which may even help prevent diabetes.
Grapes are a good source of vitamin C too. And to reap all these benefits from grapes (without overdoing it on sugar), try making your own version of grape juice by pureeing and straining about one pound of red or green seedless grapes. It doesn’t contain as much vitamin C as orange juice does but is higher in dietary fiber.
19. Green Tea
Green tea is full of antioxidants and other nutrients that are essential for good skin health. Antioxidants neutralize free radicals, which cause oxidative stress on our bodies, thereby contributing to premature aging.
Green tea also promotes collagen production in our skin, which helps slow down signs of aging such as wrinkles and fine lines. For glowing skin, we suggest you drink a glass of freshly brewed green tea daily. However, if you can’t stomach regular green tea (or don’t like its taste), Matcha powder is an excellent alternative with similar anti-aging properties.
20. Gooseberry
You may not have heard of them, but these diminutive fruits are packed with vitamin C and antioxidants, which makes them great at boosting your immunity. They’re also rich in iron, which is vital to keep you energized all day long.
Fruits like gooseberries can help reduce blemishes and give you a smoother skin tone. If you can find them, eat gooseberries raw or turn them into juice. The tart flavor may take some getting used to but it’s worth it when you see how good your skin looks after a couple of weeks!
Conclusion
In order to get glowing skin, you need to eat healthy foods. Getting enough fruits and vegetables in your diet is important but if you want your skin to glow from within then you should add these foods for glowing skin items into your daily regimen.
Fruits and veggies are extremely healthy, but these foods for glowing skin items do even more than keep you fit and trim, they will help your body detoxify and give your skin a youthful glow that everyone will notice. Try adding one of these foods at a time to see which ones work best for you.
If you’re currently not getting enough fruits or vegetables into your diet, making small changes could be all it takes to get glowing skin.
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