Eat Your Way Into Beauiful Summer Skin

Scrumptious summer skin

In continuation of yesterday where I wrote about tomatoes being good for your skin, I am posting this one also.  Here are some other yummy garden treats that your skin will find simply delicious!

Does what you eat really affect your skin? You bet it does! Dermatologists earlier dismissed the link between food and skin health as myth, but research is beginning to show that there may be a degree of truth in keeping a healthy glow through monitoring what you eat.

Sun, SPF and scrumptious skin

Come summer, the harmful UV rays of the sun (UVA and UVB), takes their toll on our skin. In particular, the face and back of the hands, which are the most exposed parts of the body, get more weathered than other more protected areas. Obviously, sunlight is a major factor that leads to skin damage.

Besides making sure you use a good SPF factor sun cream on your face and hands try including the following foods in your diet, which will help rejuvenate tired, dry and damaged skin. Some foods even offer natural protection against the suns harmful UV rays.

Eating for scrumptious skin

1) Eat plenty of foods rich in vitamin C such as strawberries, blackcurrants, blueberries, broccoli, cauliflower, oranges, and sweet potatoes. Vitamin C helps to produce collagen that strengthens the capillaries that feed the skin. Also vital for a clear complexion.

2) Make sure you get enough omega-3 and omega-6 – both essential fatty acids. You’ll get omega-3 from oily fish, such as salmon, tuna and mackerel but plant sources like linseeds and flax oil are excellent, too. For omega-6 try safflower, sunflower and corn oils. Omega 3 fatty acids have been shown to offer natural protection against UVA and UVB skin damage.

3) Eat foods rich in vitamin E such as almonds, avocado, hazelnuts, pine nuts and sunflower and corn oils as well as spinach. Vitamin E helps manage cell membranes, skin, nerves and red blood cells and reduce the appearance of scar tissue. Due to its antioxidant activity vitamin E also plays a role in the anti-aging of skin.

4) Zinc-rich foods, such as wheat germ, liver, pumpkin seeds, sardines and oysters, help to repair skin damage and keep it soft and supple. A bunch of summer vegetables contain notable amounts of zinc such as green peas, bean sprouts, asparagus and summer squash.

5) Drink plenty of water to rehydrate your skin - aim for six/eight glasses (250ml) a day. Tea, coffee and juices all count, but try to limit caffeine and fizzy drink consumption. Green tea is great; while all teas are rich in skin-loving antioxidants, anti-inflammatory substances called catechins in green tea are thought to be especially beneficial.

And lastly, don’t forget about cucumbers! While they are not in the above list, their skin beautifying properties come not from being digested but from being applied directly to the skin. Cucumbers have the same pH level as your skin, a fact that helps refurbish your skin’s protective and natural acid balance.

So if you’re feeling tired and have dark circles around the eyes just slice the cucumber and apply it straight onto your skin to soothe and soften it. Or if your skin has had too much sun then place a few slices on your cheeks and forehead to feel instant refreshment and relief.

So get out to your local market and buy up lots of healthy summer foods to keep your skin looking scrumptious this summer and beyond…