Nutrition and Skincare: Healthy Skin Starts with Your Diet
We always like to say that skincare isn’t just about the way you look—it’s about how you feel and your overall health. Which is why it’s so important to nourish your skin from the inside out! Building a balanced diet that includes nutritious, vitamin-rich food is one step to getting that “lit-from-within” glow. Here are my top food tips and some of my favorite snack ideas!
These are tips to get the nutrients your skin needs:
Eat the rainbow of fruit and vegetables! A diet packed with different colored fruits and veggies will give you a big variety of vitamins and minerals, not to mention flavor! Carrots and sweet potatoes provide beta carotene (a powerful antioxidant). Spinach and leafy greens contain lutein (also a great antioxidant). Berries contain Vitamin C which is needed to produce collagen (that helps strengthen capillaries supporting healthy skin!).
Incorporate salmon. Eating salmon regularly provides essential fatty acids which are helpful with inflammatory skin conditions like acne, eczema, and rosacea.
Make sure you’re getting Vitamin E. This vitamin supports healthy skin growth and protects your skin from damage, which is why we add it to Annie James cleansers! Some foods that are rich in Vitamin E include avocado, almonds, and hazelnuts.
Add Selenium. This mineral protects against age spots and sun damage. Pro tip: four brazil nuts daily will provide the recommended daily dose of selenium that your skin needs.
Enjoy processed food moderately. Many pre-packaged and processed foods contain high amounts of refined sugar and unhealthy fats, which aren’t good for your skin (or how you feel!).
Drink WATER. If we’ve said it once we’ve said it a thousand time ;) Staying hydrated is imperative for supporting circulation and flushing out toxins.
And here are some of my favorite healthy “treats:”
1. A Medjool date, sliced open with a teaspoon of peanut butter inside. Sweet and filling! A great afternoon snack!
2. A square (or two) of good quality, dark chocolate
3. Guacamole. Always guacamole. But be mindful of the chips! Eat with carrot sticks.
P.S. Let's be real here....a girl's gotta live a little! While I try to eat healthy the majority of the time, I certainly enjoy splurging too and feel zero guilt about it (since most of the days have a healthy focus). Some of my favorite splurges include a good craft beer, a piece of coconut cake, unlimited guacamole with chips:), and anything that involves peanut butter and chocolate!
What are your favorite nutrition tips or healthy snacks?