4 Ways to Change Your Diet to Improve Your Skin

No matter how many great skincare products you invest in and add to your regimen, great skin starts on the inside. 

Just like using natural, healthy skincare and makeup products helps your skin to be healthy and glowing, eating food that holds to those same natural and healthy qualities will help your skin just as much.

And just how much does your skin’s health and wellness matter? Well, according to National Geographic, skin is our largest organ, weighing around eight pounds for the average adult. That means is especially important to take good care of your skin. Having healthy skin can even make you feel more confident in your appearance.

So how do you tackle your skin’s health from the inside out? Keep these tips in mind as you think about what you eat and drink on a daily basis.

1. Stay Hydrated

Drinking lots of water is one of the easiest and most important ways to care for your skin. According to Healthline, a good baseline is to aim for eight, eight-ounce glasses of water each day. This equals about a half gallon spread throughout your day. Make this easy on yourself by carrying a water bottle with you, keeping a glass of water at your desk and keeping water easily accessible at all times. Don’t let yourself get thirsty! Drinking water provides hydration to your skin to help keep it from drying out.

2. Take Your Vitamins

Vitamins provided necessary nutrients for your skin. While eating a healthy portion of fruits and veggies each day can contribute, it’s also great to add a supplement. According to WebMD, some key vitamins to look for are:

• Vitamin A, which “helps regulate the skin cycle, so no acne-causing protein and oil get trapped.”
• Vitamins E and C, which “have a calming effect on the skin” and can be found in a wide variety of fruits and veggies. 
• Omega-3 fatty acids, which “inhibit certain molecules that lead to inflammation and resulting skin problems.”

3. Cut Back on Sugar

Sugar can cause acne breakouts in some individuals. While cutting back on sugar isn’t a guaranteed fix for skin problems, it’s been proven than less sugar is healthier overall — so it’s a win-win situation. According to WebMD, some of the high-sugar foods that we commonly eat are white bread, sodas, and desserts. 

4. Add Healthy Skin Superfoods to Your Diet

Keeping the last two pointers in mind, it’s easy to come up with some great additions to your regular diet. Look for foods that contain some of the key vitamins that are low in sugar. A few examples to get you started include fatty fish, which is high in Omega-3 fatty acids; nuts and seeds, which are high in skin-boosting nutrients (according to Healthline); and broccoli, which is full of zinc, Vitamin A and Vitamin C.