Keeping your skin in good shape is often tied to a healthy diet and keeping the rest of your body in good shape. Just as you cannot eat a diet high in salt, sugar, preservatives, and saturated fats and maintain a healthy digestive tract, a poor diet can also show up on your face and body.
Fruits and Veggies
One of the best things you can do for your body inside and out is to eat a diet high in antioxidants. Because free radicals in our bodies attach to our tissues and cause damage, a diet high in antioxidants will capture the free radicals and carry them away via our cleansing organs.
Thus a diet high in berries, grapes, and citrus fruits are critical for healthy skin that does not appear tired or dull. Additionally, foods high in antioxidants can help you fight pimples as well. To avoid feeling hungry as you increase your intake of fruits and veggies, make sure you also incorporate plenty of whole grains for long-term energy each day.
pH Considerations
The level of acidity in your body can lead to skin breakouts. A diet high in sugar and refined carbs can lead to excessively acid blood levels and may lead to rashes, pimples, and other irritation.
It is also a very good idea to invest in pH balanced body lotion as summer comes on. Your skin will be on display and many sunblocking products can be acidic. Since you must wear sunscreen or sunblock, using a balanced body lotion can protect you from any residual damage a sunscreen may cause.
Watch Your Alcohol Intake
Summer party season often means drinking, which may lead to late nights and poor food choices. All of these can combine to leave your skin looking puffy, or it could leave red patches due to the highly acidic alcohol. Staying up too late will leave you with dark shadows and poor food choices can leave your who body feeling bloated.
Keep things simple when out celebrating summer. Start with club soda and a twist of lime or a slice of cucumber if available. Stick with nonalcoholic beverages until you get to make healthy food choices, then go ahead and have wine with dinner. Save the beer for a special treat because of the sodium content.
Protein
Protein is a necessary part of any diet. In the developed world, it is difficult to be protein deficient, but protein can come with unwanted fat and sodium. In the summer, protein can be pretty straightforward. Grill a steak, have some salad, get a beer, repeat. If you struggle to tolerate meat on a regular basis or prefer not to eat meat, you can still get enough protein and may even gain other benefits for your skin and internal organs.
For example, you can get enough daily protein from
- eggs
- nuts, especially almonds and almond butter
- whole oats
- quinoa
- broccoli
Vegans may also choose to get their protein from combinations of beans and grains. If you are considering going vegan, make sure you get a wide variety of foods and supplement with omega 3 fatty acids to protect your nails and scalp.
An excessively restrictive diet will lead to a bust out and poor choices. Make sure you make room for an occasional treat to reduce the chance that you will fall into a huge binge. Daily ice cream will probably be hard on your skin, but once every couple of weeks can be managed. Finally, make sure that you are drinking plenty of water. Staying hydrated is the simplest way to enjoy healthy-looking skin.