Natural beauty begins from the inside. After all, you can buy the “best” beauty care products available, but that won’t matter, if you drink, live on a diet of caffeine-rich and junk food, and are constantly stressed. It is wiser and more cost-effective to make nutritional diet and lifestyle adjustments, rather than using eternal products.

Diet and lifestyle alterations can begin the process of improved skin. Remember that your skin is your largest organ in your body – it covers every organ and cell contained within. It functions as a protective covering/sheath, a key sensing organ, an oil producer, and an organ of elimination. Elson Haas, MD, author of Staying Healthy with Nutrition, states, “Through regular elimination and perspiration, the skin can clear all kinds of toxins to help maintain internal balance.” [1]

Your skin demands that you nourish your body adequately to stay healthy. Since your skin’s surface (dermis) is the intermediary between the external and internal environments, it also reflects the health of your insides (digestion, absorption and elimination processes) to the outside. Your skin is a mirror of what is going on inside.

According to Liz Wolfe, author of Skintervention Guide, “Each and every step of the digestion process works together to make healthy skin. Good digestion means you absorb the nutrients you need, while eliminating toxins effectively. This can’t be done overnight, but it can be done!” [2]

With that said, let’s start with 5 dietary adjustments that aid in glowing radiant skin.

1. Drink water!  

Water is one of the most important nutrients for internal cellular health, as well as, overall external radiance. Water carries nutrients throughout the body and to flush out toxins and excess hormones through your bowels rather than your skin.   Drink water – not tap water, but filtered, spring or reverse osmosis water. Drink bone broth. Drink antioxidant teas – like chamomile tea to heal the intestine, green tea for antioxidants and skin benefits, dandelion tea to detox the liver and ginger tea to promote digestion. Avoid caffeine beverages like coffee and energy drinks.

2. Eat fruits and vegetables.

Think about it – fruits and vegetables are perfect little packages of water, fibre and nutrients. I recommend 1-2 fruits and lots of fresh and lightly steamed vegetables to grace your plate every day. Include a fruit like low-glycemic berries or half of a grapefruit for breakfast, a crisp green salad for lunch and/or dinner, raw veggies sticks for snacks and a rainbow of lightly steamed or raw vegetables covering half of your dinner plate. You will be nourishing your body with vitamins, antioxidants and fibre to keep it breaking down, absorbing and eliminating well.

Quick cheat list of skin-healthy foods: foods high in skin-strengthening Omega-3 fatty acids (sardines, chia seeds, flaxseed and walnuts), collagen-boosting vitamin C (bell peppers, strawberries, citrus fruits, kale and broccoli) and antioxidant-rich vitamins A and E (almond butter, Swiss chard, wheat germ, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, carrots and cantaloupe).

3. Include healthy fats.

Essential fatty acids (EFAs), not produced in your body, are important for skin tissue health. You will find these in cold-pressed oils such as olive oil or flaxseed oil, nuts and seeds or fish oils like cod liver oil. Cod liver oil from a pure source offers vitamin A and D, both vitamins necessary for blemish-free and moist skin. EFAs are important for lubricating your body on the inside, brain and nerve health, and hormone production.

4. Adequate protein intake.

Protein is essential to make the necessary amino acids (building blocks) vital for tissue repair and rapid cellular turnover in your skin. Never skimp on lean protein choices. Amino acids are also essential for hormone production, which directly affects all your cells from the inside out.

5. Choose food sources wisely.

Choose your food wisely. Select SLOW foods to nurture and nourish your body to live a vibrant life. – Brenda Watt 

SLOW foods will help in selecting wisely. Sustainable – foods that are grown in a mixed farm (not an industrialized farm) is healthy for the environment. Local – food grown close to our home; additionally, we have an opportunity to create a relationship with these local farmers and ask the questions of how they are seed-saving, fertilizing, composting, and growing the food we are buying. Organic – organic foods have greater nutrient density, thereby providing our bodies with the greatest abundance of micronutrients to keep our bodies running efficiently. Wholesome/Natural – natural, whole food that is devoid of food additives, chemicals, and shelf life enhancements. As Sean Croxton of “Underground Wellness” so eloquently says, JERF, which translate to ”Just Eat Real Food.” [3] We fuel our bodies well by wisely purchasing what we eat.

Because many people find choosing organic or local organic expensive, I recommend you use a tool called “Dirty Dozen Clean 15”. [4] With this adjustment, your purchasing power is increased and you are eating better quality food that is seasonally closer to home.

Like produce, the sources of your proteins matter. Animal proteins should be from grass-fed and humane ranchers or farmers. Talk to your provider. Ask if they use hormones and how they house their animals. If you are picking your budget dollars, wisely, I strongly suggest you purchase organic grass-fed protein and fats. Why? Toxins and chemicals are contained in the fat cells, which means these are concentrated in what you eat. You want to minimize the detoxification your liver, lymph, lungs, kidneys and skin have to eliminate.

Nutrition alterations or simple dietary changes can improve your skin’s texture and colour without crazy chemicals or concoctions. Nutrition help is a phone call or email away – contact Brenda at 403.801.5698 or brenda@wattworksnutrition.ca to book your free 30-minute discovery chat.

Resources

[1] Elson Haas, MD. Staying Healthy with Nutrition. (Berkley, CA: Celestial Arts, 2010) 604.

[2] Liz Wolfe, “Digestion,” Skincare Purely Paleo. http://us6.campaign-archive2.com/?u=0c20a0d7e6ab4f58ca2e4880f&id=73554be4b9&e=c42b02a93f

[3] Sean Croxton, “JERF: Just Eat Real Food!,” http://undergroundwellness.com/just-eat-real-food/

[4] “EWG’s Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce 2013,” www.ewg.com/foodnews/