The ultimate nutrition tips for a healthier skin

Let’s eat and drink ourselves to healthy skin! Not only do the right creams and tonics improve our skin’s appearance, but we can also optimize our complexion from the inside out. Nutritional deficiencies and malnutrition however have the opposite effect. They cause unbalanced skin, provoke faster skin aging and promote blackheads. It is therefore time to open the fridge to do your skin some lasting favour.

Why is nutrition so important for our skin?

Over the course of one month, our outer skin layer – called the epidermis – renews itself entirely. To do this, it needs energy and building material, which it largely gets from our diet. The most important nutrients for our skin include:

• Biotin is the beauty vitamin for skin, hair and nails
• Anthocyanins with their anti-inflammatory effect
• Carotenoids for better cell renewal and protection against free radicals
• Catechins as an anti-aging plant substance
• Vitamin C for collagen regeneration and protection against free radicals
• Vitamin E as a regenerative and firming booster

This raises the question of how these nutrients can best be absorbed. The individual skin condition must also be taken into account. Dry skin, for example, needs a different diet than oily or blemished skin.

Which nutrition for dry skin?

Dry skin is a common problem for many people. Temperature fluctuations, heating air and even stress can intensify the skin’s rough appearance. A sufficiently high moisture level of the skin not only makes it smooth and eliminates itching, but also protects it against premature skin aging. For an extra portion of moisture, it is important to drink plenty of water. When there is a lack of water in the organism, the body first draws water out of the skin. This makes the skin flabby and wrinkled.

Nutrition experts recommend drinking two litres of water a day. If you are physically active and exposed to high temperatures, you should drink even more.

In addition, dry skin can be optimized by eating certain foods. These include:

1. Fish and seafood: They are rich in omega-3 fatty acids and biotin. Salmon is a great source of these.
2. Mushrooms, peanuts, oatmeal: These foods have a high biotin content.
3. Apricots, bell peppers, carrots: Beta-carotene is often hidden in yellow and orange foods.
4. Olive, linseed or macadamia nut oil: The valuable fatty acids in our cells are mainly obtained from these cold-pressed vegetable oils.

What to eat if you’ve got oily skin?

Oily skin gives the complexion an unattractive, greasy look. Sometimes it not only appears on the face, but also on the décolleté, shoulders and back. If your sebaceous glands produce too much sebum, this is exactly where you should start with your diet. Here are a few tips:

• Avoid cigarettes, fatty foods and alcohol.
• Minimize sugar consumption.
• Avoid dairy products wherever possible.

Blemished skin and pimples: Which foods should be included in the diet?

Skin with blackheads and pimples is particularly annoying. The red pustules not only detract from the appearance and look unclean, they even hurt. If the skin tends to these impurities or to acne, the cause is often a cornification disorder of the upper skin layers. This is accompanied by increased sebum production, which ultimately causes the pimples to sprout.

Similar to oily skin, the daily diet should not promote excessive sebum production. Avoiding fatty foods, dairy products and industrial sugar can help reduce sebum production. The same applies to white flour products and sweets, as they are rich in short-chain carbohydrates. A diet that is varied and rich in nutrients is better for blemished skin. Cold-pressed oils, healthy fats from fish and vitamins from vegetables promote healthier skin. Curry, turmeric and ginger are the best seasonings to use because of their anti-inflammatory effect.

Anti-aging nutrition: eating against the ravages of time

We cannot stop ageing, but we can slow it down. This is not only possible with microdermabrasion and face masks, but also with the right foods. The following foods help us fight wrinkles:

• Oils and nuts: These are genuine anti-ageing agents that are rich in vitamin E and eliminate free radicals. Vitamin E protects our cell membranes and delays skin ageing. In addition, it helps regenerate our skin.
• Fish and seafood: They are rich in omega-3 fatty acids, which can slow down skin ageing. Herring and mackerel have a particularly high omega-3 fatty acid content. They also contain an increased amount of vitamin A, which is known to protect our skin.
• Bell pepper, carrot and apricot: Stress, too much UV radiation and environmental toxins have a lasting effect on our skin’s appearance, as they promote the formation of highly aggressive oxygen compounds. The so-called free radicals attack our cell structures and accelerate our skin ageing process. Antioxidants eliminate these troublemakers. They are contained as a precursor of vitamin A in bell peppers, carrots and apricots.
• Citrus fruits, broccoli, sea buckthorn, elderberries and kiwis: These foods are rich in vitamin C. Vitamin C is an antioxidant that not only eliminates free radicals, but also promotes collagen production and contributes to a more elastic, firm skin.

Time to change your diet in your skin’s favour. It’s not that difficult. Besides the skin’s appearance, our entire organism benefits from a more conscious, healthy diet. Try it out, it’s worth it!

Your Humanoo Team