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I read a post on a forum recently from a woman who is at her wits end with her skin issues and acne. My response was of course, you must change your diet, which she then responded “I have eliminated junk food and sugary foods and I still can’t seem to get my skin under control. I still break out like crazy”.

Eliminating junk foods and sugary foods is only the first step in getting your skin to behave. Thousands upon thousands of people are missing this. You must also add specific foods to your diet. Foods that are proven to stabilize your moods, help you sleep soundly, increase your energy and promote clear, smooth skin. These foods are a big peice of the “healthy” puzzle. Read the rest of this entry…

Coconut oil is becoming a favorite skin food. Many are choosing to cook with coconut oil instead of butter and other oils for good reason. Eating a diet rich in coconut oil has a smoothing and nourishing effect on skin. People have reported the end of dry skin after cooking with this skin food for two weeks.

Using virgin coconut oil is a great way to rejuvenate skin. Not only does it prevent the formation of damaging free radicals and protect against them, but also it can help to keep the skin from developing liver spots and other blemishes caused by aging and overexposure to sunlight.

Try using coconut oil topically to keep the skin’s connective tissues strong and supple, which helps to prevent sagging and wrinkles. In some cases it might even restore damaged or diseased skin.

Not only is coconut oil a good food for skin, keeping skin healthy and young, but it also promotes weight loss, enhances thyroid functionand and aids in many degenerative diseases including heart disease.

Eating food for healthy skin begins with making upgrades to the current staples in your fridge, followed by the elimination of certain foods from your diet. As I mentioned in an earlier article, this may require a bit of self control. Especially when we are referring to SUGAR! Sugar plays a huge role in the condition of your skin.

In his book, The Perricone Prescription, Nicholas Perricone, M.D., tells us of the scientific connections between sugar and inflammation, blemishes, facial puffiness, under-eye circles, wrinkles, sagging, and premature aging. He tells us that sugar causes a breakdown in collagen and causes wrinkles.

Knowing this I am sure you will be mindful of what you eat, cutting back on sweet snacks, and sugar laden desserts, but what about the drinks you consume every day? Sweet drinks (liquid sugar) are even worse than sweet food. Skin, hair, bones, weight, and overall health are hugely affected by the drinks you consume because of frequency and volume. So although more and more women have come to realize that eating food for healthy skin is a priority, what they don’t realize is if they drink soda, fruit drinks, iced-coffee, and even juice, giving them up can have dramatic effects on their skin even the next morning.

Some ways to wean yourself off of sugar in your beverages:

• Replace sugar in your coffee with Stevia, an all natural sweetener.
• Instead of drinking soda, try fruit spritzers.
• Cut back the grams of sugar in all of your beverages throughout the day including your morning juice. Do this until you have eliminated most, if not all sugar.
• Start replacing one drink a day with pure water and again gradually increase until you have eliminated sugary beverages.
• Gradually replace coffee with unsweetened tea. (green and black tea have far more benefits for your overall health)

Remember, eating food for healthy skin will not make a difference if you are drinking health robbing sugar and caffeine laden beverages throughout the day.

There are thousands of women looking for good skin foods. Why? Because our generation has learned over the past several years that there is a strong connection between food or health and beautiful skin. Thousands of women who have taken control over their health by changing their diet have seen a dramatic change in the look of their skin. Here are just some of the results they are seeing….

• A slimmer body
• Diminished puffiness in the face
• Smoother, clearer skin
• Better skin color
• Elimination of causes of premature aging

This is the first article in a series of articles that will open your mind to ways that you can improve your skin through proper diet. It’s not just about finding good skin foods; that’s easy. It’s far more important to eliminate specific foods from your diet. Eliminating certain foods from your diet takes quite a bit of self control however the benefits can be drastic.

One of the first simple steps you can take to improve the look of your skin is to change out some of the food you already eat. Upgrade your favorite staples that are depleted and unnatural to those that are full of natural ingredients that enhance your skin. And don’t just say “oh yea, I’ve heard that before.” These changes are vital to good skin health.

1. Buy only good, whole-grain bread. Remember, “wheat bread” is the same as white bread. Only 100 percent whole grain is the real thing. Look in the health food section of your grocery store for flourless bread or those with sprouted grains.

2. Do not buy canned fruit, fruit juices, or dried fruit. These products do not revitalize your body like fresh, whole, brightly colored fruits. Blackberries, blueberries, raspberries, cantalope, watermelon, plums, peaches and mangoes. Berries contain phytochemicals that beautify the skin making them one of the best skin foods available.

This was a difficult one for me as I was not brought up eating fruit, so I never acquired a taste for it. Over the past year, I forced myself to eat just one piece of fresh fruit daily whenever I had a craving for something sweet. It was not easy. Like I said, it may take some self control to grab the fruit from your fridge instead of a snack in the cabinet.

3. Instead of purchasing iceburg lettuce, canned veggies, potatoes and corn, buy dark leafy greens such as spinach or romaine, fresh peppers, broccoli, snow peas, asparagus, tomatoes and avocados. If you can’t buy fresh, than frozen is the next best choice.

4. Do not buy hydrogenated shortening, margarine, bottled salad dressing, and soy sauce. Switch these common staples with grape seed oil, extra virgin olive oil, roasted sesame oil and organic butter.

5. Buy organic plain yogurt, kefir, soy milk and natural cheese instead of conventionally produced milk products, sweetened yogurt and processed cheese.

These are just the first steps in the quest for good skin food. Once your body becomes accustomed to these small upgrades, it will start to demand them, and you will begin to see a drastic change in your health and skin.

One of the best ways to protect your skin is through a diet rich in antioxidant vitamins and minerals. The following is a list of key nutrients found in food for healthy skin; all antioxidant rich, all skin rejuvenating.

Vitamin C is involved in collagen production and protects cells from free radical damage. It is important to eat plenty of fruits and vegetables rich in vitamin C.

Vitamin E helps to protect cell membranes and guard against UV damage. You can get vitamin E from foods such as sunflower seeds, almonds, peanut butter, flaxseed oil, red bell peppers, olive oil, asparagus, peaches, broccoli and spinach.

Selenium is a mineral that helps protect skin from sun damage and protects skin elasticity. Because selenium supplements may increase risk of squamous cell carcinomas, it’s best to get your selenium from food. Selenium is found in crab, oysters, whole wheat pasta, lean beef, whole wheat bread, brown rice, chicken breast, mushrooms and eggs.

Food for healthy skin should also include:

Beta carotene converts to vitamin A in the body, and helps to repair body tissue. Although high doses of vitamin A in supplement form can be toxic, getting this antioxidant through food is perfectly safe. Beta carotene is found sweet potatoes, carrots, squash, spinach, watermelon, asparagus, and cherries.

Zinc is necessary for helping to maintain the collagen that keeps skin firm. Zinc is involved in skin renewal. To keep skin youthful, make sure to include this mineral in your diet. Zinc is found in lean beef, pork tenderloin, almonds, peanuts, green peas, chick, turkey, veal, cashews, sunflower seeds, lima beens, and fortified whole grain cereals.

Omega-3 fatty acids help cell membranes act as barriers to keep toxins out and allowing water and nutrients in. Omega-3 fatty acids are found in sardines, anchovies, flaxseed, walnuts, seaweed, canola oil, and soybeans.

Along with food for healthy skin, drink plenty of water to help flush away toxins. Drink tea. Tea contains polyphenols which have antioxidant properties. There is no better reason for you to start eating a nutritious diet than to age proof your skin. When you look good, you feel good.