Do you have a desire to have outrageously gorgeous healthy skin at any age? The key is to nourish your skin from within. Find out how to get your journey to great skin started with these simple skin care tips below.
Angela’s Skin Care Tips
1. Repair Your Gut
Your gut refers generally to your digestive system starting from your mouth and includes your stomach and intestines. A well-functioning digestive system is your first step to healthy glowing skin because a healthy gut is an essential foundation for a strong immune system, heart health, and brain health. The key to better gut health is to consume an anti-inflammatory diet on a regular basis to help build and maintain a healthy balance of good gut bacteria. An anti-inflammatory diet consists mainly of plant-based food ingredients, fiber, and very lean protein.
2. Take Care of Your Detoxifying Organs
Your body’s 6 major detoxifying organs are your kidneys, liver, lungs, lymph, colon, and skin. Each of these organs works tirelessly every day to eliminate excess waste that your body’s natural metabolic process produces. A body free from toxins is very apparent in the glow of your skin that is free from breakouts, dry flaky patches, psoriasis or eczema. Therefore, it is important to make sure these detoxification pathways are functioning efficiently and effectively. Adopt a clean diet that is made up of primarily plant-based food ingredients that contain many various groups of antioxidants i.e. eat colorful fruits and vegetables that showcase the colors from the rainbow.
3. Clear Infections
Infections such as candida, H. pylori, SIBO or fungal infections can interfere with the way your gut works. These infections can weaken your gut lining causing it to become leaky and allow toxins to escape your gut and get into your bloodstream. These infections can wreak havoc on the appearance of your skin if left untreated. So make sure you get any infections treated in a timely manner.
4. Drink Plenty of Water
Water is important for the detoxification process of every cell of your body and helps to flush toxins from your body. Every cell in your body is made up of water so skin hydration is critical for healthy, supple skin. Replacing other beverages you drink on a daily basis with water is a good first step to increasing the amount of water you drink each day.
5. Eat A Healthy Diet
As mentioned, adopting a healthy diet not only helps to keep your detoxifying organs in tip-top condition and your skin is one of your 6 major detoxifying organs. Every 35 days your skin cells replace themselves with new cells from the food that you eat. Therefore, in essence, you are what you eat. What you eat literally becomes you and it will show outwardly on your face.
Strive for a sustainable healthy diet instead of hopping from one fad diet to the next. Permanent dieting can lead to what is commonly known as the yo-yo effect that can negatively affect your skin condition. The mere act of weight gain and weight loss can cause your skin to lose elasticity and stretch marks may occur as well. It is better to choose a diet that works for your lifestyle and taste preferences and one you can sustain over a long period.
6. Boost Your Collagen
Collagen is the most abundant protein in your body and it is the thing that gives structure to your skin, bones, muscles and all other connective tissues. Unfortunately, your body produces less of it as you get older, which results in fine lines and wrinkles. To combat this reduction in your collagen stores, add foods that are rich in collagen to your diet. Collagen-rich foods include bone broth and collagen protein powder. Both of these are easily available at your local markets these days. Use bone broth to make soups or drink it as is. And you can easily add collagen protein powder to any smoothie recipes that you fancy. [1]
7. Reduce Your Sugar Intake
Studies have shown that reducing your sugar intake may not be just beneficial for your waistline. Quitting sugar may also slow down your body’s aging process, reduce acne, control psoriasis and even make your skin more resistant to sun damage. Sugar binds with proteins in your body in a process called glycation and produces free radicals that destroy the collagen and elastin in your body. Sugars also causes inflammation in your body that can cause psoriasis flare-ups and for some of us, persistent acne. So make it your resolution to ditch sugar today!
8. Reduce Your Sodium Intake
It is no secret that excessive sodium intake can lead to high blood pressure. But did you know that excessive consumption of sodium can also cause havoc to your skin? Salt causes your body to retain water while limiting the amount of water your internal organs absorb. Hence, over-consumption can cause puffiness under your eyes while at the same time dehydration in your skin.
To counter the sodium imbalance in your body, drink plenty of water and consume foods that are high in potassium such as bananas, carrots, raisins, and spinach. If you cook a lot, try replacing the use of sodium with the wide array of herbs and spices as your main seasoning companion.
9. Boost Your Antioxidants
It is a well-known fact that antioxidants are the enemy of free radicals. Power up your body with antioxidants to defend against free radical damage that could lead to DNA damage and oxidative stress, all of which can show up as wrinkles, dry skin, and premature aging. A diet rich in colorful fruits and vegetables will ensure your body of a wide array of essential antioxidants. Beyond a clean plant-based diet, you can also consider increasing your body’s intake of antioxidants with an antioxidant supplement.
10. Increase Zinc Stores
Zinc is a trace mineral that is lesser known but works wonders for your skin. Zinc is found in every single cell in your body and your skin cells especially depend on it to fight off free radicals, protect its natural lipids and collagen that provides your skin with structure and elasticity. Zinc also helps your skin heals from cuts and inflammation. Without zinc, your skin will not be able to produce new cells to heal broken skin or form collagen needed for stronger healthier skin.
Foods that are rich in zinc include seafood, chicken, lean beef, beans, chickpeas, and fortified cereals.
11. Add Good Probiotics
The secret to healthy looking skin is balance. And I am referring to the balance of good and bad bacteria in your gut. Probiotics can help restore this delicate balance in your gut leading to better-looking skin. Restoring this balance can eliminate skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, and dull looking skin. There are endless probiotics options in the market today. I always prefer something that uses simple ingredients in their capsule i.e. something that is also suitable for a vegan’s consumption. If you are new to taking probiotics, start with a smaller dosage and work your way up. In my opinion, something in the range of 5 to 15 billion live cultures is a good start. [2]
12. Be Mindful of Your Exposure to UV Rays
Although it is highly recommended that you get your vitamin D from natural sun exposure, do be cognizant of the amount of time you spend under direct sunlight and do always wear sunscreen. Your body naturally produces vitamin D with exposure to natural sunlight and you do not need hours of continuous exposure in order for you’re your body to produce your recommended daily vitamin D requirement. Just a short 15 to 20 minutes of sun exposure each day is more than enough. Still, minimize your time in the sun during peak hours to prevent harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays from causing photo-aging and increase your risk of skin cancer. [3]
13. Use Non-Toxic Products
When it comes to skincare products, I run by the motto that “if I cannot put it in my mouth, I shouldn’t put it on my face”. Anything that you put on your skin should be just as clean as the food that you put into your mouth. A lot of the skincare products on the market today contain a lot of harmful chemical compounds that can cause more harm than good. Since your skin is porous, these toxins can easily get into your bloodstream and circulate throughout your entire body, causing negative effects to more than just your skin. [4]
14. Get Enough Zzzs
When something is free and does you tons of goodness, it must be too good to be true. Well…not when it comes to sleep. Sleeping is free and it sure does your skin and your body a lot of good. Your body uses the time you are asleep to rejuvenate itself. Sleep deficiency can cause your skin to lose its luster, and elasticity and even cause clogged pores. The recommended eight-hour sleep per night not only helps tone but also refreshes your skin. One thing though, never forget to wash off your makeup before you sleep.
15. Take off Your Makeup
Leaving makeup and dirt on your skin while you sleep can cause the surface of your skin to get clogged and accumulate bacterial infections that can lead to skin breakouts. Cleaning your face before bed is a must. Never get lazy with that. And do not forget to leave behind the fragrances and chemicals found in many facial cleansers and skin care products these days. Instead, consider only natural skin-loving ingredients such as coconut oil or aloe vera in your cleansers and skincare companions.
16. Keep Your Linens Clean
Your pillowcase is the one thing that is in contact with your face every night you sleep. So why wouldn’t you keep it clean like you would your face? When you sleep, your body is recovering and getting rid of dead cells that could over time, build up on the very lovely pillow that you sleep on every night. To maintain flawless skin, it is important to change your linens routinely.
17. Do Not Exfoliate Excessively
Routine exfoliation of your skin can remove the dead cells and prevent pores from getting clogged and stimulate your skin to produce new cells to rejuvenate your skin. However, excessive exfoliation can deplete your skin of its natural oils and moisture that it needs to ward off bacteria and germs. Over time, excessive exfoliation can strip your skin of its natural shine and glow. Consider exfoliating only once a week.
18. Get Moving
We all know that exercise is good for our lungs and heart. Well…here’s another reason to get moving. Regular exercise like a good clean diet is also key to healthier skin. Exercise helps your body to increase and improve its blood flow, thereby improving the supply of essential oxygen and nutrients to your skin to be nourished. Better blood flow also helps eliminate any waste products including free radicals from working cells. Again, benefiting your skin’s efforts to repair, renew and nourish itself.
If you are dealing with skin conditions such as psoriasis, acne or rosacea, you may need to take special care to keep your skin protected while you exercise. But don’t let this be your roadblock to being active.
19. Reduce Your Stressors
Your skin contains an abundance of nerve endings that are in constant contact with your brain. This is why when you are feeling scared you tense up, you get goosebumps when you feel excited, you perspire and when you feel embarrassed, or you can get hot flushed cheeks when nervous. While it is not quite possible to think your way to healthier skin, it can definitely help your skin if you can reduce your stressors in your everyday life and channel the “good” stress in healthier ways. Try practicing mindfulness and breathing through meditation and even yoga exercises.
If you think you are out of whack due to huge stressors in your daily routine, it wouldn’t hurt to have your cortisol levels (a stress hormone) checked.
20. Take Skin-Loving Supplements
As mentioned above, as you age, your body naturally starts to produce less collagen. And therefore, I highly recommend taking a collagen supplement to support glowing skin and locks. Here’s a collagen supplement that I personally use called Whole Body Collagen. And it is as easy as adding some in my daily smoothie drink!
Although I am a huge proponent of consuming your food instead of relying on over the counter supplements for your nutrient intake, sometimes life does get busy and we should not use that as an excuse to deprive our bodies of the essential nutrients that need to function effectively and efficiently. Other skin worthy supplements that I am personally consuming or would consider taking includes antioxidants, zinc, selenium, vitamins C (like liposomal vitamin C), E, and A. [5]
For more healthy skin care beauty tips check out my article on Your Best Natural Skin Care Tips.
I hope these 20 quick tips have motivated you to start thinking about how you can help your skin be better and stronger. But as a nutritionist, I know for a fact that each one of you is unique and what may work for someone else, may not work for you. So if you would like a professional assessment of your unique needs and understand what will work for you, CONTACT ME today so that we can get you started on your journey to better skin, better you.
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Resources:
1. An Insight into the Changes in Skin Texture and Properties following Dietary Intervention with a Nutricosmeceutical Containing a Blend of Collagen Bioactive Peptides and Antioxidants.
2. Bioactives from probiotics for dermal health: functions and benefits.
3. Ultraviolet Radiation and the Skin.
4. T-2 toxin-induced skin inflammation and cutaneous injury in mice.
5. The Roles of Vitamin C in Skin Health.
The post 20 Extraordinary Tips for Glowing Skin appeared first on Nutrition Key with Angela T Russo MS CNS.