Eating for your skin

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Between global warming, and just living in England in general, whether you’re a man or woman, the harsh weather we are exposed to is bound to cause your skin to suffer a little.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably accumulated mountains worth of creams, serums, and jars of products that claim to possess all the magic ingredients to flawless skin. But when tried and tested, instead, they make you look as though you’ve dipped your face in olive oil.

After some desperate research, I discovered that what you put in your body is just as important as what you put on the surface of it. They say true beauty is lies within, so what better place to start then there.

Here are some tips as to how to eat your way to healthy skin this season:

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According to Healthline a key thing to maintain in your diet is a constant source of omega-3 fatty acids as it helps to maintain your skin's moisture. A deficiency of which can lead to dry and tired looking skin. Omega-3 acids can be found primarily in foods like: fatty fish; salmon and mackerel, and nuts and seeds; flax seeds, chia seeds, and walnuts.

Sweet potatoes, carrots, and spinach should become your new best friend. They

all contain Beta-carotene. In humans this functions as provitamin A, which is then transformed into vitamin A in our bodies. Carotenoids like beta-carotene act like a natural sunblock for our skin, and yes I know sunshine is a rarity at the moment but harmful UV rays are still present, even in low sunlight. If that hasn’t convinced you enough yet, another function of this carotenoid is that, if consumed regularly and enough, it can give your skin an orange and healthy tint. So no need to apply that fake tan or spend so much money lying in a tanning bed (which damages your skin) instead get that summer glow with a healthy diet of vegetables.

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Here’s a good reason to eat your greens – broccoli contains lutein. Another naturally occurring carotenoid, it protects your skin from oxidative damage, which can cause it to become dry and wrinkled. So eat up if you want to keep those – hopefully just laughter – lines at bay.

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Chocolate. One of the foods we love the most. But before you get ahead of yourself and rip open that Easter egg you’ve been saving, in hopes of waking up with clear skin, I don’t mean milk or white chocolate I’m afraid. Instead, dark chocolate. It is rich in cocoa powder which is high in antioxidants. Many studies have found that after 6-12 weeks of consuming cocoa powder daily, the skin radically improved in thickness and moisture. This is likely due to an increase in blood flow to the surface of the skin which helps in the nourishment of it through oxygenation and detoxification, as anything nasty around the skin cells is taken away. So there, finally an excuse to eat more chocolate and claim that it is good for your health.

So, if like me, you find you feel as though you’ve exhausted every skincare brand in your price bracket, try putting down the serum and picking up the seeds. It’s probably cheaper anyway.