5 Tips for Healthy Glowing Skin

Keep the sun tan, lose the sun damage.

Summer always brings out that radiant skin glow, but it can also bring out the effects of sun damage, like age spots, hyperpigmentation, lines, wrinkles, breakouts from sweat and sunscreen, and skin cancer.  While it is important to layer up that SPF 30+, you should also add in foods that will help counteract the sun’s damage from the inside out.  Here are my top 5 tips for healthy glowing skin to keep your skin looking clearer, younger, and healthier long after the tan fades.

• Load up on antioxidants: Vitamins A and C have particular skin-boosting powers, as they counteract the free radicals that damage your skin cells caused by sun rays. Vitamin A can help reduce inflammation and encourage cell turnover, reducing redness, puffiness, and the risk of breakouts.  While Vitamin C helps to produce collagen production that boosts elasticity to prevent lines and wrinkles, keeping your skin firm and young.  Get your vitamin A from sweet potatoes, carrots, and apricots.  And get your vitamin C from kiwi, strawberries, and bell peppers.
• Double up on your cruciferous veggies: These nutritious powerhouses deliver a serious protective punch when it comes to boosting your skin’s health. Two of their compounds, lutein and zeaxanthin, are essential for helping your skin protect against that tight, flakey feeling that can come from too much sun drying it out. Work in kale, spinach, broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, and cauliflower into your salads, smoothies, and stir-fry.
• Amp up your lean protein: Lean proteins like eggs, fish, and shellfish help to fight the inflammation that can cause red, puffy, irritated skin.  Plus, the more inflammation you have throughout your body, the more prone your skin is to acne. Start your day with an omelet or hardboiled egg, and work in 2-3 entrees of fish or shellfish into your week, like broiled salmon, steamed mussels, or tuna.
• Get those omega-3’s: Omega-3 fatty acids (aka the healthy fats) are another source of inflammation-fighting foods.  In addition to blemishes and acne, inflammation also contributes to breaking down collagen, contributing to wrinkles, lines, and saggy skin. Try adding avocado or hemp seeds to your salads, and for snack have some walnuts, almonds, or nut butter with a fruit.
• Up your tea time:  Staying hydrated helps prevent your skin from drying out under those rays and to eliminate toxins that can lead to breakouts.  It also boosts cell turnover, giving you more new, healthy skin cells to improve skin tone.  Drinking green tea or matcha throughout the day will keep you hydrated and give you an extra dose of inflammation-fighting-power to combat redness and sun damage.

Bonus Skin Boosters:

• If you’re prone to breakouts, add in a daily probiotic.  Probiotics are the good kind of gut bacteria that help you push out the bad bacteria in your gut.  Acne breakouts can indicate that the bad bacteria outnumbers the good bacteria and is starting to purge from your body in other ways, like through your skin pores.  I love RenewLife.
• If your main concern are wrinkles and fine lines, add in collagen peptides to your daily routine.  While we make out own collagen, we make less and less as we age and things like sun exposure, diet, and stress can deplete it even more.  Adding in a collagen supplement (like this one from Vital Proteins) will help restore your collagen to boost your skin’s firm, plump, youthful glow.

For more ways on how to protect your health from the inside out, book an appointment and get own personalized wellness plan tailored to your individual goals. 

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