What You Eat Can Improve Your Skin, Part 1
We all want to have glowing beautiful skin. Mother Nature however, has other plans. She has designed us in a way, so that as we age, our skin tends to become thinner, less elastic, drier, and lets face it: wrinkled.
Now don`t get me wrong, I`m a fan of aging gracefully. As I get older, I learn more and more about myself and what matters to me, but having said that, I still want my outside to reflect how I feel on the inside. And what you eat can help!
Stay away from restrictive diets
Severe dieting can actually contribute to thin, dry, in-elastic skin -- basically, premature aging. If you cut your calories too much, or you`re not getting enough protein in your diet, this can leave you malnourished, which is directly reflected in your skin. Guidelines suggest that women 19 years and older need at least 1500–1600 calories and about 80 g of protein a day, in order for their body to get the nutrients it needs.
Staying hydrated
Perhaps one of the most important factors in healthy skin. Not only does fluid help flush out the toxins in our body, it also helps our skin appear more plump. Think of what a grape looks like vs a raisin. What would you prefer to look like? How how much fluid do you need? Well, the research flip flops a little when it comes to fluid recommendations, but as a general rule of thumb, aim for 8 cups of fluid per day. It doesn`t have to be just water -- generally all fluids count, even caffeinated beverages. Just keep the tea and coffee to 3--4 cups as your daily max.
Take a multivitamin
Although you can generally get what your body needs from food, a busy lifestyle means we don't always eat as well as we would like. A multivitamin is like insurance: it just helps fill in the gaps of what might be missing in our diets. A one-a-day vitamin will make sure you are getting all the nutrients your skin likes, such as b-vitamins and vitamin C.
Next week i`m going give you a sample of the Healthy Skin Diet, with specific foods that can help make sure your skin looks its best!
Maria Thomas is a registered dietitian and owner of UrbanNutrition.com.
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