When we hear the word ‘diet’, our mind usually goes straight to what you need to eat and not eat to get your body in shape.
Actually, when we hear someone say “I’m on a diet”, subconsciously, our eyes travels round their body, because our minds are already wired to think that dieting is linked to weight loss, no thanks to societal definition of the ‘perfect body’.
Diet does more than just encourage weight loss, people are being told to avoid certain foods when they are in certain professions. A case in point will be singers who are often advised to stay away from greasy food, cold drinks and many other things, for the sake of their voice. They are also being given a list of things they could eat to keep their vocals in good condition.
Diet can be linked to weight loss, as it is linked to memory build, hair growth, vocal training, nail care, organ care, and importantly, skin care. Your skin is a major part of your body, it is the first thing people see when they look at you, it is the largest organ of your body. It should not be surprising that what you eat will have an effect on your skin as well.
Taking care of your skin goes beyond the usual skin care regimen that involves exfoliating, cleansing, washing, and moisturizing. As effective as these steps are, they would not do much if the skin is not receiving enough nutrients from the inside.
When you have a dry skin and you are looking for remedies, there is a 100% chance that you would be asked to increase your water intake. This is because the fluid taken into your body does more than just regulate and balance your body’s pH levels, it goes further to send moisture into your skin as well. Thus dealing with the dryness from inside as the moisturizers work from outside.
Here are a few ways the right diet can help your skin:
Free radicals and antioxidants:
Free radicals are molecules which causes the cell membranes to deteriorate and decay. They work by pulling atoms and electrons away from the skin to themselves thus encouraging quick aging and wrinkling. To deal with free radicals, the body needs an unlimited supply of antioxidants. Antioxidants are contained in fruits and vegetables.
When you take in fruits and vegetables constantly, they help your body in producing just enough antioxidants needed to take care of the free radicals. This in turn stops you from wrinkling fast and then goes forward to keep your skin fresh and firm.
Fatty acids and skin protection:
Your skin needs a steady supply of Omega-3 fatty acids if the plan is for it to stay strong and defensive against toxins from the outside. Omega 3 is the oil contained in fish, so you can try off-the-shelf sardines, salmons and others. But, if the smell of fish disturbs you, the Omega-3 supplement works just fine as well. These fatty acids also help in reducing the effects of the sun influenced UV rays on your skin, thus reducing your chance of getting sun-burned. It helps in balancing your skin's oil production; this helps in reducing the amount of breakouts and acne that happens to your skin. This is especially important if you already have an oily skin which is naturally acne prone. It also delays aging and deals with wrinkling.
Soda and collagen damage:
Collagen is the tissue that helps the skin stay firm. A constant intake of soda will in the long run, damage the collagen, and leave your skin open to wrinkling and sagging. This does not apply to just soda, other drinks with high sugar content should be avoided as well. Your skin is a very important organ in your body, it is important that you leave absolutely no stone unturned when taking care of it.Take a lot of fruits and vegetables, avoid foods that will induce oil on your skin, especially if you have an oily skin. Taking more oily foods when you have oily skin will leave your skin prone to breakouts, which may or may not need dermatological treatments eventually.
References
Here are a few references on the relationship between diet and skin care
- The American journal of clinical nutrition, volume 73, Issue 5, May 2001, Pages 853-864.
- Adebamowo C, Spiegelman D, Berkey C, et al. Milk consumption and acne in teenaged boys. J Am Acad Dermatol. 2008;58:787-793.
- Valko M, Izakovic M,et al. Role of oxygen radicals in DNA damage and cancer incidence. J Mol Cell Biochem. 2004;266(1-2):37-56
- Cadenas E, Packer L. Handbook of Antioxidants. Newyork, NY: MArcle Dekker; 2002.
- Danby F. Nutrition and aging skin: sugar and glycation. Clin dermatol. 2010;28(4):409-411.