Let’s clear away what everybody knows about speeding up skin aging: cigarettes(click to yucky picture), too much sun exposure, junk foods.
As a nutritionally oriented physician, a healthful diet is really important for an attractive skin. Nowhere is the phrase “garbage in, garbage out” more apparent than there, right on your face. When you’re eating a diet high in ultra processed foods, fried foods, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, and not keeping yourself well hydrated (or limit your hydration to the chemical swill of diet drinks), your body (inside and out) creates cells of inferior quality. Your skin looks pasty, pimply, prone to infections; you gain weight and wonder why. The “why” is that your food choices change your metabolism to one that stores more fat.
Here’s a list of definite “pluses” for a glowing complexion:
More: fruit, veggies, whole grains;
More: essential fatty acids (eat more fish, and if you don’t eat fish, drizzle a tablespoonful of flaxseed oil or grind some flaxseeds, chia seeds, etc.) every day. Ask your practitioner to order a blood test called OmegaCheck which is usually covered by insurance and also useful for determining heart disease risks.
More: tomatoes for their lycopenes which prevent skin discoloration, texture changes, and wrinkles.
More: sources of Vitamin C (citrus, bell peppers, broccoli, kiwi) for their antioxidants blocking free radical damage.
More: polyphenols (in green tea and Resveratrol) shown in research to prevent skin from aging prematurely and keep it looking healthy and glowing. These are available as supplements:
Green Tea
Resveratrol Ultra HP.
Now, onto your hormones.
