The old adage ‘you are what you eat’ is very true. The more junk you eat, the less healthy your skin will be. The younger you are, the easier it is to get away with eating a poor diet.
Luckily our bodies are tremendously forgiving and they usually correct much of the bad stuff we do. As we get older, this is less the case, and over time a poor diet can have a catastrophic effect on our skin, leaving to signs of premature aging. So what do you need to eat and drink to ensure you maintain a youthful appearance for as long as possible?
Check out most celebrities and one thing will be immediately apparent: almost all of them have fabulously good complexions characterised by radiant, dewy, luminous skin. Since it can’t all be good genes, the answer has to be, in part, what they eat.
Celebrities are usually lucky enough to be able to eat freshly prepared, nutritious foods whenever they feel hungry. Unlike us, they don’t need to visit the grocery store: their food is usually prepared by personal chefs, so all they have to do is eat it. The rest of us have to prepare our own food, so if we want to achieve a youthful appearance through diet, we need to start eating (and drinking) the right ingredients.
Avoid Refined Sugar
Sugar is a 21st Century drug. Sugar is responsible for many modern health problems, not least obesity, heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and cancer. Unfortunately, we all love sugar and it is surprisingly difficult to cut sugar out of our diet. But it can be done!
Where possible, replace refined sugar with healthier sweet foods like fruit and vegetables. These are lower on the glycaemic index so you won’t have to endure sudden spikes in blood sugar, plus they are a healthy source of Omega-3.
Omega-3 is essential for healthy youthful skin. You can obtain extra omega-3 by eating oily fish such as salmon and sardines, and adding a sprinkling of flaxseed and chia seeds to your morning bowl of porridge.
Go Green
Green juices are good for the skin. Drink a green juice packed full of healthy nutrients every day. Blitz kale, spinach, cucumber, mint and avocado to create a gorgeous smoothie. You can even add a small amount of ginger and turmeric if your immune system needs a boost. Herbs and spices pack a surprisingly hard punch, but if you are not fond of spicy flavours, turmeric is available as a supplement.
Boost Your Vitamin C and Collagen
Don’t forget to add lots of foods rich in vitamin C, including strawberries, oranges, lemons, bell peppers, broccoli and kale. These all help to boost the amount of collagen in your skin, which keeps the skin supple and elastic. Alternatively, you can maintain skin elasticity with a flavoured collagen drink from Skinade.
Lastly, make sure you drink plenty of water to flush the toxins away. Around 1.5 litres a day is perfect!
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