5 Foods That Promote Healthy, Radiant Skin

Your skin is the largest organ in your body. Just like the rest of your body, your skin needs an array of vitamins and minerals to keep it healthy. Are you eating foods that help your skin? 

Our board-certified dermatologists and medical team at Seacoast Dermatology are the experts in skin care. We take time to answer all of your questions about your skin care routine and promptly diagnose and treat any problematic skin conditions. 

The foods you eat do affect your skin. Which foods are especially important for healthy, glowing skin? Here are five of them. 

Fatty fish 

Fish is an important component of a healthy diet. Look for fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids: salmon, lake trout, cod, canned light tuna, sardines, and herring. 

Those fish contain omega-3 fatty acids that help keep your skin smooth. If you don’t consume enough foods with omega-3 fatty acids, your skin can dry out. 

Omega-3 fats also calm inflammation. If you’re prone to inflammation (think acne or rosacea), get enough fish and omega-3 fats in your diet. The typical Western diet has too much omega-6 fats, which trigger inflammation and can make skin conditions like eczema worse. 

Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli

Broccoli contains vitamins A and C and zinc, all necessary for good skin health. It’s rich in lutein, which protects against dryness and wrinkles. 

Broccoli also contains sulforaphane, a phytochemical found in cruciferous vegetables like cabbage and broccoli. It helps protect your skin from sunburn. It also helps eliminate free radicals that damage your skin. 

Yogurt with live cultures

Yogurt contains probiotics, good bacteria that help combat inflammation. Inflammation makes many skin conditions worse: psoriasis, acne, rosacea and others. 

Probiotics can lessen the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles because they help hydrate your skin. Kefir and kombucha are liquids that also contain probiotics. You can find them in health food or grocery stores. 

Nuts 

Nuts are rich in beneficial fatty acids. Almonds and walnuts are particularly good choices with lots of omega-3 and omega-6 unsaturated fatty acids. Those fatty acids are essential to skin health as well as brain function.

 Almonds contain vitamin E, which helps protect your skin from free radicals that cause skin cell destruction. Peanuts and hazelnuts are also rich in vitamin E. 

Avocados

Avocados have lots of vitamin C, triggering the growth of collagen and elastin, proteins in your skin. These proteins keep your skin smooth and help prevent it from wrinkling. Avocados are rich in vitamin E, which protects your skin cells from sun damage. It’s an important antioxidant.

Avocados have essential fats that your skin needs to stay healthy because you don’t produce them in your body. They also contain lutein, which helps protect your skin from UV rays (but don’t go without sunblock). 

Call us or book an appointment online today for all of your skin care needs. We’re located in Portsmouth, Dover, and Exeter, New Hampshire.