Antioxidants, Protein and Carbs for Healthy Skin

You have been reading and hearing that to have beautiful skin, one should eat a healthy diet. Can this be really true?

Not many people think of the skin as a body organ. The truth is the skin is an organ and in fact it is the largest organ you have. Just like any of your organs and your tissues, its health depends on the nutrients you feed it with. It is true that eating a healthy diet is crucial in keeping the skin’s appearance and ensuring that it performs its functions properly. If you eat a poor diet then you can expect to run into skin issues.

However one should also recognise that poor diet is not the only thing that will have a negative impact on the skin. Prolonged and unnprotected sun exposure, smoking, drinking alcohol, pollution as well as skin care products with harsh ingredients in them will bring harm to your skin.

Protein ad Where You Get it From

In many “healthy diet for beautiful skin” articles, antioxidant-packed leafy greens and fruits are recommended to be included in one’s daily meals. This is just right since antioxidants actually protect all body cells from the damaging effects of free radicals. Antioxidants see to it that the skin is protected from damage. But did you know that protein is an important nutrient for the skin as well? That’s right! Protein actually aids in wound-healing functions of the skin and in keeping the skin’s elasticity. So aside from antioxidant-packed foods, you should also include in your diet protein-packed food sources.

However, you should keep in mind that you should carefully choose where you get your protein from. If you are not too careful, you might end up sporting a wrinkly skin very early on. There are protein sources that actually promote and hasten skin aging. So you better stay away from these protein sources. What are these sources? Red meat and full-fat dairy are classic examples of protein sources that can hasten skin aging. If you are wondering why, the answer lies in its high saturated fat content. Aside from saturated fats promoting skin aging they are also bad for your health. So where should you get your protein from? It is best to get protein from fish, eggs, lean meats as well as legumes.

Carbs

You should get enough carbohydrates or carbs everyday as this is the body’s fuel. If you have tried not including carbohydrates in your meals, you probably felt weak and sleepy. But what’s carbohydrates got to do with the skin? If you starve your body of carbohydrates, your body will need to resort to other sources for energy such as protein. The body will start breaking down proteins so that it can have fuel. So instead of proteins giving support to wound healing functions of the skin and aiding in maintaining its elasticity, the body will use it up for energy. But too much of carbs is also no good as this would lead to early skin aging. You’ll also need to choose healthy sources of carbohydrates such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables.