Your skin is the biggest organ in your body and weighs about one-seventh of your total body weight. The main function of your skin is to protect the rest of your body from the sun’s rays, hot and cold temperatures, germs, pathogens, and toxic substances.
While many people focus on taking care of their skin from the outside by applying moisturizer, sunscreen, and other skincare products, following a nutritious, well-rounded diet is one of the most important factors in maintaining healthy, youthful-looking skin.
Some nutrients, such as selenium, zinc, omega-3 fats, and vitamins A, C, and E, help protect the skin from dehydration, loss of elasticity, and oxidative and sun-induced damage.
Regularly consuming foods rich in nutrients known to support and protect the skin may help slow signs of aging, reduce the risk of skin-related conditions, and improve skin moisture and elasticity. Here are 13 of the best products for skin health.
1. Strawberries
Strawberries are loaded with ingredients that are good for skin health, such as vitamin C, anthocyanin, phenolic acid, and flavonoids.
Vitamin C is especially important for skin health as it protects skin cells from oxidative damage and is essential for the production of collagen, the body's aimainrotein that accounts for 75% of the skin's dry weight.
The kin stores vitamin C, with up to 64 mg of vitamin C per 100 g of the epidermal layer or outer layer of the skin. Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamin C, with one cup of sliced strawberries providing 97.6 mg or 108% of daily value (DV).
2. Kimchi
Kimchi is a fermented food made with ingredients such as cabbage, onion, radish, carrot, and cucumber. Kimchi is rich in nutrients essential for optimal skin health, including probiotics, provitamin A, and vitamin C.
Eating fiber-rich foods that nourish the beneficial bacteria and beneficial microorganisms known as probiotics is one of the best ways to keep your gut and skin healthy. Kimchi is a food that contains probiotics that can help balance your gut flora and improve your skin health.
Kimchi also provides provitamin A and vitamin C, which are important for skin health as they protect skin cells from sun damage and are involved in the synthesis of collagen and elastin proteins that help stretch the skin and maintain a youthful appearance.
3. Blood Orange
Blood oranges are a nutrient-dense, red variety of citrus fruit. The ruby color of blood orange is due to high levels of powerful antioxidant compounds called anthocyanins that help protect skin cells from damage. Anthocyanins have powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, which can be especially helpful for people with inflammatory skin conditions like acne.
Blood oranges are also rich in vitamin C, which is essential for collagen production and helps protect skin cells from UV damage.
4. Sunflower seeds
Sunflower seeds are rich in protein, a skin nutrient essential for wound healing and the production of new skin cells. They also contain vitamin E, which acts as a powerful antioxidant in the body. Vitamin E plays an important role in skin health as it protects skin cells from sun damage, controls inflammation, and is involved in the synthesis of collagen and elastin proteins that help stretch the skin and maintain a youthful appearance.
One ounce of sunflower seeds provides 49% of the recommended daily value of vitamin E. Sunflower seeds are also rich in selenium and zinc, minerals that play important roles in maintaining healthy skin.
5. Beef bone broth
Bone broth is made by simmering animal bones that are rich in collagen for many hours, sometimes more than eight hours, to produce a liquid that is high in gelatin and other nutrients that benefit the skin.
Gelatin is a substance that comes from collagen and contains a lot of glycine, proline, and lysine, which are amino acids that are needed for collagen production.
Drinking a cup of bone broth can help you hydrate and give your skin the amino acids it needs to heal and renew its cells.
6. Organ Meats
Organ meats, such as liver and heart, may not be as common as other protein sources, such as chicken and steak, but they are among the most nutritious protein sources you can eat and provide many vitamins and minerals that are important for skin health.
For example, beef liver is high in protein, and just one 85-gram serving gives you all the copper you need in a day, a mineral that protects the skin from the harmful effects of free radicals and prevents oxidative damage to skin cells. It also helps with collagen maturation and skin cell growth.
Organ meats also have a lot of selenium, vitamin A, and zinc, which are all essential for skin health.
7. Clam
Shellfish like oysters, clams, and mussels are smart choices if you want healthy, radiant skin. Besides being high in minerals like selenium, zinc, and copper that are good for the skin, shellfish are also high in protein and anti-inflammatory omega-3 fats. Shellfish, such as oysters, have a lot of zinc, a mineral that reduces skin inflammation and helps with wound healing, and selenium, a mineral with strong antioxidant properties that helps protect skin cells from oxidative damage and UV rays. Eating 6 medium-sized oysters gives you all the zinc you need in a day and 30% of the selenium you need in a day. Shellfish also have omega-3 fats, which reduce inflammation and play an important role in skin function and structure.
8. Broccoli
coli is a good source of fiber that helps keep a healthy gut environment. This cruciferous vegetable also has a lot of vitamin C and antioxidant polyphenols. Polyphenols help slow down the signs of aging by blocking some enzymes that break down skin proteins, collagen, and elastin. They can also help protect against UV rays, reduce inflammation, speed up skin regeneration, and improve blood circulation and skin elasticity. Additionally, broccoli has beta-carotene, a provitamin A carotenoid with antioxidant properties.
Eating vegetables like broccoli gives your body the nutrients it needs to keep your skin healthy. A 2015 review of 18 studies also found that people who ate a lot of vegetables, fruit, and fish, as well as beta-carotene and vitamins A, C, D, and E, had a lower risk of getting skin cancer.
9. Trout
Vitamin D is a fat-soluble nutrient that is essential for the growth of skin cells and the formation and function of the skin barrier, the outermost layer of the skin. Vitamin D also helps protect the body from pathogens and other harmful substances by controlling inflammation and supporting the skin's immune system.
Vitamin D deficiency has been linked to inflammatory skin diseases such as psoriasis and eczema.
Trout is one of the few foods that have vitamin D. A 3-ounce serving of boiled trout has 645 IU or 81% of your daily value. Trout also has zinc, selenium, protein, and omega-3 fats. The omega-3 fats DHA and EPA may help prevent skin cancer and have powerful anti-inflammatory properties that may benefit people with inflammatory skin conditions.
10. Watermelon
Watermelon is very hydrating, as it has more than 90% water content, which can help keep your skin moisturized from the inside out. Drinking plenty of water and eating hydrating foods like watermelon can help keep your skin looking young, as hydration helps reduce wrinkles and fine lines.
Watermelon not only hydrates your skin, but also provides it with antioxidants like vitamin C pene, and beta-carotene. It also has L-Citrulline, an amino acid that supports healthy blood flow, which is important for nourishing skin cells.
11. Cherry
Eating cherries regularly may help improve your overall health by lowering oxidative stress markers, blood pressure, and heart disease risk. Moreover, cherries are high in antioxidants like anthocyanins, hydroxycinnamic acid, and flavin-3-ol, which may help protect skin cells from UV damage.
Cherries are also high in vitamin C and have fiber, which helps balance the gut environment, which is important for keeping your skin healthy. Cherries also have compounds that promote good sleep, such as melatonin, a compound that regulates the body's sleep-wake cycle. Studies have shown that drinking cherry products, such as tart cherry juice, can improve sleep quality. Your skin repairs itself while you sleep, so getting enough sleep is very important for skin health.
12. Tomatoes
Tomatoes are a major food source of the carotenoid lycopene, which makes up about 80% of the lycopene consumed by Americans. Lycopene has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties and has been shown to protect skin from sun damage.
Additionally, some studies show that consuming lycopene-rich tomatoes may help improve skin appearance.
A 2023 review of 21 studies found that tomato and lycopene supplements prevent UV-induced skin damage and sun-induced skin aging by reducing skin redness and improving skin appearance and pigmentation.
13. Smoothie
Smoothies are one of the best ways to combine a variety of skin-friendly foods into one nutritious drink. Smoothies made with vitamin C-rich fruits like strawberries, a healthy source of fat, such as sunflower butter or almond butter, and a source of protein are a delicious way to nourish your skin from the inside out.
Adding collagen peptides to your smoothie can enhance its skin-boosting effects. Research suggests that supplementing with collagen may improve certain aspects of skin health, such as wrinkle depth, texture, elasticity, and hydration.
Your skin needs a constant supply of nutrients to stay healthy, hydrated, and youthful-looking.
Certain foods, such as strawberries, shellfish, sunflower seeds, kimchi, and broccoli, provide vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other nutrients, like protein, that are essential to skin health. For easy and delicious skincare, try incorporating the foods listed above into your diet.
