Food And Drinks For Great Skin 

In the heat of the summer applying makeup is the last thing you want to do. It gets melty and gooey, and it feels like your skin can’t breathe! Instead of reaching for concealer, focus on your diet choices instead. Certain food and drinks can help you maintain great skin.

Food and Drinks for Great Skin: A Summer Guide

1. Prioritize Hydration

The number one recommendation to help achieve great skin is to stay hydrated. The human body constitutes 70% water, and we need to keep replenishing our fluid throughout the day to prevent dehydration.

Dehydrated skin can feel itchy and red, and can appear dull instead of glowy. Choose water whenever possible and keep your intake of sugar-sweetened beverages low. If plain water is boring, jazz it up with natural flavor enhancers!

Popular ways to flavor water include:

• Adding fresh basil and strawberry slices
• Including fresh mint leaves and pineapple
• Cut up cucumber slices
• Adding fresh ginger slices and lemon slices

Tea and coffee also contribute to your fluid intake for the day. Try to keep your add-ins limited, and make your own beverages at home. Specialty iced coffee drinks are notoriously high in sugar, a tall vanilla frappuccino has 37.7 grams of sugar (approximately 9.5 teaspoons).

2. Include Fatty Fish

No, I’m not talking about fish fry, I’m referring to omega-3-rich fish! Trout, salmon, mackerel, and herring are all rich sources of omega-3 and they are often referred to as fatty fish.

Healthy fat is a key player in supporting healthy skin and food sources of omega-3 are the most easily absorbed in the body.

The summer months are a great time of year to fire up the barbecue and try new recipes. Instead of steaks and burgers, try to rotate fish into the mix as well. You will satisfy your omega-3 needs if you eat fatty fish twice per week.

3. Plant-Based Omega-3 Foods

If you don’t like fish, you can lean on plant-based sources of omega-3 instead.

Plant-based options include:

• Walnuts
• Chia seeds
• Flax seeds
• Hemp hearts
• Edamame beans

Every one of these foods offers different minerals and vitamins, and they all play a supporting role in your health and your skin.

You may be interested: Need Plant-Based Protein Ideas? We Got You.

4. Bell Peppers

Bell peppers are available in different colors but they are all rich sources of vitamin C and Vitamin A. These two vitamins can help your skin integrity, and reduce the chances of wrinkles and lines as you age.

Food sources that are rich in Vitamin C have been linked to healthy skin. This vitamin has antioxidant properties and defends your body from harmful free radicals. It is also a precursor for collagen production, which helps keep your skin healthy.

5. Swap Out Salt For Fresh Herbs

Salt, or sodium chloride, is everywhere. Although we do need small amounts to stay healthy, many of us in the Western world consume way too much. Packaged foods and ultra-processed items are high in salt, unhealthy fats, and sugar. These ingredients can negatively affect your health and your skin.

The next time you want to season your dishes, try to experiment with fresh herbs. There are infinite ways you can use these herbs in your cooking, from making marinades or garnishing a dish before eating. Try this herb and garlic vinaigrette for your salad next time. Although it has salt, it is significantly less than store-bought options.

6. Red Grapes

Grapes are high in vitamin C, fluid, and resveratrol. The resveratrol gives the red pigment to the fruit. It has been known to have antioxidant properties and can help combat free radicals that may cause damage to your skin.

A perfect summer treat is to freeze grapes and pop them into your mouth when you need a snack. They are almost like bite-sized popsicles that are sweet and refreshing. Some people even use frozen grapes to replace ice in their beverages.

 

Summer is probably one of the seasons that gives more damage to our skin if we don’t take good care of it. There are plenty of food and drinks for great skin. Include a variety of these options throughout your diet and see what difference they make.

 

If you have more ideas that would make a great addition to this guide, let’s discuss them in the comments. We always love hearing from you!

 

Image Credit: Gregor Moser and Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash