Glowing From Within: Unlocking Radiant Skin with Nutritional Power
Nutritional health significantly impacts skin health as our skin reflects our overall well-being. Essential nutrients such as vitamins C and E, beta-carotene, zinc, and omega-3 fatty acids are vital for promoting collagen production, protecting against free radicals, and maintaining hydration and a healthy skin barrier. A balanced diet, rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins provides the necessary building blocks for skin cell regeneration and repair, preventing common issues like acne and dryness. By prioritizing nutrition, we can nurture our skin from within, promoting a vibrant and youthful complexion.
Measuring in at 21 square feet for the average person, skin is the largest organ in the human body. It accounts for about 15 percent of your body weight and houses more than 11 miles of blood vessels. Our skin serves the critically important role as a protective barrier against the outside world. Keeping it healthy and beautiful requires some simple, but vital maintenance practices as well as a healthy diet rich in a variety of essential nutrients.
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Glowing From Within: Unlocking Radiant Skin with Nutritional Power is an original (HealthXWire) article.
When it comes to health, our skin cannot keep a secret for long
You are what you eat! We’ve all heard this admonishment — usually when we’re over-indulging — yet most of us fail to register its profundity. Over time, what we eat literally has the power to make us strong and healthy, or to diminish us and reduce our life potential and longevity. Eating a balanced diet rich in key nutrients plays a vital role in both our internal health as well as the external health of our skin – the latter of which is difficult to fake when the former is not optimal.
Antioxidants:
Your skin’s best defenders
Vitamin C is a powerful antioxidant that plays a crucial role in the skin’s collagen synthesis. Collagen is essential for skin elasticity and wound healing. Vitamin C also protects our skin from UV-induced sun damage and helps reduce signs of aging. Some delicious food sources that are high in vitamin C include citrus fruits, strawberries, kiwis, and bell peppers.
Vitamin E is another beneficial antioxidant that protects the skin from oxidative stress caused by free radicals. It also helps maintain skin moisture and prevents premature aging and wrinkles. Foods like nuts, seeds, spinach, and avocado are all excellent sources of vitamin E.
Beta-carotene is a precursor to vitamin A and a powerful antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals. It helps to improve skin texture, reduces dryness, and enhances our skin’s radiance. Foods rich in beta-carotene include orange and yellow fruits and vegetables like carrots, sweet potatoes, and mangoes.
In addition to these three critical nutrients, a balanced diet will support our overall health as well as promote healthy, radiant skin. For example, the omega-3 fatty acids found in fatty fish like salmon and mackerel, flax seeds, and chia seeds help reduce inflammation and maintain skin moisture. Present in nuts, seeds, legumes, and whole grains, zinc supports skin healing and fights acne. Brazil nuts, fish, and poultry contain selenium, which further helps protect the skin from oxidative damage, and in addition to beta-carotene food sources, vitamin A can also be obtained from liver, eggs, and dairy products.
Just as a balanced diet rich in these nutrients can improve our skin health, deficiencies can speed its deterioration. The absence of adequate vitamin C, for example, can lead to bruising, and slow wound healing; a lack of vitamin E can result in dry skin and premature aging; and deficiencies in beta-carotene can make the skin severely rough, dry, and flaky, leaving it more vulnerable to wounds and less able to heal.
A day in the life:
It is one thing to understand the importance of a healthy diet and quite another to find simple, delicious recipes that make it easy to be consistent. Included here, is a sample menu of what a healthy, pro-skin menu might look like.
Breakfast:
Overnight oats with chia seeds, topped with fresh berries and a sprinkle of almonds.
A glass of freshly squeezed orange juice for vitamin C.
Lunch:
Grilled salmon salad with mixed greens, avocado, cherry tomatoes, and a drizzle of olive oil with a side of carrot sticks for beta-carotene.
Afternoon snack:
Greek yogurt with a handful of mixed nuts (rich in vitamin E) and a few pumpkin seeds to bump up your zinc.
Dinner:
Stir-fried tofu with broccoli, bell peppers, and cashews over brown rice with a side of steamed spinach for extra vitamin E.
Walk it off:
Exercise and its role in skin health
Exercise is another important factor in skin health. Regular physical activity improves blood circulation, which helps our bodies deliver essential nutrients and oxygen to the skin cells. It also promotes collagen production, leading to firmer and younger-looking skin. If that’s not enough to get you up from your chair, regular exercise helps ward off stress, which can also negatively affect skin health. When we’re stressed, our bodies release cortisol, which can lead to increased sebum production and exacerbate conditions like acne and eczema.
A mix of cardiovascular and strength training exercises is ideal for maximum benefits, but even yoga or taking a walk out in nature can promote healthier skin. Just remember to hydrate – not only to regulate body temperature and keep your joints lubricated but because proper hydration is vital for skin, as well. It helps maintain moisture, elasticity, and overall skin health. It’s best to drink plenty of water throughout the day and perhaps include hydrating foods like watermelon, cucumber, and celery as an added boost.
That extra something:
Promoting skin health with supplements
All of this information is a big help in figuring out how to live a healthier lifestyle, but for many of us, it can still be difficult to incorporate and maintain habits to support skin and body health.
Nancy Chan, CEO of the company that manufactures Kori Krill Oil – a multi-benefit Omega-3 supplement sourced from Antarctic krill – understands the struggle. Chan explains that while many people believe they’re getting enough omega-3s from the eggs and fortified milk products they consume each day, it simply isn’t the case.
Omega-3s are important not only for skin, but for brain, eye, heart, and joint health, as well, and US dietary guidelines recommend 250 mg per day. Unfortunately, according to Chan, most of us are not eating enough fatty fish and seafood to meet that requirement.
“More than 70 percent of Americans are sorely deficient in their omega-3 levels.”
Because Kori Krill Oil supplements are anchored directly to US dietary guidelines and contain 250 mg of omega-3 EPA and DHA, they are an easy way to close the gap.
“The only decision consumers need to make is which softgel they want,” Chan explains.
Radiant skin is within your reach
A nutritious, well-balanced diet is paramount, both for healthy skin as well as overall health. We would all do well to prioritize a healthy diet, proper hydration, and plenty of stress-busting physical activity. But in addition to working hard, we must also work smart and any added support from trusted sources is also something to appreciate and take full advantage of.
References for more information on skin health:
A Look at Krill Oil’s Benefits
The Potential Uses of Omega-3 Fatty Acids in Dermatology: A Review, by Bryce J. Thomsen, et al
What Your Skin Can Tell You About Your Overall Health
Important Note: The information contained in this article is for general informational purposes only and should not be construed as health or medical advice, nor is it intended to diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure any disease or health condition. Before embarking on any diet, fitness regimen, or program of nutritional supplementation, it is advisable to consult your health care professional to determine its safety and probable efficacy in terms of your individual state of health.
Regarding Nutritional Supplements or Other Non-Prescription Health Products: If any nutritional supplements or other non-prescription health products are mentioned in the foregoing article, any claims or statements made about them have not been evaluated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and such nutritional supplements or other health products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.
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