The health of your body will reflect in your skin. Skin is the largest organ in the human body so protecting it from the inside with a healthy diet makes perfect sense.
The toxic by-products of energy production are called free radicals. They are chemicals with an unpaired electron absorbed into the body. Once there, they react with any structure in a cell, causing damage in the form of mutations leading to gene malfunction. Vital functions can be altered due to these malfunctions.
Rigid, fragile and leaky cells can be the result of damage caused by free radicals that penetrate the cell membrane.
Antioxidants protect the cells from free radicals. A diet rich in antioxidants is great protection from the damage done by these free radicals. Lycopene, found in red fruits and vegetables is a powerful antioxidant, as are flavonoids and carotenoids. You can find these in herbs and vegetables such as spinach, asparagus, peaches, apricots, cabbage, onion, dill, garlic, lima beans, basil and others. And do not forget the tea. Lightly cooked, fresh or raw is a great way to benefit from anti-oxidants.
There are foods associated with keeping smoother skin that has fewer wrinkles. Eating these foods does not guarantee wrinkles will disappear or never appear, but there is a correlation between eating them and having fewer wrinkles. Mono-unsaturated fat, olives and olive oil, fatty fish like sardines and salmon, reduced fat milk, eggs, nuts & legumes, and the previously mentioned foods high in flavonoids and carotenoids all result in healthier skin. Wrinkles can be the result of the counterparts such as saturated fats, sweets, sodas, butter, margarine, potatoes and meat.
Drinking plenty of fluids, especially water, is another way to keep the youthful skin. Although staying hydrated is good for the skin it does not need help with wrinkling as wrinkles occur in the dermis as the result of the sebaceous glands producing too little sebum, the skin becomes dry and more apt to wrinkle. What drinking water does is keep the blood circulating well and cleans the pores by allowing sweat to flow freely. Water also helps with metabolism.
As for hydrating the skin from the outside, there are excellent creams and lotions available. The very best of them penetrate into the dermal layer to help stimulate the natural production of collagen.
A balanced diet, good nutrition and science-based skincare creams are important in having younger looking skin and are vital to the anti-ageing process. Antioxidants fight off free radicals and micronutrients act as sponges to soak up destructive ultraviolet rays, all working together to prevent wrinkling and spotting.
Related Article: Nutrition in Relation to Our Skin
Featured Image: Syrinxza
Source by James Schramko