Choosing healthy foods to keep your skin in good shape requires a little nutritional knowledge. Concentrating on just one skin-friendly nutrient, such as the vitamin A in papayas, can play havoc with your diet, raising one vitamin level at the expense of other essential elements. In reality, several nutrients contribute to your overall skin health. Tissue generation, mucous membrane strength and collagen synthesis require dietary fiber and vitamins A and C. Free-radical damage from environmental pollution and UV exposure can be mitigated by adequate vitamin E and plant flavonoid intakes. To promote great skin in a good diet, be sure to hit all the food groups.
Spinach
Spinach wins the healthy foods prize, as it contains multiple elements that benefit your skin and your daily diet. High in fiber and vitamin A, just 1 cup of spinach satisfies 20 percent or more of your daily value (DV) of both nutrients. Spinach also contains up to 15 percent DV of vitamins C and E, thanks to its rich antioxidant compounds.
Milk
Healthy foods for great skin care should have extra nutritional benefits, so that they impact a good diet in other ways. Besides its positive effect on skin self-rejuvenation, nonfat milk enriched with vitamin A is fat free; low in calories; high in calcium and vitamins C and D; and a nonfat protein source.
Chicken Liver
For the biggest boost to great skin, eat chicken liver and giblets every now and then. Besides having one of the highest vitamin A fixes you can get from meat, you'll increase your iron level, too.
Orange Fruits and Vegetables
Carrots are healthy foods that are full of fiber and vitamin A, with strong antioxidant properties that protect the skin barrier. Orange vegetables and fruits such as pumpkin, other squashes, apricots, mangoes and papayas are good dietary sources of vitamin A as well.
Red Pepper
Red peppers have some of the highest levels of vitamin C--more than green peppers--due to the concentration in ripening. Bumping up your vitamin C level aids in wound healing and connective tissue growth.
Bran Cereal
Bran cereal is a natural source of dietary fiber, and it is fortified with high content of vitamin C. Some ready-to-eat cereals provide 100 percent DV of vitamin C.
Almonds
Vitamin E skin care foods are limited in scope but easy to fit into a good diet. Versatile almonds contain 40 percent DV of vitamin E in just 1 oz. Sunflower seed kernels are close behind, with 30 percent DV of this antioxidant nutrient that contributes to great skin.
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