Youthful Skin Is An Inside Job—Here's How To Keep Your Skin Vibrant, Regardless Of Age

When it comes to skin health, what you put in your mouth is more important than what you put on your skin. This may be new news to some of you. “But isn’t skincare about skin care products? What does eating have to do with it?” The answer: Actually, a lot. Everything you eat becomes part of your inner AND outer being. Your skin is your largest organ, and everything going on inside your body (specifically in your gut) shows up on it. 

While this fact may seem daunting at first, we should feel empowered to use it to our advantage! We are in control of what we eat, so we have a lot of power to change how our skin looks by improving our gut health. 

Here are my top five tips for better skin health: 

1. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. (Including lemon water!)

Drinking water is one of the best things you can do for your skin, and really, your whole body. When you’re hydrated, your skin is hydrated, and hydrated skin makes fine less and signs of aging less noticeable. Water also helps your cells take in nutrients and flushes harmful toxins from your body. Make sure to keep your water bottle near you at all times throughout the day. If you can see it, you’re more likely to drink it!

Another tip: Drink warm water with lemon juice first thing in the morning on an empty stomach. It aids in your body’s natural detoxifying processes and has been a game-changer for my digestion. 

2. Add antioxidant-rich foods to your diet. 

While our bodies naturally produce some types of antioxidants, we get a lot of vital antioxidants from the foods we eat. Why does this matter? Well, our bodies produce less antioxidants as we age, and antioxidants slow and prevent free radicals. Free radicals cause skin damage by breaking down your elasticity and collagen, so in order to maintain youthful skin, we need to add foods high in antioxidants to our plates every day.

Colorful fruits and vegetables like berries, tomatoes, beets, tangerines, red peppers, and more are packed with powerful antioxidants. Typically the darker and brighter the color a fruit or vegetable is, the more nutrients and antioxidants it has (think darker greens like kale and arugula). Vitamin A, C, and E are all considered antioxidants, and these three in particular are absolutely essential for skin health. Vitamin A repairs the skin, and can be found in foods with an orange-y color like carrots and cantaloupe, as well as eggs and greens. Vitamin C is crucial for protecting your skin from the sun and undoing sun damage to collagen and elastin (find it in citrus, papaya, kiwi, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts). Lastly, vitamin E saves your skin from the sun, too, but also fights off harmful inflammation. Olive oil, nuts, seeds, olives, spinach, and other leafy greens are all great sources of vitamin E. 

Bonus tip: Green tea is wonderful for your skin. Not only is it antioxidant-filled and anti-inflammatory, but it also slows down your DNA damage and helps prevent the sun from burning your skin. Sip it in the morning or throughout the day! 

3. Eat foods with essential fatty acids. 

The idea that all fat is bad for us has long been negated—in fact, fat is necessary for us to function! Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids are key for skin health; they lubricate the skin, keeping it plump, supple, and moisturized. These fats can be found in flax seeds, walnuts, chia seeds, salmon, sardines, and mackerel, as well as in healthy oils, like high quality extra virgin olive oil and other cold expeller-pressed oils. Avocado is another healthy fat source that’s high in phytonutrients (plant chemicals with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties). Add small doses of these fats to each meal to keep your body satiated and your skin health thriving. 

4. Avoid processed foods and sugar. 

Any health and nutrition advice I’ve ever given has always included this tip: Avoid sugar and processed foods! Processed foods contain chemicals and fake ingredients that don’t occur naturally (they’re made in a lab). These strange preservatives and additives can cause serious harm to your gut health—gums and thickening agents have been shown to cause digestive issues for many people, including IBS, constipation, etc. 

Sugar, on the other hand, is absorbed into your bloodstream at rapid speed, which throws off your insulin levels and accelerates aging. The more sugar you eat, the more you’ll experience glycation, which is when sugar molecules bind to collagen and elastin proteins (proteins that keep your skin firm). The end result is looser, less supple skin. It’s a losing battle—stick to whole foods. 

5. Make sure you’re eating foods that contain pre- and probiotics. 

Like I said, gut health is inextricably linked to skin health—what happens in the gut shows up on the skin, so we have to keep our digestive health in check. Part of that is making sure that we have enough good bacteria in our gut (aka our microbiome), and we can do that by eating foods high in prebiotics and probiotics. Prebiotics are a non-digestible fiber that feeds probiotics (so yes, we need both pre- and pro-). To get your daily dose of prebiotics, turn to foods like asparagus, garlic, onions, Jerusalem artichoke, leeks, oats, apples, and seaweed. Probiotics are the “good” gut bacteria, and they can be found in fermented foods, like kombucha, kimchi, sauerkraut, Greek yogurt, pickles, miso, and microalgae. 

If you take anything away from this article, it should be that what you eat truly impacts your skin. It can be the difference between youthful, glowing skin that you feel confident in and looking and feeling older than you truly are. Skin health aside, making these changes to your diet will benefit your entire body, and when your body functions better, you feel better! 

For more tips on nutrition, skin health, and a community of women who want to learn from your experiences, head over to our Pure Joy Wellness Private Facebook Group. All you have to do is request to join! 

xo, 

Renata