Nutrition for dry skin

Nutrition for dry skin 1

Keeping your skin hydrated is not only about the amount or type of moisturiser you use, what you eat has a profound effect on your body and as a result your skin. This is one of the situations where ensuring you eat enough of the “good” foods isn’t enough, its in removing the “bad” foods from your diet that you are going to see the real benefits.

A diet high in saturated fat, salt and sugar not only means you are missing out on important nutrients needed for healthy, younger looking skin, but it also increases your risk of skin problems, including dry skin.

It sounds simple (and it is), but people often forget that WATER is the key ingredient when it comes to hydrating the skin. We are made up of approximately 70% water and it is needed for nearly every bodily process including digestion, absorption, circulation and excretion. Without water your cells become dehydrated and lose their plumpness and structure. In order to keep your skin hydrated it is essential that you drink enough water – at least 1.5 litres a day! While drinking this amount of water in winter can be unpleasant for some, keep your fluid levels up by experimenting with warming drinks. For example, choose herbal teas or warm water with a slice of lemon or fresh mint instead of regular tea’s or coffee, and carry a bottle of water around with you during the day to make it easier to keep yourself hydrated. Invest in a juicer and make delicious fruit and vegetable juices that keep you hydrated and give you a wide range of the vitamins and minerals your body requires. Ensure that you drink good quality water either filtered through a certified filtration system or buy uncarbonated spring water.

Apart from drinking water directly, ensuring that you eat enough fruits and vegetables during the day will also help you look your best. Fruits and vegetables have a high water content that help you to hydrate your skin, and provide the extra benefits of giving your body an array of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Eating a colourful variety of fruits and vegetables ensures that you get a good mix of nutrients. The key nutrients for your skin are, vitamin C, vitamin A and zinc.

Vitamin C is vital for the formation of collagen and is an important antioxidant. The oil-producing sebaceous glands that moisten and nourish the skin need a good supply of vitamin C to work at their optimum, and so one needs to ensure that you get enough. Good sources of vitamin C include peppers, greens, kale, strawberries, papaya, kiwi, broccoli, oranges and grapefruit. RegimA Alpha Lipoic and Vitamin C cream feeds the skin from the outside in ensuring you have high anti-oxidant levels on the skin to ward off the negative effects of the environment as soon as the skin is exposed to these elements.

Vitamin A is also known as the skin vitamin, it helps to control the rate of keratin accumulation in the skin.  A lack of vitamin A can therefore result in dry, rough skin. Good sources of vitamin A include brightly colored fruits and vegetables, carrots, apricots and sweet potatoes. Vitamin A is imperative for the correct functioning of the Langerhans cell found in the basal cell membrane of the skin where it support the immune function of the skin.

Zinc is an important mineral for your body and assists greatly in the treatment and prevention of dry skin. It supports wound healing, has anti-microbial benfits thereby fighting infection and acts as a boost to your immune system. Good sources of zinc include many seeds, seaweed, blue-green algae, oysters, crab, beef and beans.

Omega 3 essential fatty acids act as an internal moisturiser for you body. These essential fatty acids make up part of each of your cells membranes and thus they are important in determining what enters and exits the cell. Without enough fats in the cell membranes, cells are not able to retain water and therefore lose their plumpness easily. Good sources of essential fatty acids include; fish particularly Salmon, avocado, nuts and seeds.

So look after your skin from the inside out this winter by eating healthily and remembering to keep drinking water. Trust me, your skin will thank you for it!

Bibliography

Holford, P. (2010). The New Optimum Nutrition Bible. Piatkus
Phyllis, A, Balch, CNC. (2010) Prescription for Nutritional Healing. Fifth Edition. Avery

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