Want Great Skin? Stock Your Fridge With These Superfoods
We spend a lot of time thinking about what we put on our skin. Serums, moisturizers, retinol and SPF all have their place. But beautiful skin is also built from within, and what you eat every day can make a difference in how hydrated, resilient and radiant it looks.
The good news? You don’t need an elaborate meal plan or a refrigerator full of obscure ingredients. Some of the best foods for your skin are probably already on your grocery list.
Here are seven worth putting into regular rotation.
1. Avocados
Avocados are rich in healthy fats, which help support the skin’s natural moisture barrier. They also contain vitamin E, an antioxidant that helps protect cells from oxidative stress.
Add avocado to eggs in the morning, blend it into a smoothie or use it to make a creamy dressing for your favorite salad.
2. Berries
Blueberries, strawberries, raspberries and blackberries are packed with antioxidants, including vitamin C. Vitamin C plays an important role in the body’s natural production of collagen, the protein that gives skin much of its firmness and structure.
Keep frozen berries on hand for smoothies, add fresh berries to Greek yogurt or simply eat a handful when you want something sweet.
3. Sweet Potatoes
That beautiful orange color comes from beta-carotene, a plant pigment the body can convert into vitamin A. Vitamin A supports normal skin-cell growth and renewal, making sweet potatoes an easy addition to your skin-loving grocery list.
Roast a batch at the beginning of the week and add them to salads, grain bowls or scrambled eggs.
4. Salmon
Salmon is one of the best food sources of omega-3 fatty acids, which are important components of the membranes surrounding our cells. It is also an excellent source of protein, and your body needs adequate protein to build collagen, keratin and other structural proteins.
Bake or grill salmon for dinner, add leftovers to a salad the next day or build an easy salmon bowl with spinach, avocado and roasted sweet potato.
5. Nuts and Seeds
Almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds and chia seeds deliver a mix of healthy fats, protein and important nutrients. Almonds are a source of vitamin E, while walnuts and chia seeds provide plant-based omega-3 fatty acids.
The easiest approach is also the most realistic: keep a jar where you can see it and add a small handful to yogurt, oatmeal or salads.
6. Spinach and Leafy Greens
Spinach gives you an impressive combination of beta-carotene, vitamin C, folate and other antioxidants in one very unassuming little leaf.
Use it as the base of a salad, sauté it with garlic and olive oil or toss a handful into a smoothie. If you barely notice it is there, that still counts.
7. Dark Chocolate
Yes, chocolate made the list.
Cocoa contains plant compounds called flavanols, which have antioxidant properties. Some research has linked regular consumption of cocoa flavanols with improvements in skin elasticity and the appearance of wrinkles.
The key word here is cocoa. Choose a good-quality dark chocolate with a higher cocoa percentage and enjoy a square or two. We especially love it with fresh berries.
An Easy Skin-Loving Meal
You don’t need to eat these foods separately or turn healthy eating into another full-time job. Combine several of them in one simple meal:
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A bed of spinach
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Roasted sweet potato
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Baked salmon
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Sliced avocado
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A sprinkle of walnuts or pumpkin seeds
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Olive oil and lemon
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Berries with a square of dark chocolate afterward
That is a beautiful lunch or dinner, plenty of protein and six of the seven foods on this list without trying very hard.
Beautiful Skin Loves Consistency
No single food creates glowing skin overnight. The real benefits come from what you do repeatedly, and that is true of almost everything that works.
A nourishing meal. A daily walk. Taking off your makeup before bed. Wearing sunscreen. Drinking your Super Beauty Elixir.
Small daily rituals may not feel dramatic in the moment, but repeated over time, they can create very visible results.
Give Your Skin a Daily Boost With Super Beauty Elixir
Super Beauty Elixir combines VERISOL® Bioactive Collagen Peptides with hyaluronic acid, vitamin C and biotin in one convenient daily stick. It also contains antioxidants that can help clear free radical damage, just like these superfoods do!
In a clinical study, VERISOL® collagen peptides reduced eye-wrinkle depth by an average of 25% after eight weeks compared with placebo. That is why our promise is so simple:
Give us eight weeks. One stick a day.