Christine Webb, Your Health and Fitness
Just as you may watch what you eat to take care of your body, you also have to watch what you eat to take care of your skin.
Here are five foods you may want to consider adding to your diet.
1. Avocados
Avocados are abundant in essential oils and B-complex vitamins that nourish your skin, inside and out. Niacin (vitamin B3) is especially important for healthy skin.
2. Almonds
With 150 percent of your daily need for vitamin E, its rich oils moisturize dry skin, while its antioxidants protect against skin damage and premature aging of facial tissue.
3. Cottage Cheese
It's the selenium in cottage cheese, not the calcium that helps keep you looking young.
Selenium, an essential mineral, teams up with vitamin E as a powerful free radical-fighting antioxidant duo. Plus, it's been touted to protect against skin cancer and even fight dandruff.
4. Baked Potatoes
Believe it or not, it's actually good for your skin. One baked potato eaten with the skin supplies 75 percent of your daily need for copper. This essential mineral works hand-in-hand with vitamin C and zinc to produce the elastin fibers that support skin structure. Too little copper in your diet can reduce your skin's ability to heal and cause it to become rigid and lifeless.
5. Flaxseed Oil
It's no secret that Omega 3s are great for your skin, but did you know that flaxseed oil is one of the best sources of this essential fatty acid?
Just one teaspoon of flaxseed oil per day provides 2.5 grams of Omega 3s, which in turn hydrates the skin. Essential fatty acids can also unclog pores that can otherwise lead to acne.
Bonus Beauty: Wheat Germ
Don’t let the "germ" scare you - it's actually just the embryo within a grain of wheat, and it's very nutritious. Wheat germ is a good source of biotin, a B vitamin that is crucial to skin health. Biotin is so important to healthy skin that a mild deficiency can actually cause dermatitis, a skin condition characterized by itchy, scaly skin. Sprinkle wheat germ on yogurt for a tasty way to get more biotin in your diet.
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