You’ve been trying out all the creams, masks and procedures and it just seems like something’s missing: that beautiful, natural glow your skin once had. What could you do to get it back? What did you do differently back then? The answer is probably right under your nose.
Many women take really good care of their skin in terms of products and procedures, but that’s barely enough to maintain a healthy appearance. The essence consists in the foods you eat.
“You can look at food as the raw materials for a factory,” says Ian Koo, a naturopathic doctor based in Mississauga, Ont. “The better the quality of the raw materials we have to start with, the greater the chance that we’ll end up with a good durable product.”
Let’s have a look at some of the key foods we should consume regularly to keep our skin happy on the long term:
Tomatoes
Whether it’s natural tomato sauce, juice or just a salad, tomatoes do wonders when it comes to curing your acne. “Lycopene [the phytochemical that makes tomatoes red] may lower an acne-promoting hormone,” says Alan Logan, a naturopathic doctor and author of The Clear Skin Diet.
Lycopene may also help defend your skin from UV rays, says Koo. “Lycopene and other carotenoids found in orange to reddish-coloured fruits and vegetables can help improve the skin’s antioxidant status. Antioxidants combat free radicals produced from excessive sun exposure,” he describes.
Green Tea
Green tea is a great enemy against acne, as it lowers the levels of dihydrotestosterone, the hormone that leads to most skin problems. As dr. Logan recommends, it’s best to brew up to five cups of green tea daily to help your skin thrive and glow on the long term.
Berries
Berries with deep colors like cherries or blueberries are over-loaded with antioxidants, which help your body fight off skin infections, acnea and other common issues.
“One thing we found out very recently about acne is that there’s a great local oxidative stress going on, so much so that it actually depletes the antioxidants in people with acne. So the more severe your acne, the lower your levels of blood antioxidants,” says Logan.
