Feed Your Beauty – 8 Foods You Want to Load Up On For Healthy Skin, Hair and Nails
Move over, lipstick and eyeliner: the true key to beauty is in your plate. You probably know that whole foods can help improve your health and your mood, but did you know they can also improve your looks? Yup! You can craft yummy meals and get silky hair, bright skin, and stronger nails in the process. How? Read on to learn which superfoods will feed your beauty, inside and out.
Here are the best foods for healthy skin, hair, and nails:
#1: Avocados
We LOVE avocados for so many reasons (I’m looking at you, guacamole) but now we love them even more because they’re loaded with skin-loving poly- and monounsaturated fatty acids. Research has shown that these good fats help reverse the effects of aging on the skin.
#2: Cacao
Raw cacao is straight up magic – seriously, how can something taste so good and BE so good for you? It defies all logic, but one thing is for sure: cacao is serious beauty food. Flavonoids, are antioxidant packed compounds found in cacao, which have been shown to increase blood flow to the skin and to fight the free radicals responsible for fine lines and wrinkles.
#3: Berries
The bright colors in berries should clue you in to their beauty power. The powerful antioxidants in berries help protect the skin against UVB damage along with fighting free radicals (a win-win for beautiful skin.) Berries also up your intake of vitamin C, an essential nutrient for collagen production.
#4: Salmon
Loaded with omega-3s, salmon contains a type of essential fatty acids that boost skin health like no other. According to WebMD, eating a diet rich in omega-3s helps to reinforce the skin cell membrane along with fighting inflammatory compounds involved in the aging process. In other words, omega-3 fatty acids are a must for healthy skin beauty.
#5: Yogurt
Creamy, rich, and smooth, yogurt is a feel-good food that makes your skin happy, too. Yogurt provides you with the essential amino acids your body needs for healthier hair, skin, and nails. Yogurt feeds your skin and body important probiotics that have been shown to help brighten the skin, fight acne and soothe rosacea.
#6: Oysters
Oysters are packed with zinc! An important trace mineral, zinc acts as an astringent and anti-inflammatory, and is especially amazing in dealing with acne. The reason for that is because zinc helps regulate sebum, the natural skin oil that protects your skin.
#7: Leafy Greens
Those are really the stars of the food scene right now (think Kale). One more reason to add them to your smoothies? Nutrient dense superfoods are just loaded with skin-loving vitamins. Vitamin A is essential for hair and skin health, and vitamin C is involved in the making of collagen.
#8: Seaweed
Sea vegetables are the ultimate beauty food. Seaweeds contain more vitamins and minerals than any land plants and are loaded with active compounds like antioxidants and inflammation fighting agents. Seaweeds promote collagen and elastin production for smoother, more supple skin.
You can give your body what it needs to feel and look better by loading up on these beauty superfoods. Some of them can even be applied directly on the skin to brighten and hydrate (avocado face mask, anyone?) Seaweeds are a top pick for this, but if you don’t live near the beach and don’t have access to fresh seaweed, don’t despair! Try our Potent Sea Kelp Facial Mask, loaded with 5 types of skin-loving seaweeds instead. Natural beauty really is easy – and delicious.