Healthy skin is just a few short steps away: it's all in what you EAT!  A healthy diet and lifestyle shows on your complexion and gives your skin a boost to look and feel healthy. Experts in dermatology will tell you, a healthy diet is important for improving and maintaining healthy skin.   Start using these healthy tips today and you will see a difference, no matter what your age.

5 Healthy Skin Diet Tips:

1) Trade in those Carbs

Replace refined carbohydrate foods like white breads, donuts, cookies, bagels and pasta with their whole-grain cousins. Not only do whole grains provide more anti-aging antioxidants, they also provide the key element of a healthy skin diet - fiber.  Try whole wheat bread, whole wheat pita bread or whole wheat tortillas.  They even make whole wheat pasta! Try brown rice instead of white.  Try whole wheat bagels or crackers and nix the desserts!   Nutritionists will tell you: a high-fiber diet with lots of whole grains can help act as a detoxifying agent for your body. It is recommended that we eat 35 grams of fiber every day, as this can give significant health benefits not just to your skin, but to your colon as well.

2) Swap out your Fats

Toss out the bad fats in your diet - saturated and trans fat - and replace them with good fats. Omega 3 fatty acids from fish sources can reduce your skin cancer risk. Nutrition experts suggest eating 200 mg of DHA a day - that's equivalent to two servings of salmon a week. While most of us get plenty of omega 6 fatty acids from our diet, they stress the importance of another good fat, linoleic acid, in preventing dry and flaky skin. It can be found in vegetable oils like safflower, sunflower and olive oil.  Cooking with olive oil or the other oils listed also helps you feel fuller for a longer period after a meal.  Try adding a variety of unsalted nuts to your diet, too, for extra benefit.  Not too many, just a few will do.  Avocados also carry good-for-you oils.  Add a few slices to a salad once in while.

      3) Put "C" in your Diet

Citrus fruits play an important role in keeping your skin looking young. That's because the antioxidant Vitamin C found in citrus is involved in the formation of collagen.  Collagen is a protein that binds cells and tissues together. In other words, collagen helps keep your skin firm and hence reduces wrinkling. Therefore, include more Vitamin C-rich foods such as oranges, grapefruit, kiwis, strawberries, red bell peppers, and broccoli in your diet.  You can always find ways to include them in your dishes!  Check out some citrus-inspired recipes from the California Citrus Growers or recipes online. Even try adding a slice of orange, apple or a small bunch grapes to your dinner plate.  Put apples in your chicken salad or oranges on your chicken while it's baking. Fruit is a refreshing treat!  Treat it like a dessert!

4) Keep the Strings, Peels and Pulp

Here is another important reason to add fruits and vegetables to your diet. The silica found in plant-based foods can help maintain the elasticity of your skin and improve your complexion.  What you probably don't realize is that silica is often found in the parts of fruits and veggies that are for the most part discarded - strings, peels and pulp. So if possible, enjoy the whole fruit and vegetable: cucumber skin and the strings of celery and asparagus. Leave the peel on your apples and potatoes, too, for an extra vitamin boost!

5) Drink plenty of fluids

This is almost a no-brainer, but it bears repeating because we forget this fundamental diet truth.  Fluids keep your skin hydrated and help flush toxins. We are what we eat, or drink!   Drink at least 6 cups of fluids - water and (preferably decaf) tea - every day. Doctors recommend drinking black, green, and white teas for their beneficial antioxidant content, but avoid caffiene late in the evening.  The health benefit of the tea will be negated if you aren't getting enough rest! Skip the cream and sugar, too, to make your drinks calorie-free. Don't drink your calories.  Leave the calories to your solid foods!

Following these health tips can lead to a much healthier you.  You'll have a bounce in your step and a glow to your cheeks!  Take good care of your skin, it's the largest organ in your body.

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