The winter can really aggravate already existing skin issues that we may be already experiencing such as eczema, psoriasis, acne, or rosacea, or even cold sores and other skin irritation.
Our first instinct is often to try and find some sort of amazing new cream, face mask, or head for a facial but the true path to glowing, flawless skin is really from the inside out. So, eating lots of foods that know are going to nourish our skin and avoiding the foods that actually will inflame it is how we get to the root of our skin issues.
The Foods That Make You Glow!
Healthy Fats:
It's so amazing that low-fat diets are not as hip as they once were. It's been officially determined via research that low-fat diets do not cause us to lose weight. We actually need healthy fats for every single cell of our body, especially if we want happy, healthy, and moisturized skin.
Good healthful fats: Avocados, cold-pressed coconut oil, grass-fed or organic butter and ghee, cold water fish, coconut, cold pressed olive oil, eggs, including the yolk.
Not so good fats: Hydrogenated or vegetable oils, margarine, Crisco or deep fried foods. These are damaged oils, very inflammatory and can cause the skin to get quite inflamed.
Colorful Veggies & Fruit:
These are loaded with antioxidants, minerals, and phyto-nutrients that calm inflammation in the skin and the overall body. Try mushrooms, leafy greens, purple cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel sprouts, berries, apples and bell peppers. Mix it up every day and ideally half of your plate is colorful plant foods.
Especially with our skin, we want to focus on some vitamin A rich foods which are bold orange or dark leafy greens. This would be carrots and sweet potatoes, and squash and our dark leafy greens like kale, spinach, and arugula. Vitamin A is especially known for healing troubled skin conditions and is a great way to help promote the health of our gut lining. I often see skin issues and digestive issues go hand in hand.
Quality Protein:
Protein is the building blocks for everything structural within our body; our skin, our hair, our nails, our digestive tract, our limbs, our ligaments. Also, protein promotes collagen production, which can enhance the youthful vibrant glow of our skin.
Good Quality Sources: beef, poultry, wild fish, nuts, seeds, beans, lentils, and legumes. Research shows that organic grass-fed animals are much higher in Omega-3 fatty acids, which are anti-inflammatory, and unfortunately, the factory raised versions of them are higher in Omega 6's, which are more pro-inflammatory. If you're someone that really struggles with digestion, these plant-based sources might not be for you.
The Skin Inflamers:
There are some foods out there that can actually really inflame our skin and cause a lot of heat, and irritation like processed foods, refined sugar and alcohol.
But a huge skin trigger I often see is food sensitivities. This is something that a lot of people don't realize can be a huge root cause to lots of skin issues, like our eczema and our psoriasis, even acne, and rosacea, and just overall rashy skin. This was definitely a big one for me. Not to poo poo dairy, but 75% of the world's population is lactose intolerant, so it's something that the majority of use don't even digest properly.
