Eat your way to a glowing complexion.

Eat your way to a glowing complexion – sounds great doesn’t it, but is it really possible? The answer is a resounding, yes! How you nourish yourself is quite literally written all over your face.

Whatever the state of your skin today you can be sure that what you’ve eaten over the past few weeks will have had a direct effect on whether you’ve got the glow or not. There are of course other factors like sleep, sun exposure and alcohol consumption for example. The combination of good quality sleep, reduced stress and fresh air as often as is practicable is all important. When we are stressed then what we get from our food is often not enough so adopting some mindful practices to your day would be advisable too if you’re feeling the overwhelm.

Did you know that your body is covered with approximately 20 square foot of skin? It’s an amazing figure and reminds us that our skin is in fact the largest organ in our body. That’s got to make it worthy of our love and nurturing surely? Your skin naturally reflects any imbalances or internal inflammation.

Have you noticed that when you feel your best, for example and are in good health, that your skin will most likely appear glowing, youthful and clear? When you’re run down, tired or unwell however, your skin can become congested, dry and irritated.

So the nitty gritty is that while there is an almost overwhelming number of products you can use topically on your skin, the basics for good skin starts with good nutrition and great hydration. In the beauty and fitness world there is a great saying – ‘You can’t outrun a bad diet’ and the same is true for your skin. So, how can you eat your way to a glowing complexion?

Zinc

Zinc is very important for maintaining healthy skin, especially for acne sufferers. The skin contains 20% of the body’s zinc and if you’re lacking in this essential mineral acne is often a symptom. Zinc is also an important cofactor in Collagen production, which is so important as we age, keeping skin plumper and less wrinkled. Zinc is especially beneficial for inflammatory skin conditions and related scarring. Did you know that a great source of zinc is in fact cacao, great news if you’re one of our many cacao macaroon lovers! Cashews and pumpkin seeds are two other great sources of zinc, which you will find in our Peppermint bars!

The good news is that there are plenty of tasty ways to increase your zinc intake. Oysters, liver, pumpkin, sunflower and hemp seeds, cashew nuts, turkey breast, eggs and shitake mushrooms are a few of our favourite ingredients to use as good sources of zinc.

When looking to supplement zinc, it is important to look for an enzyme activated zinc supplement. Ancient Nutrition do a great range of supplements as do Terranova

Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s)

If your skin is feeling dry or inflamed then upping your intake of essential fatty acids may help. EFA’s can also help to reduce sun damage, an excellent thing to know at this time of the year. They are a powerhouse that keeps on giving from a skin perspective.

Rich sources of EFA’s can be found in nuts and seeds in particular if you’re following a plant based diet. Sesame and chia seeds, flaxseeds/linseed (freshly ground), walnuts, fatty fish and eggs are some

of our favourite sources of Omega fatty acids. Sprinkled on coconut yogurt or pouched eggs with spinach and a sprinkle of seeds are super simple ways to get these in early in the day. We also love using walnuts as part of the base for our Raspbounty and Peppermint Bars.

Taking a plant based or wild-caught small fish based Omega 3 can be very beneficial not only for the skin but many organs in the body. Some of our favourite brands include Bare Biology and Regenerative Omegas (available from Sow and Arrow)

Beta Carotene

Sounds like a slightly shy carrot right? But in fact beta carotene is a super clever antioxidant that converts into Vitamin A. Vitamin A is needed for healthy skin and mucous membranes, our immune system and good eye health and vision.

We love to indulge in a pile of sweet potato wedges from time to time and these are a really easy way to up your intake. Another source of beta-carotene are carrots too! We love ours served up with a dollop of Hunter & Gather avocado mayo on the side too. Dark leafy greens, butternut squash, apricots, eggs, liver and ghee are also all good sources too.

Selenium

Selenium is your wrinkles arch enemy! It protects your skin from free radicals and other skin damaging compounds before they can cause havoc and lead to wrinkles forming. The great news is that you don’t actually need loads of it to make a big difference. Selenium along with other minerals, bolsters your body’s army of white blood cells and strengthens your response to infections—including those on the skin—since skin is your body’s first line of defence.

Brazil nuts are one of the best sources of selenium. You can also get it fro meat and shitake mushrooms. If you fancy whipping something up at home then we can thoroughly recommend our Nourishing Truffles. A yummy way to get to your daily selenium dose! We also use Brazil nuts in the base of our Caramel Bars!

Vitamin D

This vitamin gets a lot of mention and for good reason, it plays a major role in immune function and is essential for healthy bones and teeth. It optimises the skin’s natural immune system and helps destroy free radicals.

If you are unable to get adequate sun exposure, esp in the winter months, supplementation of this vitamin is crucial!

Probiotics

Gut health is key for good skin health too. Getting a healthy dose of probiotics from fermented foods such as sauerkraut, kimchi, kombucha or miso is important. Try and include most days in your diet.

If you cannot have there regularly then supplementation may be needed. Which type of strain depends on what condition you are treating, so speaking with a functional medicine practitioner, naturopathic doctor or nutritionist can be helpful. Some of the best ones on the market include those by Ancient Nutrition.

A final word, there are many other nutrients that are beneficial for good skin, so this list is not conclusive but a great place to start.

One organ in your body that is also super important to nourish and directly can affect our skin health is your Liver. Think of this organ as your body’s filter. Here are some ways to nourish your liver –

- Consume cruciferous vegetables often

- Eat sulphur-rich foods like Brazil nuts, almonds, onions and garlic

- Include anti-oxidant rich foods like organic berries, beetroot, raw cacao and mushrooms.

- Herbs such as milk-thistle can help promote liver detoxification. You can have as a supplement, it can also be found sometimes in herbal teas.

- Switch to natural skin care, what you put on your skin is absorbed into your body!

- Allow your body to sweat, whether in a sauna, by exercising or in the sun, this helps support elimination of toxins

- Dry body brush – this can be an effective way of helping eliminating toxins from the body. Here is a great article for more information about how to do this.