Beauty: top tips for gorgeous skin

Thursday, 26 January 2012 4:13 PM

You are what you eat and your daily diet contributes to a lot more than just your weight. Food, drink and vitamin intake can help you look AND feel your best, with a number of health heroes that are ideal to boost your skin and hair.

The team at MyVitality.com, brain child of nutritional expert Drew Fobbester, have devised a series of online tests to determine your sensitivity to food stuffs. On completely the questionnaires, details will be added to your online profile foods you should be eating when and what supplements could help. Alongside these dieting tips the site also helps with ‘lifestyle actions’ that could impact and improve your health and beauty goals.

Here are a few general tips to help improve your skin from the inside out.

Pure water – drink six to eight glasses every day. Hydration is crucial and is one of the best ways to moisturise your skin from the inside out.

Colourful fruit and vegetables – at least five servings that include red/orange/yellow vegetables and fruits, purple foods, green foods. These foods are rich in antioxidants and anthocyanidins which help protect and enhance your skin. Try blueberries, red currants, blackberries, peppers, carrots, sweet potatoes.

Fresh seeds – a tablespoon a day, for example pumpkin, sunflower, sesame or ground hemp/linseed. or consume cold-pressed seed oils – a tablespoon, for example with salads, drizzled over vegetables or added to a smoothie. The essential fatty acids alongside the minerals in seeds can help with the flexibility and quality of skin cells. Along with the water this can improve skin tone and be an internal wrinkle reduction plan.

Supplement with vitamin C and zinc as both are crucial to healthy skin cell production and have protective effects.

Fibre-rich foods – rather than white refined foods, enjoy whole grains, root vegetables, lentils and beans. These help keep your digestive system operating well and this is a key channel of elimination this helps you ‘cleanse’ from the inside.

There are also various food and drink devils that can cause premature ageing, spots and dehydration.

Alcohol, tea and coffee - cutting stimulants can have very positive effects on skin condition.

Wheat and dairy products - many people have reactions to wheat and dairy. Often persistent skin issues will clear up with a reduction or elimination of wheat and dairy. Choose gluten free wholegrains in place of wheat and increase your consumption of fresh green leafy vegetables.

Processed foods - most preserved and processed foods are loaded with chemicals (just read the labels). Try making your food fresh and avoid processed foods for a time. You will be surprised at the beneficial effects this can have.