What is the largest human organ? That’s right, it’s your skin! And that means you should eat the best diet for healthy skin, just as you do for your overall health and emotional well-being. A good rule of thumb when choosing the best food for healthy hair and skin is to stick with foods that are as close to the ground, plant, or tree as possible. Enjoy the following tips to help plan your menu for healthy skin and hair.
Antioxidants vs. Free Radicals
Free radicals are unpaired electrons created through oxidative stress on the body. We acquire free radicals through: Food — particularly food that is processed, fried, or sugary
Alcohol
Medication
Tobacco
Environmental pollutants When these free radicals search the body to steal other electrons and pair with them, they can attack and damage cells and DNA. The aging of our skin may be a result of cell damage caused by these free radicals. Antioxidants are the body’s warriors against free radicals. Antioxidants can give an electron to an unpaired free radical without destabilizing itself. In a recent report published by Live Science, Dr. Lauri Wright — a dietician and assistant professor of nutrition at the University of South Florida — explains that free radicals are like the waste product of certain chemical reactions, and antioxidants are the free radical waste management engineers.
What to Avoid for Healthy Skin
Alcohol and tobacco are at the top of this list. The occasional glass of wine or a beer at the ball game are acceptable, but consuming alcohol can reduce the body’s antioxidants in just 8 minutes. Refined sugar and simple carbs should also be limited. Do not fool yourself by saying “I don’t eat sweets or sugar.” Hidden sugars are everywhere, particularly in processed foods, such as: Pasta sauces
Ketchup
Breakfast cereal
Packaged fruits
Yogurt
Salad dressing Sugary sodas and drinks are a major source of sugar. According to the American Heart Association, men should limit their sugar intake to 36 grams per day, and women to 25 grams. Now, consider the fact that a 12 oz (368 g) can of Mountain Dew has 46 grams of sugar. That is almost twice the daily limit for a female in just 1 serving! Sweets are tempting and joyful, so if you must have them, try switching to a natural sweetener like stevia, honey, or maple syrup. To indulge your sweet tooth, you can also have a small piece of dark chocolate; it contains antioxidants! Food for Healthy Skin
If you are what you eat, then eating wholesome, healthy, all-natural foods will give you a wholesome, healthy, all-natural glow. Plant-based foods are the best foods for healthy skin, and they have the greatest potential to maintain or increase the body’s antioxidant levels and fight skin-damaging free radicals. Sea buckthorn is a powerful protector against skin damage caused by free radicals. The sea buckthorn berry, leaves, flowers, and seeds can be consumed directly as teas, tinctures, or even in pies or jellies. The sea buckthorn’s abundance of omega-7 can be found in supplements and can result in healthier skin and hair. Other foods for healthy hair and skin that are rich in omega-7 and other fatty acids include: Nuts (Brazil nuts are a great source of selenium, by the way)
Seeds
Whole grains
Sweet potatoes
Leafy greens (such as kale, broccoli, spinach)
Fatty fish (tuna, salmon) Eat the Rainbow
Eating food for healthy skin and hair can be fun and beautiful. The best diet for skin is to eat the rainbow for at least one meal every day: RED: Tomatoes, strawberries, raspberries
ORANGE: Oranges, papaya, sea buckthorn berry
YELLOW: Yellow peppers, golden beets, pineapple
GREEN: Avocado, kale, asparagus
BLUE: Blueberries, figs, acai
VIOLET: Eggplant, blackberries, purple cauliflower Hydration and Natural Products for Healthy Hair and Skin
Staying hydrated will not only help keep your skin moisturized and your hair luxuriant, getting an adequate amount of water each day can improve cardiovascular health, lubricate joints, keep you cool, and flush the body of the free radicals cleaned out by antioxidants. When you use all-natural products for healthy skin, hair, and nails alongside eating the proper foods for healthy hair and skin, that’s a beautiful combination. A plant-based diet enhanced by the plant-based products offered by SIBU Sea Buckthorn Berry Therapy can help restore youthful skin and fabulous hair.
