The Beauty of Nutrition: Cultivating Healthy Skin from the Inside Out
For our last blog Valentine’s themed post on Self-Love, I wanted to give everyone some action steps on Nutrition strategies you can adopt to show some love to the largest organ of your body: your skin!Many are concerned with healthy skin for its aesthetic value, but it’s also incredibly important for its main function: protection of the body from external factors ( such as bacteria and other organisms, chemicals and temperature.)
Nutrition can play an important role in keeping this important organ healthy.
For healthy and glowing skin, focus on incorporating the following things in your diet:
Healthy Fats
Protein
Vitamins A, C, E
Minerals: Zinc, Selenium
Real Food action Steps to get each of the above in your diet:
Enjoy Salmon, sardines, or tuna 2-3x’s (Protein, Omega-3s, Selenium)
If you’re using a store-bought salad dressing- swap to homemade Olive oil and vinegar dressing at least 3 x’s/wk. Cook with Olive oil when sautéing veggies (Extra Virgin Olive Oil = healthy fats and Vitamin E
Enjoy-½ an avocado in salads, on high fibre toast or Ryvita Crackers, or to add creaminess to a shake (Avocados: Healthy fats, Vitamins C and E)
Enjoy Eggs not only for their flavour, but their protein, selenium and vitamins A and E-Sprinkle Ground Flaxseed on your overnight oats, salads, shakes or yogurt (Selenium and Omega 3 healthy fats)
Enjoy Salads and stir fries made with Kale, spinach and or collards, or add them to shakes or egg scrambles (Leafy dark greens are a source of Vitamins A, C, E and Selenium in spinach)
Supplements to Consider:
If you’re not big on Fish, consider a daily Fish-Oil supplement, considered THE best way to ensure you’re getting enough Omega-3’s whose benefits reach far beyond just skin health (a good Omega-3 profile is linked with reduced blood pressure, improved mood, enhanced brain healthy, and may result in more lean muscle gain in strength training individuals). Check out our Instagram post on choosing the right Omega-3 supplement OR come to PI and pick yours up today!
Multi Vitamin/Mineral or Multi/Greens+ Look at your fist. Now think about what you ate yesterday. Over the course of the day, did you eat 5 fistfuls of a variety of Veggies, at least some of those coming from leafy greens? Did you also have 2 fists worth of colourful fruits? If not, then chances are you’re lacking some of the key (skin) health promoting Vitamins and minerals and a multivitamin would be a great option to cover your bases as you work towards that 5 fists goal.
As you’re considering what to buy, double check that the Multivitamin includes Minerals (like zinc, selenium, calcium, magnesium etc.) as well as Vitamins, like the Progressive Active for Men and Women that we carry at PI. Alternately, if you find popping pills challenging and want the added benefit of probiotics and greens, AND in the form of a tasty drink, consider using the Multi+Greens+ that we carry at PI. One scoop in water covers your all your recommended Vitamin and Nutrient needs with eight types of probiotics for enhanced gut health
