Delicious Foods for Glowing Skin and What to Avoid

Posted on April 15, 2022 |

Eating a nutritious diet is great for your entire body. There are many delicious foods for glowing skin. Eating vitamin and antioxidant-rich fruits, vegetables, nuts, and lean proteins curbs skin damage and can significantly affect signs of aging.

Here are a few of the Vibrance Medspa team’s favorite foods to help give you an overall glow and beautiful, healthy skin, and also some things to avoid for optimal skin health.

Top Foods for Glowing Skin

Avocados

Avocados are high in good, healthy fats. Packed with vitamins A, C, and E, this creamy food can help keep your skin moisturized and soft.

Whether you’re making guacamole or applying this fruit directly to your skin (there’s a reason avocado makes an amazing face mask!) avocados are a great way to help protect you from sun damage and the aging process.

Some avocados are green and wrinkly, but they can make your skin glow and look younger! The vitamin A in avocados restores collagen to your skin.

Vitamins E and C will protect your skin from sun damage. And the antioxidants improve the appearance of dark spots.

Avocados are great for your overall health too—they’re a healthy high fiber, low sugar treat. Avocados are full of heart-healthy fats which lower LDL—the cholesterol you don’t want. This lowers your risk for heart disease and stroke.

When used as a mask, the oil in avocados leaves your skin feeling hydrated. But don’t worry—there’s no oily residue. Also, the anti-inflammatory effects of avocado oil reduce skin redness and inflammation from acne.

TIPS: Try using avocados to:

Dress up your favorite hamburger
Create a pureed topping for toast
Replace mayonnaise on your sandwich
Wake up scrambled eggs

Salmon, Mackerel and other Fatty Fish

Did you know that a deficiency in omega-3 fats can cause dry skin? Fatty fish is a delicious way to help strengthen your skin and keep moisture in, where it belongs!

Omega-3s are also a great inflammation reducer and can help to calm redness and acne. Some of our other favorite fatty fishes are herring, albacore tuna and sardines.

As you age, thinning skin on the face, hands and arms takes on a crepe-like appearance. It can bruise or tear easily. The Omega-3 fatty acids prevent collagen breakdown, keeping your skin thick and supple.

So, say yes to fatty fish to protect your skin’s youthful texture and glow.

Vitamin E, an antioxidant found in fatty fish, can even reduce the risk of developing non-melanoma skin cancers. These antioxidants protect the skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays.

TIPS: Try using salmon to:

Add protein to pasta
Substitute for a hamburger
Mix in with grilled zucchini
Add flavor to cooked rice

Leafy Greens

Whether you’re a fan of spinach or kale, leafy greens contain a ton of antioxidants and are rich in vitamin A, C, and E.

Vitamin E helps protect the skin cells from damage. And the beta-carotene found in leafy greens is a powerful antioxidant that helps your skin cells repair and stay healthy.

Spinach, a popular leafy green, is loaded with vitamins that help the skin heal from scars. It also reduces dark spots. Its antioxidants fight inflation and acne and help keep skin safer from UV rays.

Lutein in leafy greens not only lessens development of wrinkles but also supports eye heath. All this adds up to a more beautiful and healthier you!

Some additional leafy greens your skin will love include:

Collard greens
Broccoli
Brussel sprouts
Beet greens

TIPS: Try using leafy greens to:

Add to your morning smoothie. Blend spinach/kale with some cucumber, green apple, lemon juice and fresh ginger for a tasty wake-up treat
Add interest to your omelet
Create a delicious spinach, salmon, and tomato salad
Add texture and taste to your soups
Accent your stews

Tomatoes

Beta-carotene, lutein and lycopene have been shown to protect your skin against damage from the sun and prevent wrinkling.

While you can incorporate more tomatoes into your diet, you can also use tomatoes externally to aid in the reduction of blackheads and to open pores on your face.

Vitamin C and other antioxidants in tomatoes reduce free-radicals and help your skin look more youthful. The vitamins and nutrients help skin cells hold moisture and take on a smoother appearance.

Vitamin C also stimulates collagen production—which is key to young looking skin.

Lycopene also helps prevent skin discoloration and unwanted changes to your skin’s texture. It’s especially helpful for aging or sensitive skin.

The lycopene also helps protect skin from UV rays. Lycopene, vitamins E and C, lutein, and beta carotene all have anti-inflammatory results, as well.

TIPS: Try using tomatoes to:

Make an omelet more delicious
Add taste and color to a leafy green salad.
Liven up a grilled cheese sandwich
Create a delicious tomato, basil, olive oil and mozzarella Caprese salad
Make a fresh tomato, corn, and avocado salad

Berries

Berries taste great and they’re one of the incredibly good foods for glowing skin. They’re loaded with antioxidants that help keep away sun damage and they can help to soften even the driest skin.

Blueberries are helpful in strengthening and healing blood vessels. Use a berry-based toning mask once a week to greatly improve skin damage.

These antioxidants also reduce inflammation and may delay the onset of fine lines and wrinkles. Blueberries also contain fiber, zinc, iron, vitamins, and minerals to help skin simply glow!

As we age, it’s increasingly harder for our skin to defend itself against free radicals. Eating more blueberries can delay this from happening and keep your skin beautiful longer.

Blueberries, blackberries, and cranberries are the berries with the most antioxidants.

Strawberries are acidic and are used in masks to revitalize and remove excess sebum on the skin.

Raspberries contain lots of vitamin C. Eat them to help prevent skin damage and to help the skin recover.

TIPS: Try using blueberries to:

Top off your morning oatmeal
Dress up a boring green salad
Mix into or sit on top of pancakes
Make your yogurt tastier
Add color to an otherwise boring fruit salad

Soy

Soy is a great substitute for milk because it contains many powerful, health-improving plant compounds that mimic the body’s estrogen, resulting in a healthier, and more balanced you.

Various studies have shown the benefits of soy reach far beyond imitating estrogen though! It has been shown to reduce fines lines and wrinkles and improve skin elasticity, hydration, and circulation.

The plant compounds in soy not only protect your body’s inner cells from damage, but also protect the skin from UV rays!

Soy is high in protein, fiber, vitamin B and isoflavone. These nutrients add to the firmness and improved texture of your skin. Add soy to your diet and watch in the mirror for signs of brighter, smoother skin.

Soy is popular in skin care products used for cleaning and moisturizing skin.

You can add soy to your diet by using tofu in creative ways. Tofu is made by combining soymilk with a coagulant.

TIPS: Try using tofu to:

Add protein to a green salad
Mix in with stews or soups
Make creamy soups or dressings even creamier
Snack on, drained and rinsed, right out of the container

Dark Chocolate

Do we have your attention now? Cocoa is great for your skin, on top of being a tasty treat. Stress can be hard on your skin and grabbing a bite of dark chocolate can boost your mood and aid in reducing stress hormones.

Look for a dark chocolate with over 70% cacao that is low in sugar and you’ll be on your way to a brighter you.

Dark chocolate brings back moisture to skin and increases collagen. Flavanols (antioxidants) in the chocolate even protect against sun damage and increase skin density.

Dark chocolate also can lower the risk of heart disease, reduce inflammation and reduce insulin resistance. So, feel free to add some to your daily diet—in moderation.

To get the benefits of dark chocolate, without weight gain, it’s recommended to keep consumption of a dark chocolate, with over70% cacao, to one or two ounces a day.

TIPS: Ways to eat dark chocolate:

Mix some chopped chocolate into oatmeal
Shave chocolate over morning cereal
Eat with fresh berries or tea to enhance sweet flavor
Simply enjoy as a late-afternoon or after-dinner snack

Foods to Avoid for Healthy Skin

While we approve of everything in moderation, there are some foods that you should try to avoid if you want to maintain that healthy glow. These treats can do a number on your skin!

Coffee – Causes dehydration which promotes skin inflammation, redness, and premature skin aging
Alcohol – Dehydrates the skin which causes drier, wrinkled, and sagging skin
Milk Chocolate – High amounts of refined sugar and fat cause inflammation that leads to acne
Sugar – Breaks down collagen and elastin, leaving skin to look dry and aged
Salt – Too much will dehydrate your skin and can lead to acne
Dairy – Cow’s milk is associated with acne breakouts caused by excess oil production.

Healthy skin is beautiful skin and there are many ways to achieve it! Some of the best tools may already be in your fridge or your pantry.

For more information on how you can look your best contact Vibrance MedSpa.

This blog post was updated on April 15, 2022.

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