Nutrition for Healthy SkinYou could be forgiven if researching nutrition for healthy skin was not the number one priority of your daily to-do list. When one is looking, however, to improve skin health, nutrients and the benefits of eating or not eating certain foodstuffs suddenly become a much more important topic for discussion! Well I actually had a very good day today. My energy is coming back. I'm having great sleeps and waking up feeling good, not running to the kitchen to eat. Now I feel good in the morning and my mood was very good today. CD Though years of research have changed some of our views on eating and healthy lifestyle, not much as changed about the fact humans have basic dietary needs. Whenever those main food elements are low or imbalanced, our bodies suffer negative effects. A correct balance of essential nutritional building blocks, however, enables the body to repair damage (i.e. skin rashes, acne), aid in growth and development (i.e. baby skin care, correct DNA replication to prevent premature aging), and resist infection and disease (i.e. deal with yeast overgrowth or combat autoimmune disorders such as psoriasis). In order to achieve and maintain good health in all our parts, nutrition for healthy skin, both the macronutrients—protein, carbohydrates and fats that are covered here—and the micronutrients—vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and probiotics covered elsewhere on the site—need to be a part of our daily diet. Protein Next to water, protein is the most abundant nutrient in our bodies. We require protein to develop and maintain:
But our need for protein doesn't stop there. Protein is also required to produce:
While the daily amount of protein needed to provide nutrition for healthy skin varies depending upon age and body type, it is important to include at least small amounts of protein, in some form, with all meals and most snacks. When skin problems occur, it is best to concentrate not only on including the animal or vegetable source proteins that are best for your body type but also to minimize or avoid the proteins that can often prove problematic with skin conditions such as acne or rosacea—dairy, peanuts and soy. If you are not sure if these foods are a problem, get tested for allergies/intolerances by your healthcare practitioner or simply eliminate them for a couple of weeks by following the Candida Foods List and see if there is improvement in your skin problems. If improvement is not clearly noticeable after several weeks of avoidance, you can do a dairy. peanut or soy challenge by simply adding in 4-6 servings/day of the potentially intolerable food for two consecutive days. If the food is a problem, you should see a marked increase in the intensity of your skin problem at that point and can eliminate that food again for a longer period of time. Carbohydrates Carbohydrates provide energy for body functions and muscular exertion and their intake is required on a daily basis. Nutrition for healthy skin in the carbohydrate family includes grains such as: 
Another carbohydrate found at the produce store, fruit too contributes a wide range of skin healthy nutrients to our diet. Eat several servings/day in their whole form rather than as juice—unless following a fresh vegetable/fruit juicing program—and again, be sure to include a wide range of colors in your selection, particularly the lower-sugar forms of fruit such as berries (i.e. raspberries, blueberries and acai berries), apples and pears. Grains too, are a good food choice for many people, particularly the nutrition for healthy skin found in whole grains. For body types that do well on a larger percentage of grains, 2-4 servings of whole grains in the form of foods such as sprouted grain breads, brown rice, whole wheat pasta or rye crackers provide excellent nutrients to help grow healthy skin. For body types that do less well on grains, minimizing grain intake helps reduce the chance of producing excess abdominal (i.e. visceral) fat that can lead to ill health internally and externally (i.e. stretch marks, cellulite). As well, for skin issues that have candida overgrowth as a possible factor (i.e. acne, rosacea) avoiding grains for a period of time per the Candida Food list can be very helpful. And if skin disorders with an autoimmune system component such as psoriasis are present, both the Candida Foods List and the Specific Carbohydrate List may need to be followed to see which one produces the best results. Fats Fats provide the most concentrated source of energy for our bodies and contrary to popular belief, play a significant role in nutrition for healthy skin. While it is true that fats such as those altered by hydrogenation and excess heat and processing, or the ratio and type of fat found in animals that are fed a grain diet, should be minimized, fats that have a long history of use—olive oil, butter and coconut oil, and the fats found in avocados, nuts, seeds and grass-fed animals—should be eaten daily, in amounts between 1-3 tablespoons. Fats aid in:
Foods high in fat content often include a variety of types of fats but are usually referred to by the type of fat they most contain. Saturated fats—those that are "saturated" with hydrogen molecules—are usually solid at room temperature, are most stable of the fats and are less susceptible to oxidation. That means they also are less likely to produce free radicals, natural enemies of good health in general and skin health in particular. Some saturated fats have been implicated in heart disease but natural sources of those with a long history of use are a good source of nutrition for healthy skin and health in general, particularly for body types that do better on an increased dietary intake of protein and fat. Monounsaturated fats are a great choice for healthy skin, particularly olive oil and fats found in avocados and nuts such as almonds, cashews and hazelnuts. Polyunsaturated fats are also derived from vegetable, nut and seed sources. They, like monounsaturated fats, are usually liquid at room temperature, with best sources including safflower oil and sesame seeds and oil. Because, both mono and poly unsaturated fats are susceptible to heat, light and air damage, it is important to purchase good quality, naturally processed oils. That ensures the maximum number of nutrition for healthy skin nutrients remain in a healthful form. Essential fatty acids, those that are body is unable to produce, are also important factors in skin health and health in general. Check Begin Within Natural Skincare's page on EFAs for further information on ensuring your intake is appropriate and sufficient. Bottom line? You can have healthy skin! Check out other Begin Within Natural Skincare Nutrition pages: Start with Food for Healthy Skin and Diet for Good Skin Next Benefits of Drinking Water Here's help on choosing the best Skin Vitamins Why you need Essential Fatty Acids Soon there will be additional Nutrition information on topics like Probiotics and Antioxidants. Interested? Sign up for the RSS feed and be notified when new website content is posted. The World's Healthiest Foods site has more great information on food and nutrition. Return from Nutrition for Healthy Skin to Food for Healthy Skin
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