Foods For Clear Skin – Eat Smartly And Reap The Benefits Of Great Skin

Most of us are aware of what creams, cleansers and moisturizers do to keep our skin clear and radiant. What no one is aware of is that our diet too plays a major part on the state of our skin. You can eat foods for clear skin and make your skin healthy from inside out.

Clear glowing skin reflects overall good health. This requires regular exercise, adequate sleep, avoiding excessive exposure to the sun and taking a diet rich in some important nutrients. A balanced healthy diet is vitally important for great looking skin.

Good Nutrition - First Line Of Defense

Foods rich in Vitamin A and C help to build and maintain healthy skin. Beta-carotene, which is converted by the body into Vitamin A helps to reduce over production of sebum. The best dietary sources of beta-carotene are brightly colored fruits and dark green vegetables. Citrus fruits, oranges, berries, kiwi, melons, peppers, broccoli, cabbage and potatoes are especially rich in Vitamin C.

Vitamin B6 helps to reduce acne by regulating hormones implicated in the development of acne lesions. Vitamin B6 is found in meat, fish, poultry, whole grains, lentils, avocados, nuts, bananas and leafy greens.

Some studies have linked Zinc to skin health and claim it may help improve acne. Zinc promotes healthy hormone levels and aids in the healing process. Seafood – especially oysters, read meat, poultry, yogurt, milk and whole grains are rich sources of zinc.

However, anything in excess can have the opposite effects. High doses of vitamins B6 and B12 can aggravate acne symptoms and high doses of vitamin A can cause dry flaking skin and hair loss. Excessive intake of vitamin A has also been linked with the risk of osteoporosis.

Foods can be divided into two main groups – acid producing foods and alkaline producing foods. For a glowing clear skin, you need to take foods from the alkaline group. Fresh vegetables, fruit, nuts, seeds are alkaline forming foods and should form a major portion of your diet. Alkaline forming foods are also easier to digest.

Water, water and more water! You cannot get enough of it. Drink at least 8-10 glasses of it during the day. Water helps to flush out the toxins from the body, keeps the system well hydrated. A well hydrated system makes the skin look moist and dewy .

The body needs a wide variety of foods to function efficiently and keep it at its healthiest position. So, you need to balance your diet by including all types of foods. However, if you are having skin problems then a large part of your diet should be allocated to foods that are skin friendly.