Using expensive skin products but not taking care of your diet? Presenting 10 must-eat food items for super healthy skin.
by Beverley Lewis
What you put on your plate and in your mouth is way more important than what you apply on your skin. A diet rich in antioxidant vitamins and minerals (and plenty of water) will nourish your skin and give you a youthful appearance. So the next time you’re reaching for a slice of chocolate cake, you may want to think again.
Remember your mum telling you that if you wanted a clear, beautiful complexion, you would have to eat a lot of fresh fruits and veggies, and drink a lot of water? Guess what, like with most other things, she was right. Our skin is a direct reflection of our health, and as trying as it sounds, it is important for us to avoid eating food high in refined sugar, and salty and fatty foods.
So what should you eat for good skin? Just eat these skin-enhancing foods for a beautiful, glowing complexion:
Flaxseeds: These tiny seeds (in pic on left) contain omega-3 fatty acids, which erase spots and iron out fine lines. If you consume half a teaspoon of flaxseeds a day, your skin will be better hydrated, as the fat in these seeds attract water to skin cells and plump up the skin and reduce wrinkles. So sprinkle some flaxseeds on your oatmeal, veggies, salads, or even in a small pot of low-fat yogurt.
Green tea: When it’s hot, this brew releases catechins, an antioxidant with proven anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties, so drink it when it is hot. Studies indicate that green tea may reverse the effects of sun damage by neutralising the changes that appear in skin exposed to the sun.
Spinach: The folate in these veggies may help repair and maintain DNA by bolstering your cells ability to renew themselves. This also reduces the likelihood of cancer-cell growth. The added bonus to Popeye’s favourite food, the water in these greens penetrates cell membranes, which makes for plumper and less wrinkled skin.
Sweet potatoes: These underground veggies, not only taste delicious, but they are loaded with vitamin C, which smoothes out wrinkles. Vitamin C is essential to collagen production and the more collagen you have, the less creased your skin looks.
Tomatoes: Sure, they taste yummy in salads, but cook them and these plump little beauties can help save your skin. How? Lycopene, the phytochemical that makes tomatoes red, helps eliminate skin-ageing free radicals caused by ultraviolet rays. Just half a cup of cooked tomatoes has 16 milligrams of lycopene; along with ample sunscreen, that daily dose should help keep your skin smooth and wrinkle-free.
Oily fish: Oily fish contain a little secret: selenium. This nutrient helps preserve elastin, a protein that keeps your skin smooth and tight. This antioxidant is also believed to buffer against the sun (it stops free radicals created by UV exposure from damaging cells).
Carrots: Think of them as thick magic wands – good for your eyes and great for clearing up breakouts. The credit goes to vitamin A, as it helps prevent the overproduction of cells in the skin’s outer 
layer, which leads to clogged pores. Vitamin A also reduces the development of skin cancer.
Dark chocolate: Dark chocolate has flavonols, which reduce roughness in the skin and protect it against sun damage. Try and eat dark chocolate with at least 60 per cent cocoa in it. A square a day will help keep sun damage away.
Almonds: They are packed with vitamin E, a potent sun blocker. Vitamin E acts as an antioxidant that helps to protect skin cells from UV light and other environmental factors that generate cell-damaging free radicals. So try and consume a handful of almonds a day, which amounts to about 12 almonds.
Water: Since skin cells contain mostly water, if you’re dehydrated, your skin will look and feel parched, too. So aim to drink at least eight glasses of water a day, and you will be rewarded with a dewy complexion.
Beverley Lewis has worked with beauty magazines and has amazing tips to share. Have a beauty question? Send it to us at editor@themetrognome.in or tweet it @MetrognomeIndia and Beverley will answer it for you.
(Pictures courtesy tumblr.com, everythinghealth.blogspot.com, thedailygreen.com, technyou.edu.au, niagarashoptalk.com, riceplex.com, verybestbaking.com, timepass.info, truedrawing.blogspot.com, geninv.net)