The importance of nutrition to our overall well-being cannot be overstated – and not surprisingly, what we eat can also have a profound impact on how our skin looks and feels. Below is a list of foods to indulge in, with another list of foods to avoid for great looking skin.

Great skin foods

Quail Eggs

Cute and delicious, quail eggs are actually one of the most nutritious and healthy foods available. Their nutritional value is three to four times greater than chicken eggs (despite being one fifth the size) and they have no bad cholesterol LDL while being rich in good cholesterol HDL. They have been used in Eastern medicine for centuries to heal a multitude of complaints, from allergies and skin rash to eczema and brain development. Rich in anti-oxidants, essential fatty acids, vitamins A, B and E , quail eggs help maintain healthy, glowing skin and shiny , voluminous hair. As a sugar-free, low calorie, low carbohydrate, high-protein food, you can eat as many quail eggs a day as you like – we recommend 3-4 eggs daily.

Beets

Beets are a wonderful adds to any diet – they are delicious, inexpensive and offer a host of benefits for skin and overall health. Known for aiding absorption of iron, beets improve blood circulation and the oxygen carrying capacity of red blood cells. This helps nourish your skin, as blood is carrying oxygen and nutrients for your skin more efficiently; it’s also helping carry away waste products such as free radicals from your skin to help flush our toxins.

Blackcurrants

Blackcurrants and blackcurrant juice are extremely popular in Europe where their nutritional qualities are well known ; and luckily, we’re seeing them come back in America as well. Quite simply, blackcurrant is the king or queen of berries- it has the highest levels vitamin C of any berry – a handful of these tasty berries a day will give you your daily requirement. A Finnish study shows blackcurrants are also a natural anti-ageing help, boosting collagen production , protecting skin from drying and cell damage.

Foods to avoid

White bread, pasta, cakes

Foods high in glycemic index are high in starches which are broken down quickly in the digestive tract and enter the bloodstream as glucose. This causes a very rapid spike in blood sugar and insulin levels. These elevated blood sugar levels cause glycation on cellular level, causing premature ageing of skin.

Salt

Excess salt intake causes tissues to swell, leading to puffy, unhealthy looking skin. The main culprit is usually prepackaged, prepared food and canned food – check your labels before purchasing and rinse canned foods before eating.

Alcohol

Not technically a food, but something we often consume – alcohol can wreak havoc on your skin if consumed in excess. It is extremely dehydrating and will leave skin cells flat and sad on the surface of your skin. It also causes vasodilation which is linked to being a aggressor for rosacea sufferers. So as far as alcohol goes, drink in moderation and follow each alcoholic drink with a tall glass of water.