What you eat shows on your skin

by Jacki Donaldson (Subscribe to Jacki Donaldson's posts)
Jun 24th 2008 8:30AM

Categories: Womens Health, Diet & Weight Loss, Nutrition & Supplements

What you put inside your body eventually shows on the outside, reports Reader's Digest. Just ask the 100 dermatologists who analyzed the skin of 4,000 women ages 40 to 74. What they found is that eating habits, weight, history of sun exposure, and menopausal status all affect the skin. Specific to diet, though, the good doctors discovered the following.

Women with higher vitamin C intake had significantly fewer wrinkles. Makes sense since vitamin C is key in the formation of collagen, which protects the skin from damage and keeps it strong and elastic. For best results, be sure to get vitamin C not through a supplement but in its natural form -- think orange juice, citrus fruits, and tomatoes.

Those who ate plenty of the nutrient linoleic acid had skin that was less dry and fragile. Known to keep skin moist, this stuff can be found in green leafy veggies, nuts, and plant-based oils.

Women who ate more carbs and fat had more wrinkles.

It makes sense than that we put in our bodies what is truly good for us, on the inside and out. Check out the following gallery for 11 healthy -- and antioxidant-rich -- goodies.

11 antioxidant-rich foods(click thumbnails to view gallery)

Source

Comments (8)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Pauline 6-24-2008 @ 9:00AM

Whole, natural foods are the answer. They always have been. The problem is we have trouble getting and cooking enough whole foods for the body's daily needs. No one eats 7-9 fruits and vegtables in a day that that is the latest MINIMUM amount said to be needed to maintain health. My solution, JUICE PLUS, 17 fruits and vegtables, in a capsule. Whole food, made simple.

mohammad 6-24-2008 @ 3:54PM

Old Chinese proverb: you are what you eat.

lucy 6-24-2008 @ 2:42PM

Tomatoes... do you have to buy them organic to get these results?

jasmine 6-24-2008 @ 2:34PM

i just wantd to tell that women who avoid Non vegetarian diet, develop wrinkles very late.. and on the other side, d ones who eat non veg on regular basis, develop aging signs quite soon.

thnx

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Vegetagrl 6-24-2008 @ 3:37PM

My husband and I recently started eating more salads, eating mixed fruits, steaming vegetables and grilling chicken and lean steaks on the grill. I've also started taking an all natural dietary supplement called lipo6, and I have to say that the healthier meals combined with daily bike riding and all natural weight loss supplement have really helped both of us feel better and look better.

Esta 6-24-2008 @ 6:30PM

Whenever anyone asks me why I have such good skin (I'm 39), I tell them it's the Three S's: [canned] salmon, sardines, and sunscreen. Friends gag at my canned salmon and sardine habit, but I've been eating both since I was a kid in my single digits. The sunscreen habit started for real around age 20. Eating lots of almonds and other nuts all my life probably hasn't hurt either. For those of you averse to eating fresh fruits and veggies--invest in a good juicer. They're a pricey investment, but an investment nevertheless. I juice all the fruits and veggies that I don't really like to eat (bell peppers, for instance, are loaded with vitamin C). You don't get the fiber, but you do get the vitamins. Great for your skin.

CRYSTAL 6-24-2008 @ 6:30PM

YES!!! MY GRANDMOTHER WAS WAY BEFORE HER TIME WHEN IT CAME TO EATING ONLY FROM HER GARDEN. EVERYTHING FRESH AND ORGANIC. NO PROCESSED FOODS, NO MEAT. AND LIKE HER MOTHER BEFOR HER, HER SKIN WAS ABSOLUTELY BEAUTIFUL!!! NO ONE COULD EVER GUESS HER AGE. SHE PASSED AWAY PEACEFULLY IN HER SLEEP AT AGE 103! I AM HAPPY TO TELL YOU MY MOTHER GAVE ME ALL MY GRANDMOTHER'S DELICIOUS RECIPES. I DON'T LIKE TO BRAG...MY DAUGHTERS ARE BEAUTIFUL! THANK YOU GRANDMA!!! XOX !!!