What's food got to do with beautiful skin?

The result of our ceaseless desire for smooth, soft, glowing skin has led to an explosion of anti-aging surgeries and cosmetics products on the market. But do you really need to go under the knife or pay hundreds of dollars for special products? Or, can food rescue your skin in the same way and help its natural beauty shine through?

The answer is YES, IT CAN! Not only that, changing your diet to include foods that support healthy skin is easier and much more cost-effective than any other method out there. I'm sure many of you out there already know such a simple fact but have never committed to such a change. Even though you know that all these actions would benefit you- that they could bring pleasure to your life- you fail to act simply because in that moment you associate more pain to doing what's necessary than missing the opportunity.

"I conceive that pleasures are to be avoided if greater pains be the consequence, and pains to be coveted that will terminate in greater pleasures." - MICHEL DE MONTAIGNE

No matter your age, eating foods to support your skin is important. Teenagers are commonly scolded for their dietary habits- with fast-food and chocolate frequently at blame for their problems with acne- yet adults actually have a greater need for skin nutrients than do adolescents. The body changes and becomes less able to digest and absorb nutrients as you age, and the result is that fewer skin-healthy nutrients from the foods you eat actually reach your skin. This means that the foods you eat need to have a greater concentration of skin-beautifying nutrients.

So, let's start with WRINKLE PREVENTERS

Healthy collagen levels give skin a smooth, plump, young, healthy appearance. So, provide the skin with vitamin C, an important cofactor required to convert collagen subunits into active collagen proteins. Because Vit C is water-soluble, it cannot build up in the body and form reserves, so consuming Vit C- rich foods frequently is important to ensure that your skin can make collagen.

As we age, elastin production decreases and this can cause the skin to lose its firmness. Because iron has been linked with increased elastin production, eating iron-rich foods like spinach and dried fruits may be the best option for boosting the amount of elastin produced in your skin.