Making the best nutritional choices for healthy skin

• 1). Hydrate your body with 6 to 8 glasses of water a day. Tea has a lot of antioxidants and is a wonderful alternative, but soda and coffee can be dehydrating. Dehydration starts before you know you are thirsty. It is best to be proactive.
  
  
• 2). Eat fruits and vegetables. According to research by Martalena Purba, et.al. in the Journal of the American College of Nutrition, foods like eggplant, asparagus, celery, onions, beans, legumes, leeks, garlic and olives were associated with less skin wrinkling in the elderly living in sun-exposed locations. Look for colorful foods like tomatoes, cherries, melon, carrots, dried fruits. Foods high in beta carotene can just slightly alter skin coloring enough to offer additional protection from sun damage. Choose a variety of colors in your fruits and vegetables, and be sure to choose foods high in vitamin C, which is a potent and valuable antioxidant for skin.
  
  
• 3). Choose olive oil over butter and vegetable oils. Eating a greater percentage of fish, flax seed oil, olives, nuts, and olive oil is wonderful for your skin and provides valuable Omega 3 fatty acids. The American diet is full of Omega 6 fatty acids from soy, vegetable oils and processed foods. When a cell is comprised largely of Omega 6 fatty acids, it is more vulnerable to damage. Since 25% of the skin is composed of unsaturated fats, you can literally change cellular structure to be more resistant to damage. Eating less fat overall is also recommended.
  
  
• 4). Reduce your intake of saturated fat and processed foods. Purba, et. al. also found in their research that people who consumed a greater proportion of full fat milk, red meat, butter, margarine, potatoes, soft drinks and sweets had more visible skin damage. People who ate more low fat dairy, yogurt, eggs and legumes had less visible signs of aging.
  
  
• 5). Consider supplements. A multivitamin is generally recommended to be sure you are not missing anything in your diet. Topical treatments with antioxidants such as vitamin C, Vitamin E, retinoic acid and coenzyme Q-10 have shown some promise in the literature. Dr. Andrew Weil suggests 45 mg of evening primrose oil, black current oil or borage oil for its high GLA (an omega 3 fatty acid) levels. He suggests you only take it orally and be patient. Do not expect to notice a difference for 6-8 weeks.