Food for blemished skin

Healthy nutrition is important to protect our body and organs. And this includes our largest organ - our skin.
A "bad skin", as we say so nicely, can have the most diverse causes: Genes, PMS, stress... But poor nutrition can also affect the condition of our skin. It is therefore worth taking a look at the foods that are good for our skin.
Regular consumption of the foods suggested here for impure skin will not be a panacea. But it can make a bigger difference than one might think.
Let's get started!

Walnuts

If common arguments for eating walnuts (such as protecting the cardiovascular system, slowing cancer growth, or promoting mental performance) are not enough for you, you may find the point that walnuts protect the skin convincing. Valuable ingredients such as vitamins B6 and E, zinc and antioxidants ensure that your skin remains smooth and soft

In between as "brainfood" for snacking, in bread, cake, yoghurt, porridge or hearty recipes - the walnut is incredibly versatile.

Avocados

Like the walnut, the avocado contains many vitamins, minerals and above all healthy, unsaturated fatty acids. These are good for skin, hair and health. It provides the skin with moisture and the "vitamin cocktail" of the avocado protects our cells and therefore has an "anti-aging" effect, as they say.
Unfortunately, the cultivation of avocados, which come from America, requires a lot of water (approx. 1000 litres per kilo!). Furthermore, their transport route is of course correspondingly long, which does not necessarily make the avocado a sustainable or environmentally friendly superfood. A more conscious alternative is therefore avocados grown in the EU with an organic seal.

Fun Fact: The avocado is not a vegetable, but a fruit! From a botanical point of view, the avocado tree belongs to the laurel family and therefore its fruits are classified as berries!

Sunflower seeds

The kernels contain important nutrients. Among others, vitamin E, which is an important antioxidant for the skin. Antioxidants protect the cells from oxidative stress. Oxidative stress causes the skin to age faster - and is a contributory cause of diseases such as arthritis, cancer or cardiovascular diseases. Sunflower seeds also contain selenium, magnesium and protein. Selenium and protein combat wrinkles and magnesium lowers the stress level. The most popular ways of incorporating sunflower seeds into your diet are baked into bread or as a "crunchy" component in salads.

Sweet potatoes

Sweet potatoes also contain a lot of vitamin E, which we already know to protect the cells and moisturize the skin. But sweet potatoes also score points (in terms of skin) for another important ingredient: the health-promoting provitamin beta-carotene operates like a kind of natural sunscreen and can thus protect our skin from sun damage. However, the good old sun cream can certainly not replace the sweet potato.
By the way, beta-carotene can be best used by our body when the sweet potato is cooked in a little fat.
Here too, there are numerous ways to prepare it: In the form of chips, baked potato, crisps or the classic side dish. My tip: bake the sweet potato with coconut oil and cinnamon in the oven until soft and then enjoy in a salad. Surprisingly different and super tasty!

Tomatoes

Tomatoes are quite similar to sunflower seeds in terms of their effect on the skin. They contain the carotenoid lycopene which prevents oxidative stress. Like sweet potatoes, tomatoes also protect against harmful UV radiation. Skin damage and premature skin aging can therefore be reduced by eating tomatoes.
By the way, you can also put slices of tomato on your skin (besides the classic cucumber slices)! This was actually already done in the thirties..

Broccoli

Who would have thought that broccoli of all things is a food against impure skin? I have to admit that I didn't necessarily have broccoli on my screen before my research in this context. However, if you know what super nutrients and ingredients broccoli has, you can hardly be surprised: vitamins A, C and E provide the skin with moisture and ensure healthy, firm skin in the long term. In addition, the antioxidants combat destructive free radicals and thus also protect us from disease.
Reason enough for me to include broccoli florets in my dinner today!

Peppers

We already know that antioxidants and vitamins have a positive effect on our skin. And peppers also contain these important substances, including beta-carotene and vitamin C. Vitamin C is necessary to produce collagen, a structural protein that strengthens our skin and keeps it young. Personally, I like paprika best raw, dipped in hummus. But peppers are also always a healthy, colourful component in vegetable pans, sauces or salads

Green tea

We all know the beneficial effects of green tea. Our skin is also a great friend of green tea, because the many minerals and vitamins promote our skin health. But there is more: the chlorophyll of the plant has a skin-freshening effect and reduces redness. The caffeine thus drains and tightens the skin. Besides the antioxidant effect of green tea, its anti-inflammatory effect is also interesting. Thus it helps against contact eczema and acne

By the way, green tea can also be used to make soothing steam baths, peelings or face masks! You can find many suggestions and recipes on google and Pinterest

Water

Last but not least, water should not be missing from this list. Water is essential to us for a variety of reasons, and one of them is the health of our skin. Even the slightest dehydration can make our skin look dry and tired.
My skin has also taken on a whole new, fresh glow since I have been careful to always drink enough.
A big glass of water first!

If you liked this article about food for impure skin or if you want to learn more about healthy eating, mindfulness or sustainability, take a look here over.