It might sound like a bit of cliché, but beauty does actually come from the inside. The glossy hair, glowing skin and strong nails you admire on the pages of beauty magazines are all achievable without the help of Photo Shop. The answer is to focus on nutrition and to eat your way into a healthy skin, nails and hair. Here are the building blocks you need to keep in mind if you want to look rejuvenated, youthful and strong.
Plenty of good protein
Protein is the core building block of your skin tissue, hair and nails – in fact, most of it is made from proteins called keratin, collagen and elastin. These are the building blocks of a healthy looking skin and help make it strong and elastic. It gives the hair its glow and the strength for your nails.
You shouldn’t think that more protein equals better skin, nails and hair. Nonetheless, you also can’t skip protein from your diet. The best is to include lean meats, such as chicken and seafood, together with legumes and eggs to your daily diet.
Essential fats from seafood and nuts
Seafood is not good just for protein, but it also adds much more essential fats to your diet. Omega-3 and omega-6 fats are some of the best for keeping your skin hydrated and healthy. The fats are also great for reducing inflammation in your body. If you suffer from allergies, dry skin or itchy scalp, the addition of more essential fats in your diet can be helpful to reducing the symptoms of these issues.
You should try to eat oily fish, including salmon, sardine and tuna at least three times a week. You can create healthy salads, or cook the fish with vegetables in the oven for a healthy meal. If you don’t enjoy fish at all or you are a vegetarian, you can try flaxseed. These have a high concentration of the fats and the seeds can easily be used in smoothies, salads and so on.
The other great source of essential fats is nuts. Furthermore, nuts come with skin-boosting vitamins like vitamin E and B. These can help strengthen the hair and nails and give your skin a healthier glow. When it comes to nuts, a handful of peanuts is a great way to boost your skin, hair and nail health.
Vitalising iron
If you feel a lack of energy and your skin and hair looks dull, you might be suffering from iron deficiency. Pale and itchy skin can be caused by a lack of this essential mineral and you can easily cure brittle nails with an iron boost as well.
How to add more iron to your diet? The best source of iron is red meat – a good steak or some meatballs in your diet are going to help you get iron and protein. If you don’t eat meat, you don’t need to despair. Iron can also be found from legumes and whole grains. The problem with these can be the lack of vitamin C, which can lower how well the iron is absorbed. So, if you are using legumes and whole grains, add a bit of vitamin C to your meals. For example, eat them with a glass of fruit juice.
Plump up with citrus
Talking of vitamin C, you need this magical vitamin to create collagen. As mentioned above, collagen is one of the essential proteins your skin, hair and nails need – it is the part that provides structure to your tissues. If you want to plump up your skin and add shape and support to your hair and nails, you need to eat more vitamin C.
A proper dose of vitamin C can also help protect the skin – it gives skin resilience against the harmful UV rays, so you definitely need to add it to your diet. The best way to get vitamin C is by eating citrus fruit, such as lemon and grapefruit.
Protection from harmful elements
While you can definitely protect your skin by eating right, some things require external protection as well. The more you expose your skin to sunlight, pollution and the elements of dry, cold and hot weather, the more pressure you put on your skin, hair and nails. Therefore, you want to support your healthy skin with proper skin care products.
The ideal products should protect from UV light – including your moisturiser, foundation and even the shampoo! You can find products with additional vitamin D and vitamin C to give your nails, skin and hair extra protection when going out. Superdrug has a range of products from brands like L’Oreal and Nivea to help you ensure harmful elements don’t damage your skin or your wallet.
Finally, you should remember that certain actions could also damage your skin health no matter how good your diet is. Things like smoking, lack of sleep and stress are not good for your body, including your skin, nails and hair. So, make sure to eliminate these from your life as much as you can.
If you take note of the above tips, you can boost your skin, hair and nail health in an instant. Youthful, healthy and rejuvenated skin is not a magic trick!
