I had it in mind to begin writing about organic beauty products for beautiful skin but I promised to continue writing about foods for skin care so I’m sticking to that promise. The good news (for me, anyway) is that, when it comes to beauty products, food is about as organic as you can get! If you haven’t already read my post on drinking water for beautiful skin, please start there before you continue reading this. I promise this post will still be here when you finish but, water being as important as it is, you really should begin your skin-friendly foods education with that post.
In this, our next topic on foods that are good for your skin, we’re going to discuss the humble berry and fruits. In my European upbringing, wild berries and fruits were a common and frequent part of life. Avid hikers and outdoorsmen, Germans often find themselves exploring the wilderness and I, a guest in that country, fully embraced their traditions. That meant hiking through the beautiful countryside where the farmers didn’t mind if you picked the occasional apple or grazed from the wild berries surrounding their fields.
Among my favorite treats were the blackberries that grew almost to the point of being a nuisance to the farmers. Plump, juicy, sweet and tart, it was all my father could do to keep me moving if I happened to notice blackberries growing fence-side along the side of the trail. Living here in the US, I find them a lot harder to come by in the wild, but they are worth the effort to find or buy from a grocery store because blackberries are GREAT for healthy, beautiful skin. Why? Antioxidants!
Blackberries aren’t the only berry or fruit high in antioxidants. Sharing their ranking status as having the highest antioxidant capacity (out of just about any food) are blueberries, plums, strawberries and others. Nice as that is, you’re probably left wondering what the big deal is. What are antioxidants anyway, and why are they good for you? Glad you asked.
Basically, think of antioxidants as nutrients in food that keep you healthy by slowing or preventing the natural processes in biology that damage our cells. Getting a bit more technical, the cells in your body naturally produce free-radicals. These are a byproduct of using oxygen. It’s a bit like cell-poop if you want to think of it that way. The cell uses oxygen like you use food and produces free radicals like you might excrete waste. Cell poop is a bad thing. It’s something you can’t simply prevent because the production of free-radicals is a natural byproduct of your cell’s use of oxygen. Short of starving your cells of oxygen (which would kill you), you really have no choice but to suffer the potential consequences of them processing the oxygen which is oxidative damage.
So how do berries, fruits and other foods high in antioxidants help? Another good question! I’m glad you’re here asking. See, antioxidants essentially scavenge free radicals. In sufficient quantities, they can prevent the damage that simply being alive causes to your body. But the good news doesn’t stop there! Studies imply that antioxidants can prevent the development of anything from cancer, heart disease, stroke, Alzheimer’s, rheumatoid arthritis and cataracts! Even taking skin care completely out of the equation those benefits alone make it worth your while to add some blackberries or other fruits to your next shopping list! But, since this is a blog about skin care and a post about foods for beautiful skin, let’s refocus.
Where your skin is concerned, free radicals damage the membrane of skin cells. Normal oxidation can be the source, but sun exposure can contribute too. Damaged skin cells, of course, run a risk of damaged DNA in the cell. So, the inclusion of antioxidant rich foods in your diet provides an army of free radical hungry nutrients which will protect your cells from being damaged in the first place! Whether your objective is to find something natural or simply the best anti aging skin care products, antioxidant rich foods are your number one resource for results.
Ok, but what if you don’t like blackberries. Hey, I sympathize. I’ve found the blackberries available in grocery stores here in the US to be more tart than those I picked in the German countryside as a child. I’m not a big fan of tart. The good news is that there are plenty foods high in antioxidants that can help you find your way to beautiful skin. In fact, the US Department of Agriculture produced a top 20 list. I’d list them all, but since this post is on fruits and berries, I’ll save the full 20 list for a later post but you should note that 13 out of the 20 items listed are fruits and berries. For now, here are the best fruits and berries you can eat for healthy, beautiful skin.
- Blueberries (wild)
- Blueberries (cultivated)
- Cranberries
- Blackberries
- Prunes
- Raspberries (my favorite berry of all)
- Strawberries
- Red delicious apples (good for keeping doctors AND dermatologists away)
- Granny Smith apples
- Sweet cherries
- Black plums
- Plums
- Gala Apples
When it comes to finding foods that are good for you, you’ll often find fruits and berries at the top of the list. But if you’re looking for foods for healthy skin, you can’t go wrong by selecting from the list above. Just as it takes time for the damage caused by free radicals, sun exposure, age and pollution to show on your skin, it also takes time for these antioxidant rich foods to reverse skin damage. For best results, include one of the fruits or berries listed above or one of the foods I’ll mention in my next post in at least one meal every day. In time, you’ll feel better, look better and be a healthier person over all!
Your body is wrapped in a new suit of skin about every 1 to 2 months. By including a healthy diet complete with water, antioxidant-rich foods and other dietary recommendations we’ll include in future posts, you can dramatically change your appearance in a very short amount of time. When to start your diet for beautiful skin? Why not today?
