As this site is a joint venture between me and my wife, we often divvy up the duties. She writes about women’s skin care products and issues and I write about men’s skin care products and issues. Every now and again we have to flip a coin, though, because the topic applies equally to both sexes. That’s the case in today’s post which will focus on good foods for healthy skin because, boy or girl, man or woman, what you put in your body very much plays a part in how the outside of your body looks.
Now as a guy, I’d be lying if I said I’ve always given this concept a lot of thought. Truth told, I’m a meat and potatoes kind of guy and my dietary concern was often dictated purely by what particular carnivorous craving was most in need of satisfying. You get older, you get wiser and you find yourself having to consciously make an effort to stay in shape and you start to think about this kind of thing more. As my wife and I have both adopted a healthier lifestyle in the last couple months, food has become an everyday consideration as we shed pounds and build muscle. It hasn’t reached an obsession stage (yet) but we feel it only makes sense to think about our skin as we continue down our self-improvement track. After all, toned, muscled bodies wrapped in wrinkly, oily or splotchy skin sort of defeats the effort, right?
Even so, I was still of the mindset that external skin care products were the true road to perfect looking skin. After considerable review of the research (and you’d be surprised how much science has gone into the study of this topic) I’ve become a convert. More than any cream, lotion, scrub or tonic, the food we eat is the most important skin care tool in our arsenal. With the possible exception of avoiding sun damage, healthy eating trumps everything when it comes to taking care of your skin. And here’s a shocker; some foods may even help defend against or off set the damage caused by the sun! The bottom line is, if you are looking for skin care products that really work, start in your refrigerator.
I know what you’re thinking. “Gee, Dave, that sounds great! So what foods can I eat for healthy skin?” Patience, my eager friend. We’ll get to that in our next post, but let’s first emphasize that what you AVOID eating (or eat in moderate quantities) is also important. Just as there are good foods that promote healthy (really healthy, not just healthy looking) skin, there are also those that can take you the wrong direction by promoting the excess production of oils. Those of you who have suffered from acne in your youth probably remember the warnings against chocolate and greasy foods. Well, they weren’t just trying to deprive you of the good stuff, gang!
Ok, enough said. Our next post will get into the specifics. Sorry for not covering it here but my wife warned me against writing my usual epic-length posts so that people could more readily absorb the information. I’ll be back soon with the information you need to eat your way to healthier skin.