Simple secrets for naturally healthy skin

Simple secrets for naturally healthy skin

It's the largest organ in your body. It reflects the health of your entire being. Without it, you would die in a matter of seconds. Despite its importance, most people take it for granted. If you guessed that the organ in question is your liver, your heart or even your kidneys, guess again. In fact, it's your skin.

If your idea of caring for your skin is to purchase costly potions or to spend hours scrutinizing your face for signs of aging, you may be overlooking some important factors in keeping this most critical part of your body in tip-top shape. Despite their outrageous price tags, some expensive soaps, cosmetics and formulas actually interfere with your body's self-maintenance ability. And nothing?no $100-an-ounce oil or magic pill?can take the place of good health.

From the inside out
Your body is a system, and what you feed it affects how it functions, including your skin's health. Beautiful skin, then, starts with a good diet

Vibrant vitamins
According to Dina Falconi, author of Earthly Bodies & Heavenly Hair, "a lot of what makes healthy skin is what you eat." Falconi suggests starting with vitamin E-rich foods, such as raw, organic seeds. Pumpkin, sesame, sunflower and flax seeds are all great sources of vitamin E and contain essential fatty acids, which are critical to your skin's health. The seeds should be unroasted, as roasting may destroy the Vitamin E, says Falconi.

Plenty of protein
Though many health-conscious people are tempted to eliminate meat from their diets, Falconi stresses the need for "good-quality protein," the building block of all life. You can get this protein from free range, organic meats, poultry and fish, according to Falconi. "You don't have to have a vegetarian diet."

Favorable fat
Fat is a necessary ingredient for healthy skin, but Falconi distinguishes between "good" fats and the "bad"?or hydrogenated?ones. The latter category includes the usual suspects, such as chips, fast food, deep-fried foods, or margarine. "The best is cold-pressed, virgin olive oil or organic butter," recommends Falconi, saying that the body is better able to metabolize unhydrogenated fats and oils (although there is no consensus on this by the scientific community).

Water is a winner
And don't forget water, critical to keeping the skin hydrated. Falconi says you don't need to drink huge amounts, but that you should sip room-temperature water continuously throughout the day. In addition to keeping your overall moisture content high, water also helps the body to rid itself of toxins and debris that might otherwise show up on your skin.

In general, a healthy-skin diet is a healthy-body diet, drawing from a range of foods, lots of vegetables, and limited processed foods. And she warns, "No colors, no additives, because those can trigger responses in the body that can come out through the skin."