The Secret to a Natural Healthy Skin

Your skin is your first and most important vehicle of personal visual impression, and not even whatever you are wearing, or saying. I have always believed that what you take into your body is more important than what you put on your skin. As such it becomes very important that we be a little more discerning and very selective regarding whatever we apply to our skin in the name of cosmetics. But even more so, should we attach a higher premium to what we consume even for the sake of looking good. 

Healthy skin makes you radiate all over

Skin health is a very vital aspect of our general health and well being that we tend to overlook most of the time. But again, even when we tend to pay attention to our skin, we often times like to over emphasise on the aspect of what we rub on instead of what we take in. When we understand that beauty in itself is actually something that stems from a well being that radiates from inside to the outwards, then we will equally begin to understand the truth about what we take in being more important than what we put on.

 

Tomato - skin food

My worry here is that most people tend to rely so much on the outward while neglecting the inside, and therefore spending so much time, energy and resources on creams, lotions and soaps, etc. While it is very good to want to nourish the skin by the external application of all of these ingredients, it is even more beneficial that we nourish our skin from the inside. By this I mean that we ought to be paying more attention to what we eat and drink in regards to our skin care.

Most top nutritionists will always let you know, especially our ladies that your secret to a healthy glowing skin is not in your make-up kit, but in your diet. At this point I want to emphasise on the various natural health habits we need to adopt in order to ensure a more wholesome and all round dermatological health or skin care. Suffice it to say that as usual all that we require is present in nature and around us:

Take plenty of Water: A generous drink of water readily ensures a healthy and radiating skin appearance. But you must make it a habit to do this every day. And very importantly, first thing every morning even before brushing your teeth, take a good drink of ordinary water – it does a lot of good skin-wise and generally.

Secondly, you need to take plenty of fruits and vegetables.  The following is a list of some of the most important food sources that benefit the skin comprising fruits, vegetables, and fish oil:

Blueberries: Blueberries are very high in antioxidant agents thereby helping you and your skin to slow down the aging process, leaving the skin ever tender and supple.

Natural foods are skin foods

Fish (Oil): By consuming plenty of fish, especially oily fishes, you stand to benefit a lot from the rich Omega-3 fatty acid, with selenium - an important mineral which protects the skin from sun exposure. It keeps your skin healthy with softness and natural moisture.

Green Leafy Vegetables: Vegetables in this class such as Spinach, Pumpkin leaves (Ugu), Ewedu, Garden egg leaves, etc, are highly equipped to do your skin good also. They are very rich in antioxidants, and minerals such as iron.

Nourishing green leafy vegetables

Tomatoes: These are the best sources of the highly esteemed anti-aging antioxidant substance called lycopene. Interestingly, this essential plant nutrient found chiefly in tomatoes is more easily absorbed by the body when processed and cooked. It brings life and radiance to your skin.

Walnuts: They are very rich in nutrients such as Vitamin E, and Omega-3 fatty acids. The benefits of walnuts are many including smooth skins, good hair, and strong bones.

Sweet Potatoes: They are loaded with beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant that retards the aging process. Thus your skin is kept looking young and healthy.

 

By Morgan Nwanguma