If you’re looking for ways to keep your skin looking refreshed, young and healthy, then try to include some super veggies and fruits in your regular diet. Whether you throw them in salads, include them as a dinner side dish or eat them as part of your breakfast, each one of these foods can be used in a different way with endless variations.
Berries are overflowing with antioxidants, which help protect your body against sun damage. So next time you stop by the supermarket, be sure to pick up your favorite berry – strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries are all great fruits to munch on to help you achieve that great skin you’ve been hoping for. Berries make great between-meal snacks that are easy to pack no matter where you go! Try tossing them in your oatmeal for breakfast, blend them with yogurt for a lunchtime smoothie, or enjoy them with a little frozen yogurt for a sweet after-dinner treat.
These juicy red fruits are a great source of lycopene (how tomatoes get their red color) which, like the antioxidants in berries, helps to protect against sun damage and the aging of your skin. Lycopene also aids in the prevention of heart disease and prostate, breast and lung cancer. Plus, tomatoes’ high source of vitamin C is an added bonus that helps improve your all-around health. Slice up tomatoes for your sandwich or toss them cucumbers, onion and a light vinaigrette for a scrumptious salad.
Avocados make delicious sandwich spreads, salad toppers and creamy guacamole dips, and while the high amount of monounsaturated fat (the good kind of fat), potassium and vitamin E found in avocados provide you with health-boosting nutrients, you don’t have to eat avocados to reap their benefits. The nutrients in avocados can be used to nourish damaged hair, treat sunburns and, when worn as a mask, even reduce wrinkles.
Love it or hate it, flowers or stems, broccoli is one of the best vegetables you can eat to improve skin health. It’s filled with vitamins A, B, C, E, and K to give your skin a healthy glow. On top of that, there’s plenty of calcium, omega-3, potassium and other minerals in broccoli. The antioxidants beta-carotene and Vitamin C found in this vegetable have also been linked to the prevention of diseases such as cancer and heart disease. Broccoli also helps your body regrow skin cells after injury, and generally makes your body all-around happy. Eat this green veggie raw with healthy dips or cook it and use it as a side dish to your dinner.
You may have never heard of this herb, or perhaps you rarely – if ever – grab it from the grocer’s. But learn to love this aromatic herb, either in root vegetable or seed form, and you’ll reap the benefits of rejuvenated skin and silky hair. It is also digestive aid, making it a popular after-dinner meal in parts of South Asia. As if that weren’t enough, fennel is also known to help your libido! Most people use the fennel seeds, but you can use the stalk to make vegetable stock, and the root itself, which has a slight licorice-taste, can be a nice addition to a salad.
There are many fruits and vegetables that you can add to your diet to not only help your skin glow, but also aid in overall health and the prevention of diseases. Have fun creating culinary creations with these and other super foods while enjoying their skin-enhancing benefits!
