More Than Skin Deep

I love the phrase, “the eyes are the windows to the soul,” because it’s so right-on. And I also believe that in most cases, the skin is the window to the body. Let me explain. There are about a gazillion beauty products on the market, but they all go on the outside. Truth be told, each and every cell in our bodies (including our skin) is knitted from the nutrients we eat – from the inside out. Soooo, it’s not just what you put on your skin but what you put in your belly that counts. Bottom line – beauty products can only do so much if the nutrients needed to make and maintain healthy skin don’t show up for work (that’s like giving a rusted car a new paint job).

So, what does it take to stitch together healthy skin? Lots of good stuff! My top skintastic food picks include: almonds, walnuts, sunflower seeds, and avocados (for healthy fats and vitamin E), citrus fruits, peppers, tomatoes, and strawberries (rich in vitamin C), carrots, spinach, cantaloupe, apricots, papaya, and mango (for vitamin A), beans and lentils (for protein), water-rich produce like melon, grapes, greens, and cucumbers, and of course good old H2O (for fluid).

Simple skin nourishing dishes include: a taco salad made with greens, black beans, salsa, peppers, and avocado; spinach salad tossed with strawberries and walnuts; smoothies made with mango and papaya; fruit salad sprinkled with slivered almonds; and lentil soup alongside a garden salad topped with carrots, cucumbers, and sunflower seeds – yummy! And of course, each of these foods is also great for your insides, from your bones and muscles to your organs and blood.

So the next time you reach for hand or body lotion, keep in mind that some of the best skin treatments come from trees and vines, not just bottles.