Keep Your Skin Glowing this Winter!

Winter can be a challenging time for your body. The harsh cold mixed with the heat blasting from the radiator can dry out your skin. This time of year, you may even notice that your skin is full of dry patches.

Believe it or not, your refrigerator may be key to keeping your skin glowing. There are foods you can eat to keep your skin hydrated and healthy.

While your diet is a contributing factor to great skin, there are also other regimens that you can partake in to ensure you have healthy skin. From a nightly routine that will leave you waking up feeling refreshed to moisturizing, there are so many ways you can avoid those dry patches this winter.

Obtain Glowing Skin

People spend countless amounts of money on products that claim to remove signs of aging and turn back the hands of time. While a good skin regime is essential, there are natural ways to get youthful-looking skin (at low cost) and it can be found right in your refrigerator! These skin beauty tips can help improve your skin’s elasticity as well as keep it hydrated.

Vitamin A: Your mother was right when she told you to finish your carrots at dinner! Carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkin, butternut squash, and spinach are top sources of the antioxidant beta-carotene (which your body converts to vitamin A). Vitamin A regulates cell production and turnover to keep the surface of the skin smooth. It also aids in protection against sun damage.

Vitamin C: enhances the production of collagen, which is the skin’s support structure and assists with wound healing. It is also an excellent detoxifier, flushing out toxins and free radicals and essentially retaining the elasticity of the skin. Vitamin C can be found in many fruits and vegetables. Some of the top sources are found in oranges, strawberries, kiwis, red and green peppers, cantaloupes, tomato-vegetable juice, broccoli, mangoes, orange juice, grapefruit juice, grapefruit, cauliflower, and kale.

Vitamin E: is a great skin conditioner that revitalizes the skin making it soft and supple. This vitamin also aids in eliminating free radicals in the body. Foods rich in vitamin E are vegetable oils, nuts, seeds, olives, and spinach.

Vitamin B: helps the skin to retain moisture. Many lotions containing B complex vitamins help keep the skin looking youthful. Natural foods containing vitamin B are whole grain products, eggs, milk, brown rice, legumes, cereals, and potatoes. Whole grain foods can also help to clear skin.

Vitamin K: is one of the most effective vitamins to improve skin elasticity. It also helps heal wrinkles, imperfections, and spider veins on the skin. Rich sources of vitamin K are found in green vegetables, soybeans, lentils, spinach, cabbage, chicken, and egg yolks.

Omega-3 fatty acids: fight against inflammation in the body usually caused by sun or stress. Inflammation produces free radicals, which then work to destroy collagen. Studies show that people who consumed more fish and vegetables over their lifetime had fewer wrinkles. Omega-3 fatty acids may also help to protect against sun damage. Top food sources of omega-3s include fatty fish, ground flaxseed, walnuts, and brands of eggs that are higher in omega-3s.

Iron and zinc: can help to give your skin a youthful glow. Zinc contributes to cell renewal and the natural shedding of cells, which keeps dullness to a minimum. Iron is needed by red blood cells to carry oxygen to the skin helping to give you a glow. These minerals can be found in fortified cereal, lean meat, pork, poultry, and oysters.

Water: Skin cells are mostly made up of water so if you are dehydrated it will show through on the surface of your skin. Dehydrated skin may be dry, itchy, or have a tight feeling to the skin. Good hydration plays a major role in keeping skin looking healthy and young. Water has many benefits for our body and helps cells to transport nutrients in and toxins out. Aim for 8 glasses a day.

Adopt a Routine

Everyone is familiar with the painful cracking that can happen when the skin gets dried out. Thankfully there are things you can do to keep your skin refreshed this winter:

Moisturize: After washing your face or getting out of the shower, don’t forget to slather on some lotion to moisturize the skin.

Overnight Routine: Don’t skip out on a nighttime skin hydration routine. There are many products you can buy that you leave on your skin overnight, so your face is fresh in the morning.